Blog posts by Joseph Thiessen

This is the first sermon I've posted from my church. It's been a couple of days since I heard it, so I won't do a full recap here.  Being raised in the church, and perhaps more so in the non-denominational charismatic, Rhema-type churches, verses 22-23 of Mark 11 has been co-opted to mean something altogether different than what I heard in this sermon. Mark 11:22-23 (ESV) And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ​‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Additionally, the verses in this sermon helped me to understand why Jesus cursed the fig tree, why he cleansed the temple, and that selling things in the temple was a provision set forth in the Torah. Being this cleared up so much confusion around these verses, I wanted to place this here in hopes that it will help you. The reading of scripture begins at 16:30 ...

At 27 years old, nearing the end of my college years, I followed my usual routine on Wednesday, June 18, 1997, and attended the youth group service at my church. As an assistant leader, along with another person close to my age, I helped wherever needed.   That night marked the beginning of extraordinary changes in my life. Looking back, many who were there would agree that God did amazing things during that time. However, as with many spiritual encounters throughout history, some lost their way and abandoned their faith. For me, this season remains a personal treasure. If God had ordained it solely for my benefit, it was still an incredible gift to my soul—one I will cherish all my days.   On this particular night, our youth pastor, Mark, felt led by the Holy Spirit to do something different. After the usual teaching time, he shared a message from Psalm 23. Although I don’t remember every detail of the teaching, the focus on the phrase from verse 5, “my cup overflows,” stood ...

When reflecting on how to prepare for lonely days—whether it’s a long weekend, a holiday, or an afternoon after church—my mind races in a thousand directions, considering all the reasons why loneliness is such a challenging emotion. Wisdom (and practical advice) offers many ideas and resources on how to occupy our minds, time, and energy. It would be wise to compile a list of solutions in advance—before sadness deepens into self-pity or depression. As a 55-year-old single man whose parents have recently passed and whose closest connections are now married and starting families, I find that my resourcefulness must be more targeted than ever. This stands in contrast to my teenage years through my late thirties, when I had a wealth of single friends readily available for hangouts, camping trips, and other activities. How we envision and experience Jesus can have either a net-negative or net-positive effect on our relational stability as we mature. For instance, if I don’t challenge my bel...

  Arriving soon in my contacts mailboxes is my latest update newsletter, and soon, I will be emailing those on my list that the PDF is available.  For those not on either list and would like to be, please use the link below to let me know, and I'll make sure you get my updates as they become available. Subscribe to Joseph's Jams

But [Jesus] said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.” Being a man having 47, XXY, I have encountered a number of temptations to believe I was less than masculine. While I didn't know about my genetic disorder until after I turned 40, something about my body invited me to think of myself in this way. My goal in writing this isn't to invite answers to where these thoughts came from, rather, I hope to bring to light that a special grace from our Creator is present to help us. While our experience of life is slightly different than other men (in our bodies, in our minds), God has made special provisions for us in scripture, letting us know that we are esteemed in His eyes. Not so that ...

My First Video Update I've made a short 5 minute 29 second video as my update. It encapsulates an overview of 2020 through now. I've had other really cool things happen that I haven't included in this video but hope to do another one soon. If this format works for the majority of us, I may continue to use it. I welcome your kind feedback. (Yes, I know I'm a bit of a dry, even-keeled speaker.) Pray I can learn to be a bit more upbeat. Thank you for taking the time to watch! ( Click the image to watch. )