We have time for something completely off topic for the blog.  It has to be short since the clock is running out on today.  Today is one of my least favorite days.  Baseball season is over as far as the regular season.  It is time for the playoffs.  I spent much of the last six months following the sport on a daily basis.  You may know from past writings that it is my favorite sport of all.  There is just nothing better to me than the sound of a game on the radio or television.  Perhaps the best thing is that most games are played in summer when nothing else is really on to watch.  My satellite system allows me to see every game played during the season.  This means every game played by any team from East Coast to West Coast.  It is a dream come true for this lifelong fan.

My team is again in the playoffs.  Last year we went all the way to the World Series.  I don't know if that will happen again but we will hope.  Two teams began September with huge leads in the standings for the last slots.  Both of these teams lost this evening to finish out a collapse of historic proportions.  Most sports programs will be talking about this for days.  This was the type of disaster seldom seen in major sports.  My brain is right now trying to even wrap around what happened.  No doubt the tears are flowing in both Boston and Atlanta.

You have to put your money on the Phillies to win the World Series.  Their team won 102 games this year.  It very well may be that their starting pitching is the best in decades.  Probably no other team in that league can compete with those arms.  I am glad to see Arizona in the playoffs just because Kurt Gibson is a favorite of mine.  But look for Philadelphia to be one team at the end.  The other league is a bit more complicated.  You just may see the Texas Rangers back in the World Series.  But you also have Tampa Bay coming in with a huge winning streak.  Detroit will be tough also as they have two good pitchers along with excellent hitting.  I don't think that I can make a prediction on that one.  Just be sure that the Phillies are going to be huge favorites regardless.

There is no great spiritual lesson to this.  I am just sad about the regular season ending.  But there is also anticipation for the upcoming playoffs.  I am going to root for my team but will enjoy the remaining games no matter who is playing.

Bro. Trey

Let the record show that we are over 500 posts on the blog.  This brings a question to my mind.  Why write a blog?  There are blogs of all shapes on sizes out there now.  All you need is a computer to start your very own.  More than a few of these things started out small yet became very popular and profitable for a select few.  You may want to know this is not the case for this one.  Some political blogs turned their editors into media celebrities.  The same can be said for blogs in entertainment and sports.  Our religious world is not immune from this development.  My guess is you could "google" religious blogs to be overwhelmed with the response.  I have a few of these that are part of my regular reading.  We do live in a very different world than we once did.  Anyone is free to express their opinions on the Internet whether right or wrong.

It seems to me that most blogs begin not for information sake but to attack or argue some issue.  This is obviously going to be true in the political world.  Someone on either side of the political aisle will set out to defend their point of view without the usual restraints of journalism.  You may be surprised to know this is also a reason for more than a few religious blogs.  My denomination is riddled with men or women who take to this medium to put forth some point of view.  These writings can and do many times become mean spirited or even ugly.  Do not attempt to read some of these as they are not for the faint hearted.  Some begin to criticize churches, pastors or even whole sections of a denomination.  You will not have to read for long to understand why life seems so fractured today even in the church.  The world of the blog allows for people to express themselves rather than keeping it under wraps.

None of the above has anything to do with my writing.  My simple goal at the start was to use this tool as a means of putting things down that might offer some insight or even encouragement.  Some of the posts were going to be information oriented in terms of current church events.  I hoped to build or expand on sermons or studies beyond what is said on a Sunday.  I enjoy writing whether or not there is any talent here.  We started very slow with more than a few bumps along the way.  Even the best of intentions are not always met with the same level of response.  And so we took more than a little time away on a few occasions.  Life got very bumpy for awhile.  Perhaps it was just setting the stage for another and much larger hurdle to cross.

Being diagnosed with cancer was a jump start on using the blog for communicating about my journey.  We wrote more here since that day back in May, 2010 than at anytime before.  It really seemed a good idea to use this site to allow anyone interested to stay current with my illness.  We also used to to connect as to spiritual lessons being learned along the way.  Now we continue to write long after moving into remission from that disease.  The original question was why do the blog?  There is no single answer that comes to mind.  I can only hope that my few discoveries or expressions of faith can contribute to another person.  This is a reflection of where I am with God at any given moment.  Sometimes that can be a messy thing to put out for public view.  Maybe there are times when it expresses real hope as we move through life.  I still hope it will be an encouragement to how God works even in the messiest times of life. 

