The Fullness of Life

STACKING SNOWBALLS ~ 1/22/12

2012-01-22T08:43:00.000-08:00

Last week, after a drought-ish sort of winter, we had our first 'real' snow. It was an AWESOME storm. I was standing at the sliding glass door, watching the boys play, when I noticed my oldest son having some difficulty making a proper snowball. He was getting frustrated, so, being that I'm an Africa-raised snowball-making expert, it only made practical sense for me to venture outdoors and help.

TOOTHING ~ 1/17/12

2012-01-17T07:22:00.000-08:00

There’s probably a reason the words ‘tithing’ and ‘teething’ sound even remotely similar; I suspect the similarity has to do with pain. Pain is a contagious sort of thing. I think we’d like to assume that hurting when someone else hurts is the product of a maturing Christian heart, but really, if you think about it, we hurt all the time when other people hurt. Only usually, it’s for selfish,

NATHAN'S DAY ~ 1/9/12

2012-01-09T17:16:00.000-08:00

The other day Nathan found me (Esther) journaling and asked what I was doing. Being Nathan, he was very curious and asked many questions! What is journaling? Why do you journal? What do you write about? How old do you have to be to journal? With that last question I knew just what he was getting at and asked him if he would like to try journaling. He was very eager and we immediately went on a

LAYING LAW ~ 1/6/12

2012-01-06T07:32:00.000-08:00

A scream issued suddenly from the dining room, where two of my three boys sat eating their lunch. “Why is there screaming?” I screamed back from the living room. No answer. More screaming. Irritated beyond words, I set my laptop aside and groaned my way up to my feet, stumbling into the kitchen in time to see the two older siblings flailing arms, butter knives and forks in each other’s faces.

NEW YEAR'S PUMPKIN ~ 1/1/12

2012-01-01T08:24:00.000-08:00

“It’s destroyed! It’s DESTROOOYED!” wailed the 7yr-old as he sprinted past me and down the hallway to his room, slamming the door when he got there. “Highly doubtful,” I thought to myself, assuming he was talking about his special pumpkin. It was, after all, a second chance pumpkin. As it turned out, he was actually upset about a tray of art supplies that had accidentally spilled from the dining

HOPE YOU STICK AROUND ~ 12/28/11

2011-12-28T20:42:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone ~ Just wanted to let anyone who checks this blog know that even though I've been "offline" a few weeks and will continue to take a short break from regular blogging for personal reasons, my blog will be back soon. The name will change, and probably some of the content, but I'll most likely be back up and posting sometime in January, so-- check in, watch the changes, and... I hope

BEEF JERKY FOR THE SOUL ~ Guest Blogger (My Dad)

2011-12-05T09:46:00.000-08:00

My Dad is a general surgeon who has served as a missionary doctor in the wilds of Gabon, equatorial Africa for over 34 years. Recently, he began writing regular letters to my siblings and I-- small, blog-sized chunks of wisdom he has entitled "Beef Jerky For The Soul." Today, I've decided to share his latest letter with you. C.S. Lewis wrote, "We don't have a soul. We are a soul, and we have a

SHOCK VALUE ~ 11/22/11

2011-11-22T22:30:00.000-08:00

I was reading today about how so much of the original power and shock value has been lost in our understanding of the Biblical parables. The author compared it to a joke that loses its humor when you have to explain why it’s funny. We're just so distant from the cultures and contexts of so much in the Bible that without a lot of hand-holding, we simply don't get the joke. Or at least, not at the

HIJACKING HALLOWEEN; A Seasonal Re-post ~ 10/18/11

2011-10-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

This is a touchy time of year for many Christians. And because it’s a touchy time for Christians, it’s automatically a touchy time for Churches. How should Christians act on a holiday I’ve heard referred to as “Satan’s Birthday?” Should we let our kids go “trick-or-treating?” Should we let them dress up in costumes? Should we let them out of the house at all on October 31st? How much

A SHACK OR A FORTRESS? ~ 10/2/11

2011-10-02T19:15:00.001-07:00

A message about the conditional promises of Psalm 91 I was privileged to give this past weekend at Neighborhood Church of Redding.

HIKING, WITH A GUN (Part 4) ~ 9/28/11

2011-09-28T13:20:00.000-07:00

I’ve discovered in the last 4 years that there are two basic mindsets when it comes to blacktail hunting in the Trinity Alps. The first mindset says, “There’s no way I’m going to shoot some tiny little forked-horn after all the work it took to hike all the way in here!” The second mindset is slightly different: “There’s no way I’m going to pass up a forked-horn and leave empty-handed after all

HIKING, WITH A GUN (Part 3) ~ 9/26/11

2011-09-26T21:43:00.000-07:00

‘Bob ‘n weave,’ I thought to myself in the dark—‘As long as I’m a moving target, maybe the mountain lions won’t eat me.’ We’re taught from a young age to conquer our fears of the dark, especially in the presence of other men, where these and other childhood hauntings are downright dismissed. Unfortunately, this stoic indifference is greatly diluted in the absence of company. The pre-dawn morning

