Praying Honestly
Sometimes prayer begins when the heart is faint. One of the truly liberating realities of my life has been learning that I do not have to be great at praying. I do not have to be eloquent.I do not have to be impressive.I do not have to sound like someone else.I do not have to get every word just right. Prayer is not a performance. It is a conversation. And, like any real conversation, what matters most is not polish, but presence. Am I open? Am I…
Real Strength
“… I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”— II Corinthians 12:9 Whatever the thorn in Paul’s flesh was, we have all gained from it. That is because, whether we admit it or not, we are all rather thorny people. We could spend our days and nights picking at the thorns and begging for their removal, or we could move forward in grace. We harbor delusions of self-sufficiency and adequacy because we simply do not understand…
In the Fullness of Time
In the Fullness of Time “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son …”— Galatians 4:4a The sky was blue. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin for December 7, 1941, carried notices of Christmas events and parties planned throughout Honolulu. Many were arranged especially for servicemen who would be away from home through the holidays. That morning, some of those young men may have read the paper, marked their calendars, and begun to…
No Reputation
Is it possible to become so familiar with Jesus that we limit our capacity for real faith in Him? Two things come to mind as companions to the message I preached this morning. One is a song by Rick Elias. The other is scripture: from Isaiah 53, New International Version Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.He had no beauty or majesty to…
Malta: When Trouble Becomes Testimony
Bible Chat on Acts 28:1-10 I think that if I were along the Mediterranean in southern Europe, near Sicily, near the place where Europe meets Africa, and I had the opportunity and the time, I would like to visit Malta. Every picture I see is beautiful. Every story I hear endears me to it. And then I think about the Apostle Paul. Paul is a prisoner. He is on his way to Rome. He has appealed to Caesar, and now he is traveling under…
http://pastortom.blog/2026/06/05/malta-when-trouble-becomes-testimony/
Happy Is He (or She)
“Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God.”— (Psalm 146:5, KJV) We live in a world trained to place its confidence carefully. We are taught to trust what can be measured, secured, insured, or controlled. And yet, week after week, life reminds us how fragile those assurances can be. Health falters. Plans unravel. Leaders disappoint. What once seemed dependable proves temporary. Against that quiet…
Seasons
To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.— Ecclesiastes 3:1 Our God breathes upon time and space and enters into our sphere, moving with rhythmic precision and thoughtful order, shaping events, turning tides, and weaving the seasons into a tapestry of purpose. We respond either by riding the waves of His wonderful will or resisting the seasons in habitual stubbornness and rigid rebellion. The antithesis to a celebration of God’s…
Day of the Children
A Biblical and Theological Perspective Today is observed in many places as International Children’s Day, a day that calls attention to the dignity, protection, rights, and flourishing of children. The date is complicated, as international observances often are. The United Nations’ World Children’s Day is officially observed on November 20, marking the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of…
But Some Doubted
A Trinity Sunday Reflection on Matthew 28:16–20 “And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.”— Matthew 28:16, KJV This is Trinity Sunday, and in this extended passage all three members of the Godhead appear. The risen Son stands before his disciples. He sends them to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. He promises his continuing presence: “lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”…
Money Is a Great Servant, but an Awful Master
Attitudes Toward Money, Contentment, and the Life That Really Is Life Contentment is not contained in wealth. You can be content whether you are wealthy or poor. Contentment is an attitude, a choice, and a way of thinking. We gain it in the pursuit of values that transcend wealth. You have a relationship with money, whether you are aware of it or not. You may think there is never enough. You may feel that if you could just…
http://pastortom.blog/2026/05/30/money-is-a-great-servant-but-an-awful-master/