Bro. Trey

I know that my tendency is to somewhat complain of being weary on Sunday nights.  This is something that will hopefully diminish as the weeks go by.  But you will need to bear with me at least one more time before defeating this habit.  Today was the day for me to lead the song service along with speaking.  You know we are without a music or student minister.  I tried everything but had no luck finding someone for today.  One time a really good idea came to my brain but neither did it work out.  Guess it is a good thing that my background includes enough music training to know how to wave my hands.  Most of the time I was able to almost keep beat with the hymns.  The truth is my aim was to just keep in step with our musicians.  They are way more talented than myself so perhaps they weren't too embarassed. 

Another very good thing is the fact that my daughter was home this weekend.  So what we did is I waved my arms while letting her lead out in the singing.  Singing is a long way from a talent of mine.  I do fair with music as long as no singing is required.  She is the one with the talent for singing.  I should also add that my youngest does pretty good with singing also.  We did get through the morning service without too many ears ringing from my efforts.  Talking is far more familiar for me.  Speaking to groups never bothers me most of the time.  There is something about singing that almost leaves me breathless.  Maybe the best word to describe my emotions is panic?

God gives each person who trusts Him some measure of gifts or abilities.  Giftedness is not an option for the follower of Jesus.  Where we fall short is whether or not we use those gifts with His power.  Some believers never discover those gifts for various reasons.  Some believers may know their talents yet choose not to use them.  Some may simply avoid joining the adventure of church life due to fears, guilt or some other internal reason.  The result is too few people end up with too much power to be protected rather than being turned loose in ministry.  Doing church was never to be about organization or power structures.  There is honestly only one organizational chart in scripture.  It's when God is in charge and His people all live out their gifts in life.  It never changed from the Old Testament to the New Testament.  We are all called to be servants of God.  He makes us all equal partners in carrying out the ministry.  And that does include me in that statement.

Somedays doing ministry calls for us to move from our comfort zone.  This happened to me today.  It may happen tomorrow in different ways.  God calls us to serve Him first.  Out of that relationship will come the times we intersect with others.  We may get weary on occasion.  We may find times our tasks seem uncomfortable.  But is it worse to try and fail or to fail by never trying? 

Bro. Trey

Handling scripture calls for a blend of humility along with the holy.  Too many people forget their humanity when it comes to interpreting scripture.  We are at best still people prone to sin even with God's presence living in us.  There are yet again two faulty approaches when it comes to dealing with scripture.  The first says that it is basically a human book trying to explain some sense of the divine.  We discount anything that comes close to the miraculous because our minds are closed to God acting that way.  The second just dismisses any intelligent interest in grasping what God is saying.  People like this will fall back on a few proof texts to defend a position unexamined.  Neither way is going to allow us the full benefit of working our way through what the Bible says. 

What honestly scares me about the latter approach is how often it is abused to define or defend ideas that really are not biblical.  Selecting a few verses to build a position is often the method used by those who become false teacher or leaders.  The uninformed really think they hear some new revelation from God while being led down a path of disaster.  You will also find churches that claim to be in the evangelical tradition that dwell on some pet topic for reasons that escape me.  Our very first church was breathed into life during a time of radical diversity.  The gospel provided a freedom never known before in religious thought.  God then moved their mindset beyond the local into the greater world which would take them by surprise.  Expanding the message of the gospel often calls for us to have old beliefs challenged by our God.  We will be called to move past our favorite verses into enjoying all that He says.

When you deal with a passage of some controversy just be sure it is there for a reason.  God did not just smooth out every difficult place in scripture.  Realize that people who truly love God and believe in the truth of scripture often reach differing conclusions with such passages.  My ideas may not be lockstep with anyone else but the issue is primarily about my approach to the process.  I believe God said what He wanted to say in scripture.  Sometimes what is said may be uncomfortable or even difficult.  This does not excuse me from wrestling with the text.  God's word may be less about my agreement and more on my action to obey.  Every believer must be submissive to God who gave us the Bible.  Each attitude must be grounded in humility and submission.  Scripture was never meant to be a weapon to attack other believers.  We need it to guide us and to build us up in the faith. 

