What do you write about when you don't know what to write about? Most teachers would say take something you know and expand on it. It is the advice that I give my daughter on some of her assignments in school. Thinking about that led me to a desire to blog about some of my life story. Perhaps it will seem boring to some readers. I doubt there will be any deep spiritual truth at the end. Maybe some who read can identify or at the least understand.

My story begins in the hurricane ravaged city of New Orleans. I made my arrival in the middle of the night on May 27, 1961. My comment is usually that I do not remember my last trip to Mardi Gras. The reason for the forgetfulness is that I was about 3 when we left. My father was in medical school when I was born. We then traveled several places in Louisiana and elsewhere when he was drafted into Vietnam. My "wonder years" were spent in Linden, Texas. It is there that I went to school and graduated in 1979. It was a terrific place to grow up back then. There is a whole book in the characters that passed through town in those days. I cannot say that my days there were always perfect. However, the town and the people are a huge part of who I am today. We left there in the fall of 79. I was in college when we moved. I actually needed to call to my new home for directions!

I do alot of looking back now that I am 45. Most of that reflection is in trying to decipher the who, how, and what in the person I see in the mirror every morning. I am also increasingly aware of how parents and peers go a long way in shaping personality. We cannot totally escape our experiences of childhood or adolescence. About 10 years ago I began to realize that we cannot rest there either. Sure there are some very unhealthy issues that I wrestle with still at this time. With a great deal of praying, reflection and therapy I began to understand that God's purpose for life is far larger than any wounds or scars. We are all wired to be new creations because of our Lord's role in life. He will use both blessing and bruising to make that happen. I pray that we can all learn that as we go along.

Bro. Trey

What is a Baptist in today's world? This is the question I am asking myself in recent days. It began after I stumbled onto some blogs that are wrestling with issues within our Baptist group. Every day I try to read a few of these blogs just in order to remain current on the conditions in our denomination. Last week I attended a meeting in Mesquite dealing with some issues about our state convention. The name baptist means so many different things today. When I started in this journey over 25 years ago it was not nearly so complicated. If you were a Baptist it meant you could pretty well connect with anyone else who shared that name. Today there are as many different types of Southern Baptists as their are varieties of cars. It sure is hard to figure out where we belong now.

I grew up in the traditional Southern Baptist church in Linden, Texas. We believed in the Cooperative Program, Lottie Moon and Vacation Bible School. If you got those three things down then you were a duly deputized Southern Baptist. You may not be aware but the Cooperative Program is slowly being changed into something I do not recognize. In our great state of Texas there is not one state convention now but two! The wonderful seminaries where I did graduate study look nothing like they did when I attended. Even now, missionaries that we revered in the past are scrutinized for every theological position possible. Seminaries that served as institutions of learning are fast becoming "one note" schools that teach less than indoctrinate.

When I look at us here at FBC Tatum, I see terrific people who strive to live life in the likeness of Christ. We are sadly far from perfect but we do much better now than before. We never changed the type of Baptist we want to be. We gave over $2300 to Lottie Moon this year. We contribute a large portion of the Association budget every year. We will absolutely have Vacation Bible School this summer! We never moved in our Baptist heritage. We never will. We are going to be the Baptists that desire to follow our Lord as we understand scripture. As Baptists we believe the local church is the ultimate authority in denomination life. We will not alter that approach one iota.

You are welcome to go to the blog aintsobad.typepad.com. for more insight on where I am as well as others in understanding Baptist life now. I interact on a regular basis with Rick Davis who serves as Pastor of FBC Brownwood. Please know the best thing you can do is to keep after our mission here. The best is still yet to come.

Bro. Trey

Last night I saw something on Sportcenter that was both inspiring and a bit frightening. Allow me to set the stage for this. Bruce Pearl is the men's basketball coach at the University of Tennessee. He appears to be a bit older than me. This is the school where the women's basketball program tends to be the dominant sport. Pat Summit is the coach of the women's team and has won all kinds of championships through the years. Last night the women's team played Duke in a battle for who will be number one. As game time approached, Bruce Pearl came down the aisle to lend his support for his fellow coach. He came in the traditional attire of the students who attend the games. Bruce Pearl was shirtless as well as painted up in orange paint all the way to his face! This drew a huge reaction from the thousands of fans in attendance. Pat Summit came over to thank him for his willingness to look a bit foolish to support his fellow coach. To say this caught my eye is an understatement. I wonder how far we are willing to go to support fellow believers in life? We too are on the same team. We also need one another. I need you. I hope that you need me. We do not need to go to extremes like Coach Pearl. We can decide to make fellowship something more than a meal of fried chicken. We can decide to make it the priority of life. Believers do not often fail because of a changed theology. They mostly fail due to feeling alone. Perhaps we can learn something from a game for the mission of life ahead of us.

Yes, I know I just finished a big ole blog entry! However, I am reading a number of other blog sites in recent days. All of these deal with the current conditions in Southern Baptist life. I find them stimulating in many ways. I cannot tell you whether or not I agree with everything that these men write. I do know they are earnest in their efforts. There is no evidence that says they are not seeking God's will in their endeavors. Read them at your own risk. You will be challenged if not a bit changed along the way.

baptistblog.wordpress.com

spiritualsamurai.typepad.com

aintsobad.typepad.com

sbcoutpost.com

These blogs are far different than what I want to do with mine. I hope you find them as interesting as I am.