HIKING, WITH A GUN (Part 2) ~ 9/24/11

2011-09-24T08:14:00.000-07:00

There's no realm in which I more fully understand the frustration of works against the unfairness of grace than in the realm of blacktail hunting. This is because in blacktail hunting, as with the Christian faith, ‘victory’ is not based on output of effort. There simply is no promise of getting what you want, based on the best you can do. Certainly, effort helps. There’s a great degree of truth

HIKING, WITH A GUN (Part 1) ~ 9/21/11

2011-09-21T21:42:00.000-07:00

The morning was cool, with a rising fog that flanked the foothills of The Trinity Alps with an aura of mystery and the hint of Fall. It was a spectacular dawn. I took up the rear in a procession of four, accompanied in my hunt by a friend and his sons on a trail not one of us had previously hiked. It was the morning before opening day and adventure was in the air. The trail was wide and well

TO NUMBER OUR DAYS ~ 9/9/11

2011-09-09T12:13:00.000-07:00

I was privileged to share the gospel with a 92yr-old woman today. We sat together on a porch painted black and shadowed by wind-teased oaks. Geese played nearby in a man-made pond stocked with bluegill, bass and fat brown catfish, and all the bucks I’d been looking for all season lay sleeping in the lawn under low trees heavy with apples and shade. We sat together on a porch painted black and the

EPIC HUNTING RAP

2011-09-04T14:42:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, there are just days when you sit up and say, "Well, why not?" Last Friday was such a day. Why not make a music video? About hunting? A rap music video about hunting? I mean, come on... why not? And so we did. 'Cause that is how we roll.

A DAY & A LIFETIME ~ 8/22/11

2011-08-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

There’s an old and well-known Chinese proverb adopted by the Peace Corps that says, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” And this is the work of the Church. We believe in feeding the man. The whole man. Not just ‘Man as soul,’ but Man as he is portrayed in the Bible, as a body-soul fusion that cannot be dissected into separate parts.

THE TRUEST JOYS ~ 8/14/11

2011-08-15T13:51:00.000-07:00

There’s a sadness to reunions, the good ones, the ones you actually look forward to. It’s a predictable sadness, a welcome sadness even, because the truest joys are known only by the deepest contrasts. The shadow proves the sunshine. There’s a sadness to reunions, and it is the ache of fixed sepia memories, reexamined in the fading light of short-lived todays. We recycle the past and look to the

THE TRUST OF A CHILD ~ 6/20/11

2011-06-20T21:29:00.000-07:00

The trust of a child is remarkable. I took my two older boys to Redding today. It was hot. So, as any good American parent would do, we headed for the nearest air conditioned facility with free entertainment. In our case, it was the mall, domain of the tweens. I was terrified. I parked near the closest entrance to the kids play area and we headed in, sons, pulling me forward reluctantly. A man

FRIGHTFULLY BRAVE ~ 6/15/11

2011-06-15T14:14:00.000-07:00

The porch light winked through the wind-tossed boughs of a creaking white cedar. “You’ll wish for this place once you’ve left it,” the night whispered, and I nodded a silent assent. In Ezekiel chapter three the prophet ate a bittersweet scroll, and as the sun dimmed fast over the north valley floor, I drank in a sweet Summer evening. It had been a full day, and rich, but now I stole more, having

SOME DUSTY OLD ROAD ~ 5/25/11

2011-05-25T22:43:00.000-07:00

The ‘slap, slap’ of my five dollar flip-flops echoed off the dark facades of a sleeping neighborhood. The dog that normally barked did little more than raise it’s head to mark my passage, collar jangling softly before losing itself in the moan of a love-sick dove perched high in one of the ancient walnut trees lining the long street home. I looked at my feet as I walked, at the earth, falling

YOUR CHOICES MATTER ~ 5/17/11

2011-05-17T11:32:00.001-07:00

A sermon I was privileged to deliver last Sunday at Neighborhood Church in Redding, CA.

A TIME TO DANCE? ~ 5/4/11

2011-05-04T23:43:00.000-07:00

Is it right for Christians to rejoice at the death of Osama Bin Laden? Exactly 12 days before the Twin Towers fell to the ground, I stood at the top of the south tower, taking in the highest terrestrial view of New York City with my wife, Esther. It was breathtaking. Just under two weeks later I woke up, not just to the news of the attack, but to the sight of smoke rising from the direction of

KINGDOM CONNECTION ~ 4/29/11

2011-04-29T12:49:00.000-07:00

Uniforms, waving flags, men in formation, salutes. Cheering multitudes, church bells, military flyovers, royalty. For some reason that I was at a loss to articulate this morning, these were the images on the computer that made me choke up discreetly as I sat next to my wife on our comfy green sofa. I felt my heart swell, a lump rise in my throat, a chill run down my spine. Goosebumps rose on my

WHAT MAKES IT MERCY ~ 4/14/11

2011-04-14T21:40:00.000-07:00

The man sat behind the wheel of his parked car, wiping sweaty palms on his jeans. He looked again in his rear view mirror, in time to see the Highway Patrol officer getting out of his cruiser— and neither of them was happy. The driver let out a final, loud sigh of resignation before rolling down his window to hand the lawman his license and registration. “Do you have any idea how fast you were

