Publications
Words from Tom 3-4-12
Recently I was talking with the manager of a retail store. He was noting that he attempted to convey the importance of the seasonal nature of his business and the need to “get ready for harvest time.” But none of the new workers had any farm background. They had no understanding of the need to put forth extra energy and…
Words from Tom 2-3-12
This January’s Pastors Week at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary focused on the book of Revelation. Professor Loren Johns reminded us that a primary emphasis of this book is worship. A central text for our study was Rev 8:1: “When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” It seems that an…
Words from Tom 1-6-12
What do the Republican presidential candidates, the heavenly body Pluto, and you and I have in common? If you are reading this, you probably are a Mennonite and also living in the USA, where the presidential campaign has officially been inaugurated with the first caucus in Iowa. That begins the official process of selecting the person who will run…
Words from Tom 12-5-11
In The Unsettling Season by Donald Shelby, he writes from the perspective of having experienced Advent before. As such, he suggests that in our goings this year we meet Christ in his coming so that “we would see what we have never seen before, accept what we have refused to think, and hear what we need to understand.” Even…
Words from Tom 11-16-11
Oct. 23-26, 2011, were the dates of the most recent Constituency Leaders Council meeting. Once again, representatives from the 21 area conferences of Mennonite Church USA and representatives from the constituency groups and the program agencies of MC USA were present. While much of our time together is taken up with table discussions around particular issues important to the church,…