The Blog of Tom Dale

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 Have you ever been afraid? OK, that's a no-brainer. We have all been afraid of someone or something in our lives. And for good reason. Take Joshua's story, for instance. After wandering around in the desert for 40 years, the Israelites were ready to claim a new homeland. There was a problem, however: the land they were about to enter were full of people bigger, stronger, and more wicked than the Israelites. People who did not want the Israelites to share their land and would put up a strong fight.  And Joshua was commanded by God to lead the Israelites into battle against their fearsome enemies! Furthermore, God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous. Why? Because "the Lord your God will be with you." Whenever you are afraid, remember that your God, who is bigger and stronger than your fear, is with you.  Lord, Y

Don't love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, "I will never fail you. I will never abandon you." Hebrew 13:5 (NLT) First, let me say I am not entirely against shopping for new items. Items we may think we "need" or "want". I want a big screen TV, and I don't think God would be angry if I bought one. However, if I bought one and it did not work, maybe that would be a sign... Yet we need to be careful that our shopping habits do not overcome our spiritual habit of contentment. God promises us that He will always provide for us the necessities of life. We should be content no matter what.  The problem with compulsive and hyper-shopping is this: we may turn our attention from God to the lesser god of consumerism and materialism. We may become less satisfied with the  all-satisfying God and trade His contentment in for a perpetual dissatisfaction with the material things of this world. Because the truth is, that bi

Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. James 1:17 (NLT) We have a lot to be thankful for. Air. Water. Food. Shelter. Clothing. I'm assuming that as you read this you have that last one.  It's those little things that make a big difference. Without air, for instance, there could be no life for us to enjoy those things that, in the grand scheme, don't matter: a fancy car, the latest smartphone, an unlimited supply of fast food restaurants, etc. And the Scriptures tell us that whatever is good, whatever is perfect, ultimately is a gift from God. Nothing good in your life could be obtained if God did not allow it. Furthermore, God not only allows us to experience good things this side of eternity, He sends us good things. God is a generous and gracious giver.  The greatest good that God has given us is His Son Jesus Christ, the Source of Life. Ev

Give thanks in all circumstances;  for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.                                            1 Thessalonians 5:18                                                                                    (NIV) During this past week, I have had a tough time being grateful. After having what I thought was a successful interview for a youth pastor position at a church, I was disappointed when I received a phone call the following day informing me that I was not hired. Once again, my search for a new job would have to continue. It is hard to thank God when He does not give you what you desire. Have you ever felt that way? Maybe you too were not hired for a dream job. Maybe the person you had a crush on rejected you. Maybe you were not accepted into your first choice school.  Truly, there is almost an endless amount of bad circumstances we find ourselves it.  It is quite an understatement of the year to say that life is tough! We are not always in the circu