Any day with mowing must be a good day. At least that is my perspective on life. Yes, it is miserable sometimes mowing in the heat but I don't mind. That is just part of my eccentric personality. My life is still very much driven by this recent tragedy. Today it was a large number of phone calls that needed to be made. No, it really is not terribly difficult to do all of this but there are moments that can be draining. The point of the paragraph is that after all calls were made that my grass got a much needed cutting. Now all that is left for me is to work through the post mowing allergies.

How can a person who looks to God in their life not attempt to learn lessons from that life as they move along? Dick Schapp was a reporter for many years both in print and in television. His primary field was in sports journalism. He made the comment in his autobiography that the thing he collected was stories. He meant that his subjects for writing were not just names in a story but people who he collected. His book is a wonderful blending of the people he came to call friends in the course of his work. This is how I take a look at life when moving among people with differing stories. There is almost always something in an individual's life that can enrich mine. On some occasions, there is more than a few elements to a person that can add to what God wants out of me.

Far too often people just ram their way through their journey like the proverbial bull in a china closet. We don't stop to think or take in the characters that make up our world. Long ago there was a realization for me that one way to cope with the crises of others is to learn from those who face them. It is my eternal conviction that God brings people across our paths so we can discover truth about our selves or God. This is also very true when reading the real life accounts of men and women in the Bible. Those people existed to extend the Kingdom of God. Today they exist to extend that same reality in our current condition. We can and should learn from the many sources used by God to connect to our heart. We miss a huge resource of learning and guidance when we neglect to notice.

This last week afforded me the opportunity to think about my life as a father. It reminds me of how crucial the father figure is in the life of a child. There is also the harsh truth that none of us really knows the length of our days on this planet. Sometimes when I think about my age it is a little depressing to think of all the wonderful events that may be missed when my life ends. To "seize the day" is not one of my better habits. My confession is that sometimes I allow the day to seize me. However, none of us know how long we are given in this life. We can choose to grab life for all it is worth while we are still here. Our Lord told us that He came to gift us with a life that overflows as He participates with us. It seems to me that He isn't thrilled should we let that life become a series of recycled ruts.

Let's decide to absorb all of God's goodness while we are here. Let's choose to make a difference in the lives of others even if one at a time. Let's either begin to learn or continue to listen to God through the reality of other people. We are given others in our life for a divine purpose. My hope is you become more of what God desires because of those relationships.

Yes, it's been far too long between blog posts yet again. We will avoid the usual promises at good intentions. We all know where that road goes. Let's just chalk this one up to an unusually crazy week around here. Somewhere in the collection of blog posts is my stereotypical statement about ministry. It says that my work is on occasion fairly easy and routine. However, when a crisis happens then there is not enough money in the world for what a minister earns. That sentence defines the last week. We won't dwell on it other than to say it had a month's worth of demands packed into a single seven day period.

It wasn't just work stuff that caused the week to seem unusually long. My daughter turned 17 yesterday. It was also one of her best girl friends birthdays also. It was hard for me to just enjoy her day with all the other events of the week circling about. But make no mistake, her Dad loves her very much. He has loved her from the first sonogram years ago. He will not ever stop loving her no matter what. She is my fellow baseball fan that I can talk all the trivia of the game with. We are both in a foul mood tonight after "our" team lost today. That's why we play another game tomorrow and hope for better.

I made a discovery today. When younger school age children see me in a swimming pool it becomes a full contact body sport. Perhaps it is a good thing that they see me as yet another toy in the water but it is painful! The main thing is that a good time was had by all. My favorite time was getting out to go home! But there was still the three mile run/walk for me to do. For some odd reason it seemed a good thing to try and finish it in record time. Tomorrow will be a follow up report on my ability to walk or move after today.

