The Voice of Mercy

Susan Hirasuna Interviews Mark Horvath on Fox 11 Los Angeles New Year's Day

2011-01-07T12:01:00.000-08:00

Paul

2010-12-30T08:40:00.000-08:00

Downtown Rescue Mission.mov

2010-12-29T13:34:00.000-08:00

Mark Horvath and his work

2010-12-26T13:41:00.001-08:00

Mark Horvath travels North America raising awareness on homeless.
I am proud to know him and call him friend.

I will show his work here some on the blog to further his reach at least just a little bit.

You can find him online at www.invisiblepeople.tv and www.hardlynormal.com

Churches in Canada Using Housing First Model

2010-12-26T13:41:00.000-08:00

Radiant Life response to disaster in Albertville

2010-04-25T21:19:00.000-07:00

By now everyone is aware of the horrific damage that devastated Albertville, only a couple of blocks from Radiant Life Church.

I have to say I have never been more proud of the members of Radiant Life than I am right now.
You were at the Marshall County EMA Volunteer desk this morning before they were even set up, and you worked tirelessly all day long serving the community by cutting timber and debris from roadways and houses.

You worked at the EMA emergency location at the National Guard Armory answering phones to assist the EMA personnel.
You delivered water to emergency services, search and rescue, and volunteer crews all over the city.
You baby sat children so others could serve the community.

Today, you didn’t go to church…..you WERE the CHURCH and took the love of Jesus into the community and TRULY made a difference.
The EMA and community members could not say enough good about you! My eyes are full of tears as I write this email….I am so proud of you all.

All I can say is thank you so much for what you have done.
Please pray in the days ahead for victims, emergency personnel, and the community as a whole.

Pray that God will be glorified and lifted up!

Your servant,
Tom

Remember this day and what was DONE

2010-04-02T13:15:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to share this with you....

2010-03-27T10:26:00.001-07:00

Video Blog Entry 1

2010-03-14T22:43:00.001-07:00

New York City

2009-11-09T06:38:00.000-08:00

Jaime and I just made a trip to New York City, primarily to see the work of the New York Dream Center.

WoW! That one word just about sums up the entire trip.
The entire time I have known Jaime the one place that she has always wanted to see is New York City.

I am so thrilled that my wife was with me on this trip.
Pastor Brad and Stella Reed are doing amazing things in New York City.

We look forward to going back, and very soon!

2009-10-07T09:38:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine named Emilio Cervantes from Los Angeles said something that was so encouraging to me that I just had to share it with you.

"Faith only knows how to do one thing: conquer!

It doesn't operate in percentages; it is resolved to move mighty mountains!
Faith overcomes, justifies, reaches the promises of God, delivers you, provides strength to you, provides access, provides absolute TRIUMPH!

With out it you can't please God!
By Faith we will see the dead rise, the mute speak, the deaf hear! "

Triumphantly!
Tom

New things - Great Things

2009-09-15T11:13:00.000-07:00

I know I know.....already I know what you are going to say!

"Tom, where havce you been?"

Listen, so many amazing things are happening right now!
God is doing things that I never dreamed possible before!

Literally, the things that I have prayed and asked for a happening now!

Okay, I need to slow down and breath.....breath....breath....
It is hard to contain the excitement.

I am working on the new video blog that will be released for you guys very soon.
Not planning to replace this one, but I just don't know at the moment.

Love you guys,
Tom

Your steps are being prepared….

2009-08-18T17:19:00.000-07:00

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD,And He delights in his way.”

Psalm 37:23 (New King James Version)

I can remember a time when I would spend a good deal
of time staring at myself in the mirror and desperately
trying to figure out why in the world I was ever born.

Even though it may seem like ages ago, it is a time that is really not all that distant in the rear view mirror of life. I used to feel as though I was not living, I just seemed to exist.

You know what I mean, just breathing and eating and consuming resources but not really serving any purpose in life. I felt as though I was going through an
endless cycle of nothingness, where I got up every day and went to work and did the same thing over and over again and not really making any contribution to life.

Well, God, by his mercy changed my understanding about life and He changed how I see the reflection staring back at me in the mirror. You know, one of the greatest
lies that I ever bought was the fact that my life had no significant meaning.
Today, some of the most talented people that I know walk around feeling as though they are not going anywhere in life. They have no sense of purpose or direction in life, and therefore feel as though they are not really alive.

You must understand that God designed each one of us with a very special purpose.
He is the designer of the world, and He is the designer of our lives.
I have three fairly young children and it seems as though I can walk through the house at any given time and find a piece of some jig saw puzzle just lying around on the floor somewhere. When I see a piece of a puzzle on the floor somewhere
collecting dust, I see the strange shape and the weird abstract colors that seem to make no sense, and it appears to be a useless piece of cardboard.

However,the jig saw puzzle it belongs to will never be complete without that one in its rightful place. The designer of the puzzle sees the colors and the odd shape of the puzzle piece and sees something that belongs, sees something that fits in a perfectly designed place that adds beauty to the overall portrait, the completed project.

Our lives are like small pieces of the puzzle that make up the larger and perfect design of God. Sometimes we see our lives as a weird shape with strange abstract colors and we think: “How in the world could this life ever mean anything?” We can only see the small picture of life and to us, sometimes, it may seem as though we don’t fit anywhere. But my friend,

God sees the big picture and He created your life to fit in the larger portrait that He has painted upon the canvas of time. The portrait will never seem complete unless you are in your rightful place.

The Return.....

2009-08-11T21:17:00.000-07:00

I wanted everyone to know that my comeback on blogging has begun.
This will be a Rocky Balboa style comeback....you know the kind.

Renewed sense of purpose, renewed vigor.

My blog post will never be something world changing, but I promise to pray and seek God about what I post and when. I promise to try my best to make the post something from the Lord....you know what I mean....not that I am saying that I "speak" for God, just that what I post will be from my devotions with God.

I love you all, and I appreciate all of you who email me from time to time about the post. I encourage you all to do that as often as you like...it is nice to hear from you!

Love and Peace,
Tom

Sabbatical from writing….

2009-07-24T08:39:00.000-07:00

I am planning to take a break from the blogs.
Feel free to enjoy the videos and music.

Until then....

Psalm 6:9 (New International Version)

"The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer."

"It Is Well with My Soul"

2009-07-13T06:27:00.000-07:00

I am sure most of my readers are familiar with the famous hymn written by Horatio Spafford "It Is Well with My Soul"

Just in case you are not familiar with how it came to be written, I wanted to share it with you today. Many of us are going through tough times, and many are struggling financially with the current economic situation; however, let us be reminded that we possess a promise of a tomorrow with far greater value than anything in this life that we could imagine. What are you placing your trust in today?

As long as we have Christ in our lives, great and unbelievable things can happen.
They can happen at any moment, and why not today? Trust God....Trust God...

Horatio Spafford was a lawyer in Chicago that had some horrible things to happen in his life.

In 1871 he only son died, and this was immediately followed by the “Great Chicago fire” that took everything that he had financially in this world. It completely ruined him in business and took all his worldly possessions. Then in 1873, he and his family were going to sail to Europe but Horatio was delayed trying to settle zoning problems related to the fire. His wife and four daughters sailed ahead of him on a ship called the Ville du Havre. Tragically, while crossing the Atlantic ocean the ship sank and all four of his daughters were lost at sea.

He later received a telegram from his wife, who did survive, that read simply “Saved Alone”.

When Horatio set sail to meet his grieving wife in Europe, the captain of his ship let him know when they crossed the place where the Ville du Havre had sank and where all four of his daughters were lost. As he sat there on the deck, starring out at the waters where his remaining children had died, he wrote the words the hymn "It Is Well with My Soul".

The words go like this:

It Is Well With My Soul

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life,
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Horatio Spafford

Change your thoughts - Change your life

2009-07-07T19:57:00.000-07:00

Most of us never think about it, but the most powerful thing that controls our lives is our thoughts.

The way a person thinks is what determines how they view the world, and their lives (past, present and future). Most of us spend hours thinking that we wish we could change, and most of us spend a life time struggling with the things we wish we could change.

Do you remember the scene in Rocky IV where he had just come home late and night and Adrian had just found out that he had agreed to fight the Russian without talking with her about it? Do you remember how he entered the house and she came and stood at the top of the stairs and started a conversation?

She asked him, "Why can't you change, everbody else does?"
He replied, "Adrian, you can't change who you are...I'm a fighter.."

That statement may or may not be true for the world, but for Christians, we can change. If we have accepted the free gift that comes through Christ and His sacrifice on the cross, then certainly change is not only possible but promised.

We understand that God has changed our past by His death on the cross, and then we spend a lifetime struggling in changing really "who we are". The outward change....you know what I mean?

That change ultimately takes place by discipleship really is.
Often we fail to grasp what that process is truly about.

That process is about change....but changing our minds...changing the way that we think. The key to lasting change in life is to change the way that we think about life and ourselves. God does that by discipleship, by washing away our current pattern of thinking with His word.

In Philippians 2:5 Paul said, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus," . In other words.....learn to think like Jesus.

Your thinking is the key to everything.

When God delivered Israel from Egypt after 400 years of slavery, he did so rather quickly and through miracles. But after 400 years in slavery, the pattern of thinking common among the Hebrews was that of slaves. They thought the way a slave would think, they saw the world the way a slave would because of they way they thought.

After all the miracles, and the super-natural deliverance that they had just seen you would think that they would be pretty convinced about their destiny with God!
But as soon as Moses got up the mountain and out of sight, they started all that mess all over again. Why? Because of their thinking....because of their minds.

Their bodies were free but their minds we still slaves.
So, God had to take them through a process in the wilderness where they had to totally depend upon Him for ever thing in their lives. They made circle after circle, year after year. Until God got their minds better conditioned to enter the promise land.

He had to take them from a "slave" mentality to a "son" mentality.

How do you think today? Are you struggling with life? Struggling with who you are? Let God change your way of thinking.

You can be saved, "delivered" in spirit and still enslaved in your mind.
It takes most of us years in the wilderness but if we trust in God's process and commit ourselves to doing it HIS WAY, then we do change who we are outwardly by changing the way that we think!

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

This is the time of the year when we celebrate the one thing that most human beings cherish the most....barbeque...just kidding, we cherish freedom the most.

I can't ever express how thankful I am to be born in a nation like America.
I am thankful for a nation that believes in inalienable rights, and a nation that has men and women who still believe in those inalienable rights.

God has placed a call upon this nation to take the truth of the Gospel, the message of hope to the entire world. No nation on earth has fed more hungry people, clothed more poor, and sent more Missionaries than this nation that we call America.

I know that in most places across the pond there is a certain animosity towards this nation that I love. We are accused of many things, but I am proud to say that the American people have financed the global outreaching hand of hope to millions upon millions of people in need around the world.

All of this has been possible because of the ultimate sacrifice of human freedom.
The greatest sacrifice for human freedom didn't take place on a battlefield in a war given a fancy name like "World War I", or any other name.

The greatest sacrifice for the cause of human freedom took place on a hill called Calvary over 2000 years ago, when Jesus willingly gave His life that you and I might be free from the bondage of sins eternal grasp.

Because of that we have a hope not only in this world, but also in the world to come.

This fourth of July, I celebrate my freedom in Christ. That alone gives me hope.

Loving Life.....

2009-06-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, I purposed in my heart and mind today that I was going to sit down and write a post to this blog page. The past two months have been off the hook…literally.
I have been trying to soak up all that God has been doing in my life and comprehend all everything.
It is really hard to describe, but it has been one of the seasons where I know that God is up to something big. This is another reason why it has been really hard to sit down and write because it’s difficult to write about things when you are blown away by what God is doing and also when you have no idea why He is doing all of it in the first place.
I have spent a lot of time trying to understand things, and I have learned that some things are not understood until you actually do them.
I am so happy that I finally understand some of the things that I spent years “studying”.
They finally began to click when I actually started “doing” them.

Here are a few examples:

1) The best life is the life spend giving to others.

“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ “
Acts 20:35

2) Following Jesus requires personal sacrifice.

“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.”
Mark 8:34-35

3) The purest service to Jesus is serving other people

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Matthew 25:40

So much of our lives we spend chasing “stuff” and trying to figure out the secret to being happy and we think that finding a way to feel significant in life is the answer.

The reality is that life is not about money, and it is not about things. True joy comes from being able to give to someone else. Especially those who need it the most and that is where true significance in life comes from, being able to serve other people in need.

I am at a place in my life where I now understand what life is all about and what being a “Christian” really is. It is certainly not a title, or a “group” you belong to.

Being a Christian is not about going to church on Sunday (although we should go to church), it is all about reaching out and serving people. All people saved and unsaved. Even if they look and act different that we look. In my life, the greatest joy I have ever experienced if from serving and giving to others.

I understand fully what Francis of Assisi meant when he said “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”

Preaching the Gospel is more about what you do rather than what you say!

Alaska 2009

2009-06-23T12:00:00.001-07:00

Updates

2009-06-23T09:05:00.000-07:00

I am going to post some new stuff, I have been on the road some more and it has been hard to write.

But later today and this week I will be posting some things.
I need to post some stories from the Alaska 2009 trip.

If you follow me on Twitter, you see multiple post per day.

Micro-blogging seems to be much easier that this. :-)

Love and Peace.

Another Amazing Journey!

2009-05-28T11:12:00.000-07:00

I am wrapping up my Alaska 2009 trip and I haven't posted any to my blog except for the first day. For those of you who follow me on twitter and facebook have seen the "micro-blogs" that I have been posting.

This trip has been a life-changer for me....I have had the most amazing experiences of my life on this trip, and I can honestly say that I will never be the same.

I came up here with the intention of being able to change the lives of the homeless men who live here at the mission; however, what really happened is that they ended up changing my life!

I Have experienced more of God in the past week and a half than I ever have in my previous ministry.

The reason I haven't really been blogging this journey is because I have yet to find the words to describe it.

My life will never be the same.....ever.....my entire perspective about life has been changed.

I am excited about what God is doing and look forward to the journey.

Love and Peace,
Tom

First day in Alaska

2009-05-21T13:18:00.000-07:00

Today is my first day in Alaska...things are going extremely well.

After a morning of playing catch up on things from the previous year, I had a great lunch with some new and old friends.

I had the first "God moment" already this morning, and things are shaping up for this to turn out to be just spectacular!

