More Than Today

Christmas is more than a state of mind.  It's more than being nice to someone else.  Christmas is about someone who came to earth not just to be nice or have us be nice.  Christmas is not about being happy all the time or even for a time.  It's about joy which is so much more than being nice or being happy. Joy is rooted in our being, in our soul, in our being created in the image of God.  We experience joy when we are connected to God through His Son Jesus.  Nothing can take our joy away.  We seem to yield it to others sometimes or experience the feeling of losing it when circumstances hit us that are beyond our control.  But the joy that we find in Jesus is ours as we stay connected to God, even when at times we seem driven to disconnect ourselves. I want to be nice to people.  I want to be happy.  But it's not what Christmas is all about.  It is not about me, my niceness, or my happiness.  Christmas is about joy to the...

In his book  What God Thinks When We Fail , Steven C. Roy tells a fictional story about a young violinist who lived in London many years ago. Although he was a superb musician, he was deathly afraid of large crowds, so he avoided giving concerts. But after enduring criticism for his unwillingness to give concerts, he finally agreed to perform in the largest concert hall in London. The young violinist came onto the stage and sat alone on a stool. He put his violin under his chin and played for an hour and a half. No music in front of him, no orchestra behind him, no breaks—just an hour and a half of absolutely beautiful violin music. After ten minutes or so, many critics put down their pads and listened, like the rest …. After the performance, the crowd rose to its feet and began applauding wildly—and they wouldn't stop. But the young violinist didn't acknowledge the applause. He just peered out into the audience as if he were looking for something—or someone. Finally he ...

Always becoming... "Today I let a stranger stick a needle in my spine to relieve my pain.  Trust.  Everyday I want to trust my best friend, my leader, my Savior, to handle whatever pain I have at the moment.  Some days I wonder how He puts up with me putting more trust in a doctor I don't know than He who knew me from before I was born.  But thanks anyway God...I do love you...you know that." -Rich Thornton,lover of God, husband, father, sometimes humorist, storyteller, church planting strategist, songwriter, singer, guitarist, friend of the fallen, fallen himself but safe now in the arms of Jesus through life and beyond, enjoyer of roller coasters and ice cream and chocolate, reader on-line and off, sometimes philosopher, and becomer...so far yet to go, so very far...

It's interesting how life is and how sometimes looking beyond takes you somewhere you haven't even visited yet.  For the past year or so I have been thinking about the Raleigh, North Carolina area even though I have never been there.  Heard about it, saw pictures of it, checked it out online, and believe that it would be a good area to spend time reaching people for Jesus who don't know Him yet. So how does one do that when you live someplace else and can't just drop into Raleigh for an afternoon Coke and conversations? Craigslist. At least that is what I decided to try. So about a year ago I wrote up an ad inviting potential church planters to contact me about beginning new churches in that area. Somehow I don't even think the process worked enough for it to get posted. If it did, it never worked because no one contacted me. So the idea continued to simmer this past year until a week ago, July 27, when I decided to post the ad I had written. Read it over again...

Reposting this from Brennan Manning’s book The Ragamuffin Gospel (page 86).  He writes, • “The question which the gospel of grace puts to us is simply this: Who shall separate you from the love of Christ? What are you afraid of? • Are you afraid that your weakness could separate you from the love of Christ? It can’t. • Are you afraid that your inadequacies could separate you from the love of Christ? They can’t. • Are you afraid that your inner poverty could separate you from the love of Christ? It can’t. • Difficult marriage, loneliness, anxiety over the children’s future? They can’t. • Negative self-image? It can’t. • Economic hardship, racial hatred, street crime? They can’t. • Rejection by loved ones or the suffering of loved ones? They can’t. • Persecution by authorities, going to jail? They can’t. • Nuclear war? It can’t. • Mistakes, fears, uncertainties? They can’t. • The gospel of grace calls out: Nothing can ever separate you from the love of God made visible in Christ Jes...

Today is our 26th wedding anniversay. Diane and I met at a singles group called Discovery, were married outside at Doubling Gap Center, and at our wedding reception sang a song that I wrote describing ourselves as "Two Roses." Our garden has grown and now we are blessed with Rose Thornton and Emilie Thornton, the best daughters anyone could have. 

This morning I was reading some more of Max Lucado's book,  "Outlive Your Life."  There was a little bit about  microfinance , where regular people like me can give a few bucks so that people in other countries can borrow it and help their families by owning their own business. Then they pay it back and someone else gets the money. Pretty cool really. My gift keeps getting recycled to help families climb up at least some as they help their families and the community around them.  So many times I miss opportunities like this by just "moving on" to other thoughts. Not today. Helped some guy in Kenya, one of the next door countries to where Rosie will be in Tanzania in the Peace Corps. I easily could have talked myself into waiting until she gets to Tanzania and seeing what help may be needed in her village. But there is nothing to stop me from doing that then.  But this is now. Joseph Kimeto will also be able to send his children to school and purchase the mater...