Our students had a terrific weekend. They held a conference that finished up tonight. In the old days we might call it a Youth Led Revival but today it is referred to as a conference. Our young Student Minister did a superb job pulling everything together. Tons of food was consumed over the last three days. The students even had all sorts of contraptions inside and out to keep them entertained. Our service tonight was very much oriented toward teenagers. It wasn't too bad if the truth is told. I had a headache going into the service from all the swimming and running. When the service ended my head and brain were just numb. But I am very proud of the students and their leaders for making such a great weekend a reality.

This week begins with a clean slate. Oh, there are a few things already written down on the schedule but it is a new week regardless. In someways, what happens this week is determined by my choices along the way. Decisions born out of discipline and devotion will go a long way in what is accomplished. There will as usual be moments that are beyond my control. Some of them will be God moments one would hope. Perhaps some will be moments where others make choices that affect me. My hope is your week as well as mine will take on the shape of God's presence in our lives. One last hope might be for better blogging also. That will be something to aim for along with the rest for the week.

Bro. Trey

There is something to be said for putting down roots in a place. Most of my adult life is best called a nomadic experience. We moved about every four years up until 2000. It got to where my comment was that my ministry was one term only. Of course one has to trust God in my work as to when a move is made. It just seemed that my job was to come into a situation and do my best to get a church on a level plateau. October will be the start of my tenth year in my current setting. Some days it seems like only a few years. Some days it feels like an eternity. You just have to catch me on the right day.

There are some advantages to staying in one place this long. Of course there are disadvantages also. Most of the kids that were small on my arrival are now moving through the high school years. That does make me feel old in a hurry. It's been my joy to see these students grow up as the years pass. Even my daughter is at the starting line of her junior year of high school. These are among the good things that come with being in one place this long.

The obvious disadvantage comes clear in a time such as we are going through now. You get to know people when you plant roots. So your heart hurts even more when walking through grief with others. The hands you hold are those of friends you made over the years. The prayers you pray are for those that mean much to you. The faces so etched with sadness are those you know from happier times. Names on tombstones are far more personal when you remain connected in one place. However, the good part of staying in one place almost always will outweigh the bad.

My daughter has about half of her life invested here. This is the longest my stuff has stayed in one town since my growing up years. My best guess is that my youngest can't envision living anywhere else. It is to the point we don't even think about it anymore. This town just became home over time. Yet, this residence is temporary no matter how long it takes. The only true permanent home for a believer is the one waiting for us at the end of the journey.

Perhaps the end of all this rambling is to remember the difference between the immediate and the eternal. We know this but do we take time to let the truth be a reality? It is near impossible for a family in the midst of heartbreak to see the eternal but it is still there. It might even sound too much like empty advice to even dwell on it a lot. We have to learn how to balance the wonderful truth of eternity with simply allowing others to grieve. It is not either/or but it is always both/and. Home is where the heart is. We can love both but only one can last forever. So while we are busy living here, let's make some preparations for when we move there.

Bro. Trey

It rained today. It almost never rains on the first day of school but it did this morning. Usually the school year begins in oppressive heat but today was much different. All the kids got to their places without any problems. Let's hope that is a good omen if you believe in such. It's been a long weekend with far too much tragedy that was so unexpected. We can pray that God will once again take bad and work it out for His good.

The short version is that our community is grieving since this past Saturday night. Two member of my congregation were in an awful automobile accident. You can read more about it over at News-Journal.Com. Somehow, I ended up being the person that paper is calling for information. It sounds fun that a media outlet wants to talk to you but it can also be stressful. Just pray that my answers are good enough without inflicting any other damage to the family. We lost a major supporter of our school in that wreck. His wife suffered multiple fractures but should fully recover over time. There are also the other family members that are torn apart by this event. A family and a community were forever altered as well as challenged in only a moment.

