This morning was one of those sermons that may need explanation.  Don't mistake trying to work through it with an apology.  But don't think there aren't sermons that are so bad they deserve a request for forgiveness.  I normally am not one to sound an angry tone while speaking.  Far too many messages of my earlier years did take on such a note of irritation.  When you are in one place for almost eleven years you find there is much more need to encourage or educate than lecture.  Many people show up for church services having been beaten up during the week at work, home or other places.  I think the faithful minister needs to remain energized without sounding like someone rubbed him the wrong way.  God's word is more than enough to grant us insight or point out any correction needed in our life.  I think we would do better by allowing Him to point out His truth without constantly beating up on the listeners.

My original point was to say that times may happen when even the most encouraging of preachers senses a need to be plain spoken.  Our topic of the day concerned who exactly is a believer?  It is very easy for us to get distracted from a biblical definition by trying to establish our personal code of conduct.  Scripture points us to an understanding of being a follower as one oriented by God and much less our personal preferences.  I find way too many church people who consider being a Christian with some element of perfection.  We then add to this the idea that anyone who does life different than us cannot be a good Christian.  The whole goal of this morning was to say that we define our faith not by our performance but primarily by how we relate to God.  We forget that it is the grace of God that draws us to faith.  We overlook the tremendous sacrifice of Jesus to bridge the gap between the sinner and God.  Our focus tends to become humanistic or some level of legalism that fits our experience. 

It seems to me that a believer is someone who very much knows their sinfulness.  Such a person remains aware of the need for divine help in life.  John writes in his first letter that to deny our humanity is to miss out on the truth of grace.  We may not all sin in the same way but be assured we all still sin.  Even church people are capable of some really dumb things despite their profession of perfection.  Just when we begin to think we are beyond such behavior we step right into it.  What we fail to grasp is our sin may not be something illegal, immoral or fattening yet still be serious sin.  Sins of church people do not cause us to lose God unless we decide to handle it on our own.  The believer is one who does not let failure determine how life will go.  He or she is the person who returns to God for fresh grace even in the worst of moments.

Perhaps a believer is not one who has it all together.  Maybe it is the person who knows God's infinite grace when things come apart?  Instead of trying to feel better than others we might do well just embracing the God who reaches out to us first?  Being a Christian is more than avoiding failure.  It also includes knowing the God who forgive and restores far beyond our worst moments. 

Bro. Trey

One good thing about being half a hundred is the occasional lucid moment.  Age seems to bring that out if you allow.  This isolated moment of clarity took place while looking at the forecast for the next several days.  I could not help but notice the high temperatures may be up to 105 or more next week.  My plans for the day changed at that moment.  Mowing the grass moved up from next week to this evening.  Some clouds remained along with a nice breeze blowing.  So my first step was a fast trip for a haircut which was overdue.  I returned home to get supplies so the yard could be cut.  It was one of the few times of escaping on my own.  Let me admit to sneaking off without my youngest for a change. 

It was indeed much cooler while mowing today.  Much better to get out with some wind blowing rather than waiting until the heat gets unbearable.  It was while riding my small tractor that I noticed my son in the garage.  He was just standing there watching me do my thing.  I waved while making a turn in the back yard.  He looked at me then walked back into the house.  My mind pondered on that moment while cutting what grass is left here.  I reached the conclusion that he was just making sure dad did not go somewhere else without him.  One time for his father to travel without him was going to be enough.  I did ask him later if he was making sure of not being left behind.  He answered in his own way to let me know that was the motive.  Then he walked away to make plans for our errand running tomorrow. 

Times may come in our lives when we feel neglected or even abandoned by God.  You are not alone in this experience should it happen to you.  Several of God's people in scripture talk about that process with blunt honesty.  We may think mostly of Job as the prominent example but there were more individuals than he who went through this.  Abraham surely felt this while taking his son up to the sacrifice.  David will lament in the Psalms about God's distance to him during trials.  Never forget that even Jesus would cry out His distress over God's presence at the end of the earthly life.  We are not alone even when we feel lonely.  Each of the above mentioned times serve as a reminder that God never does abandon us.  Our sense of neglect is meant to fuel a greater desire for His presence.  If you think or feel that God is not as close as previous times then you might even be glad.  You will at least be able to recognize the absence of that presence.  That is in itself a sign of life. 

My youngest came looking for me because he could not find me.  But do we go searching with a new hunger for God when it happens to us?  Our answer determines who we become when we do sense His activity.

Bro. Trey

My daughter and her best friend took off tonight to visit a youth camp.  One of their friends is attending the camp during this week.  Perhaps it is the thing to do as they are leaving for college in about three weeks.  I mention sometimes how our house becomes a meeting place when the entire crew gets together.  That is among the main things I will miss with her being in college.  Few things can be more fun than hearing the front door open while waiting to see who is wandering into the house.  Most of them drive now so the unexpected aspect of that rises dramatically.  Life will be oddly quiet after her move.  I don't expect any of them will run by just for old times sake.