GOOD SOIL ~ 4/3/11

2011-04-03T18:05:00.000-07:00

The screen door opened with a pleasant creaking, stepping aside like an old friend to welcome me back from another time. The small room was quiet and still, row upon row of hardcover journeys, washed in dust-mote rays from a sandpaper sun. I remembered it then as it remembered me, a cathedral of words and ideas, people and places, each made for the other and strung along with syntax care— let no

THE FULLNESS OF LIFE ~ 3/14/11

2011-03-14T22:39:00.000-07:00

There is a person I know who likes to offer me kind words of wisdom, but doesn’t realize they often repeat themselves. I don’t see this as a problem; it’s been said we need to be reminded more than we need to be taught. It’s been said we need to be reminded more than we need to be taught. Ha. I made a funny. This person keeps asking me how things are going. Which I appreciate. Not one to fake an

GIVE ME A HAND ~ 3/7/11

2011-03-07T11:39:00.000-08:00

The trick of the mind is its dependence on the eye. We decided, long ago, that what we see is what is most real. And so we are consumed by the world we see. Do not mistake the language; we don’t consume the world—the world we focus on consumes us. And so, as a Christian pilgrim, I wake up in the morning and am immediately confronted by the urgent visible, for what I see demands my time, my

CLAIM YOUR LEGACY

2011-03-07T10:51:00.001-08:00

Here is a message I was privileged to deliver two Sundays ago at our main campus of Neighborhood Church in Redding, CA. So grateful for the opportunity.

'A FORTIORI' GRACE (Part 2) ~ 2/2/11

2011-02-02T21:34:00.000-08:00

(CONTINUED FROM Part #1, See below) The apostle Paul understood exactly what Jesus was getting at with the whole ‘speck in the eye’ parable: Be careful of judging others without first taking an honest look at yourself! So Paul advises in Romans 12:3—“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober

'A FORTIORI' GRACE (Part 1) ~ 1/31/11

2011-01-31T13:35:00.000-08:00

Hitler. Stalin. Pol-Pot. Bin-Laden. The names ring out like a ‘who’s who’ list from the pit of Hell. We read them off and, in our minds, we see evil, almost unanimously. It’s so easy. Maybe it’s too easy. I’m repeatedly surprised by the passion for judgment I hear in connection with these names, from people who normally consider themselves highly tolerant. Apparently, there’s a point-of-no-return

GLADIATOR, I SALUTE YOU ~ 1/28/11

2011-01-28T19:22:00.000-08:00

The light outside was fading to blue when we took our last walk as a family of four. We trundled slowly around the block and pretended not to covet this house or that one, the three of us holding hands while the oldest boy wandered behind or ahead, searching the skies for mysteries and the ground for clues. The contractions had begun in earnest about an hour earlier, when I got a call at the

ANOTHER DAY IN THE OFFICE ~ 1/15/11

2011-01-15T17:14:00.000-08:00

My office is a magical place, 'a crossroads,' as someone recently called it, where the fascinating and profound, to the utterly bizarre intersect to give me headaches or inspiration (depending on my coffee intake). One of my newer friends in Weaverville, Joshua Ottem, dropped by the other day and began playing this familiar song by the Ramones while I was talking on the phone. I decided it was

OUTSIDE THE WINDOW ~ 12/29/10

2010-12-29T11:42:00.000-08:00

There is a window by the dining room table, and outside is the falling snow. It falls on a sprawling backyard, covered in leaves its owner never got around to raking this year, and it falls on the one pile the owner’s son raked for him. The grass under that one pile is now long dead, an unintentional by-product of big-hearted kindness. Next to the pile is a puddle. It rained the day before the

POTHOLES IN PAVEMENT ~ 12/27/10

2010-12-27T21:38:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid growing up in Africa, the only thing worse than a dirt road full of potholes was a paved road full of potholes. The reason was simple: poor driving conditions on the first kind of road were easily and quickly remedied by a quick treatment with a run-of-the-mill road grader. To improve conditions on the second kind of road?—well, that was no minor surgery. In many of Africa’s

STRESS TESTING ~ 12/18/10

2010-12-18T16:49:00.000-08:00

A good friend of mine recently posted this comment on facebook, and it got me thinking. "Christmastime offers opportunities for stress and opportunities for hope," he wrote—"Which are you choosing this season?" It’s a fair question, you know. Stress is a Christmas staple, right up there with eggnog and elves. I would have added fruitcake to that list, but it didn’t start with an “e” and,

AN OUTPOST CHRISTMAS! ~ 12/13/10

2010-12-13T23:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick look at some of the pictures and footage from last Sunday's Christmas play and party at The Outpost! An Outpost Christmas from Josh Thompson on Vimeo.

BLIND SPOTS, FALSE STARTS & OTHER DIFFICULTIES ~ 12/6/10

2010-12-06T18:55:00.000-08:00

In my last blog post I issued a challenge of sorts regarding the importance to “Man Up” and choose your position when it comes to the forces at work behind human existence. Our choices, as I see it, come down to ‘purposeless accident’ or ‘Divine design.’ It’s one, or it’s the other; we do not have the luxury of remaining neutral. A great question that came out of the ensuing discussion asked,

MAN UP ~ 11/22/10

2010-11-22T11:35:00.000-08:00

There has been a misconception commonly taught that it takes faith to believe in God or the Bible, while all that is required to believe in evolution is common sense based on indisputable facts. I won’t be the first to point out the contradictions about this but— I wanted to add my voice. I do not believe that evolutionary chance is responsible for the existence of humankind or the origin of any

ONE DAY'S PAY!