Bro. Trey

What do you call an army that never goes into battle? That is the question I uncovered in reading I Samuel 17 the other day. We are looking at the life of David on Sunday nights. Last night our topic was on that epic confrontation between David and Goliath. I was struck by a statement prior to that moment concerning the armies of Israel. I Samuel 17:20 describes those armies doing all the things to be ready for battle. They even offer up a war cry. However, it never says they ever went to deal with the enemy.

Can you imagine all the time they spent in strategy sessions? Perhaps they studied the enemy in depth seeing as Goliath was hard to miss. I am sure they spent many hours polishing their shields and sharpening their spears. Could it be they organized into neat lines in preparation for conflict? It says they even gave the war cry. I have no doubt after days of rehearsal it was in excellent harmony. The problem is they never went into battle.

I cannot help but see a portrait of how the church operates. We know how to organize into strategy groups. We sing songs that remind us of how big God is and how we are to enter into battle. We talk about how many are in the army more than we enter into the conflict with the enemy. We do more to keep the troops content than confront the ills of those ensnared by Satan. Too often, we compare stories of being prepared not being engaged in living our lives on the firing line.

All it took was one young shepherd named David to take down the giant. He didn't look the part of a mighty warrior on the outside. God knew David's heart was tuned to His. So this young shepherd used what he knew to slay God's foe. It just takes one person in tune with God to take up the cause of Christ to make a difference. Will we polish our shields or will we take the risk to enter the conflict?

Bro. Trey

Years ago, I put together a sermon on "How to Please the Pastor." John writes on what he is looking for from his church in his first letter. Ever wonder what would make a pastor happy? I suppose that could vary from one pastor to another. We are all wired differently in terms of what are the gifts and motivations God gives. Now I am going to assume that someone might be curious as to what moves me internally. Here is a partial list at best.

The one thing that gets my pulse racing faster that most anything is when God's people get "it." I realize that will be unique to every person. When someone begins to deepen their relationship with God it makes me happy. We cannot always be spoon fed by others. Growth means being mature enough to go one on one with God Himself. When someone begins to use the gifts given by God then I get happy. Our congregation is filled with gifted people. Some just do not know their gifts. Some know but choose not to use their gifts. A rare few take the risk to use their gifts in service to others. That is when God moves not only in the life of the gifted but also in the life of the one who receives.

A huge thing that makes me happy is when people are mature in their life to develop relationships with grace. There is not a one of us who is not touched by hurt from someone we trusted. The easy approach is to just blame others, be bitter, or become chronic complainers. Is that really the way our Lord defined relationships? He talks of forgiveness for those who hurt us. He speaks of us using words that build up not tear down. He exhibits the divine grace even when there are those around Him wanting His death. I wish we could learn to be as patient with others as He is with us.

Bro. Trey

A happy Tuesday to everyone! I hope you are getting back to the routine after the holidays. We are still carrying out boxes of Christmas decorations. At least the kids are back in school so there is time in my house where it is quiet. The sad thing is now parents around the area are counting down the days until school ends. Let me give you some of the odd pieces of news that caught my attention the last few days.

We all know how the Dallas Cowboys season ended on Saturday night. Yes, I made it a point not to mention it on Sunday. The Dallas Morning News reported that only five people were at the airport to welcome the team home. Think about that for a few minutes. How many would that number be if they win? I tip my hat to those five people who got out in the middle of the night to greet the plane. In my opinion, those are the true fans. It's easy to get out to celebrate when things go right. You learn who your friends are when times are tough.

Sunday's paper carried an interesting note. I know there is a sermon illustration here but I am a bit leary of trying to find it. Gothic rock singer Marilyn Manson (yes, he is male...I think) is getting divorced from his equally bizarre wife. I won't mention her name because this is at the least a PG rated blog. He is beyond strange. I wonder about her since she married the guy. The best part is the reason listed for the divorce...irreconciable differences! Give that news some thought. Just don't think on it for too long. How do two equally weird people end up with irreconciable differences??

Have a terrific Tuesday. I will keep on the lookout for those unique items to share with you.

Bro. Trey

Happy New Year to all! I do hope this year of 2007 will be your best ever. Thank you to everyone who made 2006 a great year. No doubt some of us struggled with real issues at work, home and in our spiritual life. We have more than a few who are carrying some of those burdens into the new year. Our best action is to be diligent with our praying for those in need. Life does not always get better with a change of the calendar. However, there is no limit to a life with a rich relationship with God.

I only made one resolution for the new year. I resolved not to make any resolutions! Most of us know the old saying about the road to you know where being paved with good intentions. Actions always make the difference in living a God centered life. Perhaps the question is not what do we want to do different but what are we willing to do different.

Someone defined repentance as the refusal to repeat past mistakes. This is never easy. We first deal with the denial that blinds us to reality. Then we will learn one day at a time to develop new habits. Repentance is not a solitary moment. It is an ongoing process in every area of life. Let us not simply hope 2007 is a better year. Let us be the people who make it better everyday.

Bro. Trey