The girls gathered quite the collection of photos over the years.  I noticed a few of them on the refrigerator tonight.  They go all of the way back to braces and glasses.  We journey from the awkward stages right into today with prom dresses and contacts.  My guess is that it's those touches that make a home worthwhile.  The same can be said of my youngest even though there are far fewer pictures of him with friends.  He is like his father in terms of being a solitary person.  Photographs are memories to remain etched in our heart.  They tell stories to those who know them best.  One good thing is we live in the age of Facebook, cell phone texting and other tools to stay in touch.  Friends may change but they have far less danger of losing contact than my generation.  One may live in College Station while another lives in Waco but they can and will remain close.  The future looks bright for more photographs on kitchen appliances.

We fail to talk much about friendship in church.  Do you ever wonder about Jesus and if He truly had friends?  My view is that He did indeed have people close to Him.  Our tendency is to think of Jesus as distant or aloof.  Thank goodness that He is not like me.  Scripture records Jesus going to parties where people gathered around Him.  He was close to Lazarus, Martha and Mary according to John's gospel.  One follower is described as "the disciple whom Jesus loved."  This does not begin to include the large number of references to friendships or relationships by Jesus.  He was occasionally alone but it does not seem that He dealt with loneliness.  So why is it that the church often skips over such passages to deal with other things?  Let me just state that our failure to have mature or biblical relationships is one of the great drawbacks of church life in the present tense.

It was my treat a few years ago to hear a well known pastor speak about the life of his congregation.  He began the work with a few families in a home.  That church today will see about 20,000 people during an average week in attendance.  I will never forget his words.  He said that he wanted to start a church where he would feel comfortable bringing his friends.  His books speak to that philosophy still being at the heart of all he does.  I wonder how many people really know one another in churches.  I know we may be able to say hello or ask how they are doing but do we really know who they are?  Being a believer is about being a friend to Jesus.  Being a healthy church is about being eternal friends with one another.  That is something that will remain in my core until the day I stop doing this job of ministry. 

Bro. Trey

Reports of the horrific attack in Norway shook me up more than usual.  Maybe it is because who would ever imagine that country ever being regarded by any terrorist as one for a strike?  Some of it is due to the innocent children who were slaughtered while at a camp.  Violence of such brutality cannot come from a stable mind.  We are still unraveling all of the issues related to this event.  The gunman was taken into custody and now wants to share his views in a public forum.  I would guess most of us thought of it as another attack by fanatical people connected to Islam or those who pervert its teachings.  Turns out that this man claims a far different religious background.  He claims to be a "fundamentalist right-wing Christian."  Wow.

No one would take me as a person who drives his views into public spotlight.  My politics are private even though they are important to me.  Some people may even think of me as moderate in some areas since my sermons are not always against something or someone.  I take the gospel seriously.  My theology always tries to anchor itself in the truth of scripture.  There are those who may not get my view of the end times simply because it does not come in a box or with charts.  My approach is that Jesus came to save us from sin which most times includes saving us from our own issues.  Every true need in humanity finds an answer in the gospel.  My reading of the early church is they are marked not by what they are against but what they are for.  I believe the Bible from cover to cover but do not feel the need for violence in life.  We would many times do well to examine where our heart is much less deciding if our heads are in the right place.  All of this is to say that what this man is saying is as far from authentic faith as I am from Brad Pitt. 

We who are believers often allow our passions to sway our actions.  You can read back through history to see where far too many cruelties were performed in the name of God.  I could go further but there is little reason for that.  So let me just add that it is not just the infamous events that trouble me but also those that seem to fly under the radar.  Anger, criticism, wrath and the like are mentioned over and over as sins of our human nature.  They are sins not because they are big and bad but because they are outside of God's will.  Churches may not deal with physical violence regularly but we do face the spiritual or emotional attacks on a far too regular basis.  I suppose my next statement should be to say this must stop.  That is pretty much an obvious conclusion.  But it is also true that daily acts of selfishness seem to prevail more than we would want.  We will live with lesser brutalities as long as we are human.

The anger or outrageousness of the attack in Norway is born of the same sinful disposition we see everyday.  Pointing fingers achieves no success in stemming the tide of ugliness.  We allow it to flavor too much of our attitudes and actions even if we never take another person's life.  Gunmen such as this one will spend most if not all of their life in prison.  This is only right.  What we fail to see is the prison we create for our own life when we yield to those primal urges.  Only we hold the key to our release.  God gives it to us in the act of forgiveness.  May we use it well so we do not fail to honor the name of our Lord.

