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St Thomas

Eating More Than Our Share of Radishes

By Christian Formation

In 1996, psychologist Roy Bauermeister conducted a fascinating experiment on will power. He invited a large group of people into a room filled with the smell of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. He sat them at tables and then brought to each table two bowls. One bowl contained radishes and the other chocolate chip cookies. Half of the people were told they could eat only the radishes and to use their will power to avoid eating any of the cookies. The other half of the group were told they could skip the radishes and eat as many cookies as they wished. Ten minutes later, everyone was led to another room where they were given (unknown to them at the time) an unsolvable geometry problem. The group of people who had just eaten the cookies worked an average of nineteen minutes trying to solve the problem before giving up. The group of…

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The Kingdom of Heaven is like a tiny insignificant little seed

By Outreach

Dear Doubters, Fr. Christopher asked if I would do the weekly reflection this first week of his well-deserved vacation. And now that I have had a chance to look at the Gospel reading, I suspect he may wish he had done this himself – such rich rich imagery! From Matthew’s Gospel: The Kingdom of Heaven is like a tiny insignificant little seed. Or a small bit of yeast that leavens. But what happens when that little seed is planted? Or the yeast mixed in a whole lot of flour? Huge results can happen – trees large enough for birds to nest in. Or three loaves of homemade bread! In other words, the Kingdom of Heaven APPEARS to be something small and insignificant – but oh what it can accomplish! I think Matthew’s message is we don’t really see the King of Heaven initially – when it’s like a tiny seed…

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Time to unplug and recharge

By Rector's Corner

Dear Doubters of Great Faith, Well, we, you and I, have been together for six months. Six months! On Sunday, February 2, you may remember that I mentioned that we had 18 years to do this thing between us, to live out our time together, and that it would go much faster than we all would or could possibly imagine. And now, six months have been chipped away. In some ways, thanks to “Corona-tide” it seems as though it’s been a lifetime, and yet there is so much that I do not know, so much yet to discover, about the beautiful tapestry woven together into what is St. Thomas the Apostle Church. And I know that I want to know more. I need to know more. Because I know that God is calling us, you and me, to do something big here with our piece of the ‘kin-dom’ at Inwood…

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Sermon for Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

By Rector's Corner, Sermons

Christopher Thomas Sermon for Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, Year A – 7/19/20 Genesis 28:10-19a Wisdom of Solomon 12:13, 16-19 Romans 8:12-25 Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 When Great Trees Fall
 by Maya Angelou When great trees fall,
 rocks on distant hills shudder,
 lions hunker down
 in tall grasses,
 and even elephants
 lumber after safety. When great trees fall
 in forests,
 small things recoil into silence,
 their senses
 eroded beyond fear. When great souls die,
 the air around us becomes
 light, rare, sterile.
 We breathe, briefly.
 Our eyes, briefly,
 see with
 a hurtful clarity.
 Our memory, suddenly sharpened,
 examines,
 gnaws on kind words
 unsaid,
 promised walks
 never taken. Great souls die and
 our reality, bound to
 them, takes leave of us.
 Our souls,
 dependent upon their
 nurture,
 now shrink, wizened.
 Our minds, formed
 and informed by their
 radiance, fall away.
 We are not so much maddened as reduced to the unutterable ignorance of
…

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Real Mental Strength

By Christian Formation

“Acting tough is about external appearances. It involves creating a persona that convinces other people you’re impervious to pain. True mental strength involves working on your character. Mentally strong people are willing to be vulnerable, and quite often, people confuse their openness and honesty with frailty.” – Amy Morin We live in uncertain times that present daily challenges to our emotional well-being. If you are wondering how to cultivate the mental strength to move forward, I recommend an insightful book by psychotherapist Amy Morin. Her book 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do: Take Back Your Power, Embrace Change, Face Your Fears, and Train Your Brain for Happiness and Success might be helpful. If reading a whole book on emotional well-being creates more stress, then you will be pleased to know you can find the “Cliff Notes” version of her book in an article she wrote for Inc.—you can read…

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Practice the Pause

By Christian Formation

“Practice the pause. Pause before judging. Pause before assuming. Pause before accusing. Pause whenever you’re about to react harshly, and you’ll avoid doing and saying things you’ll later regret.” – Lori Deschene I was reminded of the power of pausing while riding my road bike earlier today as I was climbing some very steep hills. (Yes, I am aware that I write a lot about what I experience and learn while on my bike. It is where I spend a lot of time these days and do some of my best thinking.) As I neared the top of an exceptionally long and steep hill, I looked down at my bike computer and saw that my heart rate monitor was reading 156 beats per minute. My elevated heart rate, along with the high temperature and humidity, gave me reason to pause – literally. I found some cool shade, drank some water,…

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Sermon for Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

By Rector's Corner, Sermons

Christopher Thomas Sermon for Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, Year A – 7/12/20 Genesis 25:19-34 Psalm 119:105-112 Romans 8:1-11 Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 “…grant that we may know and understand the things we ought to do, and be given grace, and faith, and power to accomplish those things…” – From the Collect for the 6th Sunday after Pentecost, BCP p. 231 I would be remiss, I wouldn’t be your pastor, if I didn’t start off by telling you the Great Good News of the Gospel this very day! “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!” If that seed falls on fertile soil, so to speak, and takes root, what else is there to say? We ought to be done for the day. The news doesn’t get any better. Head on over to Luby’s and get your LuAnn Platter! It’s all good! “Wait! Hold up Pastor! Not so fast!”…

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Providing lunch at Inspired Vision Compassion Center

By Outreach

Several weeks ago I wrote an article for our Doubter Newsletter about ways in which we at St. Thomas could help with the dire needs many of our neighbors in South Dallas are facing. Many families living in the southern sector of our city are living on the edge – and the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed them right over. There are a number of agencies in Dallas that are doing what they can to lend a helping hand providing much needed food, clothing, medical attention and financial assistance. And one of them is Inspired Vision Compassion Center. Their Vision Statement is “Touching God Reaching People” which certainly can resonate with us at St. Thomas! From their website: Located in Mesquite, Inspired Vision Compassion Center was started with one mission… to feed the hungry of Dallas. If anyone could take on such a daunting task, it’s the visionary founder, Karen Belknap….

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Adventure Awaits!

By Rector's Corner

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28 It’s hard to believe that we are almost to the middle of July, the mid-point of what we typically think of as the summer travel season. There is something about the intersection of COVID-19, and time that is such an odd juxtaposition. In the age of Corona, our traditional ways of thinking about time seem to have become skewed, veering off the usual course. I imagine that most of you, in any other run-of-the-mill summer would already have plans, or be experiencing wonderful adventures past the confines of the North Texas heat, travels taking you beyond your wildest imaginations. And these adventures are important for so many reasons. First, they give us a much needed break from the usual, the routine, and the banality of life. There is…

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