Scripture does suggest that women are not meant to be senior pastors.  This is not a knock against women but a continuation of how God operates in the Bible.  It does not let us know what happens when the position is an assistant ministry role.  It also does not say women should never say anything in church.  The original words reflect the idea of women being open to teaching and maturity.  This is no doubt in response to false teachers who would influence women as they enjoyed their new freedoms in Christ.  Remember that both in Acts and other places that we do find women who teach or aid in leading local churches.  We also cannot escape how different the world of the first church was in comparison to ours.  Taking a verse out of context or ignoring cultural clues in interpretation are equally dangerous.  You may find an answer but it may not be anywhere close to being genuine.  This topic calls for real humility, patience and grace to those who may have strong opinions.  Being right in your opinion is never an excuse for acting wrong.

I can only hope all of this rambling makes some sense.  My prayer is that it gives you a reason to think or pray for yourself.  We live in a world of real evil so it seems logical to me that we not waste time at odds with other believers.  Looks like we will need another turn at dealing with this here on the blog.  Just remember that we began on Sunday so this is day four of our musings.  Please read one along with the others to get the full picture of what is being said.  Until tomorrow...

Bro. Trey

We greased the wheels the last two nights working our way to some measure of a finale.  Now it's time to put some of the last two posts in perspective.  Too long have we allowed biblical scholarship to be the domain of either the liberal or the fundamentalist.  One wants to display their intelligence through their efforts to poke holes in scripture.  The other just tosses their brain out in search of the simple or dogmatic statement of faith.  One is like the far too fancy meal that leaves you hungry when you are done.  The other is like junk food that gives you a momentary satisfaction but does nothing to make you healthy.  Being a follower of Jesus was never meant to be easy or neat.  A closer look at the gospels will tell you not everyone will pay the price for real maturity.  It is one reason the church tends to remain in its anemic state.

We will never ever reach a consensus on women in ministry.  My denomination is one that constantly fractures over this issue.  Is there really a biblical balance to this?  Be reminded that what follows is my view on the matter.  My aim is to be short and to the point.  You may question my conclusions but do not do the same to my approach to the Bible.  It is true, eternal and not always as clear as we might like.  I do believe that scripture resists the notion of a woman as senior pastor.  This does not mean other churches are evil or doing the devil's work if they so choose.  If another church employs or calls a woman then my aim to be show Christian cooperation with her and the congregation.  If every church is truly autonomous then it lies in their decision as to who they call to be the leader.  Arrogance is still unacceptable even when we disagree with the direction another person or church takes.

What about other areas of ministry?  Can a woman serve in assistant roles such as music, students and the like?  My answer again comes down to the nature of a particular local church.  There is nothing sacred or holy in a church building.  People who believe in the reality of the believer being the presence of God can still drift into wrong ideas.  We will declare that the church is not really the building yet end up with a view of the platform as something sacred.  Do we fail to miss the poor logic of such thinking?  All of this is said with the idea that women can surely perform ministry that expands past the kitchen.  We would be in dire straits if every woman suddenly stopped teaching our children or other significant ministry.  One church may not be of a mindset that allows a female to serve in various paid ministries.  Many solid or bible believing congregations do have ministry staff that is female.  Their theology is as conservative as there is yet they go in different paths when it comes to this.

Tomorrow we will pick up with how we deal with the biblical text as it relates to this.  Let me go ahead and say that proof texting is a dangerous way to answer these questions.  You may quote a verse that appears to forbid this but there are also texts that can support it.  Be very careful of anyone who just throws a single bible verse to answer a serious conundrum.  That dog won't hunt as we say in my part of Texas.  Serious people who believe scripture to be eternally true differ in their conclusions.  We better get some humility before deciding that ours is the only approach worth taking. 

Bro. Trey

Sometimes a little revolution is good for everyone.  Challenges can nudge us out of comfort zones into new horizons of spiritual life.  Thinking is also a very good habit for believers to develop.  Many who profess faith do not seem to want to strain the brain by giving deep thought.  Reciting lines we hear from others takes the place of a cultivated faith.  Jesus never said we would check our minds at the door when we became a follower.  Now do not think that my point is that real faith is only for the educated or the smart.  An academic may be educated but they are not always intelligent.  Scripture speaks of wisdom as a quality to be desired.  You usually do not gain wisdom without working things out in the heart and mind. 

