Vacation Bible School is in the past now for 2006. At first glance, I would say we were successful in terms of meeting kids and parents who are not part of a church anywhere. And to report from last week's blog, I can say we did not lose one child. Those two things make VBS 2006 a success. A huge public thank you is in order for every person who played a role in this year's school. This was a true group effort from the directors down to the helpers in each age group. I deeply appreciate everything that you did in making this an A+ VBS.

Our students are in Dallas this week doing inner city mission work. It was not easy but I did send my daughter off for her first taste of student ministry missions. As of this writing, all is going well with no major problems. Join me in praying that eternal lessons are learned while this group tackles the everyday detail of ministry. They will return on Friday afternoon. We are looking forward to hearing what God does in their life.

One last bit of housekeeping is in order. This Sunday will be "God and Country" day here at FBC Tatum. We will have a special service in the morning followed by "dinner on the ground." This is somewhat of a tradition we observe in our church. We realize many may begin their holiday vacation early. IF you are in town, please be a part of this day. We will not meet in the evening for services.

My prayer is that you will have a super summer this year. I also hope that you will use this time wisely to renew your faith. School will begin again before we know it. Please make time in your summer plans to spend time with our Lord. He is more than willing to share His summer with you.

Bro. Trey

We are now two days into VBS. So far, we haven't lost a child yet! The week is not over yet, but I would say odds are good that we will not misplace a one. Seriously, I really enjoy this week. There are sounds and smells that we will not have the rest of the year. Children's voices echo throughout the hallways. Laughter is inside and out during recreation. Coffee aroma drifts down in the building from our teachers going for that second wind. Music comes from our kids learning new songs. VBS may be wild but it is always worth it.

I tend to wander a lot during the week. Nothing is better than watching students stick their feet in icy water to retrieve marbles. If you never get the opportunity to share a snack with 4-5 year olds then you miss a great time. Today I rocked one of our favorites to sleep back in the nursery. Guess those dad skills don't go away with time. Seeing the whole school at work is an amazing thing. Our directors, teachers and helpers are doing excellent work. We should all be proud of them.

VBS is what church is all about. It's about taking chances. It's about risking failure only to find success. It's about doing the unusual just so we touch a life. I would wish that we could use this same creativity on a regular basis. Far too often we just do the same thing over and over. Is it no wonder that we see the same results? Pray much for this week. Pray that on Friday night we open our doors to parents who are receptive to our Lord. Make your schedule to be here on that night at 6:30 to meet and greet families that are outside our church. Ask God to pour Himself out among us. Thank you to everyone who is making this a great week.

Bro. Trey

I hope those of you who are part of FBC, Tatum are busy praying these days. We are in the midst of 3 weeks that can change lives. Our G. A.'s are off in camp this week. Every year we send these girls with the hope that our Lord will touch their hearts and minds. Some may decide to become followers of Jesus. Some may decide to use their lives in a special way for our Lord. This should motivate us to spend much more than our casual time praying.

Then next week we will begin our Vacation Bible School. Our ladies are busily putting up the decorations around our building. Hours of preparation go into this one week of the year. Please pray that we can reach as many boys and girls as possible. VBS offers almost one year's worth of bible study compacted into one week. This is a week that can be just as significant as a revival meeting. I can only hope you are also busy praying for this.

The last week of June will be when our students go to Dallas for a week of mission work. This is not going to be missions in the wealthy areas of the city. This will be on the cutting edge of a very difficult neighborhood. I know that I am praying for this week. I will be sending my daughter along for her first outreach effort. Not only can our students affect others but they in turn can be changed by what God does with them there.

This is a tremendous opportunity that we have. This is something not every church gets the opening to try. Do you realize that three weeks from now that God may absolutely shake us through these efforts? What a loss if we do not look to Him for this blessing. Put these things at the top of your to do list. Pray as if the success of these days depend on it. The truth is that it really does.

Bro. Trey

Someone reminded me today that the point of having a blog is to use it! It seems like it takes a few days to put the updates on here. Part of that is just me making time to write. Part of it has been a lack of time to write. My last post related the mess of the parsonage due to remodeling. As of now, we are putting things back together. Three rooms were swapped out in the process as both my son and daughter moved to new rooms. Everything that fit in one room just doesn't seem to fit in the other. The final touch is of course the painting of rooms that is sure to come in the near future.

It is much too easy to let time get away. Even those who can juggle their time can end up wondering where it went. Those who are wise learn to measure time by purpose not by the hours in a day. Purpose is behind the last book of the Bible that we call Revelation. Most people read the book with the idea that its about the "end times." It is so much more than that. John writes about a great deal more than time. He writes about the God who is bigger than time. The God described in Revelation is past, present and future all in one.

Make the most of your time this summer. Never forget that God is not one who takes a vacation. You can always know He is in the midst of any moment if you are sensitive enough to notice. Leave time during the day to read or reflect on God through His word. Stay open to the opportunities of ministry to people around you. I would hope you would end the summer not talking so much about where you went but about what you discovered about faith. The best time to begin...is now.

Bro. Trey

My family is a mess! In fact, my house is a mess! There is no better word to describe the clutter around the parsonage than one big mess. New floors are going in this week at the house. All the furniture in 3 rooms are piled into one room. Tonight I saw my cat scaling a bed mattress as if she were King Kong! This was not nearly as impressive as her expression on her realization it was just as long a way down. Renovating or remodeling is a quest to discover how much pain and clutter one can live with until completion. If we just went as far as the piles were stacked then it could be most people would live with houses only halfway renovated. Every area of my body hurts tonight. My sinuses are totally messed up. I can only look forward to the next round of asprin before bedtime. This better be worth all the upheaval.

Churches like ours will usually say that we want revival. What we do not want is the divine upheaval it brings. The very nature of revival means that the old must be discarded so our Lord can renovate the clutter of life. This is why the oft quoted verse in 2 Chronicles states that God's people must turn from their wicked ways to seek God. Renewal like remodeling is never pain free. It is never without the uncovering of the clutter which clogs the flow of the Spirit. We must face our grudges with others. We deal with the failures in our personal walk with God. We go through our God confronting us about how we arranged our lives without His direction. When we say we want revival what we tend to mean is, "God, bless MY mess." If we want to pray for a true awakening of the Spirit then we must allow Him to do as He wishes with our lives for His good. This type remodeling is always worth the upheaval.

Bro. Trey