Reflections on Psalm 9:9-20 and a bonus video of this morning's sermon on Fatherly Advice Continue reading

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Most of this information and more can be found at the Central Valley SCORE website. Use YouTube to Grow Your Business Business Model Canvass Google - Launch Your Business with Customer-Focused Marketing Part of Simple Steps (If you missed) - Financing Options for Small Business - Recording DGS102 Doing Business with the State of California: Meeting Recording This is a link to a folder that contains the one-page business canvass as well as some other files: Tom's Google Drive Folder Upcoming Score Events - View All Upcoming Events Google Pt 1: Make Your Website Work For You - 6/16/2021 -... Continue reading

Including "Reich Church" and the "Confessing Church," National Conversation, and Revival Prayer. Continue reading

Sunday's Sermon Continue reading

If I am ever sick of Christians, it is because they are my family and families get on each others nerves from time to time. Continue reading

The Importance of Self-Examination Edison and his searchlight cart in 1915, from the Smithsonian. Public Domain “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you …” -II Corinthians 13:5. “… Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.… -Psalm 26:2 When we were children and we went to the doctor, we could be comforted by the words, “Don’t worry, its just an examination." As we grew older, we came to understand that such examinations could be quite uncomfortable. Furthermore,... Continue reading

Let's focus on the word, "HEALTH." Continue reading

The image was chosen to get your attention, not to imply that all religions are the same. Everyone knows that while most have some common themes, they are unique and have their own theologies, concepts of God, and core teachings, and values. This image, which was originally posted to Flickr, was uploaded to Commons using Flickr upload bot on 9 August 2008, 02:30 by Russavia. On that date, it was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the license indicated. Temple of All Religions in Kazan, Russia People of different faiths periodically fast and seek God as they understand... Continue reading

Abundance is the atmosphere of generosity. It is the expectation rather than the exception. A bit of Paul, a bit of me, and a bit of Les Brown. Continue reading

If I do not tell you when I wrote this or who was in power, will it help? It should not matter. I have lived through thirteen administrations and this has always been my approach. Continue reading

Pastoral Ministry Class, Summer, 2021 ADVANCE MINISTRY PREPARATION Sponsored by Gateway Seminary CLP1511 Pastoral Ministry – 3 hrs ADVANCE Center Name: Mid Valley School of Theology Instructor’s Name: Tom Sims Email Address: pastortomsims@gmail.com, Phone Number: 559-647-2203 This class consists of 45 hours of classroom instruction. 7 Three Hour Live Sessions Monday, June 7 Monday, June 14 Monday, June 21 Monday, June 28 Monday, July 12 Monday, July 19 Monday, July 26 24 One Hour Sessions (Tuesday-Thursday with several vacation days) These sessions will be recorded and posted in case you cannot participate live. 8 AM - 8:50 AM June 8-... Continue reading

“Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.” – Joshua 4:7 If, with star spangled enthusiasm one might gasp, "Oh say, can you see," might one also find an opportune moment to ask, "Oh see, can you say?" Stones and flags and monuments are built with the best of intentions to remind future generations of past events that have... Continue reading

Photo by Pavel Kalenik on Unsplash How to Be Rigidly Flexible About Time First Posted in 2006 Let me start by saying that I only have a few minutes to compose this entry. The fact that I have any time flexibility at all is because I was rather rigid about planning my day today. Having said that, I have already made several revisions in the schedule - lowering expectations in some areas and increasing them in others, moving arbitrary deadlines and getting ahead on a few projects. So, here I am with about 5 or 10 minutes to blog. The... Continue reading

Photo by Kalea Morgan @kaleamorgan Living Justly in an Unjust World The blog I've not written, but know that I must has a title and a theme thus, a thrust ... to be just. In a word it is to love that which is above us, surrounds us, envelops us, has created and is creating us and to love those who also are created and are being created ... But it is an unjust world, you cry, protest, and flail. We can try, resist, and ultimately fail to live justly in such a world ... and I say, "Hogwash!" If... Continue reading

Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash The congregation of Israel in the desert knew that the sun was hot and bright. yet, God warns them not to worship the sun, or anything else in creation. "I am a consuming fire," God iterates. Is God jealous? He says so, but we really do not know what that means because our human jealousy is petty, self-serving, and immature. God's is unrelenting, honest, and persistent. God IS and does not back down from who and what God is. God does not share God's godness with anything in the material world. Is God hot... Continue reading

Nowhere or Know Where Back in the day, on the old MySpace platform, I posted a bulletin with an error severe enough to change the meaning of a phrase. In my flawed messages I said that something was going "know where." I meant "nowhere." I was only a few letters and a space off, but the meaning changed. Never one to let a good lemon go wasted without making lemonade, I pondered the deeper meaning of the contrasting terms. If you are going to where you know where then you can't be going nowhere. That was not excellent grammar, but... Continue reading

You need a big WHY for your SMILE today. It is true that you can smile without one, but it is better if you have one. It makes smiling so much easier and it is makes your story so much better. Then, when the smile causes the release of your smile hormones, the energy and motivation you feel has a basis in truth and hope. Then, you smile because you are smiling because you have a reason for smiling. Did you track that? WHY? W - We H - Have Y- Your Reason It is your smile and it is... Continue reading

Photo by p j on Unsplash Big Rocks In "First Things First," Stephen Covey tells a story that was told him. I don’t know the sources, so I will embellish a bit. There was a speaker who was called upon to address a group of young people. As a prop, he pulled out a wide-mouth gallon jar and placed it next to a pile of fist-sized rocks, another pile of gravel, a jar of sand, and a glass of water. “Who believes I can get all of this into this one gallon jar?” The question evoked some chuckling. No one... Continue reading

Photo by Levi Meir Clancy on Unsplash "Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace." "Where there is hatred, let me sow love." Where are the instruments of God's peace in the world? Are we praying to be counted among them? It takes courage to be a peacemaker. Peacemakers stand in the middle of the hostilities and deflect the bullets and blows with their own bodies, souls, and reputations. They seldom emerge unscathed. Narcissism does not lend itself to peacemaking leadership. Narcissism is a heavy burden to bear in any place of leadership. It cripples credibility, curtails collaboration, crushes constructive... Continue reading

Things that deserve my attention today: #1 - Being in an honest and transparent relationship with God and with the people in my life. #2 - Making positive change in the world in those areas where I have influence. #3a - Paying attention to issues that involve correcting justice in PUBLIC policy, international diplomacy, matters of war and peace, issues of oppression and other areas where my influence, vote, or comments may count. #3b - Encouraging, inspiring, motivating, and uplifting people. #4 - Doing my work and minding my own business. #5-1976 n- A variety of things. #1977 (if that... Continue reading

What about an extreme makeover - spiritual edition? Continue reading

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Sunday's sermon from John 17 with slides and study guide. Continue reading

I am in a state of unready readiness. God of readiness, of constancy, and of mystery, Invade me, overthrow my stubborn reluctance and Disperse my stagnant sentries who stagger the soul And stalwartly resist that which you insist will set me free. Mercy and grace be Your weapons of invasion, My only defense is pretense. Lower the flag that flies over the castle of my heart Declaring autonomy and replace it ... Raise the flag of liberation and spontaneity! Raise the flag of serendipitous joy! Raise the flag of righteousness and peace! Raise the flag of readiness for I am... Continue reading