Bro. Trey

Wow. What a day.  That is about all you can say about today.  It started out wild and didn't slow down until the very end.  Don't think that it was a bad day.  It was fun but hectic.  Those kinds of days were much easier when I was younger.  Now my body doesn't realize what hit it until long after the initial contact.  I got to baptize a young girl this morning.  She is adorably cute which adds to it when she giggles all the way out of the water.  Staying in the water was probably a good idea since we were down to one air conditioner unit in the main building.  The end of July is no time to suffer a cooling malfunction.  Let's hope it is in working order prior to next Sunday.  We may have to bring in fans from the local funeral home if repairs fall short.

What can you say about the weather other than what is being said everyday.  I remember the summer of 1980 when temperatures were much like this.  Little can be done other than to be careful when outside.  My common sense even kicks in during times like this.  Perhaps there is little of that left for me but it still works on occasion.  The heat is much like a brutal arctic winter in reverse.  Numbness is the most common effect of being outside.  Breathing is not easy when your lungs are seared by the air.  We did get another momentary shower this evening that almost cooled things down a bit.  We who live in the south know fully well there is little chance of better weather until September at the earliest.  My hope is still for some tropical storm to come our way in August.  That sounds awful but it is what it is.

I got out in the heat to attend the 90th birthday for one of my favorite people in all of the world.  She was still a spry 80 upon my arrival in town.  Now her residence in a retirement community in our neighboring town.  All of her family gathered to give her a well deserved celebration.  I remember visiting with her during various injuries or ailments both in her house as well as the hospital.  Seems like nothing keeps her down for long.  Our church gave her a recognition day upon learning she would be moving closer to family.  What was going to be a small thing turned out to be quite the party.  I remember her farewell speech during that service.  She remains a model for anyone who wants to understand how to grow old with grace.  I think the secret of her youthfulness is in her ability to laugh.  It's the type of laugh that you remember because of its volume and sincerity.  My hope would be to attend her 100th should we both last that long.

Tomorrow begins another week.  May we not yield to the tyranny of the urgent or the hectic.  We may not be able to control all that happens but we can remain open to God regardless of the times.  I hope we all find the joy of life as we keep our eyes fixed on the eternal prize. 

Bro. Trey

Is it me or is there anyone who can get along anymore?  Baptists still disagree today over things that sometimes do not really matter.  Congress is stuck in the blame and hide mentality over most issues we face.  Two of our major professional sports are in significant labor troubles.  Tiger Woods just let his caddy of over ten years go this week.  Entertainers are divorcing faster than they marry.  Seems like everyone is feuding these days.  Conflict seems to be the buzzword of our generation.  Let me just say now that all of this wearies me.  I am no fan of strife.  Maybe it cannot be avoided at times but do we need to revel in it?

We usually fail to see where such behavior limits our options.  Religious people tend to talk at one another but never to each other.  Elected leaders continue to let huge issue go unresolved because compromise is now a dirty word.  Sports groups cannot seem to get a handle on their multi billion dollar businesses.  We can go on and on but you get the idea.  What bothers me is how intelligent people can allow relations to deteriorate to this point.  Rather than working toward a solution most want to avoid the appearance of being remotely cordial.  So we read or see anger being spewed from one side to the other.  Stalemate is the usual state of affairs today.  We don't seek answers as much as we fix the blame.

What is even more troubling is how good people end up at odds with other good people.  Churches never realize the damage done with conflict.  I fully realize that there are times such action is inevitable due to the nature of the problem.  But we do tend to argue sometimes for less than spiritual reasons.  Some people just honestly do not like the people who are in their congregation.  I know this is true from several ways of learning how it happens.  Very few things are more tragic than this scenario.  Conflict distracts us from doing what God asks.  It discourages those who witness the behavior.  It finally devours both those involved and those on the outside in a wave of negative experience.  It always amazes me how we can refuse to let our biblical faith influence our daily attitude.  We fail to see how being right with an issue yet behaving wrong can end up being destructive.  It becomes the no win situation.

My only hope for better is with God somehow convicting our heart of our shortcomings.  I do not know if another human being can fully translate the injuries caused by others.  We cannot allow evil to penetrate our life even when we are in the right.  Jesus says that only forgiveness levels the playing field.  He would forgive those who violently oppose Him.  Just remember that He calls on us to do the same.

Bro. Trey

I came across a story last week that reminds me of how life gets out of whack.  Before any of the pilgrims or explorers put down roots on our shores they sought a place of refuge.  The new world offered them such a hope even though the journey would take several thousand miles.  Risk was a given in taking such a trip.  Fear of the unknown could not stall their vision of starting over.  Settlements would be built with local governments established.  All went well for a few years until one of the governing boards decided to start building a road through the forest.  It does make sense that these people would want better ways to travel in their new land.  But rather than being applauded for their work it turns out they were impeached by the local citizens.  The moral of the story is that the same people who had vision to see beyond the ocean now could not see five miles down the road.

