“Dreadful, just dreadful.” That was the succinct response from a good friend of mine when I told her about the hopes and dreams of Cambridge University geneticist Aubrey de Grey who has stated publicly, “The first person to live to be 1,000 years old is certainly alive today …whether they realize it or not, barring accidents and suicide, most people now 40 years or younger can expect to live for centuries.” This man is bringing together the best minds of biologists,... Read more
I was sitting on the patio last night, reading and reflecting on some things we talked had about in our Bible study on Wednesday on the Sufficiency of God. I had mentioned in our time that I often read literature written by those who have spent long years in prison camps or in other isolated situations not of their own making because those memoirs teach me about living large in smallness. It seems to me that the more we have,... Read more
Note: this is an excerpt from An Ordinary Death: Where Grief and Relief Hold Hands, available from Amazon.com. “Christy, did you know there are no lights in this house?” Thanks to the incredible, overwhelming, humbling generosity of my sister and brother, I am now the owner of the place we call “The Manor.” It’s the house my mother designed and she and my father built in the 1980’s. As of Tuesday, it has become the home of a good friend... Read more
There’s a running joke in the Lions Club here that I, as pastor, only work two hours a week and have the cushiest job around. I wish it were true–I’d really love a cushy job. When I was in the office late yesterday afternoon, I realized a parent of one of our day care children was quite upset about something. I don’t want to reveal any specifics here, but it meant an hour on the phone last night and a... Read more
This past Sunday night we had a great jazz band perform a concert at our church. All there had a fabulous time. We were so into the music, loving the both the expertise and the interaction with the musicians. While we may have been audience, we were also participants in the evening’s pleasure. One can always, of course, just purchase a CD or download recordings of favorite music by favorite musicians and listen to them at will. But a live... Read more
I have for most of my life been what is called an “early adapter” to technological innovations. Having learned to type on an old manual typewriter, and having written too many term papers on it–along with the challenge of making corrections (I have always been a speedy but mistake-prone typist), a computer with its ease of corrections seemed to me to be the most amazing of inventions. And then there is the Internet, with its ease of acquiring information and... Read more
Early Sunday morning . . . the church is quiet, only people here at first are me and my faithful verger and good friend, who is always here very early, praying, working, getting things ready. She brings an atmosphere of holiness and love into this place. Today, we send the youth and the adult sponsors out on mission. I am much in prayer for them. Mission weeks can be life-changing and I trust this one will be. A week to... Read more
Well, after thinking all week about those who were surprised to discover that they were classified as sheep and goats at the last judgment, I’ve made this decision: it is the sheep who will be the most surprised because they will learn that their natural mode was to be gracious and would have never really thought about doing otherwise. When Jesus tells this disciples to be in the business of making disciples, it seems to be with the assumption that... Read more
Today, I had a locksmith come and change the locks on the house my parents designed and built and lived in for the last 26 years. As of next week, it is rented. For the first time in this house’s existence, non-members of the Thomas clan will live there. The renters are good friends, and it is a gift to both of us that this worked out. She and her family will find gracious living there. I won’t have to... Read more
I’m working of the message of the sheep and goats where, at the end, many people are surprised to find themselves as either one. The sheep, of course, are those who offered drink, food, clothing, hospitality and compassion to Jesus by offering to those around them. Those classified as the goats did not. As I was pondering these words, dealing with multiple phone calls and an onrush of urgent emails, watching as the church secretary popped in and out with... Read more
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