I will blog some more as I go, so stay tuned!

I will also plan to post some pictures a little later in the trip.

Say a prayer or two for me.

Love and Peace,
Tom

Fly tomorrow!

2009-05-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

Well, finally after preparing and preparing (and paying) I finally depart in the morning for Alaska.

I have looked forward to this trip since I returned last year.
It has been and exceptionally busy year for me....did I mention that it has been really busy?

But I have to say that all in all it is a great year so far.

I have learned that the best way to get through life is to make it a priority to be honest with yourself...about everything.

I have spent the majority of my younger years making a wreck of myself.
I have spent the majority of the last 10 years trying to put myself together again.
I am now working on where I want to be in the next 10 years.

I learned that in order to be able to accomplish all of that I have to first make an honest assessment of things in my life.

People, for whatever reason, spend a great deal of time trying to fool other people about themselves. We end up only fooling ourselves.

Take a lesson from the old sailors, if we ever want to be able to plot a course to the destination we want to reach, then we have know where we are currently.

I chose not to try and fool myself, rather just be honest with myself about my life.

I am still trying to figure things out.....where do I want to go?
Where do I want to be? What do I want to be doing?

I honestly don't know the answers to those questions, but I DO know where I am now.
That is half of what I need on order to get there....

Love and Peace.

Alaska...here I come again....

2009-05-12T06:26:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted to my blog since April 14th.....terrible I know.
But I have been so busy with church, and the plethora of other things that I am "investing" my time in.

Most recently, I am getting ready for my next Alaska trip.
I will be in Anchorage again this year and spending sometime with the gang at ARM.
I look forward to this, and would ask all my friends to say some prayers for me this year.

I leave next week and will return on the 30th of May.

Clean air, snow capped mountains, crystal clear rivers...countless lives to impact with the message of hope.

I can't wait.

Love and Peace.

Just take the time....

2009-04-14T06:25:00.000-07:00

When is the last time you have taken the time to just stop everything and thank God for your life?

Have you ever stopped for a moment and realized all the wonderful things that God has done for you?

I remember some time back I was teaching a class in a recovery program and I can't really remember what we were discussing...imagine that.

There was a young man in the class that had pretty much lost everything he had in the world. He has lost his family, and almost all of his possessions in the world.

He was living at the program, and in that class he said something that I don't think I will ever be able to forget. He said, "No matter how bad I think it is for me, I have found that I never have to look very far to see someone that has it worse than I do".

That touched my heart. Most of us spend all of time complaining about things that we don't have, or have or it our way.

We seriously need to think about what we do have, and spend our time and energy thinking about how blessed of a people we are.

Philippians 4:8 says,
"8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things"

That is really the key to keeping your focus on the "good things" in life and being happy.

I ate at a restaurant this past Sunday after church, and most of the "hot bar" items were no longer hot. But rather than complain about it, I found some items served that I really liked and put my energy into telling everyone how good it was.

After the meal, I was in line to pay and I heard a lady really speaking her mind to the staff at how bad the food was.

One of the staff members ask me how I thought it was. I just smiled and said "the fish was great".

When we left I told my wife, I dare not complain because I just happen to know what some Christians in Honduras are eating for this Easter meal and it amounts to little more than bread and warm water.

No, I am abundantly blessed. My life is great and I am going to spend every moment enjoying it and thanking God for what He is doing in my life.

The Beginning.....

2009-04-08T10:32:00.000-07:00

On this day in 1945, Lutheran pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer is hanged at Flossenburg, only days before the American liberation of the POW camp. The last words of the brilliant and courageous 39-year-old opponent of Nazism were "This is the end--for me, the beginning of life."

Just a couple of days before Hitler took office,Dietrich Bonhoeffer spoke out against his Nazi regime during his public radio address.

His final words before his execution serve as a reminder of what Christ has provided for us.

The truth of the Gospel is that Christ has given us "new life" and eternal life.

Please be bold in your witness for Christ, others have been.

Just thinking......

2009-03-23T17:18:00.000-07:00

I have spent the better part of yesterday evening and today, without my voice.
My wife sure has been enjoying this.....not having to hear me.

When I can't talk it is usually a good time to read and listen to others talk.
Always a good time to listen, but it is especially helpful when I can't talk.

I have been thinking about my children today and how special they are to me.
There is nothing in this world that I value more than my children.

I have often wondered about the out right trading of my children for something else.
Sure, that is ridiculous right? But think about it, how often do you find yourself too busy for your children? Or if you are involved in a hobby that takes up a lot of your time? Perhaps you are involved in your career and it consumes you to the point that you find that you are living to work rather than working to live.

We need to think very carefully about how we spend our time. I should say, how we invest our time.

In this lifetime, there is nothing as valuable as the legacy we leave behind in our children. There are many places that I can work. There are many hobbies that I can have, there are many ministries that I can be involved with......but I only have one chance at being a father.

That is what I am thinking about.....

Economy....the big picture

2009-03-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

Most of the news going on today is about the economy.

It is important that while we watch the news, that we do not lose sight of the "big picture".

When I refer to the "big picture" I really mean that in two ways:

1) The practical.

With all the stuff going on by the current leadership all the attention is aimed at "reviving" the economy.

We must remember what caused the problem to begin with, and realize that it didn't start just in the past decade. This goes back a long way through the failed policies of the past.

Unfortunately, the attempts to revive the economy are only going to make things worse in the long run. The fact is, the current trend of spending cannot be maintained. The current plan has them "printing" the money as fast as they possibly can and borrowing as much as they can from foreign lenders.

The immediate problem with printing the money obviously has a historical tract that we can look to. Germany after the war, and Argentina is the most recent.

Printing the money, unfortunately leads to hyperinflation which leads to the destruction of the currency.

We are beginning a new presidential administration with the largest spending budget in US history. The people of this nation should be concerned. The concern should not be based on political party affiliation.

The other problem is the fact that we are barrowing as much as we can to foreign entities.....primarily China. This should also greatly concern America.

“The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.”
Proverbs 22:7

2) The Spiritual

WOW! We are moving RAPIDLY toward a one world system of Goverment.

Matthew 24:3-23 (READ IT VERY CAREFULLY and see WHO He is talking to)

"And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not."

Is it still "We the people.."???

2009-03-05T14:20:00.000-08:00

My thoughts on the California court case.....

The real problem with this issue of the constitutional marriage amendment in California is much bigger than "gay rights".

What has and is happening out there over the state constitutional amendment known as Proposition 8 should scare everyone....regardless of your position on gay rights.

The basic system of our government here in the United States has three branches:
1) Legislative Branch
2) The Executive Branch
3) Judicial Branch

Now to simplify the things, the three things boil down to your Congress and Senate, then the President or Governor, then the Judges that rule in courts.
In a democracy, we (through democratic process) enforce the will of the people……in essence we have votes to determine the majority.

In this case…..two times the majority of the people in the State of California have voted in favor of banning gay marriage.
The first time the judicial branch of government over turned the will of the people and threw out the democratic process to allow gay marriage.

The second time, on November 4, 2008, once again the will of the people was made clear to amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage.

Now for a second time the judicial branch of the government is looking at the possibility of throwing out the democratic process to force something on the majority.

My friends, this is not the act of liberty and it is certainly not something found in a Democracy.

This is more of what happens in Communism.

So this begs the question, does the phrase “We the people” still apply to us in the United States as the Declaration of Independence states? Is this still a government “for the people and by the people”?

It doesn't look like it any more.

Regardless of how you stand on the marriage issue…..this should disturb you greatly.

The Declaration of Independence

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

Where are we headed? ....we need the truth

2009-03-03T19:48:00.000-08:00

I believe that I have an obligation to tell you the truth. So I am going to start sharing a few things with my readers that I feel will help provide some education on some current issues.

I know that it will benefit you....some of you may have other opinions.... :-)

Here is a great piece from the only politician that I trust....and I mean the only one I trust. See him here

The hope for America….

2009-03-02T06:43:00.000-08:00

I remember a scene in a movie where to characters that were once close friends and drifted apart. One of the friends had become wealthy and successful and had undergone considerable character changes. After an extended period of time, the friends were reunited and the friend who had remained the same after the years apart got a chance to get to know the man he had once called friend and discovered that he was not the same person that he once was.

He asked him “What has happened to you?”

If I could use that analogy with myself and America, I would definitely want to ask “What has happened to you?”

Today Phillip Elliot of the Associated Press published an article that states the following:
“President Barack Obama will break a campaign pledge against congressional earmarks and sign a budget bill laden with millions in lawmakers' pet projects, administration officials said.”

We were all hopeful for a reformation to take place in Washington, but by all appearances we are just getting more of the same.
The current spending trend of the federal government seems unstoppable and not budget proposals top $3.5 trillion dollars. Do you have any idea how much money that is?
That is almost a $1 trillion more than the 43rd administration’s budget.
I have no faith in America’s politicians…..none.

What is the lesson for you and I?
Well, it is pretty simple really. America’s hope is not found in Washington.
A promise for a bright and hopeful tomorrow is not going to come from the American political system.

We must return to the values of our fathers, and reclaim the heart of a people once again. The answer to our problems does not come from a secular government, but rather a sovereign God.

In 1630, John Winthrop led a group a Puritans to settle in the new world. He delivered a powerful and prophetic sermon while still aboard the ship.
Winthrop said, “Now the only way to avoid this shipwreck, and to provide for our posterity, is to follow the counsel of Micah, to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God.”

Winthrop also said, “The Lord will be our God, and delight to dwell among us, as His own people, and will command a blessing upon us in all our ways, so that we shall see much more of His wisdom, power, goodness and truth, than formerly we have been acquainted with.”

We don’t know how to “do justly” or to “love mercy” any more, and we have long forgotten how “to walk humbly with our God”. We are now a people, who murder the socially inconvenient, flagrantly endorse perversion, gave no more though to stealing than eating an apple.

We are a long way from “home”.

I close this entry by quoting directly from Winthrop’s sermon and I urge all of us to heed his warning carefully and may we not forget his words.

“So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God, and all professors for God's sake.

We shall shame the faces of many of God's worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good land whither we are going. And to shut this discourse with that exhortation of Moses, that faithful servant of the Lord, in his last farewell to Israel, Deut. 30.

"Beloved, there is now set before us life and death, good and evil," in that we are commanded this day to love the Lord our God, and to love one another, to walk in his ways and to keep his Commandments and his ordinance and his laws, and the articles of our Covenant with Him, that we may live and be multiplied, and that the Lord our God may bless us in the land whither we go to possess it.

But if our hearts shall turn away, so that we will not obey, but shall be seduced, and worship other Gods, our pleasure and profits, and serve them; it is propounded unto us this day, we shall surely perish out of the good land whither we pass over this vast sea to possess it.
Therefore let us choose life, that we and our seed may live, by obeying His voice and cleaving to Him, for He is our life and our prosperity.”

What is the hope of America? Returning to God once again…..

Inventory Time.....

2009-02-07T17:25:00.000-08:00

I know, it is about time that I post for February.....it is hard sometimes.

Here is the deal....what makes you happy?
What things in your life do you place the highest value on?
What things are the most important to you?
What do you spend the most of your time investing in?

All these are legitimate questions and we most definitely need to be able to answer them.

Here is what I propose doing:

Take out two sheets of paper.
On the first piece of paper, make a list of things in your life that you think are the most important to you. Try your best to list them in order starting with the most important thing. How many items you list really doesn't matter, but I would try to get down as many things as possible.

On the second sheet of paper make a list of all the things that you spend most time investing in.....in other words, your life's pursuits.

Now compare the two list, and see if they match.

Shocked at what you find out? Most people are....
Most people, myself included, find that what they spend the most time (or money) pursuing are not the things they place the highest value on.

What is the "secret" to being happy? I mean truly happy...
What is the "secret" to feeling satisfied with life?

I think it may be making this list match.
Spend your time and resources investing in what you place the most value on.
Forget about the rest....

Blessings,
Tom

God's Word for Today -GPH

2009-01-22T09:04:00.001-08:00

I wanted to share the Gospel Publishing House devotional for today.
I encourage you to check out the resources for yourself here: http://ag.org/top/devotional/index.cfm

Stand Firm, Stand Still
Read Exodus 13:1 through 15:27

Dealing with fear is like fighting a wild fire; after one flame is extinguished, another one flares up with even more ferocity. Fear can attach itself to any situation or circumstance, and the doubts can be overwhelming. God’s people are not immune to fear. Fortunately, the Bible holds a twofold solution that paralyzes it.

When Pharaoh’s chariots cut off their only escape route, the Hebrews sat trapped on the shoreline of the Red Sea, facing certain disaster. Moses could see fear on every face. Then came the word of the Lord: Stand firm, be still. “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.... The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:13,14).

When fear follows us like an animal stalking its prey, we can do what Moses did: Stand firm and be still. In standing firm, we confront fear face to face, telling it we are unshakable, our faith undaunted by doubts. In stillness, we wait upon God, quiet-ing our spirits, fully expecting deliverance from the Lord.

Thought for Today: Fear and doubt are intimidating adversaries, but they are ultimately outmatched by Christians who trust their God.

Quicklook:Exodus 14:5–14

© 2008 by Gospel Publishing House, 1445 N. Boonville Ave., Springfield, Missouri 65802.Permission to replicate for personal or church use only. All rights reserved. 69-3101

New year......Renewed Hope - NO COMPLAINTS!

2009-01-20T06:07:00.000-08:00

Today this nation marks the beginning of a brand new chapter in its story.
I remain hopeful that in the coming days and years, we can truly make a positive difference in the world we live in.

On this Tuesday, January 20, 2009, I am filled with anticipation and excitement about what the future holds for both this nation and our church.

I am excited about being able to focus on the task at hand on this mountain, and get busy with the call that God has entrusted us with in Marshall County.
I truly believe that we are going to be able to change the world, by changing the world immediately around us.

I want to take a moment today and speak to a particular area that gives us the most trouble in our lives: Complaining

People are people, and the world that we live in is going to be filled with disappointments and problems.

Countless numbers of people in America waste the majority of their lives complaining about everything in the world that they don’t like.

I have noticed that “church people” are some of the world’s biggest complainers.
Church people can find anything to gripe about, the carpet, the pews, the temperature, the sermons, the songs, the leadership…

Have you ever noticed that the majority of the things we complain about don’t make a dimes worth of difference in the big picture of things.

