Can a failure become a hero? Or are heroes just those who succeed without the hint of failure? I gained a new hero just this week. Mark doesn't give us his name in the gospel account. We do know he is a dad. He is a dad with a broken heart over the condition of his son. He is also a man with needs that even he doesn't know exists. Mark 9 tells this amazing story of how he became a hero despite his need.

We do know this man brought his demon possessed son to Jesus for healing. The only problem was that Jesus was coming down from a time of retreat with three of His disciples. Nine disciples are left behind who could do nothing to aid this man. It got so bad they began a debate with other religious leaders. The actual language says it was more argument than debate. When Jesus arrives the child is still in torment as the two groups are solving some theological issue. Dad steps up to tell Jesus what his need is as he sees it. Our Lord initiates a conversation based on the need of a father and of a son.

What is the disease of the father? My opinion is that he is carrying around the weight of past dissapointments. I suspect he felt the devastation of dissapointment over and over while searching for help for his boy. That's a feeling I can relate to in my life. You probably have similar moments in your life as well. The man becomes a hero when he says through his tears, "Lord, help my unbelief." The tears may be rooted in pain but his prayer is anchored in honesty. When he admits his hurts then he is open to all the healing Jesus has for both he and his son.

Chronic dissapointment tends to become despair. Reality crashes into our expectation to leave a trail of broken hopes. There are people among us who are in constant conflict with those emotions. Some, like me face it due to medical issues. We are the ones who live with brains that are "broken." It is a fact of life for us. Some live with it due to the heartbreaks of life. They pushed the boulder up the mountain repeatedly only to have it come hurling back down. Now they have no energy left to even consider the boulder. Life is like the movie, "As Good as It Gets."

Heroes are honest. They cry real tears when they hurt. I know that I do. Perhaps they are a gateway to being real with self and God. Maybe we don't allow ourselves to feel the hurt to the point of tears. We like being in charge and appearing invincible. We don't even always know what to do when others reach that point. Jim Valvano said in his last public appearance that life is good if you cry a little each day. He said that facing his last days before losing his battle with cancer. Jesus would probably say something similar. He would say that the tears of despair are the stuff heroes are made of.

Bro. Trey

It snowed today. That in itself is not unusual since it usually snows somewhere on any given day in winter. The odd fact of it snowing today is that it snowed here in East Texas. We had several hours of white, puffy flakes cascading down around us. My son came in off the bus wildly excited about it being winter here. My daughter displayed a bit less enthusiasm for the wintry explosion. Thankfully, the snow has stopped after choosing to be pretty without the possible complications that come with it.

Living in the Panhandle of Texas gave me a different perspective on snow. It was not uncommon there to see it from October to April. There were more than a few occasions when the snow accumulated up to a foot. Luckily our area used snowplows on the highways. That still did not always help. The best clue for driving in such a mess is to find the best rut in the road and not move from it. We learned to keep going to the store or school even when it seemed the weather wanted to immobilize us in our tracks.

The snow today caused the usual symptoms. The local grocery store appeared to be lined with cars outside as anxious shoppers stocked up for the storm of the century. I ran some errands out and about town myself. Shoppers trudged along down the aisles with their buggies loaded down with supplies. It never ceases to amaze me how a little snow can send East Texans into full panic mode. One snowflake will send even the heartiest of souls to stores to prepare for a blizzard.

It does not take much to make us panic in our life in general. Sometimes we just circle our wagons to fortify our emotions against further damage. Sometimes the smallest of misfortune sends us into an existential crisis of faith. We forget the truth of Romans 8:28 that we are so quick to quote to others. The God we sing about with such gusto seems so far away in those times. My hope is we can learn that life changes as fast as the snow falls. God never changes. His grace and mercy are as constant as the sun that shines behind the clouds. His word is always true even when the weatherman makes a mistake. Tomorrow the forecast is for sunshine again. We will be able to resume our lives as normal. My prayer is you will have even more faith in the sunshine as you needed in the snow.

Bro. Trey

Richard Knerr died this week. My first notice came on the CNN news scroll at the bottom of the television. The news saddened me. It possibly should sadden most people around my age. He provided hours of joy for us over the years. What? You don't know the name Richard Knerr? He lived to be 82 years old. His business began in 1948 and thrived for years with constant innovations. What he invented as well as adopted in his business changed the entire culture of American life in the 20th century. Is your curiosity getting best of you yet? His inventions or adaptations include the Frisbee, Silly String, the Hula Hoop and the Slip and Slide. He is even responsible for the name of our next big holiday. The Super Bowl got its name as a NFL owner watched his child play with a Super Ball. The rest as they say is history.