My personal disposition is toward being conservative in my theology.  I believe the Bible is true from cover to cover.  There are indeed places that seem difficult to interpret or grasp but it does not lessen its truthfulness.  If something is in scripture then you begin by accepting its reality.  God made no mistakes putting our Bible together.  Human beings surely played a role in all of this but we can trust His word.  I say all of this because of the passages where we are left with more questions than answers.  We said last night that God never resolves all of the tension in some areas of scripture.  One passage indicates His election of sinners to salvation.  Another passage may sound very different but we live in the present tense with the tension.  All of this calls for an abundance of humility from the believer.  Arrogance is never an attractive character trait.

Anytime there is a biblical discussion where people begin playing the "what if" game is a call for being very careful with out convictions.  I remember being in meetings where people tried to figure out how the number of weddings for a prospective deacon came into play.  You also had these people trying to find out if a spouse had a living former spouse.  You need to know my thought process checks out in the midst of all of the what ifs.  Another big one for my denomination deals with the role of women in church life.  Real live religious wars break out over that one.  My problem is yet again on how many people get hurt in the friendly fire of such discussions.  In our zeal to be proven right we tend to run over those who didn't deserve the pain.

All of scripture is true.  It is eternal as it originates in God.  Human beings just need to be wary against the temptation to choose up sides especially in the difficult passages.  Someone may truly believe scripture who does not agree totally with me.  That has to be acceptable.  We have to recognize what does bind us together without being distracted by our differences.  It is all part of growing up in the faith.  Learning how to interpret scripture is a serious discipline.  Allowances must be made for another person to reach a slightly different conclusion than ours.  God never calls us to be robotic in our religion.  Uniqueness is built by divine design into the body of Christ.  That is what makes church so amazing.  Reaching this point is yet again neither easy or neat.  But be sure that we must get there in order to be fully mature.

Bro. Trey

Guess it's a good thing there is no daily deadline to writing on the blog.  We will just start over again this week with much better intentions.  The problem is we all know where intentions can lead.  So our last post was about growing up as a church.  Turns out that can be a timely topic after all.  Way too many congregations fail when it comes to dealing with issues.  Our usual choice is between denial or disintegrating into anger.  Experience tells me that our usual preference is name calling or dividing up groups.  Having genuine dialogue seems alien to us.  We absolutely must learn to face whatever comes our way in mature and holy ways.  Failure is not an option.

Sometimes our troubles grow out of our sincere desire to understand scripture.  The problem is here that too many believers subscribe to other's theories without really making them personal.  Time is seldom made to work though or think through what we believe.  One big area where this happens is how we view the end times.  We make one approach the ultimate agenda for this theology.  Many sincere and bible believing academics come to different answers to the same question.  I only ask that a person holds to a literal, visible, personal and historic faith that Jesus will return.  My theology is large enough to let God decide when that will take place.  Yet, how many churches or believers simply quote what another says without really examining all of the meaning?  Can't we do better?

Another problem shows up when we major on minors in scripture.  We again have many academics or plain believers who live with certain issues that motivate their life.  My own denomination fractures time and time again over things that are not at the heart of the gospel.  Name calling is our prominent method of dealing with these differences.  Scripture often displays tension in various areas of doctrine.  What makes this worse is there is no attempt to solve those tensions.  So we argue over how much God calls or elects and how much a human being can do in believing.  Churches work themselves into a frenzy trying to count the number of weddings for deacons.  Maybe they worry that the female gender carries to much weight in ministry.  Doing biblical interpretation is not always easy or neat.  It can be very messy.  Let me warn you that some arguments really do not have simple answers.  Some questions in theology remain beyond resolution since the beginning of scripture.  It is just what it is.

What are we supposed to do?  One thing is to just take a deep breath until you decide whether you deal with a mountain or a molehill.  Just be sure that what is one to you will be the other to someone else.  Another thing to remember is discussion may not lead to a change of mind.  Trying to alter another person's belief can be perilous at the least.  Never hide from honest discussion.  It's one way we grow as human beings much less as believers.  Always try to listen to the perspective of another person.  You may not agree but you can show respect.  I also find that accusing someone of not believing the Bible because of their faith is a sure fire way to mess things up.  Be sure that doing this is an unbiblical behavior when it comes to relationships.  Lastly, do not fail to love another person even if you think they are wrong.  The whole point of growing up is to be a positive influence on people.  Do not abdicate that role in the pursuit of being right.  Life is hard enough without learning how much we need each other. 