The world we live in is full of problems, and I believe the Church is called to lead people to the solution, and not be part of the problem.
Many times when we complain about something, we are really doing nothing more than making the problem worse. We certainly make it worse on ourselves.

While I could always find something to complain about, complaining has never accomplished anything other than misery. I am personally making a choice to look at the positive things in my situations and my future.

I want to encourage you today to become a part of the solutions in life and not part of the problems.

Don’t spend your time complaining about everything you don’t like or agree with, even if you feel that it is something very important. Don’t waste your golden opportunities today, complaining about the “missed” opportunities of yesterday.

Find the positive in every situation and put your energy into rejoicing in the good things and then look forward to even better things.

In the Bible, there was a prophet named Elijah.
Elijah had a great victory in his life when he faced off with the pagan priest of Baal on Mount Carmel. The Elijah found that he didn’t win over everyone with this victory and ended up out in the woods complaining that he was all by himself, and had a “pity party”. It was then that God spoke to him and reminded him that there was still an army of people in Israel that was still on God’s side. God still has a plan.

Though things may sometimes look bleak, we need to have confidence in God, trust Him and know that He still has a plan.
Complaining about things won’t help us get excited about that plan, it won’t help in the least little bit.
I would like to ask the members of our church to make a commitment in 2009 not to complain about anything in your life. Make 2009 the year of no complaints!
This is going to be a year of victory! God has a plan for us!

Have confidence in His plan everyday of this year.

Blessings,
Tom

This is a new day!

2009-01-18T14:17:00.001-08:00

Well, it has been a whirlwind over the past little while!
But we had our very first service in the new facility today!

It went great, and I could not have been happier with the outcome.
The presence of God was in the middle of everything we did today.
I really believe that many people impacted by this ministry.

There was a study published in the "Times" back in October that looked at children in poverty in the state from 1995 to 2006. The study was able to show that the number of children in poverty in the state decreased 25%.
However, the numbers in Marshall County were completely different.

The number of children in poverty in Marshall County during that same time increased 42%.....WOW.

We have a lot of work ahead!

Today is the last day of the year....

2008-12-31T12:00:00.000-08:00

There are many things that I could write about that happened during this past year.
I have spent half of the day scribbling out ideas and thoughts to post on the blog today.

After all that, it occurred to me that it would really be a waste of time to spend anymore time writing and thinking about what happened this PAST year.
I think it will be more beneficial to my time to focus on the the year that I see ahead of me.

Tonight I will make my "vows" concerning my 12 rules of life.
I am asking for God's help in this process, and I am asking for His help in becoming a better man in 2009 that I was in 2008. There is plenty of room for improvement.

I am asking God to help me to be a better father, and husband in 2009.
I am asking God to give me a passion for those who are less fortunate than I am in 2009, and that I will use that passion to motivate me to make a difference in some one's life.

There is a lifetime behind me, but a lifetime before me.
I look forward to making a world of difference in 2009 and the years to come...

Have a blessed new year.

Tom

New Year....New way of approaching life

2008-12-26T00:48:00.000-08:00

I have noticed today that the blog...for whatever reason....is starting to get increased traffic.

So I better start doing a better job at my writing.

Having said that, most of my readers know my general approach to life.
It is sad today that most Christians lack dedication to the values and truths that make Christianity what it is.

You all know about some of my "experiments" I use to test myself in trying to understand things such as needs and wants.
I have been working on a set of principles that I have been calling the "12 Rules of Life".
Now my plan is to focus on living my life (to the best of my ability) by these 12 principles throughout 2009.

I will compare my life, before and after following these 12 principles in every decision and interaction every day.

Here they are:

I. Love

I will endeavor to allow love to govern my conduct and actions in all things. I will endeavor to love all people.

II. Joy

I will endeavor to exude joy in all areas to all people in all situations.

III. Peace

I will do my best to keep harmony with everyone in my life and I will do my best to keep peace with the environment.

IV. Patience

It is good to be patient in all things, to not be in a hurry. To wait upon God in the good and the bad.

V. Kindness

I will endeavor to be kind and compassionate to all people to the best of my ability.

VI. Integrity

I will govern my life and my affairs with honor and truth.

VII. Faith

I will be confident in God and His plan, and be confident in His purpose for my life.

VIII. Humility

I will seek to imitate Jesus and maintain a humble spirit toward God, humanity and myself.

IX. Self-control

I will practice self discipline and I will maintain my obedience to God by denying myself.

X. Order

I will seek to maintain order physically and spiritually in my life. All things will have their place and will be kept tidy.

XI. Simplicity

I acknowledge that everything belongs to God, we seek to use His gifts wisely and to be good stewards of this fragile earth, never destroying or wasting what God has made. I will provide the things necessary for myself and my family without demanding any luxuries. I will seek never to forget the needs of others

XII. Work

I will endeavor to lose no time. -- Be always dedicated to something useful, and I will work as hard as I can, the very best I can. I will avoid idleness.

I will write about each of these principles in the days ahead.

Blessings,

Tom

Wonderful Seasons....

2008-12-17T07:04:00.001-08:00

As we enter this Christmas season, this happens to be the favorite time of the year for my family.

I pray that we will forget all the commercial marketing and take a moment to reflect on God's greatest blessing to humanity.

So long ago, God became flesh in Jesus Christ and predisposed Himself to our frailties and through His love He overcame them all.

What a blessing to have Christ in my life today.
I am not the greatest, I am not the best, but I am completely forgiven.

Thank God I have peace with Him today through the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Your Friend,
Tom

First Meal?

2008-11-26T07:50:00.000-08:00

I found some interesting information on history.com about that first thanksgiving meal and I thought I would share it with you.

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast, which is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies.

This harvest meal has become a symbol of cooperation and interaction between English colonists and Native Americans. Although this feast is considered by many to the very first Thanksgiving celebration, it was actually in keeping with a long tradition of celebrating the harvest and giving thanks for a successful bounty of crops.

Native American groups throughout the Americas, including the Pueblo, Cherokee, Creek and many others organized harvest festivals, ceremonial dances and other celebrations of thanks for centuries before the arrival of Europeans in North America.

What was actually on the menu?
Ever wonder what the pilgrims and their Native American guests really ate at the first feast? The truth may surprise you. Contrary to popular belief, they didn't sit down to a meal featuring turkey, corn, cranberries and pumpkin pie (in fact, they didn't even have forks!).

Historians aren't completely certain about the full bounty, but it's safe to say the pilgrims weren't gobbling up pumpkin pie or playing with their mashed potatoes.
However, the only two items that historians know for sure were on the menu are venison and wild fowl, which are mentioned in primary sources.

Their meals included many different meats.
Vegetable dishes, one of the main components of our modern celebration, didn't really play a large part in the feast mentality of the 17th century. Depending on the time of year, many vegetables weren't available to the colonists.

The pilgrims probably didn't have pies or anything sweet at the harvest feast. They had brought some sugar with them on the Mayflower but by the time of the feast, the supply had dwindled. Also, they didn't have an oven so pies and cakes and breads were not possible at all.

The pilgrims didn't use forks; they ate with spoons, knives and their fingers. They wiped their hands on large cloth napkins, which they also used to pick up hot morsels of food.

In the 17th century, a person's social standing determined what he or she ate. The best food was placed next to the most important people. People didn't tend to sample everything that was on the table (as we do today), they just ate what was closest to them.

(source history.com)

Thanksgiving History

2008-11-26T07:39:00.000-08:00

I am thinking about my life and what I have.
As the Holidays are approaching, I am motivated to think about what I need.

NOTHING.

God has been good to me, and has blessed me with far more than I deserve.
I am thankful to have His love and His grace, and I am thankful for a loving family to see everyday.

Though my mind could try and convince me of things I need from Lowe's, or Sears, the reality is that I have everything I need and then some.

This year our church fed 53 families for thanksgiving, and I am thankful for the generous donations from members and volunteers who gave of themselves to meet the needs of others.

Daniel did a good job at spearheading this project and he and his team deserve a big "thank you".

This year, I want to focus on all that have instead on what I "need".

I am a blessed man.

November 10, 2008

2008-11-10T03:06:00.000-08:00

"A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half-slave and half-free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved - I do not expect the house to fall - but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other."

Abraham Lincoln's 'House-Divided' Speech in Springfield, Illinois, June 16, 1858.

The president of the United States once spoke those words to a troubled nation who had been divided over a number of issues, with the greatest being slavery.

It was under this leadership that America was divided, and under this leadership that she was united again only this time without slavery.

I think the historical significance of the election last week is simply to great for one to comprehend in a week's time.

Under Lincoln's watch the nation began a movement toward living the Declaration of Independence for the very first time.

July 4, 1776

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

Throughout the history of our nation, the struggle for all of its citizens to "believe" these words has continued.

The 44th president of these United States is a man of color, and the process of healing continues.

In his second inaugural address on March 4, 1865, Lincoln said:
"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan - to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations."

All Americans have this responsibility now, so let us join together in rebuilding the Faith of our founders, and establishing the prosperity that only God can provide.

We should take history lessons to heart, and use them as they should be used. We should learn from them and remember them.

I will support the leadership in America without regard for a name or color, and will continue to do so, long as the bedrock of America's greatness is used as the guide.

I encourage all people to read the framing documents of this nation, and learn them.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.overview.html

I will pray for and support our new President-elect, and I will pray for this nation.
I will pray that in our desperation, we will find God again.

I am certain that He will be exactly where we left Him.

Wonderful advice

2008-11-04T20:11:00.000-08:00

My dear friend and Pastor made a terrific post on his blog yesterday, that I would advise all my to read.

You can read it here: http://energizingword.blogspot.com/2008/11/my-commitment-to-next-president.html

Today is the Day

2008-11-04T08:07:00.000-08:00

Well....the election day that has been anticipated has finally arrived.

I was reminded this morning of the absolute sovereignty of God.

Isn't it wonderful to be able to rest knowing that God is sovereign over the affairs of creation?

"In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen"

Matthew 6:9-19 (New King James Version)

Blessings,
Tom

Stuff only a nerd like me would find interesting.....

2008-10-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

Today in History ...

1962 - United States President Kennedy went on radio and television to inform his nation about his order to send United States forces to blockade Cuba.

1986 - United States President Ronald Reagan signed the Tax Reform Act of 1986 backwards, writing his last name first. The signing is still legal.

1997 - For the first time, United States inspectors discovered E. coli bacteria in imported Canadian beef, halting shipments of 34,000 pounds.

Fun Facts ...

Winston Churchill named his country home Cosy Pig, although it was formally known as Chartwell.

In 1615, the English explorer William Baffin penetrated to within 800 miles of the North Pole. For the next 250 years, no one else got nearer.

The standard pitching distance in the game of horseshoes is 40 feet for men and 30 feet for women and juniors.

Did you know the popular phrase "The blind leading the blind" comes from the New Testament, Matthew 15:14.

Did you know that french toast isn't French. It comes from a Roman cookbook, dating back to 1000 or 2000 B.C. and titled "Apicius on Cooking."

Did you know a male baboon can kill a leopard.

We walk by Faith....still

2008-10-07T11:50:00.000-07:00

I am sure that all of you have been watching the news and the markets since all of this broke, especially since the big crash in September.

I have been getting many emails related to all of the economic problems from the people that know me and have heard me talk about this stuff before.
I began talking about and to some regard “predicting” the economic meltdown a couple of years ago, so many people think that I have some insight that perhaps they do not. (Divine or otherwise)

I can assure you this is not the case.
So how could I know that turbulent economic times were ahead?
Well, there are a couple of reasons that I can talk about briefly.

1) Practical understanding
2) Spiritual understanding

The problem in America started, in my opinion, when we decided that we no longer needed God in our nation. Remember when Madeleine Murray O'Hare complained she didn't want prayer in our schools? We had a few Supreme Court Justices that said, “Yeah, you’re probably right. It most likely is a bad idea to allow kids to pray in school.”

I am certain that teaching our children that they are the result of a cosmic accident rather than the result of God’s eternal design is much better for them (sarcasm). Then someone came up with the terrific idea that you better not read the Bible in school. Something like that could cause irreversible effects on future generations.

The Bible can be a fairly effective guide you know. I guess it says things that we don’t like such as “thou shalt not kill”, “thou shalt not steal”, and things like “love your neighbor as yourself”. Exhibiting the super intelligence that “they” have, the federal government said “sure that is a bad idea to teach the kids, so let’s take it out schools all together.”

For those of us who do actually read the Bible will know that people have always done God this way throughout history. We also know what God always did in response to those people who turned away from Him. Why would we think that we are any different?

You don’t just have to look at historical deviations from morality, you can simply look at how greedy we are and have become. We spend money faster than we make, before we even have the money we spend it. That is called debt….and we have massive quantities of it.
We are truly a generation of people who can never be satisfied with anything we have. We always want more, we always want bigger, we always want something more than what we have at the time. So, we continue to rack up debt trying to make attempts at satisfying the monster of greed that lives within us.

Our government spends money the same way, faster (much faster) than it can generate it. Now does one really need a PhD from Yale in Economics to understand that if you spend more than you make you will go bankrupt?No, I don’t think you do.It has taken a long time to get here, but “here” is where we are.We borrow money every day to fund the federal operation budget, because we do not have any money to spend. We are broke…flat broke.

Where are they going to get $800 billion to “purchase” all the collapsing banks?

1) Borrow it from foreign “entities” which is essentially selling America off to the highest bidder. (Actually, we have been doing this for a while already)

2) Simply print it out with the printing press. Just like the German’s did following WWI, which will hyper-inflate the dollar and that will most likely collapse it permanently. This could potentially force a new currency of some kind.

So what does all this mean for the Christian?
Nothing that is any different that it has always been…”We walk by faith and not by site”.
We have to trust in God because He is our source and not the Federal Reserve, or the Dow Jones Industrial average. (Thank the Lord for that)

I need to get honest with you (and myself) for a moment and tell you that I believe that it is imperative that we “get our house in order”. From a spiritual standpoint and from a practical standpoint.Spiritually, do you have a personal relationship with God? If you don’t or don’t know if you do go here: http://www.lwf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=dis_WhoIsJesus

Practically, we are going to have to learn to live within our means and learn to be content with what we have. What drives you every day? Is to have more stuff or to learn to love your family more, and learn to be a better person than you were yesterday?

