Ten years can be a fast time or it may slow down on occasion. My time here is a combination of both. You should know that this is the longest my roots stayed in one place since my growing up years. Lots of changes can happen in a decade. The move here came after four months living in New Mexico. I was stunned to get a call from East Texas asking if there was any interest in my visiting with this church. Things were not bad out west but neither were things going great. It is hard to explain some of the differences between the two churches. As things progressed I knew that it was time to come "home."

Charles Dickens opens one of his novels with the familiar words, "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times." That can be said for any duration of time. Much of the very best of times over the last ten years are due to just seeing my children grow up. They were very young on the day of unloading the moving truck. Today one is in her senior year while the other is making great strides in school. Even the darkest of times cannot limit my joy over the people they are becoming. No dad could be happier or prouder of his children. They endured some difficulties due to my job but my hope is they remain untouched by any damage.

There are many other people who need to be thanked for the last ten years. We will not put out any names to protect the innocent. Some of the people are co workers who share the heavy lifting along the way. There are some who are silent supporters whose words on a card or in a call made all the difference in the world. Even some people who are not even part of my congregation make a difference in life. Some live far away. Some are here in our corner of the world. God does have a way to send people into your path when you need it. This truth is being proved even during my latest journey of disease. My desk drawer contains cards from people since my diagnosis. They are keepers that will stay with me somewhere for another ten years or so.

We have the opportunity to start the next ten years with a relatively clean slate. I do wish the first ten went more smoothly. But you cannot look forward by continually looking backward. I do believe that the best of times will be coming soon. Persistence as well as dogged obedience will go a long way in making that happen. Our desire to move past the status quo into God's fullness will be rewarded. There may be some more repenting that is needed but that is a small price to pay for His blessing. Right now there is no place that I would rather be than here. My trust in God's timing remains over the years. Let's start today on the next decade so we do not miss a minute of God's best.

Bro. Trey