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Progressive Christian

2011-07-31T14:11:04-05:00

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.

Thoughtful Sundays

Last updated on: July 31, 2011 at 2:11 pm By Christy Thomas

I always seek to give myself some time for reflection and evaluation on Sunday afternoons. Today, it seemed especially important after one of the most joyful worship services I have ever been a part of. The children led in worship. Forty-four children had worked hard all week at Vacation Bible School learning more deeply the story of the Incarnation, discovering the intricacies of malaria, its causes, symptoms and means of transmission, memorizing and learning the tunes to five songs they... Read more

Christianity

clergy

VBS

2011-07-26T15:37:25-05:00

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.

Wimpy Christianity?

Last updated on: July 26, 2011 at 3:37 pm By Christy Thomas

Robert Jeffress of “Put Christ Back in Christmas fame,” made the front pages of The Dallas Morning News recently as a reporter wrote a profile on him and his progress at bringing glory to First Baptist Church, Dallas. Personally, I think we are supposed to give glory to God, but Jeffress may see this differently. Anyway, part of his mission while accomplishing this goal is to preach a wimpy-less Christianity. ““I think it’s time to stop being wimpy about our... Read more

evil

grace

Robert Jeffress and homosexuality

Sovereign Grace Ministries

wimpy Christianity

2011-07-26T10:53:46-05:00

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.

When People Bite

Last updated on: July 26, 2011 at 10:53 am By Christy Thomas

Many toddlers bite other children. Not sure why, but it happens fairly often. Human bites hurt, and little ones rightly protest when they’ve been bitten. Parents and caregivers must deal firmly with biters and teach them better ways to deal with their frustration and anger.Fortunately, most children learn that this particular behavior is not acceptable. However, could it be possible that the tendency to bite just gets channeled into behaviors that are considered more acceptable but still use the mouth?... Read more

Christianity

clergy

Golden Rule

stopping the cycle of hurt

2011-07-23T13:18:45-05:00

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 Bees in the Basil

Last updated on: July 23, 2011 at 1:18 pm By Christy Thomas

Gardening is nearly impossible right now, but I still wanted to get out there for a while today. After a few hours weeding, fighting the destructive beetles on the eggplants with large doses of non-toxic plant wash, mulching the tomatoes heavily in what will probably be a fruitless (and I mean that literally) effort to get some fall tomatoes, I started to trim off the budding flowers on the basil plants, one of the things thriving in the heat. As... Read more

church as garden

honey bees

2011-07-19T19:35:05-05:00

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.

Blue Hair and Malaria

Last updated on: July 19, 2011 at 7:35 pm By Christy Thomas

The question will be, “how many people would like to see my hair go a bright blue color?” Not the soft gentle blue that people with beautiful white hair sometimes use to enhance the whiteness. No, this would be a day-glow blue, the kind that says, “Has she lost her mind?” Actually, there is a much larger question: how many people would like to see fewer babies and expectant mothers die and fewer people suffer from the awful scourge of... Read more

2011-07-12T19:11:48-05:00

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.

Dreadful, Just Dreadful

Last updated on: July 12, 2011 at 7:11 pm By Christy Thomas

“Dreadful, just dreadful.” That was the succinct response from a good friend of mine when I told her about the hopes and dreams of Cambridge University geneticist Aubrey de Grey who has stated publicly, “The first person to live to be 1,000 years old is certainly alive today …whether they realize it or not, barring accidents and suicide, most people now 40 years or younger can expect to live for centuries.” This man is bringing together the best minds of biologists,... Read more

2011-07-01T10:04:25-05:00

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 Luminous Moment

Last updated on: July 1, 2011 at 10:04 am By Christy Thomas

I was sitting on the patio last night, reading and reflecting on some things we talked had about in our Bible study on Wednesday on the Sufficiency of God. I had mentioned in our time that I often read literature written by those who have spent long years in prison camps or in other isolated situations not of their own making because those memoirs teach me about living large in smallness. It seems to me that the more we have,... Read more

2011-06-30T09:39:41-05:00

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.

No Lights!

Last updated on: June 30, 2011 at 9:39 am By Christy Thomas

Note: this is an excerpt from An Ordinary Death: Where Grief and Relief Hold Hands, available from Amazon.com. “Christy, did you know there are no lights in this house?” Thanks to the incredible, overwhelming, humbling generosity of my sister and brother, I am now the owner of the place we call “The Manor.” It’s the house my mother designed and she and my father built in the 1980’s. As of Tuesday, it has become the home of a good friend... Read more

religion

death and dying

family

2011-06-29T12:03:15-05:00

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.

Two Hours a Week

Last updated on: June 29, 2011 at 12:03 pm By Christy Thomas

There’s a running joke in the Lions Club here that I, as pastor, only work two hours a week and have the cushiest job around. I wish it were true–I’d really love a cushy job. When I was in the office late yesterday afternoon, I realized a parent of one of our day care children was quite upset about something. I don’t want to reveal any specifics here, but it meant an hour on the phone last night and a... Read more

Christianity

pastoral responsibilities

2011-06-28T10:02:38-05:00

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.

A Mediated Reality

Last updated on: June 28, 2011 at 10:02 am By Christy Thomas

This past Sunday night we had a great jazz band perform a concert at our church. All there had a fabulous time. We were so into the music, loving the both the expertise and the interaction with the musicians. While we may have been audience, we were also participants in the evening’s pleasure. One can always, of course, just purchase a CD or download recordings of favorite music by favorite musicians and listen to them at will. But a live... Read more

technology and reality

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