Let's stop there for now.  We may pick up with this theme again tomorrow.  May we all learn how to mature even when there are differences among us.

Bro. Trey

My life is spent in the strangest business in the world.  Church life is about the weirdest place to choose a career.  I know that there is the element of being called by God but it still has bizarre moments.  Do not think of this as a complaint.  It is far from being a complaint but it is just the truth.  Most business aims to find a single niche in its existence.  Advertising companies advertise.  A plumbing business fixes stuff.  Doctors go into business to treat people when sick or injured.  You get the idea.  Also remember that you don't go to a plumber with an earache.  Lawyers are probably not going to get you much help repairing your sink.  But everyone seems to have their unique idea on what church is to be about.  There is the beginning of our problems.

My shelves are lined with books on all aspects of church life.  I went to school for years to do the business of church.  You would think two degrees and almost a third would be enough to figure some of this out.  Let me just say that education is a help but nothing does as good as banging your head against the wall.  Most people in ministry will never tell you about the frustrations of being a church leader.  You seldom get to hear or read of the horror stories that go along with congregational life.  Trust me when I tell you that there are more than you could ever imagine.  This does not mean that the church is beyond redemption.  Nor does it mean my hope for a healthy church is forever lost.  Whatever issues affect a church will never be solved by denial.  We will always be better for healthy self examination.

My constant thesis is we will always be better as church when we are in line with God's vision.  Our number one obstacle is that we view church in selfish terms rather than biblical.  I don't mean selfish as the negative application.  **** A fast update here.  Just finished visiting with our departing student minister.  Means today's blog will show up as tomorrow.  My bad. ****  Where were we?  Churches would do well to take a long look at the biblical picture of who they are.  I read over some Old Testament background this evening in our gathering.  What becomes vivid is that God first intends for the church to be a gathering of His people.  His call is to be a holy people for His pleasure.  To miss this is to miss so much of God's purpose.

Church is first about people.  It is about people who respond to His call to salvation.  We are a prized possession to God.  This is true in both Old and New Testament.  There is more to the congregation than just being organized.  Being the church is all about people.  That is why the stories can range from triumphant to tragic.  It is why church can be the best of times or the worst of times.  God does desire greater things from us than recycling broken ideals.  May we discover all that He has in store for us. 

Bro. Trey

There was one major task for me to accomplish today.  It was one that would take all of my best abilities and focus.  My years of experience would be put to the test in ways beyond anticipation.  Morning came early knowing what laid ahead for me.  What was this serious task of the day?  It was...babysitting.  Our student minister is moving so I got to watch their six month old son for awhile.  Spending time with an infant must be like riding a bike.  You never forget.  We talked, played, ate and enjoyed a few hours together.  He did not fall asleep which made the last bit of time more challenging.  He was very ready to return to his mother for his nap.  Things did get a tad messy at times but we are guys so we don't let it bother us. 

Now we are again searching for a student minister.  The last search took far too long so my hope is this one moves much faster.  That was a rough time around here.  Most of my grey hair came in during that time.  What little sanity that was there went far away.  I knew God's timing would always come about but not many others agreed with me.  Waiting for God is not one of those things many believers do very well.  Impatience always gives way to getting in His way.  Amazing that the Psalms talk so much about that area of trust with God yet we just cannot seem to wait.  We will do our part in this effort.  I already started reaching out to some people for help.  Praying is essential in all of this.  Seems like our actions with God's direction go hand in hand here.

Learning how to wait on God is a huge part of growing up.  It may not gain much attention but it is critical to maturity.  Waiting calls for us to resist our natural urge to take over when we do not see anything happening.  I sometimes wonder how many people settle for good when waiting on God might lead to great?  Timing matters a great deal in the things of God.  To see nothing going on never means God is not at work.  He is always at work if we just know how to notice.  Take in scripture on a regular basis in preparation for God to act.  Spend time talking and listening to God discovering what He is trying to tell you.  Keep a journal to record what you read or hear along the way.  You will find those notes a source of guidance as you move along.  Be willing to resist that sinful nature that wants to help God along.  It's a lot like babysitting an infant.  You know the time will pass where the child grows up.  But just be sure it happens even when you don't see it.  God's time will come to pass.  Just make each day count as it does. 