We covered the issue of trial and such recently. This event was not self inflicted but due to the situation of another driver behaving badly. Now a family lost a dad and husband while many people lost a friend. A father lost a son. Now we are challenged to produce a faith that is more than cliche but is authentic in its care. We can play a huge role in how God works to bring His good out of the worst. This is no time for pointing fingers in blame but it is a call to give beyond our usual limits. We must pray for everyone involved in this tragedy. President Lincoln often said that he could not judge or be critical of the South in the Civil War. His thesis was that even the Northern citizens were capable of cruelty if the situations were reversed. This is why we offer our prayers for all affected by this accident.

We often ration our prayers or ministry to those that we favor. We find it much easier to fix the blame for a problem rather than engage in the fullness of Christ as His person. We could say more but the hour is getting late. Let me end with a question. Can we not put aside our pettiness in relationships so we can pour God's love into others? One of the remarkable qualities of this man who died was how he poured his love into his children. They probably are not always perfect but he did express his love constantly. We might not be so petty or pouting if we chose to love first. It's how God loves us. It's how He said we are to love others. The real obstacle to love is less the behavior of another person but our heart that stays closed. This is a lesson my heart is learning in the last few days. Maybe you can discover it as well.

Bro. Trey

We are definitely running late tonight. Remind me that should I feel the need to talk about problems again that I should expect them to occur! It's been a wild two days here on the home front. Tonight was a lot of scrambling to change schedules to adjust to the fall out. It isn't anything physical or fatal but it is still a pain. Maybe my next string of posts should be on God blessing us with lots of money. Somehow I doubt that manipulation would work quite as well. But we are here now and will try to wrap up some loose ends from the last two days.

First, please do not read too much into what is written. That means there are no hidden messages when blogging here. My main goal is to just throw stuff out to see what sticks and what doesn't. Some writers are superb at saying things that make you stop and think because of the depth of their writing. What I write is usually off the top of my head which is very dangerous. I promise to let you know if a blog post is meant to be layered with multiple meanings. Second, no one can give you a set approach to dealing with troubles. There are a few non negotiables as far as I can tell but we each are unique. God is going to do a special work in you just because you are you. My best advice is to guard against taking another persons suggestions to be your own. This is the attitude of Job and it worked wonders for him.

Once you find yourself in the midst of a crisis then the first major step is to find God for His guidance. It is not enough to just keep praying to find a way out. We listed four sources of calamity over the last two days. No matter the root of our problem we need to know how to turn to Him for His best. He may want to teach you how your struggles are self inflicted. He may want to show you how to respond when others do you wrong. He may want to enlighten you on how the enemy is trying to dim your faith. But He surely wants to teach you about Himself no matter the reason for the trial. Here is what will separate the growing believer from the one who is content grumbling about life.

You need to remember that God is going to reveal truth to you in many ways. All of it will be biblical but it could be that guidance or comfort will come through praying, talking with others, or it may come as you reflect on scripture. It is not about how hard life is at the moment but about how open our heart is to Him. This is tough to do if you are busy blaming God for anything that does not fit your notions about how life should work. Far more of the biblical characters passed through some painful seasons than we sometimes realize. What mattered was how they looked to God for His presence in those occasions.

You might start by reading through the Psalms and Proverbs. Just take a few Psalms per day along with one chapter of Proverbs. Read intently how they speak to your current condition while you listen to God for His extra insight. Take time to reflect on how the Psalms speak of an active trust in God even when things are so great. Let the Proverbs shine a light on the condition of your heart as you are working your way through the problem. One of the hardest things for us to do is to accept responsibility for our spiritual condition. Just know that is a significant step to recovery when things are going wrong. God is going to do more than fix things for you but He is going to fix you for Him.

Be prepared for the crisis of faith that will come along. You will have to adapt to His way of thinking on life. You may have to abandon styles of coping that are as unhealthy as the crisis itself. However there is far more to gain by letting God move in your heart than in just trying to get through your troubles on your own. He wants to be far more than an interested observer in your life. Be sure that His role in your recovery is more times than not going to be a choice that you have to make. Can you trust Him more than your coping skills? Only you can answer that.

