Controlling the Narrative: Lance Armstrong and the Rest of Us

Last updated on: January 22, 2013 at 6:26 pm By Christy Thomas

“I wanted to control the narrative.” That phrase has sprung out of the otherwise unsurprising Lance Armstrong doping confession. The need to “control the narrative” captures much human motivation and underlies multiple decisions. If we can indeed control the narrative, we can keep ourselves protected, lie with impunity and still look intact, together and successful. Armstrong’s real problems lie far beyond the lying and the doping. Those transgressions can be seen as primarily self-destructive. But Armstrong was other-destructive because he... Read more

Sleep, Teens, Church and School

Last updated on: January 16, 2013 at 7:42 pm By Christy Thomas

I was in conversation with several of the young teens at the church tonight during the time I teach them worship skills as a part of our midweek program. We were talking about what it takes to keep them engaged in worship and how easily they became distracted. In conversation, I began to ask them about the school classes in which they felt the most interest and the ones where they had the least interest. They liked best the classes... Read more

Cycles of Suffering, Huge Religious Festival and An Important Question

Last updated on: January 16, 2013 at 11:39 am By Christy Thomas

How do you address the suffering that seems to surround us? And especially, how would you address it to a group of people who are convinced that until they attain a certain state of righteousness, they are doomed to endless cycles of being born, suffering, dying and then being born again, dying, suffering, etc? Massive Religious Festival in India Right now, a massive religious festival, the Maha Kumbh Mela, or Grand Pitcher Festival, is taking place in Allahabad, in northern India. ... Read more

Gendercide, Theology and the Female Voice

Last updated on: January 15, 2013 at 10:33 am By Christy Thomas

An excellent editorial in the Dallas Morning News reminds us of the enormous amount of hidden “gendercide” that has taken place over the last generation. “Gendercide” is the selective abortion or infanticide of female fetuses and infants, particularly in China and India, but also in the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe. Beverly Hill, the article author, states flatly: Contrary to popular belief, the status of women does not improve when females are in short supply. In fact, just the opposite... Read more

A Speck Upon a Speck Upon a Speck

Last updated on: January 7, 2013 at 9:15 pm By Christy Thomas

Periodically I need to remind myself of just how unimportant I am. A phrase I’ve heard recently, “We’re just a speck on a speck on a speck,” helps me consider my own insignificance. Surely anyone contemplating the hugeness of the universe—and the actual size of it will probably forever remain a mystery—needs to acknowledge that we’re pretty negligible creatures in the overall scheme of things. In comparison to the whole universe, we don’t even register as big as the tiniest... Read more

A World and a People in Need of Healing

Last updated on: January 2, 2013 at 9:15 am By Christy Thomas

We need therapy. We need deep, freedom-giving healing. Why? Well, let’s take a quick look at a few current situations. • The usual political “I want to get re-elected at all costs and I don’t care what happens to ordinary people who don’t load me up with campaign contributions” maneuvering continues in our nation’s capital. • The health care system accelerates its out-of-control spiral, making decent health care less and less accessible to any but the exceedingly rich and lucky and a... Read more

Every Child Born Changes the Entire World

Last updated on: December 19, 2012 at 9:47 am By Christy Thomas

Every child born changes the entire world. Whether eagerly longed for or dreaded, male or female, impoverished or ultra-wealthy, every child changes the world. Whether loaded with physical and mental challenges or worry-free healthy, a musical prodigy or profoundly tone-deaf, hair sunny-silky light or wildly curly/kinky dark, skin glorious ebony-rich to albino-like pale, every child changes the world. Whether left or right-handed, born already reading philosophy or never able to read even one word, oldest or youngest or in a... Read more

From Barren to Baby, Hope After Tragedy

Last updated on: December 16, 2012 at 8:37 pm By Christy Thomas

As did many clergy, I faced a dilemma with this Sunday’s message after the events of Friday’s massacre of children. For Advent this year, I had decided to do a series I called “From Barren to Baby” and speak of some of Jesus’ ancestors, particularly those whose stories started with the barren woman scenario. I learned long ago that when a passage in the Bible begins to speak of a woman unable to have children, it is code for, “Pay... Read more

Murder of the Innocents

Last updated on: December 14, 2012 at 1:18 pm By Christy Thomas

Who is not just sick, as well as outraged, by the murder of the innocents in Connecticut? Who? Why? How could he or they? What kind of evil and demons drive such an action? Yes, what kind of evil? There is no way to whitewash this. The murder of innocents is evil. It happened after Jesus’ birth–and I often struggle with the fact that many mothers, fathers and babies in Bethlehem suffered horrendously because they had the bad luck to... Read more

A Normal Day Interrupted by a Divine Appointment?

Last updated on: December 14, 2012 at 11:54 am By Christy Thomas

I woke yesterday with a sense of work-urgency informing my plans for the day. It was the first day I had any real schedule freedom to do intensive work on the many messages that need to be prepared and delivered in the next 12 days. My Director of Worship and I have been working on the services for several weeks. Initial concepts have been examined and modified, perfected, so to speak. Music pieces discussed, musicians recruited, especially for the 11:00... Read more