We remember voices as human beings. There is something about the connection between two people that can be measured in a voice. One of the things that my children heard even moments after birth was my voice. For the first year of their life, my goal was to keep saying their name in tones they could recognize. Perhaps it was my pride showing but my hope was they would know who "dad" is as soon as possible. We all have emotional or mental responses to particular voices. Even voices that are similar to ones in our experience can lead to a wide spectrum of feelings. Sometimes those emotions are painful, negative and destructive. Sometimes those emotions can be warm, pleasant, and even loving. A single voice can take us in a variety of thought and feeling.

Baseball on the radio is the voice of summer for me. My childhood memories include tuning into a radio station on the AM dial to hear a game broadcast from St. Louis or Houston. Jack Buck would be carried along the airwaves into my bedroom in Linden, Texas. Saturday afternoons were marked by the game of the week on television. Vin Scully would deliver the play by play every week in his own unique style. That was over thirty years ago and his voice is still a voice that says it is summer. With our new satellite dish, my summer will again hear that voice as Scully broadcasts Dodger games. My eyes closed the other night while he called the game by himself with no other broadcaster to assist him. It felt like summer once again even though the calendar says it is still April. One of the roots for my passion for the game lies in the voices of the men who tell the story of what is happening on a nightly basis.

The application is about hearing God's voice. We talk a lot about praying but very little about God talking back to us. People in the Bible heard God talk to them on a regular basis and never felt they were odd. We end up being timid because some who say they hear Him truly seem a bit "off." Our fear is in being pegged with such a label. But the truth is that growing as a follower of Jesus means hearing Him speak to us. He does not speak in Greek or Hebrew but in ways we can understand. Perhaps it is similar at the beginning to my talking to my infant children but it does grow. Today my communication with my daughter is the process of developing that rapport over nearly 15 years. You may hear God speak as you read scripture alone in a quiet place. You can hear God speak when you reflect after a time of praying. You might even hear God speak while in conversation with others. One of my biggest decisions occurred in such a way. God speaks to His own today. Do His own listen anymore?

Bro. Trey

Text messaging is the language of the present as well as the future. My daughter dragged me into it even though you can call me technologically inept. It is when you use the keys on your cell phone to type out messages to others. Teenagers may be able to text message even better than handwriting or typing. Go to any school function and watch teenagers bent over their phones typing in coded messages to each other. Look at them after school headed to the bus or to their cars as they read the messages left for them during the day. My first entries into this new world of language were laughable to say the least. Over the last few weeks my ability is showing improvement. It began using messages already loaded into my phone. Now my original notes make some sense to my daughter when sent.

My education over the years included the English, French, and Greek languages. Now it seems there is yet another to be learned. The typing is still slow. One problem is my fingers are not made for the small keys. Plus, there are short cuts to the words so you don't type too much to send to someone. This means that text messaging comes with its own language. There are also rules to interpret those messages to avoid being confused. No one wants to get the wrong idea from a text message. This is the time we live in now. How we adjust could be a matter of survival or at the least avoiding embarrassment!

The application is about praying. We have unlimited resources to communicate with others. Our Father said to talk to Him only takes praying. It does not even matter what language you use when you pray. God doesn't ask us to assume that "holy tone" when we talk to Him. Our everyday voice works just fine with God. Can you imagine if we talked to our Father as much as we text messaged? By the way, He will not respond in a language beyond our understanding. He may answer us directly if we care to listen. He may speak to us through scripture if we make the time to read. He may even say something to us as we converse with others if our heart stays open to Him. So far, my experience says that He probably wont send a text message to our cell phones. But who knows if He won't just do that? If God spoke through a donkey in the Old Testament, He may be saving some more unusual ways to get our attention. The ultimate point of prayer is not just in our talking but also in our listening. So check your cell phone, maybe God is going to answer your prayer in a text!

Bro. Trey

Can anyone really wonder at the existance of evil in the world? Fiction writers such as Stephen King are able to take the common events of life and create literary nightmares for his readers. Movies play out the drama of the unsuspecting hero who is drawn into a conflict with evil that sets the theatre on the edge of its seats. Even one of the oldest stories that will be read by high school students across the country is a fantastic account of evil personified. Beowulf is that ancient story of the mortal man against an evil beast who defies taming. No matter how far we move forward in education or philosophy we still struggle with evil.

Last week it was a radio personality who was drawn to use vile terms to describe a women's basketball team. What may be worse is the terms he used are words made popular in music that millions of teens and adults hear each day. And yes, it is true that so many who protested that language also use terms just as vile for those who oppose their viewpoint. The sad thing is those are not the only words thrown around today by people to describle those who aren't like them. Every ethnic or social grouping seems to have its own code to put down in the worst way possible those who are different. Evil doesn't play favorites or know social boundaries. It works equally no matter our standing in the community.

Millions of people stayed glued to the news today over the deaths of at least 33 people on a college campus in Virginia. There is no word for it other than evil. At this point, it seems one solitary person wrecked hundreds if not thousands of lives for reasons unknown. No matter how many security precautions are taken there is always a way for someone to violate those limits to do violence. Evil was planned today to the point that chains were found around doors so victims could not escape. Young men and women who were guilty of nothing other than choosing to seek an education will be laid to rest in these days to come. These are the acts of evil than anger us. These are the acts of evil that seem beyond a human capacity to fathom. But make no mistake about it, this is not the last act of evil we will witness.