2010-11-11T21:05:00.001-08:00

One Day's Pay! from Josh Thompson on Vimeo. To figure out your ONE DAY'S PAY, enter your hourly, monthly or yearly wages into the blank box without dollar signs or commas. Then click once on the button marked "Calculate!" and wait for the results to appear below. Wage Calculator I make: each :

CONVERSATION #1: STEWARDSHIP OF GRACE

2010-10-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

If you go to The Outpost, you know we just finished Sermon #2 in our version of the "EveryONE Counts" sermon series. Last Sunday, we kicked off this series by talking about how God's people are stewards of God's stuff. This Sunday we dealt with us being stewards of God's grace. In the past couple of weeks we've also talked about some issues of disconnectedness at The Outpost. Many people feel

BUCK ZOMBIE ~ 10/21/10

2010-10-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

“Let’s gooo, Cookie Monsterrrrr!!!” whooped the man behind me in a thick Hispanic accent. His 6 year-old grandson joggled past our enclave of onlookers at that very moment and flashed a crooked smile, a small bundle of uncoordinated joy trying to dodge grass tufts and flying high-kicks while at the same time move the soccer ball up-field without tripping over it. It was a heartwarming scene

WORDS TO GOD'S ANOINTED ~ 10/16/10

2010-10-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

I think we tend to look at certain characters in the Bible as "God's favorites," and we secretly label modern Christians with the same title. King David always made my list of heavenly brown-nosers; with a title like "man after God's own heart," he's kinda hard to ignore. After all, he was God's anointed king, so it's no wonder he's so well loved. Now admit it-- you've thought the same things

BROTHER 'ASS' ~ 10/5/10

2010-10-05T21:39:00.000-07:00

I remember being happy with my body until one humid day in 7th grade when a Senior in high school asked me why my belly stuck out. Thus began my own self-conscious obsession with image. The human body is a funny thing. Venerated and despised, abased and exalted, it is tent and temple, all in one. C.S. Lewis had this to say of the human body."Man has held three views of his body. First there is

LIVING LIKE A SERVANT ~ 9/24/10

2010-09-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

“God is a two-faced, back on his word, Indian-giver,” the man sputtered with a forcefulness that caught me off guard. He stood there fuming, halfway in and halfway out of my office doorway, straddling a threshold much greater than he understood. The man was an office ‘walk-in’ off the street. This happens a lot in our small town, and in my office in particular, which sits in the middle of the

COMING SOON...

2010-09-23T22:33:00.000-07:00

Due to rumblings of a boycott, followed by threats of fearsome rioting in the streets, I felt it prudent to announce the impending arrival of another blog post. COMING SOON: "Living like a servant."

GOD STORIES #2 ~ 9/10/10

2010-09-10T12:20:00.000-07:00

STORY #2: THE TRUST IN A 'THANK YOU' Bob and his small family were not well-off. To be honest, they were struggling significantly with their finances. That’s why, when someone gave Bob a $100 bill one windy afternoon to buy his daughter a much-needed pair of shoes and some school supplies, he gave thanks to God. That night, as the family sat around a sparse table, Bob relayed the happy news to

Y'ALL COME BACK NOW... ~ 9/6/10

2010-09-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

While perusing some local websites in search of interesting and unique things to do as a family, my wife stumbled onto this 'top 10' list of submitted reasons for visiting Trinity County. We both feel confident we've 1) moved to the right place and 2) won't be getting many visitors any time soon. Welcome to Trinity County. Webmaster's TOP TEN REASONS to Visit Trinity County1- Get lost in the

CHAINSAWS, POT & A DOG NAMED BLUE ~ 9/2/10

2010-09-02T16:39:00.000-07:00

On the road to Weaverville there stands a bright yellow sign, and on it, one simple warning: “DO NOT PICK UP HITCH-HIKERS.” It might as well read: “JUST SAY ‘NO’ TO ADVENTURE.” When I first saw Marlo and his dog, it was dusk on a Wednesday and I was falling asleep at the wheel. Pinching myself was getting me painfully nowhere, slapping myself was beginning to attract unwanted attention from the

GOD STORIES #1 ~ 8/26/10

2010-08-26T17:23:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start a blog series where, every once in a while, I post what I'm simply going to call "God Stories." These aren't necessarily flashy stories, or funny stories, or healed from cancer stories, but they're God stories all the same. Because any time God intervenes in even the smallest way, to take our lives of desperate dependance and lift them even one step higher, closer or deeper

OUR DEBTS & OUR DEBTORS ~ Last Sunday's Sermon

2010-08-23T00:04:00.000-07:00

As we continue to work our way line by line through the Lord's Prayer, we come to this line- "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors..." What does that mean? How does forgiveness work? Is there a limit to how much one person can receive? How does the way I treat those who've sinned against me affect my own position before God? Take a few minutes, listen, and find some answers.