Bro. Trey

We are moving into the afterglow of 9/11 observances across the country.  Our church spent the first part of our service doing patriotic songs and such.  It just seems impossible to really capture all of the emotion involved in one service.  My view is that this is a painful yet helpful anniversary for us as a whole.  Looking back into the pain is not easy but it can let us know how we are doing since that day.  It is also true that television just does not convey the sights and sounds of this event.  Count me as among the many people who never visited New York City.  My mind cannot fathom the scenes of that day or this one.  My hope is that our small observance is enough to keep the memory alive with honor.

Our country is just struggling so much now.  I am not going to do a catalog of issues since most of us already feel the pain of the problems.  It is enough to know that every area of our society is tested during these days.  Business as usual will just not be enough to see us through.  Believers tend to put too much stock into politics.  There is an idea going around that God only uses people of a single political persuasion to do His work.  Never forget that in the Old Testament that God had a way of taking pagan rulers to use them for His purpose.  The prophets would speak often of divine direction being offered even when the bad guy seemed to be in charge.  Turning to the New Testament reveals how God transformed people not by their vote but by His presence.  History tells us that even the Romans could not eliminate the work of God through that early church.  Maybe we would do well to remember that?

Divisions continue to define our country even following that attack on all of America ten years ago.  Neither political party seems to know how to govern or lead this nation to real security.  Blame should rest not just on whoever is President but on all who choose govern the land of the free and the home of the brave.  I truly believe our founding fathers would wonder what happened to their original intent in the Constitution.  My goal in saying all of this is to remind us that any real solution will first be spiritual.  We live in a unique and distinct country.  Our nation survived decades of conflicts across the sea.  We also withstood this attack on our homeland.  I don't think any final blow will come from outside our shores.  We will lose our way when we become selfish or hollow on the inside. 

I pray our vision will not be limited by tragedy or tyranny.  May we seek to be His people in our present tense condition.  Let us honor those who gave lives in service by living larger than our wants.  God can take the worst of times to make them useful for Him.  A real tragedy would be to let the horrible define us rather than God's grace.  Let your light shine.  It will always be enough to overcome any darkness.

Bro. Trey

Ten years ago we were totally unaware of the impending disaster that was only days away.  America went about life business as usual with no consideration of the dangers approaching.  Most of us cannot recall what we did on September 9 or 10.  We all remember where we were on September 11.  Our memories are seared in terms of how we learned of the horrific events of the day.  A simple yet odd story of a plane crash developed into four airplanes targeting significant sites in our country.  Our entire way of life was forever altered that day.  A nation that thought itself safe from such violence had that innocence ripped away.  We felt confusion, despair and anger as time moved forward.  Normal would never be viewed again the same way.

We now approach ten years since that fall morning.  Can it really be a decade since those attacks?  Perhaps our awareness of that day is similar to our grandparents and Pearl Harbor.  Horrible events seem to find away to remain in the present tense.  9/11 remains a permanent marker in terms of how we view time.  It defines us as a nation.  You cannot imagine what life would be without its reality.  Over 3,000 lives were violently taken away that morning.  Many more lives were lost in the wars that would follow.  Someone will also mention over the next few days about the number of injuries suffered by our soldiers in our efforts abroad.  It will be years before every aftershock of this day comes to a conclusion.

I spent a lot of time this week reading over how churches responded in those days.  We will take time this Sunday for remembrance.  Words from those early days were raw without the insight that time now allows us.  Many of the prayers or sermons focused on our grief as a nation.  Experts were still in the process of understanding who it was that attacked us.  Congress was unified for those first weeks until the usual partisan politics returned.  Hindsight is teaching us about mistakes made in intelligence as well as in our war effort.  Our focus remains on avoiding another calamity.  We move forward while still having the memory of that occasion running through our mind. 

It seems to me that church or the Christian life did not drastically improve for long after 9/11.  Some congregations opened their doors for people to pray.  Many churches saw attendance rise briefly in the aftermath.  But the numbers tell us that our impact on society is no better now than it was then.  Bad things are not enough to cause society to change.  Our politics is worse than ever.  The economy continues to grow worse every day.  There is no need to continue with the list since you already know this.  Changing a society calls for a supernatural power that comes solely from God.  It requires obedience to the original mission given to the disciples over 2,000 years ago.  We can still make a difference.  But we will need the desire to be different ourselves by God's help.