Vision is a peculiar thing.  We throw the word around when talking about those who attempt or accomplish important acts in one field of the other.  Very few works on leadership ever leave out chapters on how we view the present or the future.  We tend to refer to those who achieve any level of significance as people of vision.  Church life is not immune from such ideas.  People ask me on occasion what is my vision for a church or mission.  Let me say that how I view things may not be as critical as my vision of God.  Do not get me wrong here.  Vision does matter but it must be connected to our awareness of God and His will.  It does little good for me to possess grand visions if they are not within God's desire.  Just be sure that your view of God matters most in this thing of vision.

Leaders are most often tagged as people of vision.  Maybe this is not because its for a select few but because many people are content to live without it.  What usually happens in church life is the elected leader may have a divine vision but it gets lost among those who see no further than self.  Every single follower of Jesus is a candidate for understanding God's design for their life.  It may well be that it revolves around being a better parent.  Perhaps it will be something you carry into your work.  You may even gain vision for roles within a local congregation.  Did you ever realize that you cannot be serious about scripture and not come away with new vision?  God speaks through His word to let us know the divine will.  You may not have to lead millions of people through a wilderness but you can be sure He has an idea of what He wants of us.

We may not think much on this topic but it does matter.  Fear can keep us from living with this dynamic.  Some are just afraid of what God might do if they capture His view for life.  Vision can be lost when it collides with others who do not share your conviction.  Moses lost out on vision when pride became a dominant factor in his thinking.  Simon Peter went through the pain for rediscovering the divine vision after his failure.  How you live with vision will determine your enthusiasm for God's purpose.  If you miss the vision you will probably also miss out on the purpose. 

Bro. Trey

We are on the edge of another exciting week.  At least that is what we can tell ourselves at the close of the weekend.  Not every week is as exciting as my last one.  But you can never be sure that God may have something up His sleeve to surprise or even amaze us.  Some people seem as if they have God all figured out.  I know that scripture gives us a good view of His character but even God seems to enjoy some mystery about Him.  We know what He is like but we may not always know what He may or may not do.  This is why we constantly look to Him for guidance as we live.  Someone once said that none of us know the will of God for all of our life.  Our hope of living with fullness remains in that connection He offers us on a daily basis.  God may indeed be everywhere at anytime but that does not always mean we stay close to Him.

You may feel such a closeness at times yet also experience a distance in the relationship.  Sometimes we are to blame for this.  We allow our spiritual disciplines to drift until our heart cools toward Him.  Just know there are other occasions when that sense of isolation may be God calling you to a new depth with Him.  Spiritual growth always includes some of both.  I always suggest that people read though the Psalms in order to grasp either of these emotions.  You will find passages where the writer declares a closeness to God that may seem foreign to us.  You will find other times when the writer cries out to regain that relationship that is cooled off for whatever reason.  Building a life with God is not unlike any other relationship.  Very seldom will it be all or nothing.  We live the majority of our days somewhere in the middle as we discover more about ourselves and about Him.  Sounds much like how we live with others.

Being around Jesus doesn't seem very boring for those original followers.  They never knew from one day to the next what just might happen.  One day could lead to some eternal insight as Jesus teaches them and others about God.  Another day might see some unexpected miracle as He heals those with physical and spiritual issues.  There were many days when all seemed great as they moved among the crowds eager to see or hear Jesus.  You also recall the times toward the end when tensions with other religious leaders raised some anxiety about their future much less His.  Why would we begin to think our relationship with Him would be mundane or boring?  God's active presence in our life means you never know what a day or a week might bring.  We really can sit on the edge of our next adventure.

My view is we may prefer some sameness in our relationship with God rather than move toward the edge.  I think people view their life as out of control so they choose to set limits on spiritual life.  We know what we believe and that should be enough.  Just remember that this is God we are talking about.  He is not tame nor always safe.  His word to us may be dangerous in one way or the other.  Just ask people like Abraham, Moses or even Paul.  Also remember that as these and others follow God's will they discover far more about Him than those who waited out any disruption to life.  The same will be true of us as we open our mind and heart to Him.  Life is an adventure to be sure.  But maybe God's activity in our life will make it one to celebrate and not manage.

Bro. Trey

VBS is officially over.  I told my youngest that tonight and he responded with a bit of sadness.  I hope the other kids who attended feel somewhat the same way.  We did have a great time this week.  This will probably be short this evening so let me start by saying thank you to every worker or helper.  I know most don't read the blog but at least it will be in public.  All of them went above and beyond the call of duty.  No event like this ever goes off without a hitch but we learned to go with the flow.  I got to ram around most of the time since my son would come and go.  I witnessed everyone just diving in to the work as well as the fun.  People usually give their best during this week and this was no exception.