Bro. Trey

We kinda left things hanging last night here on the blog. It was not my intent to do that as much as it was not wanting to dump so much stuff on whoever might read this. We will try to review with a bit more detail what was said yesterday. Just remember that what is written is based on my experience in dealing with people. Anywhere that you have people you are going to eventually have problems. Christian people can sometimes be the worst at trying to handle difficulties that arise. Instead of leaning on God to work through the trials of life they can slip into human whining. This is because we are still very human. But is there a better way?

On one hand we know that life is never given a promise to be easy or comfortable. Yet, it is one thing to know that as a saying and something totally different when it is our life that is affected. I usually refer to sayings such as these as "coffee cup theology." We know certain facts or quotes but do not learn what they really mean. No one in scripture who lived in a close relationship with God escaped serious troubles. It wasn't the absence of problems that made them godly as much as it was their choices in the midst of a mess. Here is where our theology moves from the cliche type saying to becoming the norm for growing a deep life with God.

We said in our last post that some of our problems are self inflicted. Our choices may not always be motivated by an abiding trust in God. Sometimes we make choices from our broken, unhealthy places in our heart. We are just wanting to cope with pain so we choose to do things to ease the hurt. We may be trying to fill a void left unfilled due to past damage. David did this when he blundered during what could be called a mid life crisis. Peter did this in denying our Lord by looking for the easy path to self preservation. We do this more than we might imagine if we allow our weakness to dominate our decisions. At least this is true in my world.

We also said that situations can be at the root of our problems. It could very well be that we are as close to God as we can imagine yet another person goes off and does something dumb. This was played out in a horrific fashion during the shootings near Pittsburgh, PA this summer. No one who lost their life was responsible for an unstable man who chose to act out his inner sickness in that tragic way. It could also be something not as violent but just as dangerous. Perhaps someone you trust betrays you for reasons that make no sense. You suffer emotionally due to that decision beyond your control. You have to learn this one eternal truth. You cannot control everyone or every action around you. Even attempting to do that will cause more problems that it solves.

A third area of difficulty is what I refer to as satanic roots. This is the one that is very hard to grasp. But scripture tells us that at least on two occasions where trials were born of his actions. In the Old Testament, Job suffers much because God allows Satan to try his faith. Go back and read the first two chapters slowly for that account. In the New Testament, Simon Peter is told by Jesus that Satan wishes to "sift him like wheat." That account is in Luke 21. How do you know when the trial is from evil sources? My best answer is to go straight to God and His word for direction. Both stories tell us that the enemy is trying to destroy faith in a good God. The other key is that both remain loyal to God and His desire to build a life of undeniable faith. Will you refuse to blame God for a problem so you cannot be in a place to receive His guidance? That question may be at the heart of this type of problem.

All of the above sources get woven together by the spiritual source of a problem. Beyond the circumstances of life is God's activity to mold us to be more like Him. Many of the Psalms were written by David in the midst of a mess. They speak of his desire to be faithful to God even if life is hard. We lean on familiar passages of scripture that tell us of God not abandoning us in the ongoing trials of life. We even sing about a coming day when all of this will be in the past tense. It is my view that nothing happens in our life by accident. God does not just look away to allow stuff to take place. He is involved in our life when we are believers and so He can "make everything work together for His good." This is something we may need to follow up on in our next blog post.

This is a lot of information dumping for one night. These ideas are solely mine alone. You do not have to agree but please take it as food for thought. These conclusions took years to flesh out to this current form. You need not feel like it was simple to arrive at this approach. We will probably try at least one more post to talk about this subject. Until then, my hope is you will allow God to guide you into His truth for your life.

Bro. Trey

The end of vacation from school is fast approaching. You will notice lots of cars in the school parking lots this week. Teachers are busily preparing for next Monday. We got the school supply list today for my youngest. My oldest will get hers at the High School as she moves through her first day of classes. Even I will be in the first day rush next Monday. The school called and asked me to assist them in distributing class schedules. It will be my first day in school in about 30 years. At least I can leave after the job is done. After that, it will be business as usual.