THE FORGING OF FRIENDSHIPS ~ 8/16/10

2010-08-16T09:17:00.000-07:00

“You’re going to be smokin’ hot in that outfit,” said the sharp and matter-of-fact 7 year-old we’ll just call ‘Johnny.’ “It’s going to be like, over 100 degrees.”I struggled to stifle an amused laugh, afraid to break the magical spell of boyhood playing out in front of me. Something about it was just so… perfect. This morning I was privileged to witness the forging of friendships. It’s the first

OUR DAILY BREAD (Last Sunday's Sermon)

2010-08-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

Here at The Outpost, we've been working through a sermon series on The Lord's Prayer. After a few weeks off, we continued the series last Sunday by looking at the line "Give us this day our daily bread." Here is that sermon. I'd also like to thank the video crew for the still frame of me below that makes it look like I'm about to sneeze. Love you guys. Confidence in Prayer: Our Daily Bread

OUTSIDE OF KARMA, Part 2 ~ 8/4/10

2010-08-04T10:51:00.000-07:00

“God of all grace, whose thoughts toward us are ever thoughts of peace and not of evil, give us hearts to believe that we are accepted in the Beloved; and give us minds to admire that perfection of moral wisdom which found a way to preserve the integrity of heaven and yet receive us there. Amen” -- A.W. Tozer If Karma is getting what we deserve, and the Bible defines PUNISHMENT as the only thing

OUTSIDE OF KARMA, Part 1 ~ 8/2/10

2010-08-02T11:46:00.000-07:00

“[Grace] travels outside of Karma…” – U2, Grace I love the way that line reads. I love how simply these musicians, despite their faults, have captured a unique glimpse of grace. What do I mean? Let’s start with a simple question: What is Karma? Or, at least, what do we generally mean when we Westerners use the word ‘Karma’ in everyday conversation? Now, hold that thought for a second— for this

DON'T JUDGE A JOE BY HIS JERSEY ~ 7/27/10

2010-07-27T22:20:00.000-07:00

“Click, griiind, click, click, click,” silence. Thank you, once again, dear ‘86 Ford F-150, for keeping life interesting. “Yup, sounds like the starter’s dead” offered the AAA tow truck driver that eventually came after an hour of attempts by my numerous in-laws to first jump-start, push, loosen then re-tighten, and finally pray my truck back to life, all with no success. They, too, had

STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING ~ 7/23/10

2010-07-23T18:27:00.000-07:00

I know vacations are supposed to leave you feeling relaxed and refreshed, but there must be a different set of rules that apply when you have two or more children under five tagging along. While Esther, the kids and I did have a wonderful and adventure-filled camping trip at Lassen Park these past few days, I nevertheless find myself oddly fatigued today. Missed phone calls to return. Piled up

YOUR KINGDOM COME ~ 7/17/10

2010-07-17T18:03:00.000-07:00

Here is my sermon on line #3 of The Lord's Prayer, "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Enjoy!Confidence in Prayer: Thy Kingdom Come from Neighborhood Church of Redding on Vimeo.

WHO DO YOU SAY I AM? ~ 7/15/10

2010-07-15T16:34:00.000-07:00

Here is the final question I was asked to respond to in the aftermath of the "Grill Bill" series at Neighborhood Church. There was a lot more I wanted to say here, but... sometimes simpler is better. It's also possible even my pared down response wasn't simple enough. We'll see. Your feedback is welcome!Q: How do we know Jesus was who he said he was? Thanks for the great question! There are

BAD THINGS TO GOOD PEOPLE ~ 7/9/10

2010-07-09T09:35:00.000-07:00

Last week I posted my answer to question #2 that I was asked to answer during the "Grill Bill" series at Neighborhood Church in Redding. Today I'm posting my answer to question #3.Q: “Why do tragedies happen like hurricane Katrina and 911? Why does a soccer mom die, while evil people live on?” This, I’m afraid, is a question that has been asked, and will probably continue to be asked, until

HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME ~ 7/6/10

2010-07-06T16:29:00.000-07:00

Here's my sermon on line #2 of the Lord's Prayer, "Hallowed be your name." The audio is good, but again, I'm sorry for the delinquent video quality.Confidence in Prayer: Hallowed Be Thy Name from Neighborhood Church of Redding on Vimeo.

LETTUCE & TOMATOES & PEARS, OH MY ~ 7/3/10

2010-07-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

“It’s just a few groceries,” my wife says with an innocent look on her face. And that’s how it all begins. It’s the Eve of July 4th, and company is immanent, like barking dogs during fireworks; it is unavoidable, like Luke Skywalker’s destiny. Even though, technically, that ended up being… pretty much avoidable. Anyway, our family is coming over, so the idea is, we need to buy nicer food than

WHY SATAN? ~ 7/2/10

2010-07-02T10:27:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I posted my answer to question #1 that I was asked to answer during the "Grill Bill" series at Neighborhood Church in Redding. Today I'm posting my answer to question #2. It's a good, tough question, and most impressively, it was asked by a 6th grader! Respect.Q: I had a 6th grade Awana student ask me, "If God knows all things why did he create Satan in Heaven in the first

CONFIDENCE IN PRAYER ~ 6/30/10

2010-06-30T23:25:00.000-07:00

Here is sermon #2 in a series I began a couple weeks ago in Weaverville, called "Confidence In Prayer." The series is based on The Lord's Prayer from the book of Matthew, and this sermon starts us off on line one, "Our Father who is in heaven." Enjoy!Confidence in Prayer: Our Father from Neighborhood Church of Redding on Vimeo.