Bro. Trey

It is again one of those weeks where you lose track of time.  Three day weekends seem to take more than two days to catch up.  Most of my time is spent trying to recall what the day is today.  My youngest enjoys it because it is one less day of school for the week.  Probably most kids enjoy weeks like this one.  The fires continue to rage all around here.  I do not know what it will take to quell this outbreak.  It is true that our normal East Texas country side will not be the same.

Our church is moving toward yet another transition.  Our student minister is moving to the Dallas area to work with another congregation.  We will and do wish him well.  The ministry will be very different than here but perhaps new avenues of ministry will open.  We will soon take on the task of seeking whomever God may wish to take up the call here.  Our past history is not very promising in this.  Our size and location seem to set limits on those who may have an interest in ministry.  Sunday will be his last day here in someways.  There is grief for his moving away.  Many will need time to gain traction without his constant presence.  My primary hope is for God to allow us to find a new person in far less time than average. 

His announcement led to some odd questions along the way.  A few people are inquiring whether or not I will be the next to go.  That was my topic this evening in our Wednesday gathering.  Some speculate if I would be moving soon to be closer to my daughter in college.  Perhaps some ask as they wish my departure was immanent.  My idea was to just be honest with the people gathered for our prayer time.  Eleven years of ministry in one place allows some freedom to be honest even if it is rare.  Some may be disappointed in my answers.  Maybe some are pleased in my response.  All one can do is tell the truth about a given situation.

There are two major reasons why the odds of my relocating are slim.  The first major problem is in my being a cancer survivor.  Not many churches are going to take a chance on me dying on them.  I even had one church tell me they probably would not consider me because of how much money they would need to spend on insurance.  That also soured my opinion of them as well.  Another reason comes down to my being old.  Fifty may not sound old but it is when churches talk to young guys.  Most congregations will opt for the younger version rather than experience.  This is not a matter of what is fair but it simply is what it is.

Some comment that part of adulthood is accepting your limits.  You learn to find joy in what truly matters.  Sometimes this means literally moving to a new place in life.  It can also mean finding contentment where you are in the present tense.  It is all part of being faithful to God wherever you are. 

Bro. Trey

The last few days turned out to be wild.  This leads to yet another apology for missing out on writing here on the blog.  Maybe its that time wasn't spent wisely to allow room for writing.  Some of the absence is just due to the usual drain on the ideas.  Our local school played the big rival last Friday night.  Turned out to be a game that received statewide attention.  We lost.  Now the kids try to regroup for the next game.  I also got to spend time with my favorite daughter over the weekend.  Never thought the sounds of her phone going off with messages would sound so good.  It was truly great to just be together for awhile.  It was the drive home that really changed everything up around here. 

You would think my son and I were seeing clouds as we approached our area of the state.  I knew that it was anything but clouds.  Wildfires are raging all across our area.  Most of East Texas is affected by these raging infernos now.  Thousands of acres are being lost on a daily basis.  Some lives are already casualties of this act of nature.  My hometown is at ground zero of some of the worst fires.  Even where I live now is being affected by fires.  Smoke covers my town much like fog.  You can smell leaves or trees burning even when miles away.  Scores of brave men and women are out in the woods night and day trying to at least make a dent in containing the blazes.  We can only hope that time and effort will bring them success.

Summer continues to take its toll on us.  Rain is almost a forgotten word now.  Temperatures finally broke a tad but it is little comfort without rain.  Now we are losing acres of trees along with the land.  This is something never seen here before.  My time in the Panhandle allowed me a view of how wildfires can grow out of control.  Who would imagine that East Texas could ever become so dry that they would be an issue here?  Our normal weather pattern is more like the tropics than the desert.  Just about any small spark today would lead to a massive firestorm.  I cannot begin to predict how long the fires are going to last.  But there will be no real relief until rain falls for a duration.

Feeling helpless is never any fun.  No one ever enjoys that frustration.  This is why most human beings strive so hard to make life manageable.  We crave that idea of being in control.  Our actions toward others can often be directed by the need for control.  We even do our religion that way.  We claim our faith in God yet avoid any risk to our well being.  Life happens on occasion to remind us that we really are not in control.  But rather than lean upon God we tend to work harder to regain that illusion.  We cannot wish these fires away.  We cannot deny their existence.  We surely cannot control them.  We can seek God for help in times like this.  We can do our part if called upon.  We can learn to be grateful for His many gifts to our life. 

Bro. Trey