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Progressive Christian

2013-09-04T13:46:15-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Syria, Children, and the Problem of Evil

Last updated on: September 4, 2013 at 1:46 pm By Christy Thomas

A church member just phoned. His son serves on one of the destroyers currently deployed in the Mediterranean Sea, one of many sons and daughters over there of worried parents here. We send our young to protect the young of others. Why? Well, I’m not going to join the political fray here, other than to say, “What do we do when faced with utter injustice?” And what is greater injustice than a political leader, such as Bashar al-Assad, unleashing poison gas... Read more

compromise

evil

Bashar al-Assad

Battle between good and evil

murder of innocents

Syria

the crafty serpent

2013-09-02T08:13:30-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Three Months, Twenty-Nine Days

Last updated on: September 2, 2013 at 8:13 am By Christy Thomas

I woke, way too early with a memory-flooded mind on what should have been a leisurely, sleep-late, relaxed, slow-waking morning. A friend has recently asked me to offer some happy memories of my years as pastor as I do this pre-retirement journaling. I agreed to do so. As I began that task, however, I found those memories all tinged with some sadness and a lingering, inescapable sense of failure. I suspect part of that failure-flavor comes from my own tendency... Read more

2013-08-31T08:47:05-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The $5/month Road to Hell

Last updated on: August 31, 2013 at 8:47 am By Christy Thomas

Needing to be very busy procrastinating this morning (anything to avoid actually cleaning off my office desk), I idly flipped through a morning newspaper. Full of ads, of course, as it is Labor Day Weekend, and many will be shopping. One color, two page spread caught my eye, as it was intended to. SALE! SALE! SALE! THREE DAYS ONLY!! And in the middle of the page were multiple photos of furniture with price listed only as “$5/month!” Now, under the... Read more

2013-08-27T13:57:22-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

We Are In This Together

Last updated on: August 27, 2013 at 1:57 pm By Christy Thomas

Syria. Chemical Warfare. Innocent children and adults killed. Political instability. Denial. Blame. Egypt. Churches burnt. Religious oppression. Political instability. Worshippers killed. Anguish. Russia. Economic disaster. Growing coldness to the US. Persecuting gays and lesbians. Exodus. Sadness. North Korea. Gaining nuclear weaponry. Inexperienced leader. Needs to keep nation in crisis to hold power. Systematic, brutal suppression of disagreement. Powder-keg near an open flame. Fear. United States Barely “united” any more. Dems and Reps can’t/won’t sit at a table together. Public discourse... Read more

2013-08-24T15:52:23-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Four Months, Seven Days

Last updated on: August 24, 2013 at 3:52 pm By Christy Thomas

I thought that the first Sunday after the congregation learned about my retirement would be the hardest. Wrong. Second Sunday worse. People I hadn’t seen the first Sunday coming up to me and reminding me again how much I will miss them. And then there is Addie. Addie, daughter of one of the faithful families in our congregation. Addie, young, innocent, loving. Addie–she represents to me so much of this congregation. Sunday, after her dad and I had exchanged a... Read more

2013-08-22T14:21:34-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Pursuit of Happiness? Check out Hezekiah 4:2

Last updated on: August 22, 2013 at 2:21 pm By Christy Thomas

Listen in on this conversation I had with a friend from years past. His marriage had, to put it gently, not worked out. He bemoaned his fate saying, “I’m a loving man and all I want to do is make some woman happy.” As I listened to him, I heard other voices saying things like: “God just wants you to be happy!” “I promise to make you happy.” “You make me happy.” A question: where can the phrase “ .... Read more

personal responsibility

2013-08-17T15:04:59-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Four Months, Fourteen Days

Last updated on: August 17, 2013 at 3:04 pm By Christy Thomas

On December 31, 2013, I will say “good-bye” to a life and work I have simply loved. That day will be my last day to serve as Senior Pastor at Krum First UMC, and my last day as an Elder in active service in The United Methodist Church. The next day, I officially take on the status of “Retired.” I can carefully describe the methodical reasoning and name the logical steps I took to reach the decision to retire. I can even... Read more

united methodist church

2013-08-13T15:36:13-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Burned Into Our Minds

Last updated on: August 13, 2013 at 3:36 pm By Christy Thomas

Two of the WWII veterans in my congregation reminded me that Wednesday, August 14, commemorates VJ Day, or Victory over Japan Day. Victory over Europe Day took place May 8, 1945, so on August 14, 1945, World War II officially ended. I’ve seen photographs of VJ celebrations, but can’t even begin to enter into the experience of joy and relief that must have arrived. And all alive that day remember where they were when they heard the news. Each generation... Read more

2013-08-07T08:12:19-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Guilty Pleasure

Last updated on: August 7, 2013 at 8:12 am By Christy Thomas

So, I was just reading a book review that was titled, “On the Failure of Others.”The review started this way: If you hope Richard H. Smith’s book [Joy of Pain: Schadenfreude and the Dark Side of Human Nature] is a flop because you’re certain you could write a better one, and because you think he’s due for a fall, he will understand. Such factors are at the core of a complex sentiment: schadenfreude. Well, who could resist reading a book... Read more

envy

misfortunes

Joy of pain

pleasure at misfortune of others

schadenfreude

Seven Deadly Sins

2013-08-02T09:30:16-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Still Small Voice

Last updated on: August 2, 2013 at 9:30 am By Christy Thomas

We went quiet in worship. Not so much sound quiet, although we provide moments for silent listening.This quietness centered around light. We scattered multiple table and floor lamps around the worship center and let them light our worship, eliminating the bright overhead lights. The multiplicity of lamps became object lessons: each of us is a light of some sort, but all are shaped differently and put out different types of light. Everyone noticed the lighting change immediately. What we didn’t... Read more

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