Genesis 4141 & Elegant Yard Sale

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08/22/2026

Is filtering yourself the same as censoring yourself?

Not necessarily.

Responsible candor does not ask us to abandon conviction or avoid difficult truths. It asks us to remove the reaction, exaggeration, needless injury, and avoidable error that may prevent our real message from being heard.

In this video, I explore what should happen between our first thought and the moment we press **Publish**. I also introduce a seven-part Responsible Candor Check:

1. Internal
2. Intention
3. Outcome
4. Credibility
5. Reception
6. Stewardship
7. Decision

The Substack companion includes the Responsible Candor Grid, a copy-and-complete creator’s worksheet, and a filter-buddy system for reviewing consequential, emotionally charged, or professionally risky material.

Read the complete Substack companion:
https://tomsims.substack.com/p/filtering-ourselves-is-not-censoring

Read the companion Medium essay, **Get the Better of Yourself**:
https://medium.com//get-the-better-of-yourself-587bac42a4f6?sk=5d3d4eb74158764c2119cd22e424d6f2

Find more of my writing, videos, and projects:
https://linktr.ee/tomsims

The question is not merely whether you have something to say. The question is whether you have filtered it enough to make it worth hearing.

08/16/2026

Summer may be winding down, but here in California’s Central Valley, we still have a “second summer”—one more chance to get out, explore, and enjoy what is close to home.

In my latest article for Kings River Life Magazine, I reflect on all those summer plans we meant to make and offer a few ideas for turning the remaining warm days into memorable ones. We may not be able to do everything, but there is still time to do something.

What Central Valley adventure would you like to fit in before summer finally slips away?

Read “Second Summer: One More Chance to Get Out in the Central Valley”:

https://kingsriverlife.com/08/15/second-summer-one-more-chance-to-get-out-in-the-central-valley/

08/15/2026

We can continue to be useful and cheerful as we age.

08/09/2026

Technology can help us become clearer, more accurate, and more polished.

But can we become too polished?

In this reflection, I talk about speaking, writing, Toastmasters, artificial intelligence, and something a recording-studio owner told me years ago. He said they were looking for “voices that have scars on them”—voices recognizable as human.

That idea seems even more important today.

AI can help us edit. Technology can remove the pauses, stumbles, filler words, awkward phrasing, and imperfections. Much of that is useful. I use these tools myself.

But I don't want to polish away the person.

Human communication includes vulnerability. Sometimes we stumble over a word. Sometimes we pause. Sometimes we laugh at ourselves, correct ourselves, and keep going.

So use the tools. Learn the craft. Count the ums and ahs. Check the facts. Get clearer. Get better.

But leave a few scars on the voice.

Read the full essay on Medium:
https://medium.com//voices-with-scars-on-them-062b70efeb46?sk=d94eebe9537fd3451624a23e134fce94

More from Tom Sims:
https://linktr.ee/tomsims

07/24/2026

Are you optimistic?

True optimism does not deny obstacles, ignore suffering, or chase fantasies. It believes that something better is possible—and then brings faith, initiative, time, energy, and hard work to the task.

Optimism is active hope. It looks honestly at the present while moving purposefully toward the best possible future.

https://pastortom.blog/2026/07/24/optimism-3/

07/11/2026

Big dreams may begin in the clouds, but trust is built on the ground.

A business may have a wonderful product. A church may have strong preaching and excellent programs. A professional office may have highly qualified people.

But what happens when someone encounters the restroom, nursery, website, check-in system, waiting room, or unanswered telephone?

People often evaluate the things they cannot see by the details they can.

My new video podcast and companion article explore why attention to detail is not just about perfection. It is about care, competence, hospitality, and trust.

Dream boldly. Plan carefully. The deal is often in the details.

Watch or read: https://medium.com//the-deal-is-in-the-details-turning-dreams-into-trust-018c7f3384a5?sk=7fcc1f153d2c202946aae4a6aaacd261



Get Coaching - https://calendly.com/coachtomsims

06/21/2026

Bread is not bait. Mercy is not manipulation. Compassion is not a strategy — it is the heart of Jesus.

In Matthew 14:13–36, Jesus feeds the hungry, meets frightened disciples in the storm, catches sinking Peter, and remains reachable to the desperate.

This Sunday, we will continue our journey through Matthew with the message:

When Compassion Walks on Water
Matthew 14:13–36

Join us live tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM Pacific Time for our Fellowship of Joy online service.

Watch here:
https://facebook.com/tomsims

Come as you are. Bring your hunger, your questions, your little faith, your storm, or even just your reach for the fringe of his garment.

06/17/2026

Doing pays well.

Proverbs 14:23 reminds us: “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”

The profit may not always be immediate money. Sometimes it is skill. Sometimes it is character. Sometimes it is momentum. But purposeful action always moves us forward.

Today’s assignment is simple: don’t just talk about it. Do something.

Read the full article on Medium:
https://medium.com//do-something-e3a5add34bed?sk=a65d27f0f3d6edd890449e80d1f6d6e0

More resources, articles, workshops, and encouragement:
https://linktr.ee/tomsims

06/07/2026

Is it possible to become so familiar with Jesus that we limit our capacity for real faith in Him?

To view the full message: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=3525722464258852

In Matthew 13:53–58, Jesus returns to His hometown. The people are astounded by His wisdom and deeds of power, but instead of receiving Him, they take offense at Him. They know His family. They know His trade. They know His village. But their familiarity becomes a filter that blocks their faith.

Matthew says, “He did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief.”

What might Jesus do in our villages, churches, homes, and lives if we stopped reducing Him to the Jesus we already think we know?

Join the Fellowship of Joy community on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/fellowshipofjoy

Read and reflect further on Substack:
https://tomsims.substack.com/p/when-familiarity-blocks-faith

More links and resources:
https://linktr.ee/tomsims

Thought / Discussion Questions
Where have I become so familiar with Jesus that I no longer expect Him to surprise, correct, or disrupt me?
What “box” have I built for Jesus that He may be refusing to occupy?
How can familiarity with religious language, church life, or Christian culture sometimes become a barrier to surrendered faith?
What might Jesus do among us if we moved from amazement to trust and from offense to honor?
Hashtags

05/24/2026

Some people spend years believing the whole world is against them — when the deeper problem may be the lens through which they are seeing life.

Using John Maxwell’s humorous “Limburger cheese” story, Aesop’s “sour grapes” fable, and reflections on attitude, bitterness, perception, and healing, this short meditation explores how disappointment can slowly become identity — and how changing our perspective can begin changing our lives.

A changed life often begins not with changed circumstances, but with a changed way of seeing.

Tom Sims
Workshops to Go

Resources & Links:
Linktree https://linktr.ee/tomsims'

Medium Companion Article - https://medium.com//when-the-whole-world-smells-bad-ccffb6645b80?sk=2ba4ed0b1b5db06be14aa31ca2228ed6

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