Not Consumed
Father, as I sit here with You this morning, I am watching the fire as it dances about in the stove. It has an alluring beauty, but as the minutes tick by, the wood, once whole and solid, is consumed. Yes, it is used up, but in doing so, it gives heat to the whole house. We prepare the wood by cutting, and splitting, and stacking, and covering it. Once these steps have been completed, the wood is ready to serve. We have invested time and energy in getting it ready, but until it is set aflame, it accomplishes nothing. If it is not used, over time, outside factors, such as insects, fungus, and moisture, will render it useless.
Lord, each of us was created for a purpose. We have been prepared, by Your hand, to serve as You see fit, but, unlike the wood, we can choose not to be used. All that You have invested in us comes to naught.
We fear the fire…but unlike wood, we are not consumed, we are refined. The impurities in our lives are burning away as we are exposed to Your holy fire. It does not destroy us but brings us closer to what we were created to be. The sin of the world is purged, and wholeness, found only in You, is restored.
Lord, more often than I care to admit, I can say with the Puritan writer (Valley of Vision), “I am utterly ashamed that I am what I am in myself; I have no green shoot in me nor fruit, but thorns and thistles…” But I also, as he, can proclaim,
“Help me in all my doings to put down sin and to humble pride.
Save me from the love of the world and the pride of life,
…..from everything that is natural to fallen man,
………and let Christ’s nature be seen in me day by day.”
Amen.
(Jan 5th, 2017, Thurs, 7:10 am)
Oct 11th, 2025, Sat, 11:32 am
Walk the Talk
I’m so glad, Father, for the stillness of this early morning hour. The only sounds I hear are the occasional vehicle zooming by and a lonely jet high above the house. These are the external things I hear, but most importantly, is that I hear Your voice within. It calls out for me to join You. I sense Your pleasure that I am here. Bless me, my Father. May I clearly hear what you have for this day. Amen.
1 Peter 2:12 (<<click here)
Lord, we often hear the phrase “walk the talk.” Nothing communicates more loudly the condition of our relationship with You than the way we live out our lives in the world. I can think and write down all kinds of things in our times together – challenging things that require action! – but if I don’t “walk my talk,” what good is it?
The thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians is well read (especially at weddings), but the first couple of verse of this “love” chapter fits well with what Peter is saying here.
“If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.” vs 1,2 NLT
May my actions, Lord, speak more loudly and clearly than my words. May the life I lead before the world be a reflection of Whom I belong to and Whom I serve.
(Dec 6th, 2016, Tue, 5:14 am)
Sept 21st, 2025, Sun, 3:07 pm
Apologies
I am away from home and neglected to bring the charge cord for my laptop. At this point, I have no way to post my blog, and will not be able to do so for a few days. God bless, and I will be back!
Levels of “Badness”?
Father, beyond any shadow of a doubt, I know I am cherished and loved. But I also realize that I have done nothing to earn that from You. You first loved me before I even knew to love You back. My sin separated me from You, but because of the sacrifice of Your only beloved Son and because I accept Your forgiveness, I can come into Your presence and I can live a life of victory over sin and death! Praise Your holy Name!
James 2:10-11 (<<click here to read the passage)
Why is it, Lord, that we have this bad habit of labeling sins, putting them on levels of “badness”? We have this tendency to think, “My sins are not as bad as your sins!” Sin is sin. And as this passage proclaims, if you’ve broken one law, it’s the same as breaking them all. There are no degrees of wickedness.
Jesus, You even said this while you lived amongst us. Matthew 5:21-22 tells us, “You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment. But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment.” Later in verses 27 and 28, You equate looking at someone with lust with adultery. If we break one law, we’ve broken them all.
Now we’re not to just throw up our hands and give up. Through You, we can be victorious! But, as I said earlier, we have got to stop comparing ourselves to others. Someone else’s sin, no matter how heinous, is in no way worse than mine. Sin is sin. There is no such thing as little sins and big sins. Hating others because they are really bad sinners makes us guilty of sin as well (hate as an expression of our anger = murder).
Lord Jesus, help me to deal with my sin. Help me not to condemn others but, instead, to pray for them that they may turn to you as well.
(Aug 24th, 2016, Wed, 7:18 am)
June 9th, 2025, Mon, 7:39 am
A Christmas Break
This time of year is taxing – physically, mentally, and even spiritually. When we are weary, the devil doubles up on his attacks, wanting us to fall.
So, as I am want to do, I will take a short break from posting until sometime after the beginning of the year. I am going to take time to recharge and spend time with family, which, as Massey gets older, is something Karen and I cherish more and more.
So, for my last post of the year, I thought I would share our Christmas letter (2024) that we traditionally send out with our Christmas cards. My apologies to those of you who will already have read it, but to all, a most Merry Christmas!
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
Christmas greetings from the Fowler household!
It is hard to believe we are almost at the end of 2024! While some things remain the same, many things have changed over the last few years.
After one major back surgery about seven years ago and in an attempt to put off an even bigger one as long as possible, Karen has officially retired after 27+ years of teaching. We are very grateful that, at this point, she is able to manage her pain overall, and she is enjoying retirement.
We’ve had difficult transitions, too, in that Karen’s dad passed away a week shy of his 90th birthday in the spring of 2023. And then, her mom passed in May of this year. We still mourn our loss but rejoice in their gain. We look forward to a great reunion someday!
I am in my 6th year of driving a school bus and am officially recertified to drive for another six! If I can make it that long, the kids I first drove as kindergarteners will graduate! I also continue to pastor but added a third congregation in 2023! I preach at each church every Sunday morning, but thankfully, they’re not too far apart. The newest one is South Vernon and is actually in Mt. Vernon, whereas the other two are rural.
My parents are doing pretty well overall, but at this point in life, they struggle with multiple issues. We are grateful that they are still a part of our lives. Prayers for them are much appreciated.
After diligent searching, Massey is now happily employed! He is a Research Engineer in Computational Fluid Dynamics at the George H.W. Bush Combat Development Center (BCDC) in Bryan, Texas as part of The Texas A&M University System. He loves being back in Texas and is doing very well. We are grateful for his time with us post-grad. He was an invaluable asset to us on many fronts. We rejoice with him but wish Texas wasn’t quite so far away.
So, with that, Karen and I have once more settled into empty nester mode, but life continues to be full. Though many aspects of our lives may be status quo, our love for each other is fuller, richer, and sweeter as the days go by.
Our sincere prayer is that you are allowing God to be a part of your lives. As you strive to fulfill His calling upon your life, may His love and compassion fill you, splashing over onto all those around you! Nothing is more important than what we do with what He has given us – for we are all truly blessed.
With a never-ceasing love! Thom, Karen, and Massey
Dec 24th, 2024, Tues, 1:47 pm