My attitude was pretty bad a few weeks ago. Juggling my youngest with my other responsibilities became a drag. It seemed a good move to take some inventory along with doing some praying to alter that attitude. We are finding our groove just as summer ends. Nothing really changed as far as schedules but at least my outlook improved. We are going to enjoy these last few days together. Tomorrow will be more errand running for the two of us. We may even get a few things on the supply list. It wasn't his fault that my attitude was so poor. Sometimes life just happens to pile up on us when we didn't ask for it.

More than a few times I heard the saying, "God won't put more on us than we can handle." Let me say from the outset that to me this is a false statement. The reason is that the spiritual life is not about managing our messes but finding God in the midst of them. It seems to me that more than a few people in scripture lived with issues far bigger than their ability to handle. Plus, it seems illogical that the very definition of faith would leave out the need to trust God. This is something that I thought and prayed about for a long time before reaching my conclusion. The possibility that God may actually allow more to happen to us than our ability to manage does put Him a bit on trial. My study of scripture seems to indicate that it is a position He knows full well.

Here is how I see the nature of difficulties that we face. Some are self inflicted when we neglect to obey God as He is revealed in His word. We are fully human and totally capable of wounding our self as we go through this world. Theologians call that sin. We also face troubles that come from situations. Sometimes it is not us who do something wrong but another person. We are trapped in the wake of another's sinful choices. There also may be times that difficulty is born of satanic motives. The evil one does roam about seeking to devour those who believe. Experience tells me that he is content using difficulty as much as he is ignoble sin. The last source of our trials is what I call spiritual reasons. God is in charge of our life through Christ so He is indeed entitled to soften the sharp edges of our life so we become more like our Lord. Now all of these reasons are intertwined. They are seldom simply of one type versus the others. What we have to know is not just where did they come from but how do we get God engaged in our life. Who we become because of His presence is far more important than when a trial ends.

Now do not think what is written in theory is any easier to face in daily life. Just because I can make up an outline on trouble does not mean it makes it any better to bear. We as believers need to face up to the reality that trials are part of our experience this side of heaven. The problem with problems resides mostly in how we face them. The crisis of faith that is required in such settings can be as intense as the difficulty itself. This is one reason why the first three verses of John 14 mean so much to us. We are reminded that God knows full well how serious a given moment is but He also says His plan is bigger than the moment. What is that plan? Well, it seems our time is gone for the night. We will try to answer that question in tomorrow's post. So tune in tomorrow at the same Bat time and the same Bat place.

Bro. Trey

We returned from our weekend away about an hour ago. It appears that a good time was had by all. There was a note from my Dad this morning that said he was leaving on an Alaskan cruise today. We settled for Fort Worth, Texas. My guess is the scenery is much different on his trip than ours. It was our end of summer getaway before school begins next Monday. Let's just try to summarize some of the highlights and maybe some low lights in this note. It wasn't Alaska but it was still fun.

My daughter and I went to the Texas Rangers ballgame on Friday night. We got to the park in plenty of time to roam around before game time. Our seats were in our usual second level area. We discovered that the view is excellent and the breeze moves quite well up there. We were joined by over 40,000 others who wanted to see the Rangers play the Boston Red Sox. It looked like about half of the crowd was for the visiting club. It was a great game for 8 2/3 innings. One drawback was how long the game took. It started at 7:10 but ended about 10:45. The Rangers were one strike away from winning the game until the roof fell down around them. It took about six pitches for the Red Sox to score 6 runs to win the game. The aftermath was not pretty by any accounts. I guess most of the Ranger fans were sailors or at least it seemed that way from their language! We don't even talk that bad in most business meetings. We felt like we took a kick in the guts with how our team collapsed. Luckily we also had tickets for the following night.

