Tom Squared

I was talking to my wife in the shower this morning (hey, we're in a water conservation rule here in Florida, We're only trying to protect your children's future) and had the following conversation. Tom: Did you know that if you change up nooks and crannies you get crooks and nannies? Erin: What in the world got you to think about that? Tom: I don't know.  I was thinking about nooks and crannies for some reason and realized you could change he words...  I wonder if that's where the English muffin people came up with the name. Erin: Ha, why in the world would the Thomas' English Muffin people start with crooks and nannies? Tom: It makes sense with those marketing people.  I'd bet they were all crooks and had nannies watch their children.  It's only a natural progression I guess.  I mean, who knows what those marketing people think.  They don't exactly have their heads screwed on right. Erin: I don't think it's the marketing people wh...

I really like Michael's 30 year idea .  Here's the key point. What if, at the end of 30 years, our bylaws called for everything to be sold, divided up, and given to 5 new church plants.  Growth by explosion. Michael is an incredible leader who has revived life in a small town through church at the movies.  some day I'm hoping to buy the ticket to Georgia and check them out in person. In any case, the idea of giving a church (not the church, but a single church) a life-span is a fascinating one.  While Michael gives the example of whether or not to build a church building, I think it will also directly impact everything in the church. Roles and needs will be much clearer because you have a vision with a set end.  You even have a vision for the people after that "death date" happens. When someone asks for a volunteer to help with Sunday school, people are going to be more willing to volunteer since they know they can't wait...  The end is near! I just...

I've begun reading through Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur.  One of the things he mentions is that after the apostles fully understand and accept Jesus does he give them the miraculous power of healing. It's certainly true, all over the New Testament are the apostles going around healing people all willy nilly. Healing is incredibly powerful.  Look at us today, we live pretty much forever.  With the current state of medical science and availability of drugs there are very few illnesses which will result in death.  Way back when this certainly wasn't the case. People died of the common cold.  Lepers were just running rampant.  Having any sort of malady meant you couldn't work and people hated being near you.  Today we have those cute masks to strap around our heads. Having the power to physically heal someone meant their lives were completely changed.  Opportunities came up which couldn't even be dreamt of before, like being employed, f...

For those of you with kids, especially infants in an infant car seat... Do you ever want to just spin them around in a high arcing circle? Yes, yes, they should take away my parenting license. Peace, +Tom

I was having lunch with a good friend yesterday and we got on the topic of Christ's vision for our lives.  I entirely believe that Christ's sacrifice and hope for each of us is that we will love each other.  That we'll love others so completely that we become a tiny example of the unconditional love He has for each of us.  In every thing we do we need to be asking ourselves whether this action is done in love for another person. As I was driving around today I got to thinking some more about that.  I was wondering if everything we do in love is good.  I realized that as individuals we can really make a mess of love. The first thought that came to my mind was being sexually abused while growing up.  Here was a guy who, I have come to see, believed that he loved me.  He connected with me as a friend and let that love grow, and get perverted, as I grew up. The key then isn't in simply loving people as we see fit.  It's in loving p...

I've been tagged by my friend  David  so here are the rules:    a)   I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.    b)   Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.    c)   People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.    d)   At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.    e)   Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they are tagged and to visit your blog. So, here you go: 8. While it's well known that I love 80's music, it's less well known that I don't like too many of the mainstream artists.  My favorites are Erasure , Men Without Hats , The Art of Noise , Tommy Paige , White Lion  and Bon Jovi .  Heck, I love Bon Jovi.  Their newest album, Lost Highway , makes me even more convinced that th...

What is the single most important thing to changing the world? Maybe it's the Individuals who love other individuals they meet so completely that they'll literally do anything to show that love. What do you think? Peace, +Tom

Note: The following story is based on actual events. Meaning we actually did go to the zoo today and see all the animals mentioned. Remember when we went to the zoo the other day? We saw pandas and elephants, a hippopotamus and gorillas. We saw lions, tigers and flamingos. We saw all kinds of animals. I remember when we got to the lions and you asked "daddy, can I pet the lions?" I said "No, they may hurt you and we want to keep you safe." Just then one of the lions turned to us and said "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I love when people come and pet my coat. It's great to sit and talk with people." You turned to me and asked again, "daddy, the lion says it's ok. Can't I go pet them?" "Well, if the lion says it's ok, then it's probably safe" I responded. You jumped right into the lion pit and landed right into the water. The lion jumped right in after you. She grabbed the back of your shirt and swam y...