THE CLIFF & THE NET ~ 6/25/10

2010-06-25T20:31:00.000-07:00

Two squirrels ran side-by-side on an open plain. They were surrounded by many, many other running squirrels. They all ran in the same direction. The two squirrels running together were friends. They had been for some time. But as close as they were to each other, they saw the world differently. One squirrel was named Hank. Hank believed in things. Things he couldn’t see or prove or grab

RUNNING OUT OF ROUTINE ~ 6/15/10

2010-06-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

Routines are funny things. They function to keep us engaged in our world, in touch; they are steps, one after the other, built into the staircase of life. Routines keep our teeth from rotting out of our heads. They keep our children fed and our hair combed, our bodies clothed, armpits bathed, and, if we’re wise, remind us to show up in church once a week on Sundays. Routines keep us sane and the

HOW DO I KNOW GOD'S WILL? ~ 6/10/10

2010-06-10T15:11:00.000-07:00

During the “Grill Bill” series at church, Pastor Bill received so many questions he couldn’t fit them all into the sermon series. As a result, he split the remaining questions up between staff and pastors at Neighborhood. This is the first of four questions I was asked to answer… Q: I often hear people pray, "Let God's will be done and not my own." What is God's will? How do

CAPACITY & SUPPLY ~ 6/4/10

2010-06-04T17:21:00.000-07:00

I’ve been reading a book about sanctification (the process of being made holy) recently, written by the founder of our denomination (The Christian and Missionary Alliance), Dr. A.B. Simpson. The book is called “Wholly Sanctified,” and for my post this week I thought I’d share with you an excerpt from chapter one that I found to be a refreshing, encouraging reminder. Be blessed! In the upper

JUST THE SAME AS SUNDAY ~ 5/28/10

2010-05-29T21:23:00.000-07:00

I sit in the smallish, red coffee shop and stare at the dead screen of my computer. For the last couple days it’s been doing this; humming along with typical Macintosh efficiency before—*BLINK*-- drawing the shades on my magical cyberworld beyond. Before, it always came back on after a few tense moments. This morning, however, I sit staring into the blackness like a rescuer at a mine collapse,

PEACE BE WITH YOU ~ 5/21/10

2010-05-21T11:52:00.001-07:00

It’s the 1st day of the week. Some of the women have seen angels. Some of them even claim to have seen Jesus. Two of the most trusted men attest to the emptiness of the tomb. At least one of them already believes Jesus to be alive. The others are not so sure.A politically sanctioned and religiously motivated execution has taken place. A leader of men and a friend of sinners has been silenced. But

BELONGING ~ 5/11/10

2010-05-11T23:07:00.000-07:00

As a missionary kid, I’ve frequently struggled to find my place of belonging. Born in an African country, but not African (My Gabonese friends always wondered about my freckles. Were they a disease? No, I say, they are delayed blackness; when I’m older they’ll all grow together and I’ll be black like you.). Possessing an American birth certificate but feeling homesick every second away from

GONE JOGGING ~ 5/4/10

2010-05-04T07:39:00.000-07:00

I went on a jog this morning. I needed to clear my head, and the gunk out of my joints, and the cobwebs from my molding athleticism. A blast of cold hit me when I opened the front door. I almost chickened out. Almost. Things felt clean outside. The birds sounded happy. There weren't any dogs barking. It's true that warmth has come to the valley an hour to our southeast, but the trees in these

STICKING WITH A METAPHOR ~ 4/30/10

2010-04-30T11:31:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I preached a sermon and used the somewhat classic metaphor of a chair to explain what saving faith looks like. In case you missed that sermon or have never heard the metaphor, here’s my summary version: If I’m trying to bring someone who’s never seen or heard of a chair before into the fullest possible understanding of what a chair is and does, how do I go about doing it? 1)

A CRITICAL THOUGHT, Part 2 ~ 4/23/10

2010-04-23T17:58:00.000-07:00

Do you know the difference between music and noise? Arrangement. Noise is random sound. Music is created when sound is arranged into a coherent structure, when sound is arranged in a meaningful way. There is design in music because there is a designer, a composer. And the design is achieved by purposely arranging specific notes into a specific order. I remember a music class where we watched a

A CRITICAL THOUGHT, Part 1 ~ 4/16/10

2010-04-16T09:32:00.000-07:00

I love movies. Pretty much for the same reason I love books: they tell stories—and boy, can I get lost in a story. I’m the kind of guy who could be on my way to a wedding, let’s say someone else’s, and as I walk by one of those store windows full of TVs, I’d get stuck if I heard even one sentence that was even vaguely close to the lip of captivating. I’m the kind of guy who eavesdrops, and I’m

THE CHAIR; Where Do You Stand? ~ 4/14/10

2010-04-14T14:50:00.000-07:00

This was my sermon on Easter. I apologize for the video quality and EXTREMELY quiet volume, we'll get our technical problems worked out eventually! Easter 2010: The Chair - Where Do You Stand? from Neighborhood Church of Redding on Vimeo.

