Welcome to Rooted in Christ Journal

The Gift Came First

Rooted in Christ began with a request from my wife.

While studying grief and suffering at Luther Rice in a course taught by Dr. Ann Kerlin, I read letters people had written to a husband or wife who had died. They spoke about the sadness and anger of losing someone they loved, and about the years they had expected to enjoy together. Some wrote about plans they had made for what should have been the golden years of their marriage.

I decided to approach the assignment a little differently. I asked my wife to write a letter to me as though I had already died and gone to be with the Lord. I wanted to know what she would grieve and what she had hoped we would still do together. Were there dreams she had that I didn't know about? I wanted to hear those things while I was still here, so I could try to honor them while we still had time.

One of her requests was that I record my thoughts about my Christian walk. She wanted to be able to hear my voice again after I was gone. Someday, she hoped to share those reflections with grandchildren we don't yet have, and possibly with their children as well.

That's how these videos and articles began. They're a record of my present walk with Christ, what I believe the Lord has taught me, and what I'm continuing to learn. I want my wife and our future family to have something they can return to, even years from now, and hear what mattered to me as I walked with the Lord.

I hadn't originally planned to make a public ministry out of any of this. That came later, as I began thinking about others who might benefit from these reflections.

Why Share These Reflections Publicly?

As I began recording, I realized that other believers might be wrestling with some of the same questions I was asking.

Why can fear return when I know God is with me? When does temptation become sin? What does it mean to rest in Christ without becoming passive? And why do I sometimes find myself responding in familiar ways, even though I know what Scripture teaches?

These questions arise in ordinary life. A difficult conversation can stir up an old response. We may know that God is with us and still feel afraid, or find ourselves struggling to love someone who has hurt us. I've encountered these things in my own walk, and I suspect many other Christians have too.

That's what led me to begin sharing these reflections publicly. If something the Lord has taught me can help another believer understand Scripture more clearly or learn to depend on Christ in everyday circumstances, I'm grateful for the opportunity to share it.

I'm still learning, and I expect there will be things I understand better as time goes on. When someone points out an error or Scripture corrects something I've believed, I want to be willing to listen and make the necessary changes.

I love the old expression about being one beggar telling another where he has found bread. That's very much how I see what I'm doing here.

The Center of Rooted in Christ

The central conviction behind this journal is that Christ is our life.

Through faith in Jesus Christ, we've been joined to Him in His death and resurrection. Our old self was crucified with Him, sin's dominion was broken, and we've been raised to walk in newness of life. We've been accepted in the Beloved, and the Holy Spirit now dwells within us.

I spent years coming to understand what those truths mean for everyday Christian living. They have changed the way I understand obedience and my relationship with the Father.

God has already received us in His Son. We belong to Christ, and His Spirit is at work within us as we learn to walk in obedience. We can respond to temptation, face difficult circumstances, and love others from the life we've already received in Him.

We continue to experience weakness, and there are times when our responses reveal patterns we've followed for many years. Yet our union with Christ remains, and we're invited to depend upon Him in the middle of those experiences.

That's what I mean when I speak about the abiding life.

Union with Christ is something God has already accomplished. Abiding is learning to live in daily dependence upon the Christ to whom we already belong. Jesus' teaching about the vine and the branches in John 15 has become especially meaningful to me. A branch bears fruit because it remains connected to the vine and receives its life from it.

In much the same way, we learn to obey as we depend upon Christ through the indwelling Spirit. His life is the source of the fruit He calls us to bear.

Rooted and Built Up in Him

The name Rooted in Christ comes from Colossians 2:6–7:

"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith."

I love the simplicity of Paul's instruction. We received Christ by faith, and we're to continue walking in Him.

As we grow in our understanding of Scripture, we become increasingly familiar with what God has accomplished for us in His Son. We learn more about the Spirit's work within us, and we begin recognizing how the truths we've believed relate to the ordinary experiences of life.

The more I study these things, the more grateful I become for the life God has already given us in Christ.

What You Will Find Here

Rooted in Christ Journal contains Bible teaching, devotional reflections, personal testimony, and written companions to the videos on the Rooted in Christ YouTube channel.

Some articles take a close look at a particular passage of Scripture, while others begin with a question that arises in everyday Christian living. Often, the subject comes from something I've been considering in my own walk with the Lord.

You'll find reflections on union with Christ, the abiding life, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and the struggles believers encounter as they learn to live from Christ. Many of the articles consider familiar experiences such as anxiety, disappointment, temptation, and difficulties in our relationships.

I hope you'll read with your Bible nearby and take time to consider the passages for yourself. When something raises a question, follow it back into Scripture. There's great value in studying the Word together and learning from faithful pastors and teachers within the fellowship of the local church.

I also recognize that some of the difficulties we discuss call for the help of experienced medical professionals, and I value the care they provide.

My hope is that these reflections will be helpful as you continue growing in your knowledge of Christ.

Why "Believing Thomas"?

I publish under the name Believing Thomas.

I've always appreciated the account of Thomas after Jesus' resurrection. He struggled to believe what the other disciples had told him, and the risen Lord graciously met him in that struggle.

When Thomas saw Jesus, he answered:

"My Lord and my God!"

I recognize something of myself in Thomas. There have been questions in my Christian walk that took time to understand, and I've sometimes struggled to reconcile what I knew from Scripture with what I was experiencing.

I'm grateful for the patience of the Lord and for the ways He's continued to direct me back to His Word.

The name Believing Thomas reminds me that my confidence rests in the faithfulness of the One in whom I believe. I continue to learn what it means to trust Him in the circumstances of ordinary life.

About the Writer

My background includes an MA in Biblical Counseling from Luther Rice Seminary, exchanged-life ministry through Grace Fellowship International, and chaplaincy through the International Fellowship of Chaplains.

Those experiences have contributed to my understanding of Scripture and the ways I approach the subjects discussed here. I've benefited greatly from the teaching and friendship of other believers over the years, and I continue to value their counsel.

I hope you'll examine what I share in light of Scripture. I'm grateful when someone takes the time to ask a thoughtful question or offer a correction. My desire is to handle God's Word faithfully and help others discover the riches of the life they've received in Christ.

How These Reflections Are Prepared

I use AI tools, including ChatGPT, to help develop and edit articles and video scripts. I provide the theological direction and biblical passages, work through the material as it develops, and review the finished writing for faithfulness to Scripture. Some of the images accompanying the articles and videos are also created with AI.

These tools have been helpful in organizing my thoughts and preparing material that I can share more regularly. I continue to make editorial decisions about what I publish, and I take responsibility for the teaching presented here.

I mention this because I value being open with those who take the time to read or listen. The thoughts I'm sharing grow out of my own Christian walk and the things I've been studying and learning. AI has become one of the tools I use to help put those thoughts into words.

For My Family, and for You

I often think about the request that began all of this.

My wife wanted to preserve something of my Christian walk so that she and our future family could return to it someday. That still means a great deal to me, and I hope these recordings and articles will remain a source of encouragement to them long after I'm gone.

And if you've found your way here, I'm glad you have.

In a sense, you're sitting with my family and me as I share the things I believe matter most. I hope something you read will encourage you to open your Bible, consider what God has revealed about His Son, and grow in your understanding of the life He's given you.

Above all, I hope you'll come to know Jesus Christ more fully and learn to depend upon Him in the circumstances of your own life.

Thank you for spending some time here. Grace and peace to you in Christ.

The flesh copes.

The branch abides.

In His grace,
Believing Thomas

Contact: believingthomastoo@gmail.com