All posts by Thom
LISTENING TO A WHISPERING GOD IN A SCREAMING WORLD
LISTENING TO A WHISPERING GOD IN A SCREAMING WORLD Is God not speaking or am I not listening? I admit that I’m as distracted by the noise of the world as the next man. Current events in North American culture show me a parade of men who, if I believe what I hear, have behaved…
THE GRATEFUL CHILD
Are the words “grateful child” really just an oxymoron, much like “personal responsibility?” Are some children just naturally grateful? I’m not saying that it isn’t possible, I’m just saying I’ve never known any who were. I think I accidentally raised a bunch of kids to be ungrateful. When they were babies my wife and I…
BELLA 101
Through a series of difficult circumstances involving courtrooms, policemen, and social workers, my wife and I have custody of our four year old granddaughter, Bella. She has been with us full time for most of her life. It’s only been in the past several months that we received full custody of her. The particulars of…
THE COVID WARS
THE COVID WARS It’s about a week before Christmas and I have not written anything since around mid-summer. On a personal level that was not a happy time. I’ve been thinking and observing. I’ve been thinking about what’s important…at least to me. From a safe distance I’ve been observing the questionable choices of people that…
ALREADY HOME
The most frequent question I ask myself is why I do the things I do. What truly motivates me to act….or to act out? Over years of time I have settled for a variety of answers. Wise people have given me valuable insight as to the things that motivate people to action. I’ve never really…
Uh-oh, I Think I’m Running Out of Teenagers
Be advised that reading this post may be offensive to some and cause the eyes of others to bleed. If either begins to occur then stop reading immediately and return later when properly clothed in big kid pants. Over the past few weeks I’ve had two pseudo-adults leave the safety of my well-feathered nest for…
Did John the Baptist Get a Raw Deal?
John the Baptist was put in jail because he told the king that he couldn’t lawfully have his brother’s wife. As John sat in a prison cell awaiting his fate, he sent a message to his cousin Jesus. In the message he asked Jesus if he was in fact the one or should the search…
Practical Christianity (a do over)
My Friends, I’ve expanded my circle of contacts somewhat. In some ways I regret the way I left my previous message regarding Practical Christianity. If you are reading this note and have no idea what I am talking about then that is because you didn’t receive or read my first message. I have posted the…
Practical Christianity is a Lie
I’ve been thinking lately about something called “practical Christianity” or “practical Christian living.” In your opinion what does that mean? I always assumed that this concept was instruction on how to apply Biblical principles to life’s circumstances so that I can honor God. What I am finding is that many people who apply Biblical principles…
Holiday Update
The news media has declared that we are in a national economic recession. The holiday season of 2008 has been forecast to be bleak because of the financial crunch. Keri and I have never had much money so we don’t plan on participating. I’m sure that a sound economy is an important part of our…