Dear friend,
For months now I have written to you.
Letters on a screen. Words you read at the kitchen table, or in your chair before bed, or in the quiet of the early morning.
Many of you have written back. And many of you have asked me the same question.
Father, could we hear you?
Today I can finally say yes.
I have started a podcast. It is called The Father Thomas Podcast.
If you do not know what a podcast is, do not worry. It is simply a recording you can listen to. Like a radio program you can play whenever you want. In the car. In the kitchen. On a walk. Lying awake at night when the house is too quiet.
You do not need to read anything. You only need to listen.
A new episode comes out three times a week. Tuesday. Thursday. And Sunday.
There is a new one waiting for you today. You can listen to it here by clicking on the image below:
Alternatively, you may find it here: https://open.spotify.com/show/18Mu4AUZc59x8EfTTJEaxR
I want to tell you why I decided to do this.
In Romans chapter 10 verse 17, Paul wrote this.
Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Faith comes from hearing.
Not only from reading. From hearing. For most of history, that is how God's people received His word. They gathered. They listened. Someone read the Scriptures out loud, and the people heard them together.
In Deuteronomy chapter 6, God told His people to speak His words when you sit at home and when you walk along the road. When you lie down and when you get up.
Along the road. That is where many of you spend your days. Driving to church. Driving to the doctor. Driving to see grandchildren who live too far away.
I want to be with you on that road.
There is another reason. And I will be plain about it.
For years, the voices that speak for people like you have been pushed out. Off the big networks. Out of the newspapers. Sometimes off the internet entirely. If you believe in God, love this country, and stand with this president, you have been told again and again that your voice does not belong in the public square.
I do not accept that.
You deserve a voice that speaks to you with respect. That opens the Bible and looks honestly at the news, together, in the same breath. That does not mock what you believe or ask you to apologize for it.
That is what this podcast will be. Faith. The country. And these times we are living in. All three, every episode.
We are one month from the midterm elections. There is a great deal to talk about. I will be talking about it with you, three times a week, until then and long after.
These letters are not going anywhere. I will keep writing to you just as I always have.
The podcast is simply another way to be together. For the days your eyes are tired. For the long drives. For the nights when you would rather hear a voice than read a page.
I hope you will listen. And I hope it feels like what these letters have always tried to be.
Someone on your side. Opening the Book with you.
God bless you, friend. I will see you Tuesday.
With you in prayer always,
Father Thomas
Today I want you to do three things:
One. Listen to today's episode: https://open.spotify.com/show/18Mu4AUZc59x8EfTTJEaxR
Play it after church, with your afternoon coffee, or on a Sunday drive.
Two. Follow the podcast so each new episode finds you on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. If you are not sure how, ask a child or grandchild to show you. It takes two minutes. And it may be a good reason to spend those two minutes together.
Three. Think of one friend from church who would rather listen than read. Send them the link this week: https://open.spotify.com/show/18Mu4AUZc59x8EfTTJEaxR