Did you know that Americans spend less time with their children than any other people group on the planet? (We wonder why we are a nation in peril)

I encourage us all…myself included….not to buy anything that is not necessary for a while and see what we learn about ourselves.

I can tell you some personal experiences I have done, and they can be rather embarrassing to talk about.I discovered that I don’t really need a bed at all, but it is nice to have. I slept on the floor for a year to prove it to myself that I didn’t need it.I can also take a bath (with no shortcuts) on one and a half gallons of water. Anything more than that is beyond a need, and falls into the category of special blessings for me.

Now, I don’t expect you to go to that extreme and I am not asking you to.But think about the things in life that are really important…I mean REALLY important.Sit down with a pencil and piece of paper, and make a list of all the things in your life that are absolutely necessary and a list of things you have or want that are not actually required. You could live without a 5000 square foot house, you could do without the fancier type car, and you could even do without the 500 cable channels, right?
But you would never want to do without your children, or without food, or without your spouse (don’t email about that one).

Now that you have them listed, sit and study it for a while. Which column are you living for? Don’t waste your life worrying about things that are not really that important anyway. Focus all your efforts rather on the things that mean the most to you.
Spend some extra time and effort on those things.

Use common sense on the rest of it, and remember to “…walk by faith”.

Do your best to live as He lived, talk as He talked, and love as He loved.You’ll be just fine.

Your Friend,Tom

The rights of Liberty...

2008-09-23T07:56:00.001-07:00

Every time I dare turn on the television (to any station) or turn on the radio, I am constantly reminded that this is an election year.

I happen to be a military veteran so I am especially sensitive to our constitutional rights.
I try and stay about as far away from political issues as I can when it comes to most of my dealings, especially with the church.

What I do say, and say with conviction, you and I need to exercise our right to vote.
I am not a big fan of American politicians, and my list is extremely short for politicians that I will actually take what they say to heart.

For the most part in America, politicians serve themselves or the big corporations that are funding there campaigns in return for support on their agenda's. Many of them are the front for their particular party's views.

I am so far beyond political parties that I wouldn't even find my way back to them with a road map. I realize that most people in America are driven by the "party" that they support; however, I am more inclined to support a candidate based upon his or her personal ideas rather than what their party affiliation is.

Regardless of what office they are running for, Senate, Congress, or President of the United States.

Whenever an election is approaching, I like to look at the voting record for a candidate myself and see exactly how they voted on all the issues that are important to me.

Did you know that you can look at how any member of Congress of the Senate voted on any issue? Anything that is voted on by either the House or the Senate, such as the war in Iraq, The Farm Bill, Civil Liberties issues such as Equal Pay or anything else.

I encourage all people to personally check the voting record for your Senator or Congress Representative before you vote in order to find out where they stand on issues.

You can do so using this resource:http://www.votesmart.org/official_five_categories.php?dist=voting_category.php

Just pick your state, and then pick the Senator or Representative and look at how they voted on all the issues.

Their record speaks louder than any campaign advertisement.

You and I have the right to vote however we want, and for whomever we want, or you have the right to not vote at all.

I encourage you to find out the facts and vote your heart. If we do not, we will never have a chance at changing to future of America for our children and the generations to come.

I am asked a lot about who I am supporting for the upcoming presidential election, and others "assume" that I am supporting one particular party over another because of my position.

I will be honest and tell you that who a America citizen votes for is a private and personal matter, I usually refrain from discussing the issues with people.

However, I will tell my readers that I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat.
I support neither party. Politically, I am a "Constitutionalists" and nothing else.

That does not mean that I wouldn't cast a vote for someone running on either ticket; however, I find things unquestionably wrong with both parties. I firmly believe that America needs a "revolution" of sorts in many different areas, and American politics would be at the top of my list.

So I support the Constitution, which has served us pretty well for 200 years.
However, I try to do my homework before I cast my vote.

The upcoming presidential election will be easier for me considering that both "main party" candidates have a Senate voting record already, and so I can check them out myself and see how they voted on the issues without the "influence" of political advertisements. :-)

Either way, just do your homework and please exercise the right that so many have paid the ultimate price for and vote.

When you do, pray and vote your heart.

Your Friend,
Tom

Watch Ye therefore and Pray....

2008-09-19T11:38:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted to my blog in a while, and it has been somewhat intentionally.

I have been talking for the past year a great deal about economics, and the current economic state of America.

Those of you that have been listening to me, and reading some of my post will understand what I am referring to.

I am watching closely the economy, as all of you are, and I am interested to see how this will unfold.

I am not an accountant, but I know a little about balancing a check book.
I have tried to figured out how the FED is going to loan $85 billion (and then some) when we have nothing in "reserve"... but for some reason, I can't make it work.

I am reminded of my duty to pray and seek the Lord in this hour of uncertainty.

I guess it is uncertain to most of the people, but it could never be more certain to me.

The Bible says in Mark 10:21-26,
"Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."

If you faith is in the economy, you are seeing it disappear.
If you faith is in money, you are seeing it "pass away"....

My friends, the Bible is clear in it's teaching.
"Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;"

I hope your faith is in the one true God today. The economy is failing, but my God will never fail.

"My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness...."

Praying for you....

Tom

The Fruits of the Spirit....

2008-08-25T05:56:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I am enjoying our current series more than any other we have done in a long time.

I was pleased to see so many faces in church yesterday, as well. Especially for it to be such a rainy morning.

It is disturbing to think that so many churches neglect the importance of producing spiritual fruit in our lives. We must be ever mindful that Jesus taught us, "that it was by our Fruit that we would be known" (Tom-a-phrase).

The evidence of God's work in our lives will manifest in His "fruit" in our lives.
I am proud to see that evidence in your lives as I see God shaping and molding you into what He has called you to be. What a joy and a privilege to live here in these days, to see the hand of God preparing His "Bride" for the final hour.

So far, we have studied "Love", "Joy", "Faithfulness", "Goodness", and "Gentleness".
This coming Sunday, we will be looking carefully at "Peace".
I have already begun preparing for the message last night and this morning and it should be a joy to preach on the topic next Sunday.

I would ask all my readers to remember to pray for me when you pray.

Your Friend and Servant,
Tom

Do what you have never done.....

2008-08-22T09:21:00.001-07:00

On August 22, 1942, After a German U-boat sank several Brazilian ships, Brazil declared war on Germany and Italy during World War II. Two years later Brazil sent the "Brazilian Expeditionary Force" to Italy, the only South American country to send combat forces to Europe.

It is important for us to remember that though we are not always the biggest fish in the pond, or the most qualified, we make all the difference in the world if we are willing to join the effort.

I can't get very much done all alone, but together we form a mighty team that can impact the world for Christ.

Join the fight.....sometimes you have to be the first one to do something.

I want to wish my Wife, Jaime, a Happy Birthday (Aug. 18) and a HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
On this day 10 years ago we were married....Happy Anniversary Jaime.....and thanks for keeping me around.

Just a few ....thoughts.....nothing special or important

2008-08-19T11:36:00.000-07:00

Quote of the day ...

"To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one's own in the midst of abundance."
-- Unknown

Interesting facts that only a nerd like me would like to know....

Melting ice absorbs almost as much energy in changing to liquid water as is needed to heat the water from freezing to boiling.

There are 42 year-round research stations on Antarctica. All told, about 4,000 people live on Antarctica in summer, 1,000 in winter.

How do we compare?

2008-08-07T12:59:00.001-07:00

Last year sometime, a Friend of mine sent me a teaching from a pastor out west on Ten Characteristics of a Spirit-led Church.

I liked it so much, I have kept it and read it from time to time.
I wanted to share it with my readers, and ask you to do something.

Look at each of the ten characteristics carefully and decide if you think if each of them is found in your church. (not all my readers are members of the same church)

If one one of the characteristics are not found in your church, ask yourself what needs to happen in order for your church to possess that characteristic.

1. Fear of the Lord

A. He is Worthy of Our Reverence - Acts 2:43-44, Proverbs 10:27
B. We Are Faithful in the Awareness of His Presence
1. Faithful in service
2. Faithful in righteous living

2. Desire For The Holy Spirit's Fullness

"The degree to which we understand and experience the Holy Spirit will be the exact degree to which we understand and experience God's will for our churches."

A. Through Unity of Believers - Acts 2:1
B. Through Continual Yieldedness - Ephesians 5:18

3. Fervent Preaching

A. Fearless - Acts 4:13
B. Faithful
"The Power of Christ's dispensation is a fiery pulpit, not a learned pulpit, but a pulpit on fire with the Holy Ghost." - E. M. Bounds

4. Doctrinal Teaching - Acts 2
A. The Doctrine of Salvation
B. The Doctrine of the Apostles or the Word of God - I Thessalonians 2:13, I Timothy 4:13

5. Fervent Prayer

A. The Priority of Prayer - Acts 2:46-47
B. The Continuity of Prayer - Romans 12:12

6. Loving Fellowship

A. Devotion in Fellowship - Romans 15:5-6
B. Devotion in Breaking Bread - I Corinthians 10:16

7. Sacrificial Spirit

A. Toward the Lord - 2 Corinthians 8:7
B. Toward Fellow Believers - Acts 2:45

"You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving." - Amy Carmichael

8. Obedient Witness

A. They Witnessed in Power
B. They Witnessed in Persecution - Acts 8:1-4

9. Gracious Spirit within the Church
A. Member to Member
B. Member to Pastor
C. Pastor to Member - Acts 4:33

"God is more interested in the health of the church than the growth of the church."

10. Dedicated Ministry

A. In Service
B. In Soulwinning
C. In Missions - Acts 1:8

"I’ve never met a contentious servant. When people devote themselves to doing good, they don’t have time to criticize."

(Credit given to Dr. Chappell)

Facing the storm....

2008-08-05T05:43:00.000-07:00

Just the other day I was in a neighboring town on my motorcycle, and as I got ready to head home I could see some dark clouds off in the distance.

I went ahead and prepared myself before I ever left for the possibility of having to ride through a storm, regardless of what may be ahead.

As I rode toward home, it became very obvious that a storm was definitely in my path. When the rain started, I was ready with all my protective gear and I knew that as long as I could see the white lines in the road I would be okay.

My friend, we all have a destination that we are trying desperately to reach.
I can assure you that there will be some storms between wherever you are now, and that final destination. Now is the time to ready yourself to face those storms, so that when you do go through them you are more than prepared to weather them with confidence.

God has provided you with all the “gear” you need in order to conquer the storms in your life, but it is imperative that you learn how to use them.

As long as you keep looking at the guide, His word, you can be assured that no matter the storm you will make it to your destination.

Ephesians 6:11-19 (King James Version)

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,”

The Fruit of our Lives

2008-07-29T05:27:00.001-07:00

I have to say that I am really enjoying our current Sunday morning series on the "Fruits of the Spirit".Even though I have studied the Fruits before, I am enjoying the reading and study time for the message preparation.

I used to struggle with the idea of how could I know that I was really on the right track?
I mean how do I know that I am following the Lord's call faithfully?

I learned that the answer will always be in the amount of Fruit that your life is producing.It is vitally important that the Christian understand that his or her personal growth in Christ will be directly related to the amount of Spiritual fruit that we produce.

A fruitful Christian is a growing Christian, and a growing Christian will always be a fruitful Christian.

I encourage people to measure your life's fruit, and see if there needs to be a change implemented.We can always argue with people, and ideals, and churches, but in our heart of hearts we know if there is Godly Fruit in our lives.

God is in the fruit tree business, and we are the trees in His garden that He cultivates in order to produce spiritual fruit.

Friend, how is your personal fruit garden today?

Your Friend,Tom

Economic Outlook

2008-07-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

I would like for us to look at history and reference the Economic crunch that happened in Argentina during the latter 1990’s and eventually ended in 2002. I am of the opinion that they have yet to recover from the full effects of the economic crunch. Let us carefully examine the facts and I will encourage your own comparisons.

“The Argentine economic crisis was part of the situation that affected Argentina's economy during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Macroeconomically speaking, the critical period started with the decrease of real GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in 1999 and ended in 2002 with the return to GDP growth, but the origins of the collapse of Argentina's economy, and their effects on the population, can be found in action before. As of 2005, the crisis is arguably over, though many challenges remain for the country.” (Wikipedia).

Ultimately, the problem began to arise from a series of weak governments and huge amounts of public debt that was largely due to “unfinished projects” such as the Falkland/Malvinas Islands War. Interestingly, the State decided to take over private debts (bailing out) and ultimately this led to a steady increase in inflation. In other words, the government could not pay the debts so they printed money to cover the cost and hyper-inflated the currency and caused it to crash.

They battled the inflation issue for years and in some regard made really good progress at slowing it down. But Argentina had large overseas debt to pay, and unfortunately they had to keep borrowing money.

There was a fixed exchange rate and that helped make imports cheap, which caused copious amounts of money to flow OUT of the country, which led to an increase in unemployment.

In the meantime, government spending was still high and corruption was common among the government. Eventually, by 2001 investors had no more confidence and people all over began withdrawing large sums of their money from the banks and converting their cash to another currency. The Government acted fast and implemented a law that essentially froze ALL banks accounts for one year. As you can imagine, especially if it was your money, this led to public outrage and social break down immediately followed the financial break down.

Well, I won’t bore my readers with this any longer but I do want us to wise up a little.In America, we have gradually deflated our Gross Domestic Product and now import as much as we possibly can from China, India, and other places where labor is extremely cheap (slaves in some cases). With a decrease in exports and an increase in imports, watch out.Did you know that our Government currently borrows $3 billion per day to fund its operational cost? ($2 Billion per day according to Business Week)

We borrow money to pay the interest on money we have already borrowed. Economically, that means that the interest is compounding daily. Furthermore, the FED now makes the decision to assume, or take over, large amounts of public debt by “bailing out” failing banks and mortgage companies.
Does this sound familiar? If it doesn’t, go back up and re-read the parts about Argentina’s failed economy.
As Christians, what should we do?

1) Spend and manage your money and assets wisely.
2) Remain Faithful
3) VOTE - not based on a party, but rather on your heart
4) Be prepared for troubled waters, just in case

One way God provides for us in troubled times, is that He gives us wisdom before the troubled times hit.Remember, Joseph saw the turbulent times ahead and prepared himself for what was coming.