I am going to miss seeing the kids.  Few things make me happier than getting to be silly with them.  I already wrote on the many differences between our students.  Some come from very good homes with firm foundations.  Some come from less than desirable circumstances.  All of our group showed up eager to have fun along with the learning.  You know things are going well when children get that tired look in their eyes.  Maybe we sent them home ready for bed.  That is enough to score points with parents. 

We gave out ten bibles to different children who expressed an interest in becoming a Christian.  All of them spent time with workers or myself in working through what is going on in their mind and heart.  I enjoy talking to kids when that happens.  They are always smart in knowing what is happening.  You cannot just fool them with stuff unrelated to their journey.  We also make it a point to have them talk to parents.  I talked a lot about this during our final celebration this evening.  You want the parents to be sure we share their concerns during such a time.  My hope is they appreciate our efforts. 

VBS is one of the times you see the church at its best.  It remains one of my favorite weeks of the year.  Now we pray that what we tried to do will help kids and parents alike live in line with God's will.  May our success continue until the next time we meet again.

Bro. Trey

Part of the joy of Vacation Bible School is sharing laughter with the kids.  It is a great mood enhancer to just be silly with these young ones.  Something about seeing their smile just sets life in perspective.  One reason for carrying on with them is because some of them probably don't laugh much at home.  Statistics can be misleading at times but reality says that far too many children live with abuse.  Some of this violence is physical in nature.  Some of the behavior is emotional or verbal which leaves scars on the inside.  I cannot speak to specifics without giving away too much but just know not every child who passes through our doors lives in happily ever after.  Very few things hurt me as much as this truth.

Children are helpless against the onslaught of any type of violence.  They cannot imagine what they did to ever deserve such treatment.  What happens next is that many if not all children decide something must be wrong with them.  Kids reach the conclusion that none of this would happen if they were better human beings.  This one untruth will carry the lie into every area of their being.  We have only so much time as a church to let them know just how much they do matter.  Did you ever see the absolute hunger of a child craving some affirmation or attention?  Look carefully and you will see their desire for such behavior worn like a shirt.  It is there whether or not we understand it or not.  What is ultimately sad is how these innocent ones will close their heart off as they move through adolescence.  Perhaps at some point those who were abused become abusers themselves.

Forrest Gump once said so eloquently that he may not be a smart man but that he knew what love was.  I wonder if we teach that to children?  Don't get me wrong in this soapbox.  Teaching the Bible does matter very much so.  But it seems to me that a large part of ministry with the very young must include simply letting them know that we care.  Adults can be very scary to kids.  They can be pretty scary to me most of the time.  What we wouldn't give to recapture some of that innocence and trust.  Our social services workforce are overwhelmed with this struggle on a daily basis.  All of them are overworked and underpaid.  We who say we are God's people could go a long way in joining the cause.  Our task is more than unloading information to these kids.  We are to be an extension of God's heart to those we know.

Our heart must be melted by the grace of God.  We must learn what it means to affirm rather than glare at children who know only that they need something more.  Modeling what scripture says about love and acceptance is a non negotiable when it comes to children.  We may even find our path crossing with those who are on the ugly side of life.  I don't mean this physically but emotionally or spiritually.  Forgetting what we might be like without the active grace of God will lead us to be distant or disapproving.  It also will cause us to forfeit our claim to be a follower of Jesus.  Like we said, He does love all the little children of the world.  So the next question becomes do we?

Bro. Trey

Our week of adventure continues even though most of the state is blowing away in dust.  We just about doubled our attendance numbers tonight.  Attitudes seem to be holding up despite the temperatures.  Lots of good things take place during VBS.  You get to meet new people as they bring children into our building.  The kids themselves are always fun to be around.  I know they can get wild on occasion but that's just what they do.  Sometimes we can forget what it was like being that age.  There are also times when we may wish we shared their wonder and excitement.  One can hope our week continues to grow in spirit and number.

My public connection to Jesus took place during VBS many years ago.  It was the end of a process of thinking, talking and learning about what faith means.  I can recall with clarity stepping out of that pew to indicate my desire to become a follower of Jesus.  Here is one reason this week means so much to me.  This evening we heard of two of my favorite people doing just what I did a long time ago.  Two of our young girls are talking with parents on what it means to become a believer.  Perhaps this is the end of their journey into faith in God.  We will follow up with them also.  It makes the entire week worth it when lives are eternally changed.  Dealing with young people like this can be a challenge but it is one we embrace.

