There is one thing seriously lacking in our recent weather change. We are way past due for rain. Something in the air is sending my allergies into overdrive. Right now there is a little person somewhere between my ears with a very large hammer trying to get out. It almost makes steroid week seem like a cake walk. This is one reason that we may keep things short tonight. My hope is to get some rest before getting back out into the air tomorrow. Our local team also plays a home game tomorrow. Perhaps we can spend more time blogging instead of driving home.

Lately I am spending time looking over some blogs related to Baptist life. We are a mess. At my age I can recall when there was basically just one kind of Baptist. Today we are a wildly diverse group. There are fundamental Baptists. We have liberal to moderate Baptists. We have as many conventions now as there are groups. A convention is what we call an organization that works on a state or national level. We have two in Texas. One is very much on the conservative side. The other includes the more moderate to even a few liberal groups. Years ago another minister friend and myself wondered if we should start yet another group for people who are in between these two. That scenario may come to pass before long from what I can tell.

My current church would be in that third gathering. We are biblical conservatives yet we do strive to meet needs for anyone who passes our way. Our singing ranges from the occasional four part gospel song to traditional hymns to the contemporary stanza. Most, if not all of my sermons are basically bible studies with application. We like supporting our state Baptist schools or institutions. We also are still very much supportive of our national Baptist efforts. I often comment that we are not mad at anyone but we are not the ones who moved from the traditional ideas of Baptist life. My best guess is we will continue to be who we are no matter what happens around us.

I am grateful for my Baptist heritage. I still have my certificate of enrollment in the First Baptist Church of New Orleans nursery program. My education is from Baptist schools. You get the idea by now that this is a part of who I am. My personal theology is basically conservative as it relates to our major beliefs. My view is the Bible is true as well as God's word to us. I still believe in the singular idea of salvation as through Jesus. My theology on the second coming is not quite the same as the popular notion but I still believe in a literal return of Jesus. What saddens me is how we continue to splinter over non biblical stuff. We also tend to divide over who holds what to be true in the Bible. That is a part of Baptist life that never interested me. It obviously matters a great deal to some out in Baptist land.

I will always consider myself a believer first and a Baptist by choice. But it does irritate me that our once proud heritage is being lost as we continue to isolate ourselves from others. We sometimes act as if God is lucky to have us. Shouldn't that be the other way around?

Bro. Trey