Thomas Web-Zine
Past Issues for 2011
Worship
(November 2011)
Jesus said:
When you behold
Him who was not begotten of woman
prostate yourselves upon your face
and worship him;
that one is your Father. [logion 15]
Everyone worships. Today many worship money, power, beauty, celebrity, etc. While such forms of worship may appal you, they are powered by every type of media to such an extent that it can become an unconscious awareness. Most of us choose our religion and at the heart of all religions is the concept of worship. But are our religious meetings the same as the worship that Jesus describes?
more...
What's Water?
(September 2011)
There’s a little story about two young fishes swimming along when they meet a older fish swimming the other way. The older fish nods and says “Morning boys, how’s the water?” The two young fish swim on for a while and eventually one turns to the other and asks, “What the heck is water?”. The point of this story is that the most obvious, ubiquitous, important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about. This may seem a banal platitude, but the fact is that in our day-to-day living, banal platitudes can have a life-or-death importance. more...
Patina
(July 2011)
Patina is a tarnish that forms on the surface of metals, a sheen on wooden furniture produced by age, wear, and polishing; or any such acquired change of a surface through age and exposure. On metal, we usually call this 'rust' formed through weathering or neglect. And a patina will occur on other items through simple long-term usage i.e. 'wear and tear'.
Over time and through continual use a patina will form on everything. So it's
not surprising that each of us have our own unique patina. In the physical
world our bodies bear the marks of the passing years through the aging process
(rusting) and our various activities (wear & tear). As it is on the outside
so it is with the inside: our spiritual world has its patina.
more...
Vows of Marriage
(May 2011)
Two billion people watched the marriage ceremony of Prince William to Kate Middleton. It seems that the whole England embraced the occasion with street parties and family celebrations. Part of it is due of course, to the fact that William and Kate will eventually become our future King and Queen; but probably much was just an excuse to have a party. As far as the actual ceremony itself there really was only five minutes when the vows of marriage were declared; the rest was pure pomp. more...
Tipping Points
(March 2011)
Recent events in the Middle East and New Zealand show how chaos and confusion can erupt at any time. When such events occur, they disturb our equilibrium and our peace; it only takes a few seconds to see them to feel that you're standing in a different world. more...
Signs, Symbols, and Icons
(January 2011)
Bumper stickers adorned the car
in front and among these was the 'fish' symbol which indicated that the
car owner - or perhaps the car - was a Christian. 
What
exactly was this symbol trying to convey? Did it mean that the driver as
a practising Christian, would turn the other cheek if there was an unfortunate
collision?
Do we understand the meanings of the other signs, symbols, and icons that proliferate in our churches and worshipping communities? And what signs did Jesus mention in the Gospel of Thomas? more...