My personal theology says that God does indeed love all the children of the world.  He loves kids of every race, gender and ethnic group.  They mean the world to Him as displayed in the life of Jesus.  We wonder at times how grace works in their life.  Reality is that some of this is a mystery throughout scripture.  No single verse or passage tells us what age is the cut off for His care.  Part of our struggle is we view grace as a single moment in time at conversion.  We may forget that grace is God's offer over a lifetime.  I tend to affirm any child who indicates their interest or desire to come to God in faith.  Sometimes we discover their journey is still growing.  We even find out that the child needs more understanding of what is involved.  Many just want to go through baptism without the slightest idea of its value.  We also may uncover a true faith or trust in Jesus for their life.  Maybe the stack of sin is not quite as large as some people but they do know what it is all about.  This is when I encourage parents to allow us to move to baptism to anchor their life to a moment in time.  Some students later make a new affirmation based on years of growing but they can look to that moment when we took them serious as a believer.

Faith is never simple or easy for any of us.  But many children seem to grasp it with a clear view of where their heart lies.  No wonder Jesus told us to be like little children when it comes to our journey of faith.  We could all use a dose of their trust in Him.  Adulthood often seems crowded and confusing.  Maybe trust is not something we ever were meant to forget.  Don't let the scars of growing older keep you from rekindling your simple faith in God.  He does indeed love all of the little children.  He also loves all of us.

Bro. Trey

Vacation Bible School began tonight.  Weather is still brutally hot but we persevere.  We have wonderful people giving their time during this week.  That does not begin to include the countless hours many spent just in preparation.  Words will not and are not enough to cover the thanks due to each one of these.  My greatest prayer for this week is that all of us encounter a God moment.  Those are the times when He just shows up to do something spectacular we never expected.  This annual event still holds a special place in my life.  I remember going every year while growing up.  Little did I know that most of my summers would revolve around leading this adventure.  My stories could extend for awhile from great moments along the way.  But something changed during the past few years.  It is part of the obstacles we face now.

You really do not need me to tell you how our world is changing.  Just thinking about where we are will confirm this truth.  VBS was at one time the highlight of the church year.  It still is in many ways.  Maybe it is just me but it seems far more difficult to connect with a community than before.  Parents once would make sure children were part of this week no matter the church background.  We could go out in town to promote VBS knowing the response would go well.  You always looked forward to meeting kids and parents that perhaps were new to you.  Small towns and larger cities could anticipate a positive experience in reaching out to families.  Life is far different today.

We can spend all of our time in fault finding that does little to help our feelings.  It very well be that the problem is not with the church.  One mistake congregations make is to always think it is all our failure.  The result is that we usually never get around to dealing with solutions.  It is easier to blame someone else than to ask God for wisdom.  My whole point is to say our world is changing at a faster rate with each passing day.  This is not our fault.  It is what it is. 

Sure appears that our world is more set in its ways of resisting the church in its mission.  People are not always rebelling but just resist our efforts more than ever.  I know some people are perhaps more sinful in their decisions but it still seems more than that.  Changing church styles may help but we cannot afford to lose our distinct calling.  We change our approach as church in general every few years.  What was once contemporary is now cowboy.  We have to do more than just change what we do in a worship service.  I will just mention one thought that we may revisit soon.  Changing our world will require us to once again do it one person at a time.  We will need to build caring relationships with people who may not have a lifestyle of our approval.  We will have to tell the old story in ways that are personal in nature.  We will have to commit to people because we want better for them and not just because they are a prospect.  Looks like we need to clear this post up tomorrow.  My mind rambles sometimes so the fingers follow.  Hope you can make sense of this so we can fix it with our next post.  Until tomorrow.

Bro. Trey

We just have a few things to mention this evening.  Time got away from me as my daughter leaves for a college camp tomorrow.  All of her clothes are clean so she is good to go.  This is the first time for her to drive to Waco on her own.  Dad's tend to stress out at these moments.  I am trying not to do that.

Today was busy but still very good.  I wish the sermon was better but it was a struggle.  Pitchers in baseball talk about whether or not they have their "stuff" on any given outing.  Mine just wasn't working.  I am still grateful for the full house in attendance.  Even better is the fact that two of my favorite people joined us this morning to become members.  My son entertained me tonight when we got home from the student swim party.  It's just us two this week so lets hope for the best.

Vacation Bible School starts tomorrow night.  You can not ask for more decoration or preparation by all involved.  My great hope and prayer is that God will not just bless our efforts but that He will do more than we imagine possible.  Temptation is always present for us to just ask God for blessing our work.  Sometimes we may find that He wants to do more than that.  God has a way of undoing even our best plans so He can do something creative.  I truly pray that is the outcome all through this week.

We could mention the weather but its a broken record now.  Just be careful when outside to take care of yourself.  Make this a good week for you as you walk with God each day.  That is enough to celebrate no matter the temperature.

