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And the Lord said. “let there be music!”……

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Times have certainly changed. I would have never considered 10pm late in younger days, but now it is. I now love sitting out on my porch looking at the trees and the sky wondering why I wasted so many years not paying attention to the beauty of God’s creation all around me, and of course listening to music while I do. As I reflect upon it, it’s no wonder why I am hard of hearing now. Now I like the nice, easy-going contemporary Christian music. But when I was younger and not paying attention to life I was more of the loud and hard variety of listener. I can still sing it all, but in truth, I like the deeper, lasting meaning over all the teenage angst I used to sing about!

So after listening to all the CD’s I have about 100 times, and attempting to connect to all the radio stations I can reach in my car, (but apparently not out on my porch), I was finally able to connect via the Internet to K-Love.com, which is a network/ministry I love to listen to that has stations all across the country. It has been an important part of my life (as have stations such as 98.7 and 97.9 here in central Indiana…and the former 93.9 that Cumulus made into a goober station) but K-Love you can reach from anywhere on the Internet, and I encourage you to give it a try.

Christian radio is different from regular radio, in that it not just gives you something to listen to, but it inspires you and can strengthen your faith as you listen to it as well. People often ask me about my own personal habits, and I confess that Christian radio is a big part of them. If you haven’t listened to it before I encourage you to give it a try!

Okay, enough of sitting out here. I am tired and I am sure my neighbors are tired of all my singing. Nite my friends, and God bless!!

Tom+

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Of walking the right road…….

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I was watching the news yesterday and heard a story about how some pregnant couples are doing all they can to make sure their babies are born on August 8th…..so their babies’ birthdays will be 08/08/08. It may be a cool conversation piece, but I really wish people could get it together. Numbers don’t hold the meaning to life, nor do horoscopes, the stars, or mediums. You cannot get where you need to be by reading tea leaves or tarot cards. And if you really want me to get your attention…..lie’s meaning cannot not be found through the likes of Dr. Phil, or God forbid, even Oprah!

Too often people look for life’s meaning in places that can never provide it, and then they wonder why they never seem satisfied. Jesus talks about this very thing to the woman at the well, a woman who just could never seem to get life right. She came to the well seeking water to quench her thirst, yet she found life’s meaning……..for He told her of water to drink that would make it so she would never thirst again. She had been dealing her whole life with only what she wanted, but He was promising her what she needed…….life’s meaning.

Perhaps you too are thirsty, or hungry, or searching for life’s meaning. Do you ever wonder if there is any more to life than just this?? My friend, I promise you there is. But you will not find what you need on a talk show, or in a self-help book, or in numbers or the stars. You can only find it in a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. For true and permanent satisfaction only comes through Him, Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

I urge you to come to know Him, if not through one of our Missions, through a good Bible-based Church. There are many of them out there, and they all will address, not wants, but the total satisfaction of what we all truly need!

God bless you my friend.

Fr. Tom+

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The Lord indeed provides…..

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Thank God for miracles……every time I get frustrated and worried, the Lord provides another one, and it amazes me! I really should have more faith!

We have been looking for a facility to meet in for the next two weeks for St. Patrick’s, our Noblesville/Hamilton County Mission. We have been meeting at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds since September, but with the Hamilton County Fair being held there these next two weeks, we needed a temporary place for these next two weeks to meet. And though we have been looking, our search had not produced anything suitable!

But thank God for State Senator Luke Kenley, who is now allowing us to use one of his properties over these next two week. The old Goodwill store in Noblesville (1950 East Conner) will be our home these next two Sundays at 9:00 am!!! We had been praying for something, and the Lord indeed provided!! And Senator Kenley’s generous offer is appreciated more than you can know! (I’d tell you I’d start voting for him but in fact I always have voted for him! He is a pretty great guy and the one leading the charge on property tax reform in Indiana. We are blessed to have him as our Senator!) Please send him a note if you read this telling him thanks for providing a place for us to hold our services. He does deserve our thanks!

So the next two weeks are taken care of, but another longer-term issue still exists. We are in deep need of a permanent location for St. Patrick’s, such as a store front, or another building in which we can both worship AND hold classes and such. The fairgrounds is great, and the people there are some of the finest I have ever met, but we rent it each day we use it, and have to tear down and set up each time. It is expensive and time consuming. But a location in Noblesville we could use 24/7, would get A LOT of use on our part and we believe, be a real blessing to our community. We have been looking, and we have been praying. We will keep up our search too!

And like the temporary facility we will be using for the next two week, we believe and know, that the Lord will provide a long-term home!

Have faith, and believe!! I know we do!!

God bless!

Fr. Tom+

AND PS…..and call me day or night if you have a facility for us to use! 317-603-0012

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A tribute to our very own Neil Armstrong………

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There he stood at the edge of his Playskool walker. It was a moment he had been preparing for his entire life. I swear I heard the words, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” though all Amanda heard was “ba ba ba.” And then it happened, history was made……Ben took his first step all alone.

