How Can You Be Good in a World That Isn’t?
Christ and the Apostles taught us to be good even when the world isn’t. I think it can be safely said that we probably would not be here if we did not think that the following the example of Christ and living out those teachings is worthwhile. The list in today’s reading is pretty significant:…
Read More Critical Moments of Faith
Two young North Korean men were walking down the road when soldiers confronted them. The soldiers grabbed one of the men, knocked him to the ground, and accused him of being a Christian. He did not deny the accusation. He just looked directly at his friend’s eyes, and with a peaceful look on his face,…
Read More God Knows Where You Are
[I delivered this message several years ago at Christmas, but I just have a sense that someone needs to hear it now. The message is universal. A special recognition for Pastor Ken Gaub who provided much of the content and inspiration. The title is his and much of the description of his personal story for which…
Read More How Do We Respond When Bad Things Happen?
The human condition is marked by suffering. To catalog all of the bad things that can happen to any one of us would take a lifetime and I’m not sure even then it would be complete. Everyone suffers. Some more than others. Some much more than others. And there is an overwhelming temptation to ask…
Read More Kingdom Alignment: My Plans And Desires
Reading Time 3.5 Minutes “God bless my plan.” For a very long time I have said this mockingly as an example of exactly the type of prayer we should not pray. Living a Christian life requires us to surrender our lives to Christ, which means we live according to his plan and not ours. I…
Read More Getting the Message
The grocery seems to be a place where I find the Kingdom more easily. My most recent experience occurred a few days ago. As I entered the checkout line I saw that the young woman bagging the groceries had an almost rigid mask for her face. That was when I could see her face at…
Read More New Release Contributes to the Popular Appalachian Literature Genre
“Over the past couple of decades, Appalachian literature has developed a strong and close relationship with independent publishing, showing the latter to be an important medium for the expression for Appalachian voice,” writes Kristopher Clifford in a master’s thesis in 2007. A new release, Former Things Forgotten, by Thomas Trezise, published by the hybrid Redemption…
Read More Pray Like Tevya
In high school, I had roles in two productions of Broadway musicals. I didn’t even sing, but they gave me the bug. Since then I’ve had a love affair with Broadway. One of my favorite musicals is Fiddler on the Roof. If you are unfamiliar with it, the musical tells the story of a Jewish…
Read More Welcome, I'm Tom
I'm Tom Trezise a retired lawyer and corporate executive with over twenty years of experience as a Methodist lay preacher. Raised in Appalachia, I proudly call myself a hillbilly at heart. I'm the executive director of The Everyday Kingdom, a non-profit devoted to fostering a community that helps people find and experience the peace, purpose, and joy available from living every day in Christ’s kingdom.