Not that I want to sound like a “doomsday” kind of guy, but I use this as a Biblical example of Godly wisdom and protection. God didn’t take Joseph out of Egypt because a famine was coming, but instead gave him the wisdom to prepare for it.

5) Lastly, we need to pray. Pray for our nation and our leaders.

The upcoming election, I am not afraid to say it, troubles me greatly.This is going to be one of the most critical times in US history.God’s people must rise to the challenge and walk by Faith and in our Faith.Now I know what you’re thinking..”What are you some kind of a nut?”For the last 10 years or so the primary message the church has been hearing in the pulpits is a message of “prosperity”. Many have been blessed and done well in business; however, most have squandered it all away on bigger houses, bigger cars, and bigger jewelry. The “God is going to make you rich” mentality is one of the greatest tragedies of the modern times. At least for the American church anyway.

Remember, God doesn’t need much in a jar to make a meal last a long time. God doesn’t need much in a bank account to take care of His faithful. Walk in His ways, and watch Him do miracles in your life.

Your Friend,
Tom

Economics # 2 (Just some more preparatory thoughts)

2008-07-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

It is time for lesson 2, so hopefully all of my readers have brushed up a little on what economics is and or does.

When considering the Economics of America, which is without a doubt the greatest and most successful nations in the history of the world, what exactly makes us successful?

Why are we considered the richest nation on the planet? (Even though we are now the world’s largest debtor)

The United States remains an industrial power, with chemical products the leading manufacturing field. The United States is the third largest producer of oil in the world. It is the world's number one producer of electrical and nuclear energy, as well as liquid natural gas, sulfur, phosphates, and salt. While agriculture accounts for just less than 1% of GDP, the United States is the world's top producer of corn and soybeans.

The country's leading cash crop is marijuana, despite federal laws making its cultivation and sale illegal.

The New York Stock Exchange is the world's largest by dollar volume. Coca-Cola and McDonald's are the two most recognized brands in the world. As American’s, it is vital that we examine the source of all of our prosperity.

We must understand that Almighty God –Jehovah, sovereign creator, is the source of our blessings and prosperity.

On the faith of the founders, God developed through His divine providence a nation that would embody the grafted “Olive tree” that would be used to usher His message and His Glory throughout the world.In the words that solidified the purpose of this nation, the founders declared:

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Let us also remember the words of John Winthrop in his famous sermon “City on a Hill”:
“For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken… we shall be made a story and a by-word throughout the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God… We shall shame the faces of many of God's worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us til we be consumed out of the good land whither we are a-going”.

For in this day that we have forgotten the blessings and guidance of God, let us quickly remember that He is Just, and “His Justice will not sleep forever.”

Economics: Lesson 1

2008-06-16T09:58:00.000-07:00

Before we can really begin to discuss our current economic condition and compare it the Biblical axioms, we must first establish a common understanding of the basics.
In this first post, I want to define some words and try and establish an understanding of the basic subject matter.

As these posts continiue, I will add the "Tom-ism" into these definitions.

Economics: (Wikipedia)
Economics is the branch of social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Greek for oikos (house) and nomos (custom or law), hence "rules of the house(hold)."

Modern economics developed out of the broader field of political economy in the late 19th century, owing to a desire to use an empirical approach more akin to the physical sciences.
A definition that captures much of modern economics is that of Lionel Robbins in a 1932 essay: "the science which studies human behavior as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses."

Scarcity means that available resources are insufficient to satisfy all wants and needs. Absent scarcity and alternative uses of available resources, there is no economic problem. The subject thus defined involves the study of choices as they are affected by incentives and resources.

Microeconomics/Macroeconomics: (Wikipedia)
Microeconomics is a branch of economics that studies how individuals, households and firms make decisions to allocate limited resources,[1] typically in markets where goods or services are being bought and sold.

Microeconomics examines how these decisions and behaviours affect the supply and demand for goods and services, which determines prices; and how prices, in turn, determine the supply and demand of goods and services.

Macroeconomics, on the other hand, involves the "sum total of economic activity, dealing with the issues of growth, inflation and unemployment, and with national economic policies relating to these issues"and the effects of government actions (such as changing taxation levels) on them. Particularly in the wake of the Lucas critique, much of modern macroeconomic theory has been built upon 'microfoundations' — i.e. based upon basic assumptions about micro-level behavior.

One of the goals of microeconomics is to analyze market mechanisms that establish relative prices amongst goods and services and allocation of limited resources amongst many alternative uses.
Microeconomics analyzes market failure, where markets fail to produce efficient results, as well as describing the theoretical conditions needed for perfect competition. Significant fields of study in microeconomics include general equilibrium, markets under asymmetric information, choice under uncertainty and economic applications of game theory.
Also considered is the elasticity of products within the market system.

Macroeconomics can be defined as a branch of economics that deals with the performance, structure, and behavior of a national or regional economy as a whole. Along with microeconomics, macroeconomics is one of the two most general fields in economics.

Macroeconomists study aggregated indicators such as GDP, unemployment rates, and price indexes to understand how the whole economy functions. Macroeconomists develop models that explain the relationship between such factors as national income, output, consumption, unemployment, inflation, savings, investment, international trade and international finance.

In contrast, microeconomics is primarily focused on the actions of individual agents, such as firms and consumers, and how their behavior determines prices and quantities in specific markets. While macroeconomics is a broad field of study, there are two areas of research that are emblematic of the discipline: the attempt to understand the causes and consequences of short-run fluctuations in national income (the business cycle), and the attempt to understand the determinants of long-run economic growth (increases in national income).

Macroeconomic models and their forecasts are used by both governments and large corporations to assist in the development and evaluation of economic policy and business strategy.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP): (Wikipedia)
The gross domestic product (GDP) or gross domestic income (GDI) is one of the measures of national income and output for a given country's economy. GDP is defined as the total market value of all final goods and services produced within the country in a given period of time (usually a calendar year). It is also considered the sum of value added at every stage of production (the intermediate stages) of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period of time, and it is given a money value.

The most common approach to measuring and understanding GDP is the expenditure method:GDP = consumption + gross investment + government spending + (exports − imports), or, GDP = C + I + G + (X-M)

"Gross" means depreciation of capital stock is not subtracted. If net investment (which is gross investment minus depreciation) is substituted for gross investment in the equation above, then the formula for net domestic product is obtained. Consumption and investment in this equation are expenditure on final goods and services. The exports-minus-imports part of the equation (often called net exports) adjusts this by subtracting the part of this expenditure not produced domestically (the imports), and adding back in domestic area (the exports).

Back at home--

2008-06-09T06:47:00.000-07:00

Well I am back at home from my Alaska trip.

I was greeted by 96 degree temperatures and a humidity that is inhumane.

It was a wonderful trip, it was one of those experiences that afterwards, you know in your heart that you will never be the same again.

I met so many wonderful people and it was amazing to see the miraculous work that God is doing in Alaska, especially through the Anchorage Rescue Mission.

I was in awe of the tireless sacrifice of the leadership and staff members as they have devoted their lives to serving others.

Last week I certainly saw Matthew 25:34-40 in action and it definitely "came alive" in my mind.

“Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”

It has never been more alive to me.

Thank you God for teaching me how to server others for your Glory.

Blessings to all,
Tom

Anchorage Rescue Mission trip

2008-06-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

Well I am about midway through this trip to Alaska, and it has been absolutely incredible.
Seeing the land and the beauty of God's creation has been simply breathtaking.

More importantly, meeting the staff and the guys here at the mission has been a truly inspiring and life changing experience.

The guys here in the program are terrific and I have been truly blessed beyond measure to have met them. Spending time with them has been wonderful.

One thing that I can say for certain is that this trip has been ordained by God, and I am positive that I will be coming back here in the future.

Please say a special prayer for the entire team here at the Rescue Mission and pray for God to continue the truly awesome work that He is doing in their lives.

Your Servant,
Tom

State of the Union?

2008-05-30T10:53:00.000-07:00

It is impossible today to read a newspaper or watch a news program without being inundated with news concerning a crisis in the world.

Food shortages, rising food cost, energy cost/demand explosions all of which threaten violence among the humanity which competes for survival globally.

I have received a few emails and I have had a few personal conversations discussing eschatological implications of the current state of the world and especially the United States.

Over the next several post (notice I said post and not days :-) ) I will present some of my “world views” especially concerning economics and how it will play in to eschatology.

To be fair, I do need to warn you with a disclaimer.
Some, most, or all of my statements will be considered controversial.
There are many opinions expressed about all these topics, especially in the “western church”.

What is the current state of America?
How are we in relation to the Biblical principles of our founding?

In the year 1630, early puritan colonist John Winthrop delivered the famous analogous sermon “A city upon a hill” which declares the colony to be an example of Christianity from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

America has indeed enjoyed unprecedented prosperity and despite meager colonial beginnings, this republic has blossomed into the world’s greatest super power.

Throughout our great history, I believe the early words of John Winthrop can be seen as prophetic.

Without a doubt America has been, in its history, a model of Christianity and an example of Psalm 1.

We have fed more hungry, and preached more gospel than any other nation in the history of the world.

So it is with great sadness that I must say; the America we live in today is not the America of yesterday.

Today when I look at the state of affairs in America, I am reminded of the words of Thomas Jefferson who declared:

“Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.”

I believe that perhaps we could be at the threshold of that justice.

Without going into any in depth detail in this first post, I will simply say that I believe the American “prosperity” is on its final leg.

I believe the graven images of our wealth and immeasurable magnificence are about to be burned to the ground.

Yes I know; that is an immensely unpopular point of view.
But before you go yelling about it too much take a moment and stop and think.

In the early years of this nation we based everything on God and His sovereignty, and only a delusional person would attempt to argue that the founders of this nation were not interested in God.

The founders even took the three branches of our government right out of the Book of Isaiah 33:22: “For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.”
“The Lord is our Judge” = The Judicial Branch
“The Lord is our lawgiver” = The Legislative Branch
“The Lord is our king” = The Executive Branch

Today we are the number one “producer” of everything God is against.

We have all but removed God from everything we are involved in and now humanism and our institutions of government are seen as our “gods”.

This pattern of change can certainly be seen in the scripture as well.
The Book of Judges comes to my mind…”every man did what was right in his own eyes”.

How did that one turn out for Israel?

Unfortunately today, the typical “western ideology”, when it comes to Christianity and eschatology, is that “God will rescue us before we have to suffer through anything of difficulty”.

I have some slight problems with that view.

Have you read the “Voice of the Martyrs” lately?
It would appear to me that if I had the attitude that I will never have to suffer or endure hardship because of my faith, it would be a “slap in the face” to some of those believers living in other parts of the world that suffer violent attacks daily because of their faith in Christ.

We see the “Government’s” view of Christianity changes almost daily.
We would not have to work really hard to imagine attacks against our faith growing more severe.

What should we do?
Three things:
1) Pray

2 Chronicles 7:14 is still in the book

2) Encourage a revolution in our Government through the voter’s box.

Christians have to stop voting based on motives of prosperity. We must vote based upon the mandates of God.

3) Share our faith with as many Americans as we can.

Our own neighborhoods must be turned into our mission fields.

Stay tuned for some post on “Economics”.

Your Friend,
Tom

Okay, Okay

2008-05-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

Listen I have heard your complaints and I totally agree.

But I must say that I have be cognizant of the fact that I haven't been posting almost the entire month of May.

As most of you know, it has been a busy time for me and it will only get busier from here.
The week before last I was in Knoxville, TN and last week I was in Milwaukee, WI.

This coming Sunday, as most of you know I will be leaving for my Anchorage, AK trip.

I have been studying the subject of Economics and in particular how it relates to the current state of affairs of our nation and the world.
Some of you will be interested to see and hear what I have come up with, and some of you would rather watch paint dry.

I have also been studying closely the Book of Daniel.
Some of my prophecy watchers will enjoy what I have come up with.

I have seen some pretty interesting patterns.

You can email me directly if you wish for me to post any blog entries on any specific topics.
Otherwise, I am planning to lesson-blog some of the high interest ideas.

Blessings,
Tom

Faith to Believe

2008-05-01T06:25:00.000-07:00

One night a house caught fire, and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. His father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, “Jump! I'll catch you.” He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling, “Jump! I will catch you.” But the boy protested, "Daddy, I can't see you.” The father replied, “But I can see you and that's all that matters.”

The boy had to believe that the father was going to catch him when he jumped. Faith is also important in the Christian life. It is the basis for our salvation! But it is also a vision of faith that enables us to conquer obstacles that come into our lives. Joshua was a man with a vision. In Numbers 13 there were twelve spies sent into the Promised Land to scout it out. Ten of those spies saw the land with human eyes—they saw the giants and overwhelming obstacles that stood in the Israelites' way. But two of those spies, Caleb and Joshua, saw the land through the lens of the Bible—through what God wanted them to do. Joshua and Caleb had the vision to see past the obstacles and to the mighty hand of God.

The day at hand

2008-04-16T11:54:00.000-07:00

Well, it appears that Wednesday has become my legitimate day of writing.
I have been thinking about writing a great deal as of late, and it is no secret that I rather enjoy expressing myself through words; however, it is also no secret that I am a terrible writer.

But as with anything we endeavor to do, as long as we are willing to work at it, we can get better.

Yesterday was the anniversary of a significant historical event.On April 15, 1912 at 2:27 a.m. the
British Passenger vessel “Titanic” sank in the North Atlantic Sea.

We as Americans should take an object lesson from the Titanic, and pay close attention to the fact that even in her engineering achievement, her illustrious beauty, and massive size; she still sank to the bottom of the North Atlantic Sea.
Nothing we have is indestructible.

We often see our ability to create as a “god-like” characteristic, and indeed the creative ability that God used in the creation of the world is the part of our design and it does in fact make us in the “image of God”.

But we must also understand that all or our creations are inferior and subordinate to God’s creations.None of our creations will have eternal value.

“Heaven and earth shall pass away….but my words shall not pass away” Matthew 24:35
Also on April 15, in 1994 Representatives of 124 countries and the European Communities sign the Marrakesh Agreements revising the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and initiating the World Trade Organization (effective January 1, 1995).

It is interesting that we often feel we can build enough wealth, and organize a system of world powers that would be an unstoppable force throughout the ages. However, let us carefully take a lesson in history.