Bro. Trey

Today was a reminder of the power of grief.  Tomorrow is a funeral for one of our church members who passed away this week.  Two other people wrote of their grief in different situations.  Let me remind you that each day will probably bring people across your path who are in various levels of grief.  You may not be aware of that but just be sure it happens.  It may not even be grief due to a death.  People go through this experience in all kinds of times.  We have parents that are beginning to feel the pain of a child leaving for college.  Some people you know may have that sense of loss due to illness or other conditions of living.  No one ever completely escapes this grieving process.  Birthdays or anniversaries tend to bring feelings back that once seemed manageable.  Believers need to remember part of being human is the sadness over lost relationships.  Grief happens.  It is what we do with it that makes the difference.

No two people will grieve in the same way.  We are all unique in how God wires us and this extends even to dealing with loss.  Well meaning people will often offer advice on how another person is to feel or act.  They do want to help but sometimes we need to affirm our approach to life or death.  I try to tell people in those times that grief has no rules.  Some may need to cry more than we like.  Some may wrestle with anger issues as they move through the process.  I know some families that find cause to celebrate while facing awful conditions.  This is not to say that every method of coping is healthy.  Numbing the sadness or denying the loss is never acceptable.  Just don't be critical of those who are honestly going through all of this for the way they find God's help.  It may not be your style but it is allowed.

Try to remember that grieving has no time table.  Six months is never enough time to deal with significant losses.  Every important date will turn back our emotional clocks to the flood of emotions.  Think about this for a moment.  Each death will carry with it a minimum of three occasions each year for flashbacks.  Birthdays, holidays and anniversaries of a loss will catch us in times of reflection.  Even believers would do well to keep this in mind with friends or relatives.  This doesn't include specific times such as Mother's or Father's Day.  Leaving a cemetery is only the first step in wrestling with where life goes from this point.

Even the people of God seem to need educating on what to do with grief.  We talk a good bit about eternity and related issues but do not always seem to get what we are feeling.  Processing our feelings does not mean losing our theological anchor.  It is also true that being biblical means not having any emotion.  Jesus models grief as He weeps at the tomb of Lazarus.  Scholars may debate all of the reasons for the tears but you cannot lose sight that He cares.  He also cares for us in our times of loss.  We could say tons about this but will stop for the evening.  This is my central understanding of how we deal with these times.  God does not promise us we will never feel pain in this life.  Our hope is His presence in this life as well as the one to come.

Bro. Trey

Seems like my summer keeps taking me into or through Dallas a lot so far.  I will be going back in about a week to see a movie with my daughter.  This comes after trips to see a play and a ballgame.  It is our day to watch the movie that must not be named.  Our adventure over the years will soon draw to a close.  I am very excited to be going on this trip.  We will get to watch the movie on an IMAX screen.  This is my first time to go to such a theater.  We began years ago in New Mexico on this journey.  Seems like a good idea to end it with a big finish.  We read all of the books and now we can say we saw all of the movies.  It may not sound like much but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

It still bothers me some that this series of books and films still fall on the controversial side.  I understand the hesitation but should we just always be afraid of anything that is different?  Don't get me wrong on this topic.  There are obviously some matters that are plain and clear to guard against in our spiritual life.  I am also very well aware of the admonition to avoid the appearance of evil.  It just strikes me that not everything in our world is always clear on this.  What do believers do when you encounter areas that are more grey than black or white?  Or is it ever right to do wrong?  Paul understood this tension when writing in Romans 14.  He knew not everyone has the same values as others.  People come to this relationship with God from all kinds of backgrounds.  We all live with varied experiences through life.  Even our path of discipleship will never be uniform with others.  God gives us different gifts, passions, and callings that are uniquely our own.  Again, what do we do?

We can begin by letting people be who they are.  This means we share a goal of being more like Jesus as each day passes.  How each of us arrive at that point may look very different to our individual path.  We tend to get bent out of shape over these differences when it is all God's design.  Our personality may be in conflict with how another believer is wired.  Paul reminds us that not everyone is at the same level we are whether that is good or bad.  Sometimes fellow followers can do things we may not like nor understand.  All of us have our self imposed list of those things a Christian should or should not do.  Our problem is that we use that list to separate ourselves from those who are not as spiritual as we.  Scripture does not indicate that disobedience is ever acceptable.  But it does serve as a reminder that legalism is no replacement for grace.  Someone may read books we don't like.  Some may see movies which we avoid.  Some may struggle with habits we deem to be less than holy.  Here is a hint to all of this.  None of are perfect.  When you really know this truth then you are one step closer to living with grace. 

I look forward to going to the movies with my daughter.  Our years of reading and watching allowed us many times to talk about things of faith.  We learned how to look beyond the surface of a story to find deeper truth.  You could say we grew up together through this ritual.  We will never be able to do sit in a theater to see how the story goes.  Not everyone may understand or approve.  What is true is our relationship is stronger for all of this.  Our ability to grasp spiritual insight grew in all of this.  That is more than enough for me. 