Saturday was the night that all four of us attended. We had lower level seats that were perfect for my autistic son. Before the game we cleaned up to go and I sent him to get dressed. I didn't think anything of it until we noticed how his blue jean shorts kept sagging. It was about the second inning when I took a closer look only to discover that he was wearing MY shorts! Here is yet another sign of him getting too big for his britches. This game went much better with our team winning even if it again took nearly four hours to play. Even with the temperatures starting off at about 99 the breeze at least made it bearable. We shared this game with over 48,000 of our closest friends. The noise and energy was fantastic for a baseball game. Then, on the way back, we were passed by a motorcycle zooming down the freeway. What is odd about this is that he went by doing a wheelie! Yes, a guy went by us on a motorcycle with his front tire aimed at the stars. It was a good reminder that perhaps my mind is not in as bad a shape as some others.

Today was a lazy day for the most part. The Rangers played an afternoon game today. We opted not to turn into freeze dried human beings. We could see the game just fine on television in the air conditioned house. My part of such trips is mostly in the arranging and packing for the journey. Such a job can take awhile with four people scattering clothes from upstairs to downstairs. This doesn't even account my youngest with his video game stuff. We got on the road about 5:00 this afternoon. The trip was mostly uneventful but for the goat. What goat? We had a goat scurry across the interstate in front of us somewhere along Tyler. No, it wasn't a possum or armadillo but a goat. Three of us saw it so I know it wasn't just me nodding off during the drive.

It was good to be away for at least two days. My daughter got some school shopping done while my youngest led me on an obstacle chase in the mall. We got to eat at some different places than we have here. I saw some outstanding young ballplayers at the start of what could be outstanding careers. It isn't Alaska but it was still fun. Now we are home and ready to rejoin the rat race this week. The only problem with the rat race is that if you win the race, you are still a rat! Let's start the week thinking on that.

Bro. Trey

We are getting back into the swing of regular blogging. My hope is to keep up the pace now that we are close to the beginning of school. Perhaps someone out in blog land reads this. Every so often I get a note from someone who does. Just remember these are fairly unfiltered thoughts expressed here. Spell check is used but other than that it is just whatever may be on my mind. Yes, this can be a bad thing but we will try to avoid too much mindless rambling. This is nothing more than my collection of thoughts on any given subject. I learned early on that not all people will agree but still we blog on!

Tonight my mind is on my physical body. It hurts. Yes, it is a good thing to exercise regularly but after some time it takes a toll. It surely does not help when you are pushing 50. Maybe all the exercise will pay off at the next doctor visit. My family history tells me that a little pain from running and lifting is better than the potential ailments that heredity may provide. This is honestly the primary reason for what I do. The second is simply that my autistic son can be quite the ball of energy. It doesn't seem wise to need traction after a full day of being with him. And so exercise will hopefully pay off when chasing him around from time to time. The last reason is the knowledge that I may have to work long past the usual retirement years. Odds are good that my retirement income won't be quite enough to quit at an early age. Even if there is a career change, there will still be the need to keep going for awhile. This is really not a complaint but just a statement of fact.

Staying in shape is not easy for anyone. A world class athlete works in extreme measures to remain in condition. For me it is hard especially not being a world class athlete. My rank is probably only a notch or two above couch potato. This body is not remotely close to being built for running. God gave me short legs despite also bestowing to me a long waist. It takes me twice as long it seems to get around the track. Yet most days of nights will find me out on the track trudging along the best I can. We usually have lots of Hispanic people at the school when it my time to run. I often wonder if those walking are discussing my lack of speed in Spanish! It is not good for the ego to hear a foreign language followed by laughter. Still we press on slowly like surely. My approach is much like Larry the Cable Guy. I just try to "get er done."