Let me leave with you an intersting quote from Alexander Tyler.

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the
voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse...from the public treasury... The average
age of the world’s greatest civilizations has been 200 years...Historically, these civilizations go from bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependency; from dependency back again into bondage.

Alexander Tyler, 1750

The abovewas published in the year 1750, by Alexander Tyler.
Note that this was 25 years before the founding of our nation.If you follow Mr. Tyler’s pattern, at what stage would you feel America is in now?I want you to draw your own conclusions.

Your Friend,
Tom

Samuel Adams

2008-04-09T13:59:00.000-07:00

I have been reading lately about one of the "founders" Samuel Adams.

Interesting material and philosophies I am discovering.

“Let divines and philosophers, statesmen and patriots, unite their endeavors to renovate the age, impressing the minds of men with the importance of educating their little boys and girls, of inculcating in the minds of youth the fear and love of the Deity and universal philanthropy, and, in subordination to these great principles, the love of their country; of instructing them in the art of self-government, without which they can never act as a wise part of the government of societies, great or small in short, of leading them in the study and practice of the exalted virtues of the Christian system.”

Samuel Adams

What some great stuff!
Our American Leaders should be required to read some of the material from the Founders.

Blessings,
Tom

The Dream

2008-04-04T09:12:00.000-07:00

Today marks the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.I wanted to post a quote from his famous speech he delivered from the Nation's capitol.

"I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.
With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.

With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true."

I echo his words again today, that if America is to be a great nation, this must be true.

Your Friend,
Tom

Genuine Faith....that will last

2008-04-02T08:19:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends:

I was thinking about our "faith" in God this morning, and I was wondering how many of us have genuine faith. You know, the real deal.

I went and got some information from the Voice of the Martyrs on some people who are currently serving prison terms because of their faith in Christ. One individual is currently awaiting public execution for preaching the Gospel.

I wonder if our faith were to be tested, how long would it hold up?
Do we really mean it when we say those prayers of "Lord I want to serve you with my heart and with my life."

Do we?

But what if it cost us our comfort?
What if it cost us our "normal" routine?
What is it cost us our lives?

PRISONER NAME
Shuang Shuying

LOCATION
China

ARRESTED
January 2007

On January 26, 2007, 76-year-old Shuang Shuying and her son, house church leader Hua Huiqi, were attacked, wounded and arrested by police while walking near a 2008 Olympic hotel site in Beijing. Shuying has numerous medical problems and is serving two years in prison.

PRISONER NAME
Li Mei

LOCATION
China

ARRESTED
July 2007

In July 2007, 42-year-old Li Mei and nine house church leaders were arrested, when they were
discovered having a Sunday worship service. They were charged with singing Christian hymns to villagers, showing the JESUS film in a nursing home and praying for healing for a disabled elderly man. The nine were sentenced to re-education through labor for 12 to 18 months. Li Mei served part of her one-year sentence in a hospital with both hands chained to her bed. Repeated beatings and torture caused her to require a hysterectomy. She is currently serving the remainder of her sentence at home under house arrest.

PRISONER NAME
Son Jong Nam

LOCATION
North Korea

ARRESTED
January 2006

Son Jong Nam, an underground Christian in North Korea, has spent more than a year in
prison, awaiting public execution. He risked his life returning to North Korea to preach the
gospel and VOM contacts believe he is still alive, although contact is limited.

In America, we neither know or understand persecution.
What if we were to learn? What is your faith like? Would it survive if you were persecuted like Li Mei, or Son Jong Nam?

“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”Philippians 3:10 (KJV)

I want to ask you to please pray for these believers who are suffering for the cause of Christ.
I want to encourage you to think about your own faith, and your own relationship with Christ. What is your faith like? Is it real? Or is it a social faith?

Your Friend,
Tom

A janitor’s ten lessons in leadership Part 3

2008-03-26T06:59:00.000-07:00

Lesson 6
Leaders Should Be Humble. Most modern day heroes and some leaders are anything but humble, especially if you calibrate your “hero meter” on today’s athletic fields. End zone celebrations and self-aggrandizement are what we’ve come to expect from sports greats. Not Mr. Crawford-he was too busy working to celebrate his past heroics. Leaders would be well-served to do the same.

Lesson 7
Life Won’t Always Hand You What You Think You Deserve. We in the military work hard and, dang it, we deserve recognition, right? However, sometimes you just have to persevere, even when accolades don’t come your way. Perhaps you weren’t nominated for junior officer or airman of the quarter as you thought you should-don’t let that stop you. Don’t pursue glory; pursue excellence. Private Bill Crawford didn’t pursue glory; he did his duty and then swept floors for a living.

Lesson 8
No Job is Beneath a Leader. If Bill Crawford, a Medal of Honor winner, could clean latrines and smile, is there a job beneath your dignity? Think about it.

Lesson 9
Pursue Excellence. No matter what task life hands you, do it well. Dr. Martin Luther King said, “If life makes you a street sweeper, be the best street sweeper you can be.” Mr. Crawford modeled that philosophy and helped make our dormitory area a home.

Lesson 10
Life is a Leadership Laboratory. All too often we look to some school or PME class to teach us about leadership when, in fact, life is a leadership laboratory. Those you meet everyday will teach you enduring lessons if you just take time to stop, look and listen. I spent four years at the Air Force Academy, took dozens of classes, read hundreds of books, and met thousands of great people. I gleaned leadership skills from all of them, but one of the people I remember most is Mr. Bill Crawford and the lessons he unknowingly taught. Don’t miss your opportunity to learn.

Bill Crawford was a janitor. However, he was also a teacher, friend, role model and one great American hero. Thanks, Mr. Crawford, for some valuable leadership lessons.

Please note: Credit for this article is given to Col. James Moschgat, 12th Operations Group Commander

"A janitor’s ten lessons in leadership Part 2"

2008-03-25T05:59:00.000-07:00

Mr. Crawford changed too, but you had to look closely to notice the difference. After that fall day in 1976, he seemed to move with more purpose, his shoulders didn’t seem to be as stooped, he met our greetings with a direct gaze and a stronger “good morning” in return, and he flashed his crooked smile more often.

The squadron gleamed as always, but everyone now seemed to notice it more. Bill even got to know most of us by our first names, something that didn’t happen often at the Academy. While no one ever formally acknowledged the change, I think we became Bill’s cadets and his squadron.
As often happens in life, events sweep us away from those in our past. The last time I saw Bill was on graduation day in June 1977.

As I walked out of the squadron for the last time, he shook my hand and simply said, “Good luck, young man.”
With that, I embarked on a career that has been truly lucky and blessed.
Mr. Crawford continued to work at the Academy and eventually retired in his native Colorado where he resides today, one of four Medal of Honor recipients living in a small town.

A wise person once said, “It’s not life that’s important, but those you meet along the way that make the difference.” Bill was one who made a difference for me. While I haven’t seen Mr. Crawford in over twenty years, he’d probably be surprised to know I think of him often.
Bill Crawford, our janitor, taught me many valuable, unforgettable leadership lessons.

Here are ten I’d like to share with you.

Lesson 1
Be Cautious of Labels. Labels you place on people may define your relationship to them and bound their potential. Sadly, and for a long time, we labeled Bill as just a janitor, but he was so much more. Therefore, be cautious of a leader who callously says, “Hey, he’s just an Airman.” Likewise, don’t tolerate the O-1, who says, “I can’t do that, I’m just a lieutenant.”

Lesson 2
Everyone Deserves Respect. Because we hung the “janitor” label on Mr. Crawford, we often wrongly treated him with less respect than others around us. He deserved much more, and not just because he was a Medal of Honor recipient. Bill deserved respect because he was a janitor, walked among us, and was a part of our team.

Lesson 3
Courtesy Makes a Difference. Be courteous to all around you, regardless of rank or position. Military customs, as well as common courtesies, help bond a team. When our daily words to Mr. Crawford turned from perfunctory “hellos” to heartfelt greetings, his demeanor and personality outwardly changed. It made a difference for all of us.

Lesson 4
Take Time to Know Your People. Life in the military is hectic, but that’s no excuse for not knowing the people you work for and with. For years a hero walked among us at the Academy and we never knew it. Who are the heroes that walk in your midst?

Lesson 5
Anyone Can Be a Hero. Mr. Crawford certainly didn’t fit anyone’s standard definition of a hero. Moreover, he was just a private on the day he earned his Medal. Don’t sell your people short, for any one of them may be the hero who rises to the occasion when duty calls. On the other hand, it’s easy to turn to your proven performers when the chips are down, but don’t ignore the rest of the team. Today’s rookie could and should be tomorrow’s superstar.

The rest to follow tomorrow...
Please note: Credit for this article is given to Col. James Moschgat, 12th Operations Group Commander

"A janitor’s ten lessons in leadership"

2008-03-24T06:54:00.000-07:00

I came across this article sometime back and I thought it was simple amazing, and it has really given me some things to "chew on".

It was written by Col. James Moschgat, 12th Operations Group Commander at a date that I am not sure of. But I just wanted to share Col. Moschgat's wisdom with my readers.

The aritcle is lengthy, so it will be shared in pieces over several days. Please note that each of these postings all come from Col. Moschgat's article on "A janitor’s ten lessons in leadership" and I give full credit to him.
It does remind us of our duty, and what attitude we should have in our approach.
__________________________________________________________
A janitor’s ten lessons in leadership

By Col. James Moschgat, 12th Operations Group Commander

William “Bill” Crawford certainly was an unimpressive figure, one you could easily overlook during a hectic day at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Mr. Crawford, as most of us referred to him back in the late 1970s, was our squadron janitor.

While we cadets busied ourselves preparing for academic exams, athletic events, Saturday morning parades and room inspections, or never-ending leadership classes, Bill quietly moved about the squadron mopping and buffing floors, emptying trash cans, cleaning toilets, or just tidying up the mess 100 college-age kids can leave in a dormitory.

Sadly, and for many years, few of us gave him much notice, rendering little more than a passing nod or throwing a curt, “G’morning!” in his direction as we hurried off to our daily duties.
Why? Perhaps it was because of the way he did his job-he always kept the squadron area spotlessly clean, even the toilets and showers gleamed.

Frankly, he did his job so well, none of us had to notice or get involved. After all, cleaning toilets was his job, not ours.
Maybe it was his physical appearance that made him disappear into the background. Bill didn’t move very quickly and, in fact, you could say he even shuffled a bit, as if he suffered from some sort of injury. His gray hair and wrinkled face made him appear ancient to a group of young cadets. And his crooked smile, well, it looked a little funny.

Face it, Bill was an old man working in a young person’s world. What did he have to offer us on a personal level?
Finally, maybe it was Mr. Crawford’s personality that rendered him almost invisible to the young people around him. Bill was shy, almost painfully so.
He seldom spoke to a cadet unless they addressed him first, and that didn’t happen very often. Our janitor always buried himself in his work, moving about with stooped shoulders, a quiet gait, and an averted gaze.

If he noticed the hustle and bustle of cadet life around him, it was hard to tell.
So, for whatever reason, Bill blended into the woodwork and became just another fixture around the squadron.
The Academy, one of our nation’s premier leadership laboratories, kept us busy from dawn till dusk. And Mr. Crawford...well, he was just a janitor.

That changed one fall Saturday afternoon in 1976. I was reading a book about World War II and the tough Allied ground campaign in Italy, when I stumbled across an incredible story.
On Sept. 13, 1943, a Private William Crawford from Colorado, assigned to the 36th Infantry Division, had been involved in some bloody fighting on Hill 424 near Altavilla, Italy.

The words on the page leapt out at me: “in the face of intense and overwhelming hostile fire ... with no regard for personal safety ... on his own initiative, Private Crawford single-handedly attacked fortified enemy positions.” It continued, “for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty, the President of the United States ...”

“Holy cow,” I said to my roommate, “you’re not going to believe this, but I think our janitor is a Medal of Honor recipient.” We all knew Mr. Crawford was a WWII Army vet, but that didn’t keep my friend from looking at me as if I was some sort of alien being. Nonetheless, we couldn’t wait to ask Bill about the story on Monday.

We met Mr. Crawford bright and early Monday and showed him the page in question from the book, anticipation and doubt on our faces. He stared at it for a few silent moments and then quietly uttered something like, “Yep, that’s me.”

Mouths agape, my roommate and I looked at one another, then at the book, and quickly back at our janitor. Almost at once we both stuttered, “Why didn’t you ever tell us about it?” He slowly replied after some thought, “That was one day in my life and it happened a long time ago.” I guess we were all at a loss for words after that. We had to hurry off to class and Bill, well, he had chores to attend to.

However, after that brief exchange, things were never again the same around our squadron. Word spread like wildfire among the cadets that we had a hero in our midst-Mr. Crawford, our janitor, had won the Medal! Cadets who had once passed by Bill with hardly a glance, now greeted him with a smile and a respectful, “Good morning, Mr. Crawford.”

Those who had before left a mess for the “janitor” to clean up started taking it upon themselves to put things in order. Most cadets routinely stopped to talk to Bill throughout the day and we even began inviting him to our formal squadron functions.

He’d show up dressed in a conservative dark suit and quietly talk to those who approached him, the only sign of his heroics being a simple blue, star-spangled lapel pin. Almost overnight, Bill went from being a simple fixture in our squadron to one of our teammates.

More to follow....

Interesting but irrelevant

2008-03-18T11:48:00.000-07:00

Quote of the Week:

“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”
--Thomas Edison

On this same day.....

1776 - Britain repealed the Stamp Act, despised in its colonies, but retained the right to impose taxes in the future.

1944 - For the first time since World War II started, alarm clocks went back on sale in the United States. The site of this historic moment was in Chicago, Ill.

1953 - For the first time since 1903, major league baseball announced the first team relocation. The Boston Braves were set to move to Milwaukee, Wis., but the Red Sox stayed put in Beantown. After almost two decades, the Braves again moved to Atlanta, Ga. The Brewers then got control of Milwaukee County Stadium.

Visions of Isaiah

2008-03-17T05:44:00.001-07:00

I have begun a personal study on a seemingly difficult chapter in the Book of Isaiah.
On a personal level, Isaiah 18 has always been a rather difficult chapter to understand.

I am determined to understand exactly what God is speaking through this great Prophet.