Jesus understood the human heart. He knew what lies within the heart since He created it in the beginning. He watched over the centuries from His vantage point how much damage one human could do to another. He then entered the human drama to remind us of the truth that real evil lies in our heart. The warning was that we should be responsible for our actions. The offer was to allow God to change the heart into His image. Even His death portrays just how far man will go to pursue its selfish goals. While Jesus hung on the cross forgiving those around Him there were many calling for more carnage for Him. There is no lasting hope for evil in our world without God's help. There is no possibility for peace in any people except for the peace born of a right relationship with God. Without His presence we are also potential workers of evil among people we know or even love. How many attend church or try to follow Jesus who are suffering the effects of another's evil act? What is so unreal is the source of our healing for evil is the place where its full power is displayed. We must go always to the cross for the elimination of evil. There is no other possible solution for healing. He must take our evil at the cross and exchange it for His grace. May it happen in Virginia. May it happen in your life.

Bro. Trey

How close is still not close enough? Is it possible to wrap yourself in the trappings of Easter yet miss it completely? The answer lies in the original Easter event. Take time to read about the last hours of the life of Jesus to see how many were close but not close enough. Tomorrow morning, churches will fill with people dressed in new clothes yet who live old lives. Children will scurry across yards to hunt for the elusive egg. Families will gather to dine on meals that took more planning than it will time to eat. Sermons will be delivered to crowds not to be seen for another year. Just like those original characters in the gospels, we are reminded that being close is not close enough.

Think of Simon Peter that fearless disciple who has the courage to slice off an ear at Jesus arrest but lacks the heart to admit his loyalty. Simon Peter bragged of how he would never deny Jesus. The downfall begins in the statement that "Peter followed at a distance" after the arrest. No doubt Peter could see what was going on in the trial of his Master but he remains too far removed in heart. Three times the opportunity arises for him to defend his honor and three times he falls miserably short. It is then he hears a rooster crowing. To the rooster it was normal to announce the arrival of a new day. To Peter it is the most awful sound he could hear. Mark's gospel says, "when Peter thought about it, he wept." He was so close, but not close enough.

There are soldiers who are close to Jesus in His last hours. They hear each word uttered by the Messiah. They carry the weapons of torture. The wager their meager income on His clothing. Only one sees the truth of the moment. Only one soldier is recorded as knowing Jesus IS the Son of God. Max Lucado states these soldiers were "close to the cross but far from Jesus." How unreal that so many can see the composure of Jesus yet not have a clue of the reality of His claims. They are so busy doing their job with glee that they neglect the vision of God right before them.

Some of us believe Pilate was close but not close enough. His cruelty and neurotic behavior is historically recorded. However, John records a man who is struggling with truth. Matthew tells us how Pilate's wife begs him to do nothing to harm Jesus. Some ancient historians report Pilate eventually converted to the Christian faith in his later years. All of this makes Pilate a fascinating figure to me. However at this moment he is close but not close enough for faith. His openness to Jesus, his struggles with the evidence, his own resistance to those who called for death is not near enough to give him hope in this moment. Sure it is a good thing to be curious or open to Jesus but is it really enough?

Wherever we find ourselves in the Easter story we are left with only one valid choice. We must say yes to all the story tells us. We must say yes to the One who displays the love of God in dramatic detail. We must not wander far from Him as we follow in life. We must not surround the holiday with the trappings of Easter if we do not get the truth. We must never settle for being curious or open when faith calls for a greater commitment. So...how close are you?

Bro. Trey

No one but Jesus knew what laid in store for Him as the disciples ate supper together on that Thursday night. He tried to help those followers understand what would be the end of His earthly life on several occasions. Even the one who left the meal early to arrange for the arrest of Jesus could not imagine all that his actions would set in motion. The remaining men expressed their loyalty no matter the circumstance with an arrogance soon to be shattered by soldiers with swords. How lonely must those hours be for our Lord? He not only carries the literal weight of the world on those shoulders but He lives the last hours reminded of humanity's frailty.

Even after the meal, there will be that time where Jesus searches the deepest part of the Father's heart. All week the prevailing opinion rested in Jesus' favor until now. Just a few days before the crowds celebrated His arrival in the city with a demonstration fit for a king. Somewhere during this Thursday night the tide would turn until the same crowd would cry out for His death. The voice of that crowd would drown out reason, logic and law to send Jesus to His death.

Thursdays often are just Thursdays. It is a day that goes without the anticipation of earlier in the week. It also lacks the hope of a Friday when the weekend is near. Eternal things occurred on that Thursday two thousand years ago. The lasting effect of Good Friday really is the result of Thursday. We see man at his worst in betrayal and denial. We read of God moving His purpose forward regardless of approval by those who could not understand. We live today as followers of Jesus because He chooses to do the will of God no matter the pain.

Pain comes in many forms. On Good Friday our Lord will suffer physical suffering that hopefully no other human needs to know. He also suffers that loneliness of those He called friends but who left Him in the hour of need. He also faces that pain of doing the will of His Father in a final act of sacrifice. Do not think His pain is limited to nails and wood. His pain includes the human dimension we all understand. His pain is our pain.

A grieving mother stopped by today to visit about her life in light of her loss. A young son lies in a grave miles from here. Her pain and that of her family is raw as well as real. Cliches are no real help in times like this. Religious recitation is no salve for her open wounds. What she needs is a God who not only cares but who understands. Jesus does that for us. He knows what it is to weep. He knows what it is to ache. He knows what it is to feel cut off from those He counts as His closest companions. He knows what Thursdays are like with its choices for life. We know on this Thursday before Easter what the rest of the story will be. But will we walk in His strength into the rest of life?

Bro. Trey