“If I had known this was even a remote risk that we could be walking down that midway and the dart would end up in my daughter’s eye, my eye, I would never go there,” she said. This was a quote in a Dallas Morning News article made by a woman who was attending the Texas State Fair and who was injured when a stray dart from a Midway arcade game hit her eye. It’s a nasty injury, and her… Read more
Windshield Wipers and the Kingdom of Heaven
October 13, 2009 By Christy Thomas
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Last week, while running errands one day during the rain, I noticed that my windshield wipers were badly worn and needed replacing. I knew I needed to get them replaced before I left this past Monday for a seminar in Little Rock, Arkansas. But, as often happens, life intervenes, and I just forgot about this necessary task until late Sunday afternoon. Then I panicked–weather reports indicated I had a long drive in the rain in front of me and it… Read more
Who Do You Want to Influence Your Children
October 4, 2009 By Christy Thomas
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Quickly: you’ve got a choice. Who would you like to have the most influence on your children? First option: Whoopi Goldberg and Roman Polanski and the famous people in the film industry who think this pedophile did no wrong. Second option: quiet, hardworking people of your local church who donate their time to nurture and care for them, teaching them about the Bible and about their specialness before a holy God. You’ve got five seconds. What will it be? Still… Read more
I Think it is Tacky”
September 21, 2009 By Christy Thomas
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I had just shown to a friend of mine a page in a catalogue that was selling “communion wafer and juice sets.” According to the ad copy, churches purchasing these sets gain “the convenience of offering the elements of communion in one easy to use container.” These sets are a combination of “communion juice and wafer in an airtight double sealed package to extend shelf life and ensure freshness.” Her response: “I think it is tacky.” What a sanitized world… Read more
What is a Christian?
September 15, 2009 By Christy Thomas
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What is a Christian? Who get to call themselves “Christ-followers?” What are the absolute essentials, the non-negotiable aspects, beliefs and behaviors of Christianity? The story below is one possible answer to this complicated question. I recently received an email from some special friends of mine, Anya and Sergey, who live in in a country with a predominantly Muslim population and who seek to offer the words of grace about the good news of Jesus Christ. Anya was telling me about her passion to serve Muslim women and… Read more
Green Pepper Heaven
September 8, 2009 By Christy Thomas
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I carried my morning cup of tea into the backyard early today to drink it in the quiet and relative cool of the day. My dogs, at least for this morning staying nearby and not clamoring for one of their “let’s run away” ventures, wandered around the backyard hoping for new smells. I heard a slight cracking sound and looked around. Jake, the very large yellow lab whom I’ve often described as being quite handsome but remarkably stupid, had broken… Read more
Juvenile Court
August 24, 2009 By Christy Thomas
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Earlier this week, I sat for a while in the Denton City Juvenile Court, just as an observer. A court official called out names. Each name was repeated into a room behind the court. Then the young offenders, dressed in shapeless and ill-fitting jumpsuits, would walk in, their hands touching behind their backs, elbows akimbo, and join family members standing before the judge. Each had spent at least the weekend in juvenile lockup, some longer than that. After initial instructions… Read more
Getting Rich with Jesus
August 17, 2009 By Christy Thomas
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There’s an article in this past week’s NY Times that quickly made its way through a circle of colleagues and acquaintances:The opening paragraph reads: Onstage before thousands of believers weighed down by debt and economic insecurity, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland and their all-star lineup of “prosperity gospel” preachers delighted the crowd with anecdotes about the luxurious lives they had attained by following the Word of God.” As I continued reading the article, my frustration and anger grew. This is all… Read more
Parking spaces and bermuda grass
August 9, 2009 By Christy Thomas
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There are few things more precious in Texas during August than a parking spot in the shade. It means some relief from the horrid heat when re-entering the car after some time outside. So, when I pulled into a parking lot recently and saw that it looked like there might be a hint of shade in one empty parking spot, I was delighted. What good luck! However, when I reached the spot, I discovered that the car already there had… Read more
Hearing the Cry
August 4, 2009 By Christy Thomas
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“We have not heard the cry of the needy.” This is a phrase in the general confession of the church that we often pray as we prepare our hearts and minds to receive and grant forgiveness. “We have not heard the cry . . .” This phrase took special meaning this past Sunday. A young woman, Brittany Burrows, who had just spent most of last year as a volunteer worker in an orphanage in the Congo in the central part… Read more
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