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A Different Kind of King

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

This past week we celebrated Easter. Easter is a powerful time, because we remember the whole point and purpose for Jesus coming to Earth to save each and every one of us. The thing I love about Jesus, is that He is a different kind of king. He flips upside down the beliefs that the religious had about Him, and He reorients us through His actions how each of us are called to live.

I have seen a lot of current culture both in and outside of Christian spaces, attempt to tell everyone the kind of king Jesus is. Some tell us that Jesus is a harsh and unwavering king. Some tell us that Jesus is a kind that is just good with the whatever we feel mentality. Some view Jesus as a political leader that is hard and fast on certain sides of the aisle.

So, what kind of king is Jesus?

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Love One Another

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

“I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 13:34-35

I get really disheartened when I see experts in church metrics showing that young people are leaving the church, and what is the most discouraging part about it, is the conclusion to the “why” behind this trend is wrong. The reason isn’t because of not enough engaging services, easier on-ramps, or jumping on the latest trends; ultimately the reason is that the next generation is seeing people who say that they follow Jesus but don’t love like Jesus.

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Navigating Technology with Wisdom

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I had a chance last spring to speak to high school and middle school students about how to how media literacy, essentially how to navigate in a world that is constantly connected and influencing us every day. I could not have imagined how continually wild the following year would bring. The increase in AI reliance on everything as well as the increasing difficulty to tell if it is or not is a serious issue (also the environmental impact it makes). Mix that in with election cycles with a lot of anger and hate, social media becoming a flood of advertising, and a deeper divide on what is true and not biased in news media.

Feel freaked out a little? Don’t be; you have been created by an amazing creator who gives us what we need to navigate technology with wisdom. Wisdom is how we navigate everything we come in contact with and it is freely given to each of us.

“Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.”  -James 1:5 CSB

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fear is a liar

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

Over the past year I have entered the new phase of my life of being a parent. It’s an exciting and amazing thing to be, and I have always wanted to be a dad. Sweet little Violet is such a joy, and this past weekend we got to play around in the snow and watch her experience a brand-new thing. Seeing her eyes filled with so much wonder and excitement, taking in all kinds of information for the first time in this exciting world.

I often forget to look at the world like this. Either stress of the busyness of life can get me distracted from the true joy around me.

Then there is fear, now fear is something that can often steal a lot from me, and I let it do that all too often, but the truth is, fear is a liar.

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joy in the seasons

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

I’m writing this after an incredibly busy year. I haven’t been able to do much of this, partly due to the new responsibilities of being a dad, but also due to my mental bandwidth not having much fuel in the tank. This happens a lot when I’m stressed or been running on empty in a spiritual sense, and often leads me to veg out or nap along with sweet Violet.

The year has been filled with so much, the blessings of our little family growing and the pains of outside forces I couldn’t control. I like control, as much as I want to say “I give it all to God!” The truth is that I like having a hold of all the pieces in front of me, and when I don’t, dread creeps in. This feeling is scary and causes me to freeze, even when I know I should stand and face it head on. I just can’t. But God is good and hasn’t failed me yet.

He reminds me to have joy, so much joy despite what I feel or what comes my way.

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loving while growing

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

I love the seasons. Each one has something so special about it, we get a chance to look at the year in a cycle of death and life, again and again. Now I know that sounds a bit emo and might make you bust out the eyeliner, but it’s a beautiful cycle that we experience and can see God in the midst of these cycles. Dear Danielle and I bought a house in December, which was not only terrifying and exciting, but we were able to move in while the beginning of the winter season crept in. I love winter, the cold, cozy atmosphere is perfect for some tea and comics. With winter, there wasn’t a lot of growth around our house, there were plenty of bare trees and bushes making it easy to begin the updates on the inside of our home.

Now as the season has moved to spring, we are discovering a whole new world of fresh growth and life in our yard. Flowers bursting through the ground, bright green leaves exploding all over our trees, and birds singing their song while zooming around our yard; it is amazing, and I think it’s a picture of how God moves us through seasons to help our lives burst with fresh growth.

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hey friends, it’s been a while

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

I last posted on this blog in January, talking about having a firm foundation in Christ. January was an exciting time for me, I began a brand-new job in the ministry at Hope Church as the student and young adult director; I was and still am so ecstatic about this new role and being able to step into full-time ministry once again. In January, I was also embarking on my final semester of my Master of Divinity, and with full intention of keeping this blog weekly, I decided to take a pause. I love writing and telling stories, but when you have to write multiple papers a week, the tank tends to get dry. So, as I was stepping into my new role and taking time to finish my Masters, I chose to fully focus.

Now, in the month of August, I have graduated and am fully stepping into this role. Life remains busy, but it always is, the thing that I have learned is that God is with me in every moment.

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My Year in Books

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

Hello, dear readers! I decided to take the month of December off of writing because, well, I was busy and tired and need to recharge my tank. It’s important to take care of your mental health and learn to rest, but I am excited to get back to it! I plan to write a New Year’s blog, all about my word of the year and what I am excited to move forward in, but on this first day of the year, I wanted to do something a little different.

My dear Danielle and I for the past few years, have taken a challenge on Goodreads, to read 100 books in a year. Reading is an important part of our lives, because we should always keep learning and enjoy the beauty inside books. I read a total of 101 books this year; a combination of physical, audio, comic, and library books to make that happen. I had a blast, checking out classics, new releases, and ministry books. I want to share some of my favorites that I read this year, and recommend it to you for your lists this year! Now, let’s jump into it!

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Thank You for Seasons

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

Can you believe that we are only a few more days until we enter December!? This last half of the year, for me, is always filled with so much excitement. From holidays to birthdays and anniversaries, there is so much fun, but time flies by. In recent years, I have learned the importance of the different seasons of life that we all go through. I look through the lens of the four seasons in nature and see how I continually grow and change in these different seasons. Some are harder than others, but in those hardships, I am reminded of the growth that is taking place and how it will propel me forward. Some seasons are time filled with joy and celebration of where God has me in that moment. In every season, I have learned to thank God for what each reveal about who God has made me to be and how He loves me in all things.

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Thank You for Loving Me

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

I think life is a lot of learning from mistakes. We are all constantly growing, and part of those growing pains is learning from when we mess up. Sometimes we mess up only a little and sometimes it’s a big deal, but these are all moments for us to learn and mature. I never like holding on to something that someone has done to me in the past, because I don’t want people to hold on to the things I have done to them in the past. It’s a thing called grace and forgiveness, and it’s what Jesus modeled for each of us during His time one earth. Jesus chose to love everyone, even the people who would betray and kill Him. Even His last moment on the cross, Jesus cried out to God to forgive the people because they did not know what they were doing (Luke 23:34). That kind of love is the same love that is freely given to you and me.

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