An overcast day may try to cast shadows on my joy in Jesus.  Even when the weather and recent circumstances try to steal my joy, I understand that it can never be stolen.  I can give it away, I can forget it for a time, but nobody can steal it.  I am responsible to cling to Christ and to hold on with dear life to His joy.  Laughter may elude me, smiles may not come as often for a time, but the joy of the Lord is my strength and I will not relinqui sh it.

This morning on Facebook someone posted: "I rejoice in following your  statutes  as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways." Psalm 119:14-15. When I read the word  "statutes"  I saw  "statuses " instead. It was the "facebooking" of the scripture I suppose.  I then thought about it and it is true that "I rejoice in following your  statuses,  God, as one rejoices in great riches." God has a new post every morning, and all through the day he posts again and again...inviting us to read them and rejoice in following them. May I not only see/read/acknowledge the statuses of God today but may I rejoice in following them.  May I meditate on God's precepts (commandments, instructions, orders intended as an authoritative rule of action) and consider the ways of God.  When I do this, my life will be enriched beyond measure.  Doing this long enough you might not even recognize me even more....

You are creator and you are love.  You made the stars above. When we can't see way out ahead.  You show the next step instead. We praise You God.  We Praise You God.  For who You are. We thank You God.  We thank You God.  For all you've done so far. You are mercy and You are wise.  You are the one who supplies. Help us trust in Your faithful ways, through all our nights and days.

This is what the Lord says:    "Stop at the crossroads and look around.      Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.    Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls."                                                  (Jeremiah 16a, NLT) God invites us to stop at the crossroads and look around.  There have been many crossroads in my life.  Times when I had a choice to make.  Would I do the right thing, the hard thing, the thing that was difficult...or would I go my own way?  A choice of my way or the old, godly way.  Would I ask for the true way, the old, godly way, or I would I kid myself that I could just do what I wanted.  I was going to walk from this crossroads in one direction or another.  My soul cried out to walk in the old, godly way...the way of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob...Les...

I am thinking today of current events such as: the Supreme Court stands up for free speech rights but at what cost; the President decides he is not going to defend the Defense of Marriage Act because his thoughts on this are evolving; and Libyans seeking freedom try to draw in an already over-stretched United States military.  I am praying for freedom, marriage, and peace.   Meanwhile, I seek to refuse to cast the first stone at those who make important decisions on our behalf.  I seek to discern truth, support those in authority, and speak up for those without a voice.  These things seem to be at odds at times and yet I must wrestle with them none the less.

Once there was a  wood-carver who measured a block of wood and drew a pattern on it.  He worked with  chisel and plane and carved it into a human figure.  He gave it human beauty and put it in a little shrine. He cut down cedars; he selected the cypress and the oak; he planted the pine in the forest to be nourished by the rain. Then he used part of the wood to make a fire to warm himself and bake his bread. Then -- yes, it's true -- he took the rest of it and made himself a god to worship! He made an idol and bowed down in front of it!   He burned part of the tree to roast his meat and to keep himself warm.  He said,  "Ah, that fire feels good." Then he took what was left and made his god: a carved idol! He fell down in front of it, worshiped and prayed to it.  "Rescue me!"   he said.  "You are my god!"  Such stupidity and ignorance! Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see. Their minds are shut, and they cannot th...

After many months, today I finished reading "Apprentice: Walking the Way of Christ" by Steve Chalke with Joanna Wyld.  So it's like a chalke talk with a wyld woman.  (Sorry about that.)  There was much to consider in the book on how to really walk the Way of Christ.  The book ends with this: As Jesus said in Luke 6:40, 'Everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.' May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial     relationships so that you may live deep within your heart. May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of      people, so that you may work for justice, freedom,      and peace. May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection,     hunger and war so that you may reach out your hand to     comfort them and to turn their pain into joy. And may God bless you wi...

At the end of the 1990's and beginning of the 2000's I worked at a church in Davenport, Iowa. I moved to that area to begin a new contemporary worship service at St. John's United Methodist Church. While there I wrote a few songs and used them with the worship band and congregation. One of them was called "You Are My Jesus."  One day I had been walking and the instrumentation for "American Woman" came into my head. I started singing a different tune and words of praise to Jesus as I walked along. I wrote down the song and my talented band, knowing "American Woman," was able to develop the parts they played. It was fun to rock out to this song at worship. Came across it lately and decided to post it. Here it is for you to listen to and download an mp3. Soon I'm going to put the lyrics on for it so you can download those also if you wish. The lyrics say "You are my Jesus, the One that I adore. You are my Jesus, the One I'...