I read Tony Morgan's post on The Vending Machine . It's a great list of the balance we need to make in our lives regarding work. Maybe it comes from working with teens and college students; maybe it comes from looking at successful leaders. I often hear about just how important it is to live our dream, take the chance and give up everything to make a difference in the world. This sounds incredibly easy to say and live, when you are in school or recently graduated. Life is open with very, very few responsibilities. It's possible to pick up life and go anywhere in the World that will make a difference. This is so true and I'm so impressed and happy when I see teens around me actually picking up and leaving behind the known and safe so that they can make an impact. Having a family restricts that significantly. It's still fun and we can still make a difference, but picking up life and moving on now involves more than just one person. Tony throws out some of the ...

I just finished reading Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. This is one great book, just freaking hilarious while also being pretty useful to me. See, I tend to have a hard time with context. If you come to me and say It was so sad, Jerry died in the elevator this morning. I have a hard time really caring about that. I mean, I don't even know who Jerry is. If he's your brother, then I feel pretty bad for your loss, but it's hard for me to really miss Jerry. Without context you could mean Jerry the mouse, from Tom and Jerry. Now, while that may be sad, he'll be back the next day, so it's not that big a deal. At the same time, what if I'm watching a TV series that's been on for 3 years and one of the main characters is Jerry. I've watched this life and felt a connection with him. I see where my life is similar to his, where I wish mine were more like his, and where I see that I'm doing better tha...

The first person I met in college was my friend Melissa. We were sitting together during our first orientation and had to introduce ourselves to the person beside us. We immediately hit it off and she's since become one of my most dear friends. She's quick to laugh, loves to tell stories, great to party with (oh man, did we party at the clubs and it's in a bar she met her husband) and LOVES the 80's. She seriously more an 80's fan than I am or even my hair stylist Jodie (and Jodie knows everything about the 80's). She stuck by me all through college, from day one through my relationships and being the "5 th floor whore", ditching her for girlfriends and whatever else. I will never forget leaving my girlfriend Chris' house in Connecticut in wracking sobs and driving straight to her house in New Jersey for some simple care and support. Even when I made the mistake of dating her friend Jen (it would have been better if I dated her better friend...

My friend Melissa was perusing our Flickr photos (you know she's a good friend if she peruses your photos without prompting) and came across this photo. She sent me this question. Why did you have a horse in your back yard??!!!??? Are you that far out in the country that he stumbled upon your property? LOL! So I thought I'd let the world know. Here was my response. Turns out, a few weeks after moving into our house there was a pony in our back yard. It was kind of weird, so we posted signs for a missing pony. No one called and we eventually decided that it must have been something they gave to all the new homeowners in the community (we were one of the first houses completed on our street). After a few months went by, the pony was great. He was eating the weeds in the back yard and Erin and I got to enjoy periodic pony rides. At this point it was obvious none of our other neighbors were getting ponies of their own. We first thought "suckers"! We then decided th...

This morning Rachel was sitting on our bed and Erin heads over and whispers quietly in her ear. It's very clear that mommy and Rachel have a secret that either Colin or I aren't allowed to hear. I'm leaning toward it being a secret from me, since Colin isn't so good at the understanding of the words trick quite yet. So Rachel let a little bit out of the bag, it has something to do with pictures. I have no idea why my wife thought a 3 year old could be relied on to keep a secret. To her credit though, apparently they have had this secret for a few days, and this is the first I'd heard of it. I expect something interesting to come along in the next few days. Seriously, secrets can be great sometimes. I can't wait. Peace, +Tom

Anyone know what that title refers to? One of the first "old time" movies I fell in love with, and still one I wish were in my DVD collection. Seriously, if I were, oh, a gagillion years younger, she'd be my wife right now. I mentioned that I've been away from blogging for about a week, but never said why. I actually had surgery a bit over a week ago to have skin grafted from my skull onto my ear drum. Yeah, it was kind of cool; half of my ear drum was missing so, to make sure my hearing didn't get worse, they peeled back my ear, added skin, and sewed me back up. Erin wished she could watch, I so wish I had pictures. But I digress. With both outpatient surgeries, it's taken me quite a while to get back on my feet. Maybe I'm just a wuss for pain, but over a week later I'm still in pain from my stitches and I'm completely exhausted. It's all I can do to stay awake and work a little bit. The other problem though that seems to come up with ...