Let's aim for a spiritual application tonight. Exercise is a lot like growing spiritually. We talked about that some tonight in our prayer meeting. We can know tons about running styles but still resist actually going out our self. We may learn all the techniques of weight lifting but never hold a bar of iron in our hands. We need to actually apply our knowledge into actions that will shape us. My running/walking plan developed over time with lots of trial and error. My weight lifting approach is born of the same idea. There is still a lot of reading on exercise but it has to fit my need or ability. Whatever we do in spiritual growth is developed by a similar process.

We tend to expect people to grow in exactly the same way that we do. But every person is different. Some will enjoy spending lots of time reading the Bible. Some may focus on picking up only a verse or two along the way. There are some who pray wonderful prayers. Some others may talk to God in a more conversational tone. The examples are endless but the one central truth remains. We all can grow though it will reflect how God wired us. We just have to start somewhere in our life. You may start slow but my promise is that if you continue that you will see your entire life shaping up. It may even hurt at times. But the pain of letting God be God is far less than not being ready for real life. Now it's time for another Advil here. Got to feel better so I can enjoy my exercise all over tomorrow!

Bro. Trey

This is shaping up to be quite the unusual summer. It seems to have no intention of keeping the usual pattern of years past. Locally, the weather still remains unpredictable. We went through the early heat wave in June and July. That was followed by the brief monsoon season that is very rare for July. Now we are at least in the normal routine of hot weather with occasional showers. We experienced our fair share of storms to be sure. But this is nothing like the fireworks across the country.

Perhaps you noticed the recent turmoil during congressional town hall meetings. You cannot watch the news without some commentator sharing opinions or labels on both sides of the political spectrum. To paraphrase Shakespeare, "to health care or not to health care, that is the question." It seems to me that we haven't seen this depth of anger since the summer of 1968. Someone once said that the occasional revolution is healthy for a society. We should be at our healthiest after observing some of these events.

There are some in the religious world who offer opinions on such matters. Some who may be to the left speak of health care as a near biblical fact. Some who are to the right speak out with an inherent suspicion of anything that remotely resembles government intervention. I am not sure that Jesus would have opinions in either direction. But we must attempt to deal with the current situations from a perspective of faith. This isn't easy seeing as the health care issue is complex and filled with bias. No doubt we all want a better quality of life in terms of our approach to being treated by doctors. Surely we all want those who cannot get health insurance to receive quality care by trained professionals. But is there a place for us as believers in the debate?

My perspective is skewed by the fact that my father is a doctor. I see this struggle in slightly different terms than most. I am old enough to remember him making house calls. Yet today there is such a threat of lawsuits that far too many doctors play it safe rather than push hard for a diagnosis and treatment. Many do not also realize the incredible amount of waste and fraud within the already existing government system. Now, not everyone is mean with a wart on their nose but there are some. I remember seeing a huge stack of checks to him from the government for a penny a piece! Here lies the enormous problem. How do we get a group that tends to waste money to actually create a system that saves it? Anyway, the above is simply written to help us get a view on how difficult health care reform will be.

The following are my opinions alone. They do not reflect on my church or anyone else. First, the shouting and violent behavior of a few are going to make it more improbable that people like you and I are heard. No one enjoys being the target of outbursts, not even congressmen. People should take a stand to be heard. But no one on either political wing needs to let discussion dissolve into a steel cage match. Second, real reform calls for drastic change. Isn't that the meaning of reform? I do not want to see a system here that remotely resembles the ones in England, Canada, or France. However, to just take a piece from here or there ends up making only a monstrosity. If the left desires a "single payer" system which is government controlled medicine then say it and promote it. If the right resists such a measure then let it do that. My great fear is we will end up with the usual government program that neither drives down cost nor insures those with true needs. We do need changes. Doctors, patients and others will tell you that there are too many problems now. I saw this as a doctor's son and now I see it as a parent. But we do not need to trade one set of troubles just for another.

