Week 8 and 9 are now available
Please visit the Reading Schedule page to access week 8 and 9. Feel free to download it, print it, or just follow along on the daily blog posts.
Week 7 Day 2 – What’s at the Center?
Numbers 9:15-23
How did God lead His people in the desert? Did He sit down with Moses and map out a strategic plan for how they were going to systematically march on Canaan and take it over? No. God led His people with two fundamental principles. If we would simply follow these principles, much of the stress in our lives would be removed.
1. Live principle centered lives. God established the Law for His people so that the people could be whole and holy. It was a simple plan...obey and live. Admit that God has a much better plan for living than you do, give up trying to run your own life, and submit to the authority of scripture and the Holy Spirit which is at work in your life.
2. Follow the cloud. The first time this principle really came through clearly for me was when I read about it in Gordon MacDonald’s book Ordering Your Private World. He talked about the difference between being driven and being led. A driven person has specific, tangible objectives that he has set and has attached his self-worth and significance in life contingent upon the completion of these goals. He is driven to accomplish these goals at all costs. A led person has yielded her life to the authority of God. She wakes up in the morning and says, "Lord, how may I serve you today? What are my orders?" This doesn’t mean that she isn’t organized or doesn’t set goals and objectives for the plan of her week (that is a matter of personality type and time management issues). The difference between being driven and being led is one of the attitude of the heart.
In the book of Numbers the people of Israel did not know where they were going. None of them had ever been there before. They were trusting that God had their best interest in mind, so they simply "followed the cloud." As individuals, as families, and as a church, we need to continually check our hearts against these two principles. Are we submitting ourselves to the authority of God each day? Are we creating space in our lives, both individually and corporately, to clear out the clutter and distraction so that we can hear the voice of God and discern which direction the cloud is moving?
May we be a people that can see the cloud of God, discern where it is moving and, no matter where it goes or what the cost, may we have the courage to follow it.
Week 7 Day 1 – A Blessing
Numbers 6:22-27
Spend some time reading this blessing slowly. Read it out loud. Stop on each key word and ask yourself, "How is this aspect of God true or not true in my life right now?"
Bless -- to bless is the Hebrew word barak which means to bow before someone; to be for someone and not against. Do I feel like God is for me today?
Keep -- God is your guardian. He is the watcher and keeper of your life and your soul. Have you trusted yourself to God’s protection, or are you trying to defend yourself?
His face -- Here is the key to the gospel, the good news, of the entire Bible. God is facing you. In the Old Testament the image of facing someone was an image of showing that person that you loved them and were interested in their well-being and in having a relationship with that person. Think about our human relationships. When you are fighting with your spouse, friend, child, or parent, the natural tendency is to turn away from them. When we are in good relationship we turn toward them, open our arms to them, and draw them into a loving embrace. God is facing you. His arms are wide open. Your salvation is at hand in the strong, protective, loving arms of your Heavenly Father. Are His arms around you today?
Gracious -- of course the concept of grace follows quickly on the tail of the image of God’s loving embrace. That is because it is only on account of His graciousness that we can receive that embrace. An embrace from a mutual friend is wonderful, but the authentic embrace of forgiveness in the arms of someone whom we have truly offended is infinitely more meaningful. When God embraces us it is not because we deserve it, but because He has extended forgiveness to us, has cleansed us from sin, and is willing to restore our broken relationship. Are you receiving God’s grace in your life today, or are you allowing shame to stiff arm God?
Peace -- This is the final piece of the equation. When the strong arms of the father graciously embrace you, the result is peace. In that strong embrace nothing can harm you. You are not in conflict with God, you are not struggling with yourself, and you are safe from your enemies. This is peace, this is the Kingdom of God. Are you experiencing this peace today?
One more thought from this blessing. Many scholars see the Trinity present in this blessing. The Father is the strong protector. The Son is the means of Grace through which we have access to the embrace. The Spirit is the Spirit of peace through whom we experience the loving embrace and the daily walking in the Kingdom of God.
Now try saying this blessing to another person…and really meaning it. How does it change your outlook on that person?
May this meditation encourage your soul today.
Week 6 pdf is now available
We're staying one step ahead of the reading plan. Week 6 - Leviticus part 2 - is now available at the reading schedule page.
business cards?
I was printing up a new batch of business cards for Spot Studios and I thought it would be a good idea to get some made for VibbleSpace. Now that the site has gone to a Wordpress format, I feel more comfortable actually steering people to it. We'll see how it goes.
RefTagger from Logos
The brilliant engineers over at Logos have done it again. Now they have a program that allows instant Bible References for web pages. All I have to do is list a reference, like John 3:16, and the reader will be able to hover over it and read the passage. Very cool. Thanks, Logos.
New Vibble Under Construction
In preparation for a presentation to the Anoka Area Pastors meeting, I have been working on the first Vibble. This is the Vibble that introduces the underlying theme of VibbleSpace - the Overflow Principle. To view the current update, go to the VibbleSpace home page and click on the pot.
Steve’s “Credentials”
My name is Steve Thomason. For some reason God thought it would be funny to cram the mind of a cartoonist and the mind of a Biblical Studies/Theology teacher into the same head. I've spent my whole life trying to figure that one out.
You are probably wondering what gives me the right to write about the Bible and Theology. Well, I don't have any more right to do it than anyone else. I don't claim to have it "right" nor do I claim to be "edgy" or profound. I simply love to study and write about it...and draw funny pictures to help wrap my mind around it. Over the years, in different contexts, people have seemed to appreciate the funny pictures that have accompanied the teaching. So, I thought I'd share what I have with you.
As far as credentials go, here's my official "resume" or "curriculum vitae" (depending upon which circles you travel)
Ministry Experience
Director of Spiritual Formation - Grace Lutheran Church, Andover, Minnesota 2010 -
My responsibility is to come alongside the Grace congregation to educate, equip, and empower them to establish a philosophy and practice of spiritual growth that will fill them deeply with the love of God and overflow God's love to the community.
Lead Pastor - Hart Haus, Henderson, Nevada- 2002-2007
Hart Haus was an experiment in House Church. I moved from the mega church environment to the micro church environment. During these five years I wrote thousands of pages of daily Bible Studies for our people.
Associate Pastor - Central Christian Church, Henderson, Nevada - 1994-2002
Central Christian was a "mega" church that grew from 350 people in 1985 to over 8,000 people when I left in 2002. I served as a volunteer there from 1990 - 1994. From 1995-96 I was a part-time staff member. From 1997-2002 I was on staff full-time. During my time on staff at Central I served in several different roles:
- Men's Pastor
- Director of Adult Education
- Director of Adult Ministries (Small Groups)
- Curriculum Writer
Academic Credentials
M.Div. (Masters of Divinity) - Bethel Seminary, St. Paul, MN - 2002
B.A. Art - Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL - 1990
Teaching Experience
Adjunct Instructor - Bethany University, Las Vegas, NV - 2002-2007
At Bethany I taught the following courses:
- Life and Teachings of Jesus
- Paul and Spiritual Formation
- New Testament Foundations
- Theological Foundations
- Contemporary Spiritualities
- Intro to Spiritual Formation