Knerr's contributions to American life are very simple yet quite profound. How many kids of years past played with one or more of his toys from Wham-O? Think about how different his toys are from the electronic gizmos our kids crave today. We shake up a can then watch foamy string land all over people who will need a shower to remove it. We take some shaped plastic and launch it all over the yard and usually up on the house. We slide into a hoop just to throw our back out trying to keep it from falling. I did all those things in my younger years. It was just the simpler times with simpler toys.

Life really is not that hard. We live with all the technological advances in our world yet real life is still about the same things. Jesus said that what He really wants out of us is to love God and to love others. The rest of His instructions grow out of those two priorities. Ever wonder why we fail to live up to expectations? I think it is because we miss the priority. Richard Knerr gave us simple tools to enjoy. Jesus gave us simple words to obey. I hope we remember both.

Bro. Trey

Being a contrarian is in my heritage. It seems that my ancestors lived with some measure of the rebel in them. The older that I get, the more that streak comes out. This is not always a bad thing. It's the rebels that are capable of seeing things differently from others. My father is a rebel doctor. I think that makes him a great diagnostician. My maternal grandmother was a rebel for her day. She went to college along with having a terrific career that included being mayor of her North Louisiana town. My guess is some of that nature eventually made it into my nature.

Needless to say, there is a downside to being a bit contrary. There is often a conflict between the side of me that is positive and the one that is on the rebellious side. Now before you see the word rebellious and get the wrong idea, I do not mean it as sinful. My idea is more of the person who goes straight to the root of an issue and that includes in spiritual ways. Sometimes this is more than a little frustrating. The best intentions of the heart gets easily misunderstood by those who listen.

Blogging may not be the best vehicle for a contrarian. A blog is at its best the personal editorial page of any individual. My frustrations, successes, or any other emotion displayed here are solely my own. Sometimes the words here can capture only a moment in time. Sometimes the thoughts are rooted in years of living. I am realizing lately how something can be so clear to me yet not so clear to others. There is also a growing awareness of just what this means.

First, my goal is to be positive here. Any failure in that direction is again solely mine. Sometimes the years of watching God's people live life in ways that miss out on His fullest blessing cuts the heart. This is not an issue just in a small town in Texas but in far too many places. Not everything written here has its roots in current reality. Not all my thoughts are the product of the moment. Any resemblance to individuals, situations, or incidents is totally accidental.

Real spiritual life is not always neat and orderly. The interaction of the divine and the human seldom lends itself to neatness. Listening is as much a part of growth as talking or writing. The more we listen to God the better we may be at the talking or writing. That is my hope. My great desire is someday we can communicate with less frustration and more freedom. Until then, I will just keep trying.

Bro. Trey

History is far more than facts and figures. Far too often our students are geared to just nail down answers on tests they receive. Real history is about people who are just like us. My college minor is in history. A great deal of my study also included politics and government. You will find historial works lining my shelves if you look around the office. In recent days the movie as well as the book, "Charlie Wilson's War" made headlines in both areas. I could remember seeing news footage on this years ago but I was honestly a bit hazy on all the details. One of my goals over the holidays was to read the 550 page book about how one man coordinated the demise of the great Soviet army. Two weeks into the effort of completing the unbelievable account of a low ranking Congressman from Texas. After finishing the book I made my way to the movie theatre last night to compare the two works. What discoveries can be made and what on earth are they doing on a blog like this?

To say Wilson was a scoundrel would be a large understatement. Probably most of what is called the "Religious Right" wouldn't vote for him today. Yet, he took it on himself to network throughout Congress and the CIA to organize a fantastic plan to send the might Soviet army home out of Afghanistan in the 1980s. The cast of characters who come together to put the mechanics into motion are profane yet highly motivated patriots of years gone by. The one man least likely to amount to anything becomes a integral if overlooked note in United States history.

This is not to say everyone should read the book or see the movie. It is not for the faint hearted. It is filled with language normally reserved for gatherings outside the normal Baptist church. These people do not often see themselves as divine change agents to redeem the world. Most simply wanted to inflict as much damage to the Russians of the 80s as possible. Like other books that I read that can offend a few you may wonder why read it then? My question is not why read about them but why don't we read much about us?

We have our turf wars over who is right and wrong. If you don't agree with my view then do I not have the right to put a label on you or say you are not as good a Christian as me? When we do not get our way can we not simply take our toys and go home to an easier place to live? Doing the real work of the Kingdom does not come cheap or easy. It does not happen by organizing rallies so we can brag about crowds. It won't happen by arranging the situations always in our favor. We cannot blame others for our failures in the attempt to keep our image holy. The courage displayed in this "ungodly" historical account hurts my heart compared to the childish games we may be tempted to play at church. We cannot be active changing others much less changing nations by living to the level of when our feelings get hurt. We will not be true disciples as long as we reserve the right to decide who is right or wrong. Doing the eternal is never easy. There will be blood, sweat and tears invovled.

One man played a huge part in setting to motion the largest political change of the 20th century. How are we doing in just changing us day by day?

Bro. Trey