Ok, so what do we do as believers? For one thing, we can be informed with intelligent facts about what is happening. We are to be responsible, godly citizens of our nation. We can take our stand on either side without becoming uncivilized in our approach. We can also think about what a church can do to help others. The social liberal side of me cringes thinking about the millions some congregations spend on cathedrals for the comfortable. Did we forget that the real church is about people and not extravagant buildings? Ever wonder how far those millions of dollars would go to treat adults and children who cannot afford a doctor's care? Jesus might not be as impressed with our architectural prowess when there are needs around us. Last, it could be that we could try to live healthier lives. Many of the top illnesses that cost so much can be prevented to some degree by a better lifestyle. I traveled over 100 miles this summer on foot. This happened without me leaving town. This is in no way bragging but is mentioned mostly to say that if I can do it so can most anyone. We don't always need our food fried or that second helping. Seems to me if Jesus walked so much that it might not be a bad habit for us.

There is so much left to say but we will stop here. No doubt we neglected to mention more than a few things about this topic. In the end, let's be informed but let's also be intelligent too. Don't let the emotions over such an issue push us into unchristian behavior. We get enough bad behavior at business meetings as it is!

Bro. Trey

Summer is drawing to a close around here. Now the heat will remain for another six weeks or so but the school calendar is saying summer is about over. The kids here are already busy with sports, band and other activities. The stores indicate that school starts very soon. Families already line the aisles in the store to gather up the supplies for a new year. In less than two weeks the buses will begin the early morning runs to collect kids before the opening bell. My two are showing signs of their readiness to return to the routine. I'm not sure anyone can blame them for that.

My reaction to the renewal of another school year is always mixed. On one hand it is a break for me when they start over. My summer consists of constant parenthood mixed with the occasional mowing of the yard. Now my oldest has her independence to a degree so she can come and go fairly free. My youngest may not need constant attention but there is the consistent need to be aware of his whereabouts. It is my task in the summer months to try to entertain him. Sure seems that these times are expensive in doing that. The furthest trip we made this summer is to shop for a new something for him.

The other half of the equation is my missing them being around usually. I do like the sounds of my teenagers being home. The house is oddly quiet during the school hours. There is no noise from my son's games. There is no phone ringing for my daughter. Perhaps this is why they get visits from Dad during lunch on occasion. They may be eager to get back to school but I'm not sure that I am ever prepared.

We will close summer with a weekend trip west for baseball games. Both my children are baseball fans. My autistic youngest does love going to Arlington to the ballpark. We don't even have to chase him around much. He wants to go right to his seat to absorb the atmosphere at the game. He will sit right there for the duration while watching the game. My daughter is my baseball buddy. She may be the only girl in her school who knows more statistics than anyone else. We will dissect every game down to the last out. We will discuss every move made by our team. Who would imagine that a 17 year old girl would be so passionate about a sport?

The start of school means catching a game on television whenever we can. It means talking about all the possibilities of the playoffs into the World Series. Baseball is the one sport where the story is as important as the action. We can watch it on hot, lazy summer nights when nothing else captures our attention. You can see the youngest of rookies begin a career that holds no boundaries. You can watch the old legends give their best for what may be the last time. It is a game where you can discuss for hours who was better at any given position. You can find statistics to back up almost any argument that you make. It is the one game that I would want to play if given that chance.

So we will keep daily watch over the scores and standings until the season ends at the start of October. My truck radio will search for broadcasts so I can take in the last sounds of the season. We will go this weekend to cheer on our team who has a shot at the playoffs. There are hot dogs to be eaten. There will be popcorn to be scattered under our seats. We will listen eagerly for the roar of the crowd with a home run or great defensive play. Perhaps we will see a youngster at the initial stage of a terrific career. The odds are good there will be a veteran or two in the winding down of his playing days. Then it will be almost time for the bus to stop at the house. At least summer can end where it should. It will conclude in a baseball park with people you love surrounding you.

Bro. Trey