Of course my attempts to alert the media fell on deaf ears! You’d think they would be covering such a big event. But these days if it doesn’t involve Brittany, Lindsay, or some dysfunctional sports figure, then they consider it a “non-event.” To us however, it was and is a pretty big thing.

It comes however despite my warnings to my wife and even to Ben himself. Knowing what I know as a parent of over 16 years, I have asked him (Ben), and pleaded with him to not to begin walking. And it’s with good reason too. Steph and Scott started walking many years ago I have been chasing them ever since. I am older now, and it may kill me to chase another! But alas, no one but me seems to care, so I guess, despite the risk, I’ll be chasing him too, but I will do so with a smile on my face. He’s a pretty cute little baby, and he seems to enjoy the thrill of the steps. Who would want to deprive him of that?

Big steps, big day, big celebration! God is always full of surprises and blessings. I will count this one in the win column as a wonderful and special day! I hope yours has been just as wonderful!

God bless.

Tom+

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Of the Twilight Zone and other family twists and turns….

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Scotty asked me this morning if I had blogged about the minor traffic accident that occurred at Church in Nashville yesterday, and I remembered that I had not.

You see yesterday as we were leaving Nashville, (you may remember I drove down and picked up Scotty at Edinburgh where Amanda had taken all the kids to shop while i did a wedding) I had to get out of the car (I was in the passenger seat…Scotty was driving) and get our Church sign and take it back into the Church. Everyone of course thought I had left, but when the sign got hit, I figured it was my responsibility to pick it up and take it in, and of course confess.

And so I did. The sign was fine, bit it was amazing to me at how everyone started to laugh. After all, Scotty had been driving just three weeks, and now “WHACK,” a sign was hit!

But I just smiled and handed Deacon Conley the sign, and said, “No my friend, Scotty didn’t back into the sign…..Amanda did!” And of course that got the biggest laugh of all!

That’s why Scotty wanted me to post, because in truth, he is still laughing! She is all over him about driving safely, and he does, but he is one down on her in terms of hitting signs! And he wanted her, and you to know!

Of course by the time I got outside, She, Steph, and Ben were gone! SO I just got in the passenger seat with Scott and hit the road. He’s a great driver, and is doing quite well. He has not yet driven the car with his brother in it……..Amanda is not yet comfortable with his level of experience.

Scott and I believe she must be waiting for some sign!

Nite and God bless.

Tom+

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Of weddings, cloudy days, and blessings……

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Today was a full, but unusual day. I had the service in Nashville of course, but I went there after having the opportunity to celebrate at the blessing of a marriage in Carmel at 1:00pm. Barbara Hansen and Tom Barrick became Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Barrick today in a ceremony outside at the Carmel Civic Center. It was a small but beautiful wedding and it was a real blessing for me to be a part! Thanks for that!
But Amanda and the kids left for the Edinburgh Outlet Mall at the same time I left for the wedding, so I had to meet them there on the way to Nashville. It really didn’t seem like too much for me to do, but after I stopped at Edinburgh to pick up my chauffeur (Scotty) and got to Nashville, about a third of the way into the service, I suddenly felt like I was in a deep fog!!! My sermon, which everybody said was great, was so difficult for me, and even Amanda came up to the front where I was sitting in the middle of the service to ask me if I was okay! I apparently looked like an animal hit with a tranquilizer dart (and I felt like one too) but after checking myself I found no dart….so I think it was just me! These episodes however are for me are frequent, but bothersome. I just keep plugging away however, through them all!
Fortunately for me, my chauffeur (still Scotty) was mine for the rest of the night, which made the 2 hour drive home a lot nicer! And the day, though partially cloudy (in my head), actually turned out very well! I love what I do, and I really love weddings! It is such a joy and a privilege to be a part of such a blessed event!
And now, even though the day is coming to a close, I am hearing one of my blessings suddenly crying from his crib! Life today continues to be full of blessings! And this last one probably needs his diaper changed!
So goodnight my friends and God bless!
Tom+
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America…the land of the free, unless you are a baby trying to sleep!!

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Dear Lord, when did everyone and their brother get access to illegal fireworks???? It seems everyone in our neighborhood (but us) must have signed that affidavit swearing that even though they are buying illegal fireworks, they will only set them off in designated areas! Of course, no one knows where those areas are, or if they even really exist, but from the sound of it, most people consider it not just in our neighborhood, but on our street.

Unfortunately, for a one year old, that can be terrifying. After a couple of hours rocking with his mom, Ben was finally able to go to sleep. We do not expect him however, to last long. He will most likely finish the night off kicking the tar out of me in a room with tons of background noise to hide the explosions! Poor little guy. (it is 10:30 pm here right now and still going strong!)