Here is the basic outline of what I have "noted" thus far:

1) The 18th Chapter of Isaiah has been first delivered to Israel.

2) The message was written from the ancient Hebrew point of view.

3) Despair is stated for what appears to be a second country shadowing with wings which sends its messengers to destroy another.

A country named Cush (or Ethiopia), is given as a reference, but is it the country which is destroyed?

Is this reference of scripture for times past or for times yet to come?Who are the nations that are being referred to here?
More to come…

Can I get to my dream from here?

2008-03-12T06:54:00.000-07:00

You know, Abraham Lincoln once said "“The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.”

I bet each of you have something that you dream of doing, or being able to do.
I wonder how many of you still have hope in those dreams?
How many of you have "accepted" the fact that your dreams can never come true?

Why?

As long as you're still here, there is still hope that you will one day achieve your dreams.
Start by setting goals.

Setting goals to work toward really helps us to have a marker, similar to that of someone in a race. I enjoy keeping up with the Iditarod in Alaska.

This morning at approximately 2:30am Alaska Time, defending champion Lance Mackey, crossed the finish line to win once again. For those of you who don’t know, the Iditarod is a 1200 mile sled dog race from Anchorage to Nome.

All along the route they have checkpoints set up. No one racer ever focuses specifically on Nome, without giving thought the specific points along the route.
They have checkpoints set up so that each musher can work towards one leg of the race at a time. They face each leg of the race almost as a separate race, and they face each challenge separately.

Setting goals along the route of life can ensure that you continue to move forward towards your dreams despite any challenges or setbacks. With that in mind, here's a idea for anyone: Instead of letting yourself focus on all of the challenges of life’s events, determine that you are going to learn from the experience of each leg of the race and from each challenge separately.

Get yourself a notebook and begin to write things down.
The more things you write down, the more things you can learn.
The more you learn the better equipped you are for the next life challenge.
Determine where you want to go from here, no matter where you are on the journey of life, set goals to work towards your ultimate dream.

The Bible teaches in 1 Corinthians 9:24-25:
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

The Apostle is referring to “life” as the competitive game, but most importantly he is referring to God’s plan for each of us as individuals.
We don’t really compete with each other, we compete with ourselves. Each “leg” race, we get better and faster as we go.
We work to better our time on this checkpoint so that we are better and faster than we were on the last one.

Don’t do anything half-way. Go all out, with everything you have in order to win the race of life.

So that one day we can say with confidence as the great Apostle did, “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:6-8

I know I am not a writer and I plan to keep my day job; however, I do hope I can serve to help someone along your journey and in your race.

Your Friend,
Tom

Did you know these facts?
· The Skylab astronauts grew 1.5 - 2.25 inches due to spinal lengthening and straightening as a result of zero gravity.

· An inch of rain water is equivalent to 15 inches of dry, powdery snow.

Digesting the Word of God

2008-03-07T15:12:00.000-08:00

In a world of living organisms, there are really two major categories that are studied. Consumers, and Producers. A Producer is a living organism that creates their own food and energy.
A Consumer is an organism that "eats" the producers for their energy...or other consumers.

Perhaps to a scientist, that is an overly simplified explanation (Carl- Be kind to me).

Photosynthesis is the conversion of light energy into chemical energy by living organisms.

Respiration is the metabolic reactions that take place in a cell or across the cell membrane to obtain energy from fuel molecules and the release of the cells' waste products.

Photosynthesis and respiration are both reversible chemical reactions, meaning that the products of one process are the exact reactants for the opposite process.

If a producer cannot obtain sunlight (like the ones in your garden), then they will not survive. They will have no food, because they have no light.

If there is no light and all producers die, then eventually all the consumers will die out as well.

You and I are consumers, we live on vegetables (Producers) and unless you have an amazing gift from God you cannot perform photosynthesis.

We are not only physical beings, we are spiritual also.
Just like the physical world, we are also spiritual consumers.

The word of God is a "producer" in God's miraculous creation.
When God got ready to create the Heavens and the Earth, it was completed by the power of His Word.

Jesus is the "light of the world" in John 8:12. Jesus and His word produces life in us, it produces faith in us, it produces hope in us....it is the ultimate producer.
The word of God is vital to our continued survival.

Our spirits have to feast on the producers in order to survive.
Jesus said in John 6:36 "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life."

You and I need that word every single day if we are to expect our spirits to survive or grow.
1 Peter 2:2, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:"

Sit down, have a meal and allow God to cause your spirits to grow.

Your Friend,
Tom

How do you spend your time?

2008-03-05T10:06:00.000-08:00

It has been said that in a lifetime the average American will spend:

Six months sitting at stoplights
Eight months opening junk mail
One year looking for misplaced objects
Two years unsuccessfully returning phone calls
Four years doing housework
Five years waiting in line
Six years eating

How much time will you spend on God?
Just curious.....

Interesting and intellectually stimulating Information
Did you Know....

The film “Cleopatra” (1963) was banned in Egypt for 15 years because its star, Elizabeth Taylor, had converted to Judaism.

Leaping year?

2008-03-03T06:24:00.000-08:00

I meant to post this on Friday, but you have learned the drill by now.

As you all probably noticed, this past Friday was evident that 2008 is a “Leap Year”.

It is interesting to note that if you look at a 2008 calendar, you will see that February has five Fridays–the month begins and ends on a Friday.

Stuck between the years 1904 and 2096, leap years share the same day of week for each date repeat only every 28 years.
The most current year in which February comprised five Fridays was in 1980, and the next occurrence will be in 2036. A leap year is a year in which one extra day has been inserted at the end of February.
A leap year consists of 366 days, whereas other years, called common years, have 365 days.
The reason for all of this is because it takes the earth 365.2422 days to circle the sun.
To make up for this fractional day, an extra or "leap" day is added to February every four years.

The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used calendar in the world today.
It is a reform of the Julian calendar, first proposed by the Calabrian doctor Aloysius Lilius, and decreed by Pope Gregory XIII, for whom it was named, on 24 February 1582 by papal bull Inter gravissimas.
Years in the reformed calendar continue the numbering system of the Julian calendar, which are numbered from the traditional Incarnation year of Jesus, which has been labeled the "anno Domini" (AD) era, and is sometimes labeled the "common era" (CE), otherwise known as the "Christian Era"...depending on who you ask. :-)

You can read about it on the Internet in a variety of places if you’re interested. Wikipedia, or somewhere else you like.

In the Gregorian calendar, the following three criteria determine which years will be leap years:
1) Every year that is divisible by four is a leap year;

2) Of those years, if it can be divided by 100, it is NOT a leap year, unless

3) The year is divisible by 400. Then it is a leap year.

We can decipher mathematically, that according to the above criteria that years 1800, 1900, 2100, 2200, 2300 and 2500 are NOT leap years, while year 2000 and 2400 are leap years.
It is interesting to note that 2000 was somewhat special as it was the first instance when the third decisive factor was used in most parts of the world.

In the Julian calendar–introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC and patterned after the Roman calendar–there was only one rule: any year divisible by four would be a leap year. This calendar was used before the Gregorian calendar was adopted.

There, now maybe I have cut out some of your research and you have learned a little. :-)

Developing Faith

2008-02-26T05:34:00.000-08:00

D. L. Moody once said, "I prayed for faith and it did not come, but when I read the Word of God, then faith came."

Gideon has been called "Chicken heart". He was gripped totally by fear, so much so, that fear actually controlled him. The Angel of the Lord told him that God was going to use him to do a great work among Israel. In order to move from fear and discouragement to fulfilling God’s will was to grow in faith, he had to become a stronger believer and follower of God.

Gideon eventually learned that faith is not self-confidence.
He had to before he was ready to lead the children of Israel.
It isn’t the power of positive thinking.
It isn’t visualization or any man-centered philosophy.

Faith is listening to what God says and acting upon it.
It is the understanding that you can do nothing on your own but anything through God.

New Days, New Beginngs

2008-02-25T08:40:00.000-08:00

This will probably see to be a rather simple post, I will admit that.

I think it is only fair to be honest.
But I also need to be clear that I think that is where God is taking me.
Back to the "Simple".

With each new sunrise, a new chance of hope dawns in our lives.
Today can be your day. Today can be my day.

Try not to waste all your today looking back at yesterday, instead rather look forward to the things God can do today.

No matter where you are on this journey of life, no matter what you're facing.
Be confident in God for today.

Your Friend,
Tom

President's Day

2008-02-18T15:45:00.000-08:00

Well, my friends, I didn't post at all last week.

Last week was a very challenging week for me, and today started off almost the same!
Thank God for His faithfulness to "supply all of our need according to His riches in Glory"!

Today is the day we celebrate all of the national leaders that have made this nation great.

The original version of the holiday was in commemoration of George Washington's birthday in 1796. Washington, according to the calendar that has been used since at least the mid-18th century, was born on Feb. 22, 1732.

According to the old style calendar in use back then, however, he was born on Feb. 11.
In 1968, legislation was enacted that affected several federal holidays.
One of these was Washington's Birthday, the observation of which was shifted to the third Monday in February each year whether or not it fell on the 22nd.

Apparently, while the holiday in February is still officially known as Washington's Birthday, it has become popularly known as "President's Day." This has made the third Monday in February a day for honoring Washington and Lincoln, as well as all the other men who have served as president.

Not only were these men leaders of the United States, they were multitalented, unique and sometimes even downright quirky.
We've heard a lot about their contribution to United States history. But would you have guessed the following?

In warm weather, John Quincy Adams customarily went skinny-dipping in the Potomac River before dawn.

John Tyler fathered 15 children (more than any other president) -- 8 by his first wife and 7 by his second wife. Tyler was past his 70th birthday when his 15th child was born.

James Buchanan is the only unmarried man ever to be elected president. Buchanan was engaged to be married once. However, his fiancée died suddenly after breaking off the engagement, and he remained a bachelor all his life.

U.S. president Andrew Johnson never attended school. His future wife, Eliza McCardle, taught him to write at the age of 17.

Ulysses S. Grant died of throat cancer. During his life, Grant had smoked about 20 cigars per day.

Both ambidextrous and multilingual, James Garfield could write Greek with one hand while writing Latin with the other.

Grover Cleveland underwent a secret operation aboard a yacht to remove his cancerous upper jaw in 1893.

William Taft weighed more than 300 pounds and had a special oversized bathtub installed in the White House.

Calvin Coolidge had chronic stomach pain and required 10 to 11 hours of sleep and an afternoon nap every day.

Herbert Hoover published more than 16 books, including one called "Fishing for Fun--And to Wash Your Soul."

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was related, either by blood or by marriage, to 11 former presidents.
The letter "S" comprises the full middle name of Harry S Truman. It represents two of his grandfathers, whose names both had "S" in them.

Military leader and 34th president of the U.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower loved to cook. He developed a recipe for vegetable soup that includes the stems of nasturtium flowers as one of the ingredients.

Ronald Reagan broke the so-called "20-year curse," in which every president elected in a year ending in 0 died in office.

Your Friend,
Tom

The Blessed Life

2008-02-07T07:04:00.000-08:00

Matthew 5:6
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

As we have been discussing the believers walk with God, we have discussed the inward character that God blesses.

No other sermon or teaching best embodies this than the sermon on the mount.
For those of you who attend our church, you know we have been teaching through the Blessed Life in the "Beattitudes".

I wanted to share a couple of special truths from Christ concerning those who "hunger and thirst".

Each of us possess items which we consider absolute necessities which may actually be quite optional for our lives.

1) Car
2) Coffee
3) Curling Iron

But in reality, the majority of the world will spend their entire lives without many of the things we consider a requirement.

The real requirements of life are food and water, and it is these things that Christ compares to righteousness.

Let me share first of all that Hunger is an Evidence Life.

If you have no appetite, then something is very wrong. We need daily nourishment in order to grow and sustain life.

If you are not hungry today for the things of God, then there is most likley something wrong in your life.
Either you have never been born spiritually or you have "filled" up with too much junk food from the world. :-)

Prodigal son desired this worlds excitement, but he awakes in a pig pen (sin), “And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!” (Luke 15:17)

The object of spiritual hunger is righteousness

Matthew 6:33- “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

There are two kinds of righteousness

A. Imputed = at salvation we are declared righteous. Justified freely by his grace

B. Imparted = imparted into a seeking heart. Righteousness= being right with God, self, and others. Another word= holiness- a hungering for God.

The outcome of spiritual hunger, ultimately is happiness.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

Happy are they....

Are you happy today?

I know I could be a lot "happier".

Your Friend,
Tom

The future of the American Church?

2008-01-31T15:23:00.000-08:00

There is by all statistical data and every shred of published evidence a troubling trend apparent within the American Church.

The church in America, especially the southeastern part of the United States, seems to be infected with a disease that can be terminal if left untreated.

Like a virus, this "disease" has a tendency to spread and can do so rather quickly.
This is incorrigible "disease" is something called Apathy.

Okay I'll admit that Apathy is not really a disease; however, it sure does act like one.
Apathy is defined as the following:

"Apathy is a state of indifference — where an individual has an absence of interest or concern"
Webster's defines it as a "lack of interest or concern".

The word comes from a Greek concept (apatheia) that was common among the Stoic philosophers that would address things that one is not responsible for.

It is easy for us to justify our lack of concern for something once we define it as something that we are not responsible for.

Like the spreading of the Gospel for example. Most of us tend to define that as the job of the "preacher", therefore we are released from responsibility.

Everyday functions of the church on a practical level, we tend to like to see someone else carry the responsibility for those things.

The "church" itself has lots of things that can be used to define it.
Simply put, the "Church" is now the earthly embodiment of Jesus Christ.

"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." 1 Corinthians 12:27 (New International Version)

If we are all part of the "Body", then it is reasonable to assume that we all share in the responsibilities of actually being the Church.

That would mean to me that we all have equal responsibilities to share Christ with others, and that we share in the roles and duties of caring for the local church.

It is no secret that a very small percentage of each local church actually shares the responsibilities of duty. I am afraid the percentage actually decline more and more each year.

The Barna Group reports that American (orthodox) church attendance decreased from 20.4% in 1990, to 17.7% in 2004.

By my calculations, if we don't do something to change that downward trend, it is feasible to see a day in America's future when no Christian churches exist.

Perhaps the buildings will all be converted into secular businesses, or maybe even "social service" organizations.

