Rumors of the demise of this blog are greatly exaggerated. We will be coming back even when it takes a few days to do so. It is still my stated hope that whatever is written here will be of some benefit to someone who stumbles on it. No doubt some posts may have better value than others. The key is to just keep blogging. Sooner or later something has to ring a bell to the reader. There may be times the post is just for me. Maybe you can find something in the archives that will be worth your time. I view this place as a columnist might in a newspaper. Here are my thoughts on a subject whether they be right or wrong. You may see them as mostly wrong and that is ok. Life is a journey where we strive to continually connect the dots as we go along. Just remember that some weeks there may be more dots than others.

That is the story of this past week. If you look back you will remember that there is that constant tension between juggling the job as well as family duties. This week there was an abundance of both. Family and career intersected early and often. My heart's desire is to get the hang of it all eventually. We have a community wide service this evening that took more of my time to plan. There is another meeting tomorrow night where I am speaking. To be honest, I can still do better at the discipline of time. Yesterday revolved around a graveside funeral in Longview. Maybe you are getting the point now. Please remember that none of this is complaining. It is just a view from my perspective.

There seem to be no limits to the many hats a minister can wear. Sometimes he is a theologian who digs the scripture for divine truth. There are occasions he becomes a chaplain to offer comforting words to those who struggle with grief. He is often times today sought to be a CEO type in administrating the various ministries around the church. Those hats can be dropped or changed in a moment's notice. The key is in remembering what your strength happens to be. God wires all of us differently for His purpose. Temptation always hangs around to nudge us to act out of our weaker areas rather than our gifted ones. Here is a lesson that I still try to learn even after 25 years of doing ministry.

The minister is a human being. On occasion I mention to people that I am an alien being a minister. We are not often seen as human beings. Honestly, some ministers prefer that you see them as superhuman. They relish the spotlight of being viewed as heroic. My opinion is that is a faulty way to do ministry. That is not to say it cannot be successful. Many times the heroic minister is a necessity. But my main focus moving through my journey is to never forget that at my best I remain human. Not every churchgoer appreciates that approach. I find most of my mistakes are from trying to be heroic rather than being open to whatever God may choose to do through me.

Perhaps the point of all this is simply to say that we can aim to give our best. The apostle Paul repeatedly mentions this attitude in his letters. He wants to be used up as he is used by his Lord. You may sometimes find yourself bored in your ministry setting. That is another temptation that dogs our heels. We do the same thing day after day with little reward until we lose the zeal to keep going. You may feel overwhelmed by it all. There are so many people out there in need of real ministry that you wonder if you are having any effect. Take it one day at a time. Let God give you direction to go with your maturing process. Spend a lot of time listening rather than thinking you need to spell out all the answers. Remember you work for God with people and not the other way around. Do something daily that will last into tomorrow. Keep yourself healthy physically, emotionally and spiritually. Guard your time better than I do. Never neglect family life for anything that may not add to your calling. Get to know God in His reality. It's not the length of life that ultimately matters. What counts is the legacy you leave behind.

Bro. Trey