We did however, want him to celebrate the fourth of July. Steph and Scott set off about 20 very legal fountains for him, which Steph labeled “lame.” But they were both good sports, and Scott even did a sparkler-laden rendition of Swan Lake in the backyard which Ben watched quite reluctantly from the porch. Steph refuses to be that much of a moron for her baby brother, or anyone, but Scott will do it all. In the end Ben enjoyed the show, and Amanda and I are mostly thankful that he will never have to remember such poor interpretive dancing. The therapy he’d need alone might cost millions.

For now however we will just pray that he can stay asleep, or if not asleep, that the militia will run out of their ammo! We all LOVE the 4th, don’t get me wrong, but Ben’s just a little guy, and he’s scared…..but more than that, he’s ours! With all our hearts, we just hope he can stay asleep through the rest of it!

So stay tuned, and please point your bottle rockets away from our house!!

God bless, and God bless this great country of ours as well!! Nite….or at least we hope!

Tom+

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Of overcoming the challenges of life with (the help of) the Lord…….

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The scripture passage on our website today (which changes everyday) is from Philippians chapter 4, verse 13, which says “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” And this passage has a lot of meaning for me.

You know, I have had plenty of struggles in my life, and at times my life has been downright hard, if not miserable. But always, each and every time, I have been able to dig deep to my faith and know that despite life’s challenges, my feet were always on solid ground. In my own life I have had quite a few challenges too. I have had two pretty hard orthopedic surgeries with long rehabs and one with permanent impairment, and I have had a few personal challenges as well. But you know, in all of them, at least I had my mind.

But suddenly life has become a challenge like no other I have ever experienced, for in the midst of it the problem is now often my mind itself, for my injury, this time, is there. And now, when I get worried or afraid, or even down about my rehab, or have setbacks, I cannot even tell if my feet are on the ground or not. My mind reels now a lot of the time (which I understand is normal for stroke victims) but the surety I often could rationalize before, now often evades me.

But here’s my secret……..I really CAN DO everything through Him who gives me strength! And I am thankful for that because I know that without Him I would be severely lost! Because when my mind reels, if He were not there, there would seem to be no hope. But in truth, in our hardest times, and even in our darkest times, the Lord is ALWAYS with us giving us what we need to move ahead, even when we cannot see. I cannot tell you how very lost or even scared I feel at times, I really do, but it’s ALWAYS my faith that sees me through. I may be loopy, but I know I am never alone! And I know in the end I will be restored!

You know, I have spent my life listening to clergy talk about their faith….and often in lofty disconnected ways to the reality of my life. But I know all to well that sometimes life can be challenging, hard, and sometimes seemingly unfair. But I don’t ever want you to doubt that that the Lord walks with you in all of it and that He can give you strength! For I not only believe it, I live it EVERYDAY, and I hope that means something to you in your life.

If it sounds as if I am rambling today or disconnected, it may be because I am. Today has been a challenging day, particularly this afternoon and evening. But tomorrow is a new day and I know that the Lord will bring me to it. For in the times that I have not the strength, He ALWAYS will provide! And that’s not just for me, but for you too, and any who call upon His Name!

Give it a shot….if it works for me and my crippled mind, there’s no telling what He can do with your good one!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tom+

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Of fireworks, my porch, and God’s many blessings…….

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Well my back porch is getting more spectacular with each passing night, because now as I look off to the southeast, in the distance, I am seeing the fireworks being set off at Conner Prairie’s “Symphony on the Prairie.” I have been to it many times, but unfortunately not this year. And despite my attempts, I cannot remember any year watching it from my porch. But it is a great site from any direction I am sure.

It is suppose to rain tonight, so I am glad the fireworks went off before the storm. I love both fireworks and storms, but I cannot help but think of those hundreds of people on blankets out there in the field listening to the symphony and watching the fireworks, and what a mud pit it would be if it started to pour! It’s such a wonderful place and such a wonderful event. I am glad the rain will arrive post-show, and not ruin the night for anyone.

As for me, I have enjoyed tonight’s unexpected gift. It was a nice addition to a great day, and the perfect way to end the night. Tomorrow Father Chuck, Deacon PT and Deacon Dan and I are meeting in Nashville. We may have a big announcement about that meeting very soon! But even more than that, I am looking forward to getting together with them. We get together weekly, and I love it so much because they are among the finest people I know. (and no, I haven’t been drinking!) It is just a blessing to work with friends, and to love to do what you do! It is no wonder we are seeing such marvelous things happen in our ministry as a Church!

Say a prayer for us tomorrow for safe travel, and please enjoy your day. No, there is not much substance to this tonight, but quite frankly I believe the fireworks were a gift from God for my over-reeling mind. Sometimes you just need to sit back and relax. I am thankful for that opportunity tonight!

Say your prayers and enjoy a good night’s sleep! May tomorrow be a blessed day for us all!

Tom+