T.G.I.F. ~ 4/2/10

2010-04-02T12:39:00.000-07:00

As I sit here writing, it’s a cold, dark start to what we Christians now call “Good Friday.” I say we call it “good” now because, for anyone with a heart on that original Friday long ago, the day felt anything but ‘good.’ For the followers of Jesus and those in Jerusalem, who had welcomed Him as conquering King and salvation-bringer a few short days earlier, it was a bewildering, confusing

IF TOADS COULD TALK ~ 3/22/10

2010-03-22T10:57:00.000-07:00

If toads could talk, we’d all be a lot better informed about the world, I think. They can keep so still, they’ve probably sat by and watched most of history unfold, and no one’s noticed them. Until they startle someone with an ill-timed croak and get kicked away, or until they startle someone with some far-fetched story that gets them kissed and turned into a prince. Oh wait, that was a frog. And

WRITING PEOPLE ~ 3/11/10

2010-03-11T09:49:00.000-08:00

I’ve been reading a book lately about how to write. Hey, it could be worse; I could be writing a book on how to read. Anyway, there was this chapter about character development that talked about how the direction a story takes is markedly affected by the development of the characters in the story. The author said that the more time the writer spends with his or her characters, the more he’ll get

BECAUSE WE CAN. PERIOD.

2010-03-10T12:44:00.000-08:00

A typical Sunday morning in The Outpost parking lot.

WHEN GOD PULLS A FAST ONE ~ 3/5/10

2010-03-06T17:21:00.000-08:00

I’m a good Evangelical Christian. ‘The word of the Lord’ is the Bible, before it is anything else. This is not only the most authoritative “word,” this is The Standard by which all other ‘words’ must be measured. The Bible defines what is rational, what is ‘orthodox.’ The Bible defines the rules. I remember asking my Dad once, several years ago, ‘What is the secret of confidence?’ His answer

WORDS OF LIFE ~ 2/26/10

2010-02-26T23:46:00.000-08:00

I have a new favorite commercial. It involves a man, a boat, diamonds and a horse. Yes, I’m aware this sounds exactly like that joke you heard once in high school. Except this isn’t that joke, because I’m pretty sure the commercial was about Old Spice. Anyway, it’s completely ridiculous and also ridiculously funny, and every time I see it I find myself wishing I could keep a straight face like

FINALLY STARTING THAT BOOK...

2010-02-16T08:24:00.000-08:00

After wondering where to begin for about five years, and after enough prodding to qualify me as a harassed cow in dire need of a P.E.T.A. intervention, I think I've found my start. I'm talking, of course, about the book I've always wanted to write. Yeah, one of those. I'm sure you understand. Now I just need you to feign interest too.With that, here is a rough draft portion of Chap. 1. Enjoy.THE

CONSPIRACY THEORY #3: Toothpaste CAUSES Cavities ~ 2/11/10

2010-02-11T14:09:00.000-08:00

Think about it. Who pushes toothpaste on parents and kids? The dentists. And who benefits the most from the cavities that form in the mouths of parents and kids? The dentists. From as far back as I can remember, I have been suspicious of ‘the dentists.’ Suspicious of their perfect smiles. Suspicious of their meticulous waiting rooms stocked with jarringly outdated reading materials. Suspicious of

BLESSING IN THE VALLEY OF BACA (Part 2) ~ 2/4/10

2010-02-04T08:28:00.000-08:00

*(THIS IS PART 2. SEE POST BELOW THIS FOR PART 1)Maybe you’ve never felt this way before but… I’ve often envied the saints of old who are already Home. Those Christian men and women who’ve run the race ahead of us and have already crossed the finish line. Their work is done. Their tests are passed and in the past. Their home is now where their hearts always were, in the presence of their King.

BLESSING IN THE VALLEY OF BACA (Part 1) ~ 2/4/10

2010-02-04T07:18:00.000-08:00

How does this day find you, dear Saint of God? Cheerful and filled with joy, ready for the day and week ahead, or-- weary-- and longing for strength, direction and refreshment? May the Spirit of the living God encourage you, as He has done with me this morning, through a brief look at Psalm 84. If you are reading this, it is because God wants to bless you. Disclaimers are never a good way to

DR. SEUSS + JOHNNY CASH = TROUBLE ~ 1/29/10

2010-01-29T08:40:00.000-08:00

After reading several bedtime stories to my son by Dr. Seuss, I inadvertently overexposed myself to a heavy dose of Johnny Cash, which then 'inspired' me to write a notably shoddy western tale. Pictures have been added to ease the severity of the pain.THE MAN CALLED 'BLARNEY JIM'From the mountains of SinI came galloping inTo the small town of Jimberly LaneIt's a place folks avoidLike third

JOSH'S SERMON IN WEAVERVILLE ON 1/24/10

2010-01-28T17:47:00.000-08:00

I apologize for the poor video quality. My suggestion? Activate your pretty screen saver and just listen. Thanks for your patience while we sort out our technical issues. Enjoy!Surrounded By Grace,JoshYou are Not the Hope of the World - Josh Thompson from Neighborhood Church of Redding on Vimeo.

