The Blog of Tom Dale

Have you ever thought to yourself, “I know I’m supposed to read the Bible, but I wish it was more exciting!” If so, you are not alone. I have had that same thought. There have been times in my life when reading the Bible seemed more like a mindless chore than a refreshing hobby. I would pick up the Bible to fulfill my Christian duty of studying God’s Word, only to set it down ten minutes later for lack of excitement. But the Bible was never meant to be boring for us. Whenever the Bible seems boring, it usually has more to do with how we study it than the text itself. The bad news is that as imperfect people we have the potential to misread the Bible and develop wrong study habits that won’t work for us. The good news is that God loves variety and allows us to choose different ways to study His Word according to our personalities and desires. If the way you study the Bible is not producing joy within you, then you can change the way you study it. Here are three different m...

Recently, I have been reading through a devotional through YouVersion (bible.com) called Cataylst. Today's question was: Write down 5 to 10 experiences when God used you. Do you notice any trends? What do you feel as you look back? So here are my answers: When I was 17, I traveled with some friends to the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, MI. I'll remember it as the first time I felt the powerful indwelling of the Holy Spirit. I felt like the Old Testament prophets when "the Spirit of the Lord came upon them", or like the apostles in Acts when tongues of flame appeared above them as the Holy Spirit moved within them. Never before had I felt the power of the Holy Spirit through the practice of prayer! Since then I have placed a high priority on prayer in my spiritual life, interceding for others as God wants me to. During my first summer as a camp counselor, I was a little nervous of sharing the Gospel with children I had never met before. Yet God ga...

I'm currently reading "Winning With People" by one of my favorite authors, John Maxwell. In one of his chapters he quotes the following: Do all the good you can to all the people you can in all the ways you can as long as ever you can.   Now, Maxwell attributes this quote to D. L. Moody, the famous nineteenth century evangelist, while I've heard others attribute it to John Wesley. Who really said it? Doesn't matter; it's a great quote. I hope this quote will encourage you as it did me to live for others and not merely yourself. 

Many of you know I walk daily. Doesn't matter where; I just like to walk. Sometimes my paths are so random that I find myself suddenly walk. Might have to watch out for that when I get old.  Anyway, today I was walking on a sidewalk (of all places!), daydreaming and not really paying attention, when all of a sudden a monster made a lunge at me from three feet away! Well, it wasn't really a monster. It was a hawk. And it didn't really try to eat me. It was simply drinking from a nice puddle three feet in front of me. But still, I got within three feet of a hawk! When it noticed me, it fluttered its wings and flew ten feet away to a nearby branch, and that's when I first noticed it. Of course, since it moved away so suddenly I thought it was a monster trying to eat me, but when I got over being scared and stared at it on the branch I realized it was a beautiful, lovely, and deadly hawk.  And of course, I did not have a camera. And I didn't have one of those ...

Who doesn't like a good book? Well, maybe those who cannot read. But for those who are able to read the above, here is a short list of three books you should read. 1. The Bible I make no secret that this is my favorite book of all time. Although I have literally read thousands of books, this book has changed my life more than any other. Be warned: this book will change your life too. 2. Walking on God's Path This is the first book I have written. Why should you read it? Because I wrote it. Buy your copy at www.lulu.com/spotlight/tomdale  3. My next book That's right! I am currently in the finishing stages of editing my second book! I have already given a copy to family members, but then I realized a little more work needed to be done before I released it to the public. I hope to have it published before the end of the month. What books would you add to this list?

I am currently reading John Piper's book, When I Don't Desire God . He writes in the preface: "When all is said and done, only God can create joy in God. This is why the old saints not only pursued joy but prayed for it: “Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us” (Ps. 90:15). To be satisfied by the beauty of God does not come naturally to sinful people. By nature we get more pleasure from God’s gifts than from himself." Wow! Isn't that true? Isn't it easier to sometimes love this world more than God? But take heart! God can, and will, give you joy in Him if only you ask. Pray therefore, and surrender your heart to Him. Happiness comes and goes with circumstances in life, but joy can only be found in God.

Words have power. And the things we say to people can make or break them. Which would you prefer to have spoken to you? "You are a great person!" or "You are the most terrible person I have ever met!" In the same way, we need to be careful about speaking to other people. Jesus Himself rarely criticized people, and when He did He had every right to because He's God.  Here's a homework assignment: say one nice thing to the next person you talk to...even if it is an evil ex, a crazy customer, or a bossy boss.  " Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them." Ephesians 4:29

I remember  a few years ago a commercial for a brand of garbage bags. Its slogan? "Don't get mad; get Glad!" Indeed, wouldn't you rather be glad than mad? Wouldn't you rather be happy than unhappy? Here's a simple trick for cultivating gladness: remember the good things that God has done for you in your life. The more you focus on the positive that has happened, the more glad you will become. If you can't think of anything else, think about the fact the Jesus Christ has saved you from sin and eternal death by his work on the cross. "The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad." Psalm 126:3 What are some great things that God has done for you?

God Rescues His People We like a good rescue story, don’t we? We live in a fallen world where people suffer every day, and whenever we hear a story of someone being rescued from their suffering we rejoice! Rescue stories give us hope and comfort in the midst of our own sufferings. This is why so many Hollywood movies are about superheroes. We like to see movies about people who are powerless to save themselves and then BANG! A hero comes along and saves them! This theme of good and evil, suffering and rescuing is littered throughout the pages of the Bible. One of the strongest arguments for the Bible being God’s Word is that it agrees with our human experiences. If it were false, it would deny that we suffer in any way, as many Eastern religions teach. If it were false, it would teach that men and women can save themselves from any circumstance, as modern humanism teaches. But the Bible is true in every way, and so it teaches us that suffering is real and that we are often power...