Truth

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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Firm Foundation

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” Matthew 7:24-25, nirv

Well, we’re a little more than a week into the new year! How are those goals holding up? I know for me, goals are often just set during this time in order to center myself on what needs to be changed for the better, but for many people, this is the moment where they start anew. I don’t want to diminish this, because it is important to work on oneself, but one thing that I need to remind myself during this time of introspection, is setting a firm foundation.

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Journey Update: New Year, New Goals

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

I always love January. A fresh new year and a whole world in front of us. The past couple of years have been wild, I’m sure you’ve heard of this pandemic that’s been happening, of course I know that all of us have been dealing with the complications. In the midst of all the insanity and unknowns, God is still good. One of my biggest takeaways from this past year, is that God is still good and will continue to make a way in the wilderness. Perspective is incredibly important in all that we do, and I know life has not been forgiving in these past years, but we must rely on Christ and know that He is making a way in our wilderness wandering.

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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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Thank You for Family

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

I love getting time to spend with my nephew and niece. I have started to wear my really old converse, because I know that whatever happens, I’ll need some shoes that can get a little muddy. I get to run, jump, build, carry, pretend, and a myriad of other things and it always fills me with joy. I love family, I’m so thankful for the family that is around me each day, both biological and relational. The moments where I get to spend time with people I care about the most, reminds me of how God has blessed me and puts the right people alongside of me in this journey.

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Thank You for the World Around Me

/ Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

Outside of our window there is a massive tree. Each day in the fall we have watched the leaves change color, an orange red hue starting at the top until now where the whole tree is colored in this new hue. I love seeing this because I am watching nature at work, the leaves are preparing to fall, while the winter will have it completely bare, only to spring new leaves again. I look at that tree and see the intentionality in all of creation that God had a hand in.

When we look at the world around us, we see some amazing things. You can look at the mountains and the oceans, admire the vastness of them, or you can look at the small details like a tree outside of your window. I love this fall season because the colors of nature are so much more apparent as we look outside. November for me is a great time to reflect on all that I have been blessed with, and nature reminds me that I have an intentional God.

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