PRAYER IS WORK ~ 1/21/10

2010-01-21T16:12:00.000-08:00

I learned the most marvelously diverse sayings in the three and a half years I worked construction; it was amazing, I can't even begin to tell you. No seriously... I can't tell you. Some of the more 'PG' tidbits of wisdom, however, I've actually found to be useful enough to share with just about anyone. Like, 'If you're cold, you're not working hard enough' (which I'm saving up to use on my

PAT ROBERTSON, DONALD MILLER, HAITI & GOD ~ 1/15/10

2010-01-15T14:14:00.000-08:00

Wow. Talk about painting a target on your back. If you haven't seen or heard it yet, click here to check out the blundering remarks made by Pat Robertson a couple days ago regarding the disaster in Haiti. In all the eruption of reaction since then, author Donald Miller has penned an interesting response to Mr. Robertson's remarks. Without going crazy on all of this, here's my take.Without

ONCE WAS FOUND, NOW IS... LOST? ~ 1/13/10

2010-01-13T09:03:00.000-08:00

Once saved, always saved? Is our salvation secure once it is received? Does “eternal security” really exist? If you sin bad enough or lapse long enough can you ‘lose’ your salvation? Maybe you have questions about how sure you can be of your salvation. Maybe you wonder if you can lose it. Well, can you? The nature of our salvation is a crucial doctrine, if for no other reason because so much else

FREEDOM FROM FEAR ~ 1/7/10

2010-01-07T21:13:00.000-08:00

“It doesn’t start with a plan” is a sentence which stuck in the back of my head this week like a strand of stray jerky gets stuck between those back teeth you can’t quite reach with your fingernail. Fetching imagery, I know. What’s important is that it was a statement about peace. ‘Peace doesn’t start with a plan,’ the person said. Interesting… because I always act like it does. I see in front of

SOCKS, CATS & CALIFORNIA GREYBACKS ~ 12/26/09

2009-12-26T14:30:00.000-08:00

They fell from the trees like over-ripe fruit, sodden with the juices of life. The wind did not fell them, or the rain. Instead, they let go their lofty lookouts at the report of a fine .410 gauge Winchester Model 37— and as they dropped, so did the barometer of pent-up tensions I‘d smuggled with me into the leafless woods that Christmas Eve day. I knew a doctor once, a friend of a friend really,

CHRISTMAS LIVES! ~ 12/23/09

2009-12-23T09:44:00.000-08:00

I have a horrible time letting go of Christmas each year. Funny thing-- as I write this-- THE DAY is still two more earth revolutions away. And yet, already I have begun to feel the effects of post-Christmas melancholy. Don't worry, I'll get over it.Below is something I wrote a couple years back in the throes of one such dark mood. Oddly enough, when I read it now each Christmas, it always cheers

THE CEASEFIRE OF HEAVEN ~ 12/18/09

2009-12-18T07:54:00.000-08:00

In the story I remember, a fierce conflict rages between two Ace pilot adversaries of the first World War. One of these pilots is Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen, the “Bloody Red Baron” of Germany. The other pilot… is Snoopy. The Red Baron has decimated all other pilots in his path, leaving only this one valiant beagle, flying his trusty Sopwith Camel, to endure the deadly aerial

JOSH'S SERMON, 12/6/09

2009-12-13T18:13:00.000-08:00

To Be Continued - Josh Thompson from Neighborhood Church of Redding on Vimeo.

THE REAL ST. NICK (Christmas Re-Post) ~ 12/10/09

2009-12-10T10:31:00.001-08:00

My mom used to tell us about an uncle that would occasionally visit their family during the holidays and suck the living joy out of their Christmas fun. How? Two words: “Satan Claus.” “Don’t you know,” he would say, “that all you have to do is move two letters and 'Santa' becomes 'Satan?' Satan Claus.Look, I dislike the bloated commercialism of Christmas as much as the next guy, but I’m sorry

WHAT NORTHERN CA IS WAITING FOR...

2009-12-09T20:39:00.000-08:00

Love this short video. This is the 'mood' we here in northern CA are all craving as we wait for Christmas. It's what I'm craving, anyway.The First Snow, Canon 7D from Reid Carrescia on Vimeo.

DECEMBER FORECAST ~ 12/4/09

2009-12-04T08:52:00.000-08:00

December is shaping up to be an interesting month, a unique Christmas season to say the least. I knew this immediately when I walked into the Outpost office yesterday morning and discovered that Ivan, the black bear 3/4-mount perched precariously over my desk, had absconded with the office Christmas wreath. His denials were of no help to him as a small twig of bright red holly berries still clung

SERMON SHOWN IN WEAVERVILLE ON 11/29/09

2009-11-28T22:30:00.000-08:00

Birthright: More Unfinished Business from Neighborhood Church of Redding on Vimeo.