by Steve Thomason | Aug 18, 2015 | Devos
The Gospel reading that we attached to the sermon this past weekend was from Luke 13:1-9. The truth is that the sermon was topical—addressing the question “Why does God allow suffering?”—so it wasn’t intended to expound upon any particular passage. We chose this text...
by Steve Thomason | Aug 14, 2015 | Theology
The new sermon series on Tough Questions begins this weekend. The congregation took the month of June to turn in questions that they would like to have addressed in a sermon. We compiled them and came up with four biggies. This weekend I will be wrestling with one of...
by Steve Thomason | Aug 10, 2015 | Books - Missional Church
Bouman, Stephen P. 2013. The Mission Table: Renewing Congregation and Community. (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress). Author Stephen P. Bouman is the Executive Director of Congregational and Synodical Mission in the ELCA Churchwide Office. [divider] My Thoughts...
by Steve Thomason | Aug 9, 2015 | postfoundational, Theology
Labels are a necessary evil. On the one hand, we need them. I am very thankful when a bottle is labeled “poison” for example. That label can save lives. Yet, labels are more often harmful when applied to people. Labels reduce people to abstract ideas and...
by Steve Thomason | Aug 6, 2015 | sermons2015, The Trinity
This is the final sermon in a series on the Apostles’ Creed. It pulls it all together and asks if the Trinity really makes any difference in our everyday lives. Narrative Lectionary texts: Deuteronomy 6:1-9; Matthew 28:16-20 listen to the sermon audio CLICK...
by Steve Thomason | Jul 31, 2015 | Spiritual Formation
How should we structure a ministry of spiritual formation for the local church? That is the big question for the leader of spiritual formation. This document is a preliminary presentation of my basic theology of spiritual formation and suggests some key pathways to...
by Steve Thomason | Jul 30, 2015 | sermons2015
[slideshare id=51111578&doc=ibelieveingodsermonslides-150730180818-lva1-app6891] Listen to sermon audio CLICK HERE. I didn’t write out a manuscript for this sermon, but put notes in the Powerpoint. Download I Believe in God...
by Steve Thomason | Jul 27, 2015 | The Journey
I read 2 Peter 1:3-7 this morning. This passage demonstrates the great paradox of spiritual formation. Faith is a gift from God. Everything we need is provided by God’s power, not ours. Our life in God is not the result of our work; whether it be acts of...
by Steve Thomason | Jul 26, 2015 | Bible
I am very pleased to announce the new and improved Bible Studies page. It has links to all the online resources on my site, links to other helpful Bible Study websites, and links to all the Bible Studies that I have written. Now, the downloadable Bible studies are...
by Steve Thomason | Jul 21, 2015 | Personal Journal
The question hung in the air as he stared at me from the spectral projection on the wall. I had no idea how to answer. Was he trying to trap me? Was he trying to confirm his suspicion and reveal my ignorance? Was this a helpful pedagogical move, or was it born from...
