Tom the Preacher

Have you ever had your heart broken? Most of us have, so if you haven't, watch out! It's coming! I found a vital answer that was right under my nose the whole time: We can't heal a broken heart, but God can! Join me for Today's Daily Word & Prayer to discover what you must do for God to heal your broken heart.

In Romans 5, Paul gives us three reasons to rejoice, glory, and exult. We tend to get excited about other things (temporal things) rather than these eternal truths. We need a change of perspective. But, we especially need that transformed thinking in one of these three reasons, because we typically think we should avoide it rather than rejoice in it. Join me for Today's Daily Word & Praye...

King David referred to God as "the Master of the Breakthrough." Just like water can break through a dam, God is able to break through when we are suffering and flood us with His grace, love, and joy. I experienced this yesterday! Join me for Today's Daily Word & Prayer to learn more.

Do you see the hurting people all around us? Jesus did, and He was moved with compassion for them. That compassion moved Him to action, both for Himself and His disciples -- and it should move us to action as well.  Join me for a special Labor Day message on Today's Daily Word & Prayer to learn more.

"I'm sorry for your loss, but she's in a better place now." For weeks after my wife passed, those words rang hollow. My pain was so great that I couldn't appreciate that Roz really was in a better place. My attention was fixed on the temporal rather than the eternal. Most emotional pain we feel after loss is like that -- fixated on the temporal. But as we learn to see the...

I come to you today from Roz's art studio, where she had some unfinished art projects. It's sad for me to see these, but I think God left them as a reminder of the importance of preparing for the end of life and realizing I don't have forever to accomplish what He's given me to do. Do you have unfinished business? Do you live with the realization that your race will one day be...

It's hard to be happy if your life has no purpose. Traumatic loss rocks our lives and can rob us of any sense of purpose we previously had. So, how do we discover, or rediscover, purpose once we've been through such a life-altering experience? The answer might be simpler than you realize. Join me for Today's Daily Word & Prayer to learn the answer.

Losing my wife closed a big chapter of my life. Looking back on memories, both pleasant and painful, makes me feel older. Do you want to get old? Most of us don't. But life happens, and God has a purpose for us even when age requires us to make changes. Join me for Today's Daily Word & Prayer to learn more.

If you've suffered great loss, you don't "move on" from it, nor does your life ever get "back to normal." You have a wound that will be with you the rest of your life. But that wound need not be debilitating. Rather, we integrate our pain and our loss into our life story as we move forward. I'm trying to do this, and I believe I will have a story to tell that wil...

Preparing for death is about a LOT more than writing a will and other end-of-life documents. Having recently lost my wife, I now believe that preparing for the grief and heartache of loss is far more important than how to distribute your financial assets. If you're married, you have a 50% chance of experiencing this terrible pain. Some people never recover from it. Join me for Today's Da...

Suffering loss is painful. It's only human to grieve over it. Some people get stuck in their grief, and it sours them for the rest of their lives. Others become sweeter through their painful struggles. In Today's Daily Word & Prayer, I will share some things I do to help restore happiness into my life that will help you gain insight into what you can also do to restore joy into your...

When traumatic life events, such as the loss of a loved one, occur, I believe we need to let the grief do its work. The pain has a purpose and can make you a better person. But if we're not careful, the pain can master us and we never recover so as to move forward. Sometimes wet need to make choices that will help us overcome the pain. Join me for Today's Daily Word & Prayer as I sha...

It's been two months since Roz passed. I've been flooded with emotions that I'm not used to . It's been the toughest two months of my life. Join me for Today's Daily Word & Prayer as I give an overview of some of these feelings and share why I'm beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel.

What do you do with regret after losing a loved one? They're gone, and now you can't correct or make right something you said or did, or didn't say or do. It's too late. These feelings can haunt you with guilt and lead to self-condemnation. There is a way out! I discovered it three days ago! Join me for Today's Daily Word & Prayer to learn how I found freedom from my r...

When your life has been shaken by unexpected trauma, it's important to find hope from God's word. He wants to speak to us in very personal ways from a book He gave us over 2,000 years ago! In today's Daily Word & Prayer, I share a very personal message God gave me (and confirmed to me) regarding my marriage, family, ministry, and future legacy. Join me to learn more.

When you're going through a tough time, your trial (your problem) can seem overwhelming. You can see it and you can feel it. It seems like it's bigger than God Himself, but it isn't. If you want to gain a true perspective of your problem, you must magnify God to see Him as He really is. Join me for Today's Daily Word & Prayer as we learn how to magnify God during our diffic...

No one wants to suffer. We see pain as a bad thing. But Scripture teaches us that this is a shortsighted way of thinking. As believers in Christ, we can actually see suffering as a good and positive thing because it yields beautiful results. Join me for Today's Daily Word & Prayer to learn more.

When grieving deeply over a loss (or any circumstance that seems overwhelming), it's one thing to make it through the day; it's another thing to wonder how we will make it through the next several years. In Today's Daily Word & Prayer, we talk about learning to trust God to take care of us one day at a time.

Devastating life circumstances wound us. They can become debilitating. Can we move forward in spite of our pain? I believe we can.  Join me for Today's Daily Word & Prayer as I continue to share beliefs I affirm each day that will help us come out better after a loss, trauma, or any other attack we've suffered.

Suffering loss and experiencing grief can make us angry at God and poison our soul with negativity. Hopefully, this is not the future you want. It's certainly not the future I want. Therefore, I've written down some affirmations of things I believe about my loss that I believe will help me move forward in life. Join me for Today's Daily Word & Prayer as I share three of these af...

Bad circumstances can be magnified in our minds, overwhelming us. I've experienced this quite a bit the past seven weeks, but I'm choosing to embrace affirmations that will enable me to see my loss in proper perspective and move foward with confidence and strength. Join me for Today's Daily Word & Prayer as I share on one of these affirmations. Scripture Used in Today's Mes...

When life throws us a curveball, we're tempted to think God isn't good. This is a test we must pass. That thought comes from our enemy, and the trap he sets has captured many; don't let it capture you! Join me for Today's Daily Word & Prayer to learn what belief we must affirm when circumstances force us into an uncomfortable place.

Losing a spouse, or any other major life trauma, hurts so deeply that we can magnify it above other truths that are just as important -- or maybe even more important. In Today's Daily Word and Prayer, I begin looking at some Affirmations I am making to help me regain perspective and move forward after my great loss.  2 Samuel 12:23

I had both ups and downs this past weekend in my journey of grief after losing my wife, Roz. Even though this grief is terrible, it can feel good that it makes me the center of attention (that was the down experience). But later that night, I shared the gospel and saw people come to Jesus (that was the up experience). It raises the question: which experience do I want to describe my life in the da...

Five weeks before God took her, my wife, Roz, wrote in her journal what she wanted to characterize her life before she would pass. It's pretty simple, it's what the world needs, and it's what you and I can give. Join me for Today Daily Word & Prayer to learn the answer.