Bro. Trey

It seemed for awhile that the world was going to end today.  I was grabbing a snack in a restaurant when the verdict in the Casey Anthony murder trial was announced.  You could hear audible sighs when the first three responses were not guilty.  No one there could believe what they were hearing.  It was almost like a group seeing their favorite team suffer an unexpected defeat.  My facebook page exploded as people posted their horror at the acquittal.  At least three out of four new posts were directed at the judgement of the jury.  I just spent some time reading news sites as they try to unravel the events of the day.  No one can fully express how the verdicts went directly opposed to the predictions.  Those of us who remember the Simpson trial can identify with the emotions of a proceeding that went contrary to expectations.

Let me admit to not being caught up in the hysteria of the last few weeks.  The entire story is a tragic one to me.  A little girl is dead which seems unfair on so many levels.  Her mother did not report her missing for a month which is beyond me.  Now we may see the accused walk away from this in two days.  Our attention was almost demanded by the media who analyzed every moment of the trial.  Something horribly went wrong in all of this.  Most of the country waited for this day to see the mother get her sentence but now most feel robbed of this satisfaction.  I am no expert in our legal system but we do place our faith in the jury system in our land.  Maybe we will one day learn how they reached their decision.  Until then, we are forced to look at ourselves for better or worse.

Ours is a reality television society.  Brains are turned to mush with the abundance of programs that feed our interest in the worst of people.  Casey Anthony fits that description perfectly.  We may never know for sure whether or not she indeed killed her daughter.  Her behavior during all of this ugliness only draws our focus to the worst of humanity.  We want justice for an innocent little girl.  But we were reminded that abuse and violence is not limited to tabloid headlines.  Even our own corner of the Bible belt is not immune from the outrageous.  Young children are subjected daily to horrors for which there is little recovery.  We tend to live in denial unless a case demands we notice such a lifestyle.  Our tendency tends to be vile anger without ever thinking about how crimes like this occur.  How often do we ask if we are actively making a difference in our world so these occasions are less and not more?

Too often church becomes about managing the mundane rather than carrying out its commission.  You hear people talk about wanting the young to be part of the congregation but to do so without the inherent messes that arise.  Usually what this means is we want children to never misbehave nor make any messes.  No one can really touch the lives of others without it being a tad messy.  Teenagers live in a world that seems like another planet compared to most of us.  Somewhere along the way we lost contact with what the world is really like rather than what we wish it to be.  Caylee Anthony is not a rare case any longer.  Children of all ages live with threats that would disturb our sleep if we were aware.  I cannot say whether or not her mother is guilty of murder.  My concern is whether or not the church of today is guilty of denial of the multitude of dangers faced by children everywhere.  Jesus told the disciples to allow the young to come to Him.  My guess is that He would still say that.  But what would we be doing in response?

Bro. Trey

The blog was silent last week.  Odds are good it is like the whole tree falling in the forest alone thing but that's fine.  It was just one of those weeks where stepping away seemed like a good idea.  Some might say it would be a permanently good idea but we are back.  There is no guarantee the work will be any better but one can hope.  Even the best of writers or ministers (of which I do not claim to be) may take time out to regroup.  Life piles up from time to time for everyone.  Those are the times to be sure the focus is on the important rather than the urgent.  Stress can create openings for mistakes that are normally avoided.  We can let the heat of the moment bleed over to areas of our life.  Believers are not immune from this effect.  Our sinful side can flare up when the pressure gets to us.  We may not want to admit it but it is still true.

The week eventually worked itself out.  Lots of time was given to exercise which always clears my mind.  Dad duty also absorbed more time than usual but in a good way.  Books were read which is a welcome escape during the summer season.  We ended the weekend last night at the Rangers game in Arlington.  They lost again.  I don't think we saw the team win now in several years.  We think they won a game up in Minnesota one year while we visited there.  My daughter shares my view that perhaps we are a jinx to them for some reason.  It may very well be that they do not let us come back at this rate.  The three of us still had a great time.  The youngest really enjoys going to the games.  He may not understand everything about baseball but he knows when to clap and cheer.  What more can you ask for?

I do hope it was a good holiday for all.  We drove home in the midst of a terrific thunderstorm so our fireworks quota was met.  There was enough lightening to make up for the lack of explosives.  Every drop of rain counts at this point.  Maybe the rain will help stir what little creativity I might possess.  Tomorrow is another day so perhaps we can do more serious writing.  I realize my efforts here are very small compared to other sites.  Just know it is still a good thing for me to write.  Maybe it helps keep me sane or not quite as crazy.  Until tomorrow.

Bro. Trey