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who is my neighbor?

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

“But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?”

Luke 10:29 CSB

I really love moments like this in Scripture, because it shows the nature of what sin can do to us. This person asking the question of “who is my neighbor” to Jesus, is an expert of the law, a person who knew the old testament deeply. This question comes after the expert is trying to trip Jesus up and asking what the way to eternal life can be found, to which Jesus replies that we are to love God with everything, and love our neighbor (my paraphrase of Luke 10:25-29).

Then the expert follows it up with a question that I used to judge, but I now realize is something that we all do, who exactly is my neighbor? And he asks this because we don’t want to love every person around us, and that’s exactly the call of who Jesus tells us to love.

We are called to love everyone, no matter what.

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Words are Magic

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Proverbs 18:21

I recently watched a video come on my feed from the comedian Pete Holmes, and in this short clip, he spoke to the fact that words are spells that we cast on each other and ourselves. I love that imagery! Now, before anyone gets fundamental on me, it’s not evil, it’s a picture of the power our words hold. This comes straight from Scripture, and I believe it is a vital reminder to us every day.

The words we use are magic.

Life and death are in their power, and that should not be glossed over as we go about our lives.

There are memories I have of an encouraging word that have stuck with me through the years, and there are also memories of negative words spoken of me as well. The thing that we need to remember, is that our words have power, so we need to do the right thing and use it for good.

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Splendor of Seasons

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

“Because the one who sows to his flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.”

Galatians 6:8-10 CSB

Dear Danielle and I have been doing a ton of gardening. We’re both jumping into this thing full swing without a huge knowledge base of what we’re doing, all while learning a ton along the way. I’ve really enjoyed it, minus the humidity and billions of gnats that fly into my eyeballs, but it has been a blast because we get to prepare the soil, sow the seeds, and then harvest something beautiful.

I think that’s beautiful. Scripture continually uses imagery of agriculture, and I believe this is intentional as it continually reminds us that life is about cycles of sowing and reaping.

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Imago Dei

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

“So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female.”

-Genesis 1:27 CSB

“God saw all that He had made and it was very good indeed.”

-Genesis 1:30a CSB

I love this moment that we read in Scripture, the creation of humans. I love this moment because humans have the distinction that we are all made in the image of God and therefore are image bearers of the creator of the universe. The story goes that God’s original plan was for us to live in a beautifully created world and take in all of its gifts.

Then, sin enters the picture, distorting the original plan and creating a separation of us and God.

But God made a way.

His beautiful creation made in His own likeness, He made a way for each of us to be made whole again through the death and resurrection of His own son, Jesus, paying the price.

This is the love story that is written for us, and it is also the start of our calling. To make disciples, helping others be made whole again. Why? Because every person bears the image of God and deserves to be made whole again.

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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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No Rain, No Flowers

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

“Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—the great Shepherd of the sheep—through the blood of the everlasting covenant, equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Hebrews 13:20-21

In 2019 I wrote a post called, “No Rain, No Flowers,” it was a result of me coming out of a very hard season where I didn’t feel like there had been a lot of direction and then found myself in a place of passion for helping others. As I look at the stats of this blog, I am able to see that this post gets frequent traction and views, almost 6 years later. That makes me feel old, but more importantly, it shows that the heart of that writing still rings true to people today.

When I wrote it, I had come from a place where I didn’t feel valued and needed to remind myself that God determines my worth, not people.

We are created and made by God, loved more than anything, and anyone that tells you the opposite is a liar.

Life will throw many things our way, but much like the flowers of a field, without the rain from storms, no life will grow.

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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

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

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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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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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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