Does that thought disturb you a little? It disturbs me as well.
What can we do about it? I am not sure there is a large immediate fix short of God igniting a revival from coast to coast. But that is up to God.

No here is where I could easily say - "That is not my responsibility, it is up to God. So I can't do anything". Yeah, that is called Apathy.

There is something we can do besides pray for God to send that revival that is so desperately needed. We can all take a close examination of ourselves and determine that we will no longer tolerate Apathy in our own lives.

We can sesolve that "I will personally take responsibility to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the world that I live in".

Sure we may never be missionaries in China, or Africa, but we can be missionaries in our places of work and our communities.

We can step up to the plate the next time we here our Church Leaders tell us that we need help in certain areas.

Until we collectively begin to work as a team on this, we have no right to have high expectations for anything.

Wake up America.

That's how I see it.

Your Friend,
Tom

The Right Character: Day 5 -- Understanding

2008-01-29T11:00:00.000-08:00

Understanding

"He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit." Proverbs 17:27

This particular trait is a rather difficult one to explain. Some people feel that only certain people have the ability to learn, and that there are only certain ways that one can gain knowledge.

We can look at the above scripture in one of two ways:

1) Having an understanding personality; in other words, to be a considerate person.
2) To be educated or to know things.

Everyone should be considerate, and we should always strive to cultivate that quality.
Being considerate is an excellent character trait; however, the second one is more difficult.
(At least in our common definitions)

The word “understanding” that we see here is actually from the Hebrew word, “Tabuwn” and it has several variations in its definition. However, conceptually it is pretty much the same.

1) understanding, intelligence
a) the act of understanding
1) skill
b) the faculty of understanding
1) intelligence, understanding, insight
c) the object of knowledge
d) teacher (personification)
(Strong's Concordance)

Now if I were to ask you about your education, you would quickly rattle off something that happened in your past. “I have a degree in Economics from University of X” or “I graduated from x college”, or whatever your educational endeavors may have been.

When you complete your level of formal education, whichever that chosen level is, your education should never end. In fact graduation never marks the end of your education; it only marks the beginning of it.
Much the same as salvation, it never marks an ending, only the beginning of something new.
Your most valuable education is the one you give yourself with a constant quest and desire for understanding, of both God and His creation.

To be perfectly honest, I remember very little about what I learned in a college classroom; however, the hours I spent on the "mountain with God" I have rarely ever forgotten.

The best education you can get is the one you get with the basic desire to learn and the common everyday library card.

So what is education? What does it mean to be educated?
It can't be really defined by any one thing in our past.
A real education is a lifelong process and really never ends. Even in death we will continue to learn. We will certainly learn what the next step is, and whether or not we made a good choice or a bad one. :-)

Never let anyone convince you that you need certain degrees to be “educated”…the truth is, anyone can be educated with some books and some desire to know.

Study of the Bible is the most important, but read some books and you will be surprised at what you will learn.

Your Friend,
Tom

Something fresh…something PURE

2008-01-28T19:39:00.001-08:00

Well, I am almost sorry that I haven’t posted anything to the blog since last Wednesday; however, I know God has things working that we don’t even know about.

What a wonderful move of God we had yesterday in our little church.
God is doing something among our group of faithful believers.

What God is doing is pure, because the hearts of the people are pure.
I have been praying for something pure, something Holy to overtake the church in 2008.

It is no secret that I am disappointed in much of the nonsense that the world has seen go on in the church in the past ten years. You know, all the nonsense about money, power, and greed.

No more gimmicks in order to draw a bigger crowd.
No more games because we are competitive and want the “biggest church”.
No more titles to make men feel more important than they we really are.
Just the pure and simple Gospel, that there IS hope.

Jesus, “the hope of glory”…the hope of the world.

I will resume my normal posting activity tomorrow.In the mean time, pray for me…I will pray for you.

The Right Character - Day 4

2008-01-23T07:50:00.001-08:00

Faith

Today, I had started writing something from the topic of Faith. I wanted to share of its absolute necessity in our lives. I remembered something that I had read that the great preacher Charles Spurgeon had once taught and I just thought that I would share his wisdom with you.

Charles Spurgeon said,

"Victory in Trouble Possible for God’s Man The lesson of wisdom is:

Be not dismayed by soul-trouble. Count it no strange thing, but a part of ordinary ministerial experience.Should the power of depression be more than ordinary, think not that all is over with your usefulness. Cast not away your confidence, for it hath great recompense of reward (Hebrews 10:35).
Even if the enemy’s foot be on your neck, expect to rise and overthrow him. Cast the burden of the present, along with the sin of the past and the fear of the future, upon the Lord who forsaketh not His saints.
Live by the day – aye, by the hour.Put no trust in frames and feelings.
Care more for a grain of faith than a ton of excitement.
Trust in God alone. Lean not on the reeds of human help.
Be not surprised when friends fail you; it is a failing world. Never count on immutability in man: inconstancy you may reckon upon without fear of disappointment.The disciples of Jesus forsook Him, so be not amazed if your adherents wander away to other teachers. As they were not your all when with you, all is not gone from you with their departure.

Serve God with all your might while the candle is burning, then when it goes out for a season, you will have the less to regret.Be content to be nothing, for that is what you are. When your own emptiness is painfully forced upon your consciousness, chide yourself that you ever dreamed of being full, except in the Lord.

Set small store by present rewards, be grateful for earnests by the way, but look for the recompensing joy hereafter. Continue, with double earnestness, to serve your Lord when no visible result is before you. Any simpleton can follow the narrow path in the light: faith’s rare wisdom enables us to march on in the dark with infallible accuracy, since she places her hand in that of her Great Guide.

Between this and Heaven there may be rougher weather yet, but it is all provided for by our covenant Head. In nothing let us be turned aside from the path which the divine call has urged us to pursue.Come fair or come foul, the pulpit is our watchtower, and the ministry our warfare; be it our, when we cannot see the face of our God, to “trust under the shadow of thy wings.”

Charles H. Spurgeon

William Bronner Burgess

2008-01-21T07:58:00.000-08:00

Today, we tragically mourn the loss of 2 year old William Bronner Burgess the youngest son of Rick and Sherry Burgess.

Rick Burgess and Bill "Bubba" Bussey are pretty much known all over America now.
Their nationally syndicated radio program has propelled them into the world of celebrity status. However, they both got started over in Calhoun County, Alabama right where I grew up.
Bubba and I are from the same little town of Jacksonville, and Rick is from Oxford.
I sort of feel like they are "old friends" of mine even though it has been years since I would see them around town. The place where we are from is small, and the type of place where everyone "knows" everyone.

There is no doubt that this is the most difficult "mountain" that Rick and Sherry, who are committed followers of Christ, will ever climb. I could join others in asking many questions of "why", but I know there may never be a clear answer to any of those questions.

What I do know for sure is that I can be fully confident in God, who is the designer and giver of all life. Having this confidence, I know that little Bronner is playing on the playground of Glory this very day in the presence of a loving and all powerful Heavenly Father.

I ask all of you to join together with the family, friends, and fans every in praying for the family in this difficult time.

"We ask that you bathe Rick, Sherri, and the entire Burgess family in prayer as they deal with the loss of their youngest son, Bronner Burgess. We all are grieving together in this terrible loss. The Burgess's want to give all Honor and Glory to GOD for the many blessings He has given us, especially the life of Bronner Burgess. And while we do not understand, we know who is in charge and His will be done in life and in death."

The Right Character - Day 3

2008-01-21T07:05:00.000-08:00

Commitment

It is very common for Christians to display a number of different symbols to show their identity to the world as believers. Crosses on a necklace, buttons, bumper stickers and banners are regular items sold at the Christian Bookstore.
They have been used almost since the beginning to let others know that we are believers in Christ. In itself there is nothing wrong with using these symbols. But they really are only outward displays and cannot be counted on to accurately describe what is really in our hearts.

Do I make sense? What I mean is, just because I put a fish on my bumper sticker doesn’t really mean that I am a committed follower of Christ. In fact, I could have bought a used car that already had a fish on the bumper!

As a follower of Christ, whether you wear a t-shirt, wear a cross around my neck, or use any other kind of observable sign is of no real meaning unless these symbols are validated by other, external actions.

The most important “signs” of a follower of Christ are the evidences that are displayed in the outward life (actions) resulting from the character of the inward life.
Did you get that? Read it again.

A true follower of Christ will strive daily to display these characteristics in the actions of their lives, and not just on a sign or symbol. Commitment is a characteristic of a true believer, and I believe that true disciples of Christ will be committed to His cause.

The early believers were so bold in their faith that they willingly gave their lives for Jesus Christ. Peter, Stephan, Paul, John, they were all persecuted and executed for their faith. Yet it was with a willing heart and a secure spirit that they boldly stood in the face of earthy authority and stood firm, committed to their faith in Christ.

Today, we have a hard time just praying over a meal in a public restaurant.We have trouble filling the pews up on a Sunday morning service, let alone getting people to commit to serving Christ in a ministry.
The Bible says in Romans 12:1-2 that we are to live our daily lives as a “living sacrifice”.
That means we are not to live for ourselves, but to live for Christ.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)

Where is our commitment level today?
I have resolved in 2008 to renew my commitment to Christ and His cause.
I have resolved to live everyday as a “living sacrifice” totally and fully committed to Him.
I challenge my readers to do the same.

Your Friend,Tom

The Right Character - Day 2

2008-01-17T08:47:00.000-08:00

Humility

Where do we actually teach humility in America? Who actually teaches it?

I am having a little trouble coming up with an example to use from the world.
If you watch or follow television ministries today, it would appear that not even the "church" teaches humility.

From the television shows we often watch to the sports we play, and many times the "preachers" we listen to we are educated from the time we are children to be anything but humble.

Yet the Bible teaches us, ""But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble." James 4:6.

If our ultimate goal is to model the character or Jesus in our own lives, and I think it should be, then we must recognize that humility was clearly a trait that Jesus displayed.

From the famous sermon on the mount, Jesus taught in Matthew 5:3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit". This word "poor" that is used here is not indicating a "lack of the spirit", but rather it is stating the humble will be blessed by God.

How many want to be blessed by God? I am sure all of my readers would nod to the affirmative on that question.

Try practicing humility, the way Jesus did, and see how the blessings increase in your life, business, family, church, or school.

Jesus is our model.

Your Friend,
Tom

The Right Character

2008-01-16T12:05:00.000-08:00

Over the course of the next few days, I want to share with all my readers a few "character traits" that Godly people should aspire to possess.
It is possible that I will make more than one post per day on some days in order to get these character traits published.

The first characteristic I want us to think about is:

Compassion

"And of some have compassion, making a difference." Jude 22

Compassion seems to be a quality that is steadily decreasing in our society today.I read recently of a conflict between a Rescue mission in the far north and the local city government. The Rescue Mission provides free meals and free shelter to the homeless and is being scrutinized by the local city municipality over the current location of the mission.

The City government seems to want the mission to be relocated to a different part of town, because the service to the homeless is really not welcomed in their current area of the city. When the mission officials displayed a spirit of meekness and informed the city they would relocate, the city turned them down on their new potential locations because of “zoning requirements”. City officials don’t really seem concerned over the homeless in the area at all.

It saddens me to think people are willing to force the homeless and hurting out into the cold streets without any assistance because they are worried about their image.
You and I should seek to cultivate compassion in our lives each and every day.
We will sometimes find it easy to display compassion when we encounter those who may be deemed less fortunate that ourselves; however, at other times compassion may not come as easily. Sometimes we will encounter those whose attitude doesn’t warrant compassion by the standards in our society. They may even be downright rude to us.

But we must remember that, according to the Bible, compassion within our hearts is what “makes a difference” in the world that we live. Endeavor to be compassionate to all people, even city officials, or others who make compassion difficult.

God is pleased when His children are filled with compassion for others, those who are hurting, those who have fallen into sin, and even those who are angry at God.
Seek to be compassionate in all areas of your life, and display the heart of God in “your world”.

Your Friend,
Tom

Just sharing my plans....and pursuing my purpose

2008-01-15T08:04:00.000-08:00

I have never been very good at promoting anything, especially when it involves me.
Unlike my good friend Daniel, “The Bishop”, who does very well at promoting things….when he wants to that is. He is practically a professional.
But I did want to share this today…for whatever reason. :-)

For the past several years now I have been constantly developing a series of teachings on the subject of “Recovery”, the closest subject area to my heart. Since much of my life has been a struggle in itself.

I have been teaching these particular classes in the recovery program classroom for the past few years and the response has been incredible.
Many of the graduates ask me “where can we hear you teach after we leave here?”

The problem has been three fold, 1) once they complete the first 7 weeks of the program they no longer sit in on my classes. 2) Most of them are from out of town, and 3) the recovery program classroom is usually the only place I teach these subjects.

Well I have been thinking…I know, I know -that’s dangerous-….I am strongly considering putting together a DVD lesson series of these teachings so that I can make them available to people that graduate from my classes and also anyone else who might benefit from them. Like family members and friends, pretty much anyone who struggles with life controlling problems.

With my personal journey and experience, sometimes repetition is required to get all of the information. Something they could watch over and over could certainly help prevent a relapse at some point in their future.

Many of you who know me, understand that I hate being recorded or being on camera; however, I realize that these teachings have been able to assist many people in “finding their way” through the maze of life.I want to be able to help as many people as possible, so for now that will over-ride my feelings of discomfort about being recorded. :-)

Unless there is a drastic change of mind, I am going to start work immediately developing recordable versions of the lesson plans and classes.

Guys…you know who you are, you have been an inspiration to me to continue moving forward on this journey of life. Every single one of us has a place and purpose in God’s plan…you and I fit together to form the perfection in His creation.

I am looking forward to what His plan holds for the future.

Your Friend,
Tom

Thought for the Day

2008-01-10T13:55:00.001-08:00

I read one time about a question that was asked to C.S. Lewis.
Someone asked C.S. Lewis, "Why do the righteous suffer?" "Why not?" he replied. "They're the only ones who can take it."

You may have had trouble in 2007, perhaps you had some serious complications in your life.
I want to encourage you today, that God is greater than all your troubles, all your trials, and all your heartaches. God is greater in 2008!

God is greater than all of our plans, He is greater than all of our desire, successes and accomplishments.

Let God be Greater in your life every day in 2008.

Your Friend,
Tom