Let's start with a word about the upcoming week.  There will be a few less blog posts than usual over the next few days.  Just a warning to the one or two people who may still read the blog.  My journey takes me to Waco this week to pack up my daughter's stuff at college.  Still feels like only a few weeks ago we suffered in the August heat to unload her.  That was a Heisman Trophy and a National Championship ago.  She has some family things to do along with finals so she will not really be home for awhile.  We will see if what we took to college multiplied over these months.  So that is why there will be less writing this week.


Tonight we focus on the continuing adventures of Pokey the dog.  She is still growing bigger though she really isn't much smarter.  Someone said she isn't a lap dog.  This was while Pokey was sitting in my lap.  She didn't get the memo.  Friday was the day she decided to turn over a garbage can in the garage.  What her motivation was beats me.  Maybe it was an accident since she does have a clumsy streak about her.  My job this evening was to sweep and rake up all sorts of paper scattered around the backyard.  Pokey mostly just stared at me waiting to be fed.  Dogs make very poor house or yard keepers.  All they contribute is the initial mess.  Cleaning up is left to us.  One can only hope she found what she was looking for amid the mess.  None of it had any rhyme or reason to me.  She was still waiting for her food and water when the job was done.  That is life with a dog for you.


It was while raking and picking up that this thought crossed my mind.  Perhaps it was due to being bent over but I would like to think it was a divine moment.  How much cleaning up in our life does God do even when He didn't make the mess?  Just stop and think on that while.  Our heart, mind and even our very being is dependent on grace that leads to forgiveness.  We tend to empty out all manner of dark thoughts and even evil action through our life.  Sometimes we stop long enough to recognize just how messy we get things.  Other times it takes God to get our attention to point out where we are out of line.  Regardless, we are eternally needing God to forgive, cleanse and restore us to His purpose.  We are many times like my Pokey when we simply want more stuff while He is wanting to make things new.  My dog didn't even thank me for cleaning up her area tonight.  We too often resist not only being grateful but also resist just giving God the freedom to do His work.  What becomes even sadder is we end up blaming Him for the mess we caused on our own!  Let's reflect on that for a day or so.  Our world needs God in a desperate fashion.  What happens in our world rests much on how we allow Him to get us where He wants us to be.  Be better than my dog.  Let that divine grace have its way to reclaim God's greatness in your life.


Bro. Trey

My clock says this will be a fast and to the point post.  It really will not take long.  I was up at our school today when one of my members asked me a question.  He comes from a Catholic background and still reads through some of their scripture readings each Sunday.  That is very fine by me regardless of the source.  He noticed that my scripture on last Sunday matched some of his reading that morning.  There was a question about was it by accident or not.  My answer was simple.  I am now using the church lectionary readings for a few weeks after Easter.  My scriptures are being selected from the various readings suggested for any given week.  I also added that he will find this week being based on one of the readings.  Probably no one else would notice but he did pick that up.


The church lectionary contains scripture readings for every day along with suggestions for any given Sunday.  I have no idea who chooses these or on what basis.  Most of our mainline congregations plan the year around this tool.  This does not mean each sermon is the same in every church that follows this plan.  Every minister is free to put his own spin on the selection.  Some will try to weave every scripture reference into a message.  Most opt to major on one text or the other.  There is usually an Old Testament reading, a gospel reading and one from an letter of the New Testament.  The fourth reading comes from the Psalms.  They move along with the church calender with serious emphasis on Christmas and Easter.  Seems like they alternate along three year cycles.  From what I can tell, the goal is to cover most if not all of the Bible in those three years.  Baptists do not usually look to the lectionary for preaching material.  More and more are starting to utilize it but those are still in a serious minority.  I go to the lectionary most often during those holiday occasions.  This is one of those times when it seemed better to study with it than without it.


The weeks that follow Easter can be difficult to handle.  Some years I just moved into another study based on where my own spiritual journey took me.  One year it seemed like God led me to take a look at the ascension of Jesus for several weeks.  That grew out of my personal readings from the lectionary guide.  I like the challenge of studying scripture with a plan.  This year it seemed God was nudging me to take a look at the scriptures suggested by the lectionary.  So far it is an enjoyable ride.  We will spend two weeks in Acts before moving on to some gospel studies.  All of these readings speak to me.  I know they have great application to a wider audience.  Breaking up various messages by series or by the lectionary is my personal approach to preaching.  God speaks to us in many diverse ways.  We just need the sensitivity to listen.


Bro. Trey

Baseball season is in full swing now.  Almost a month of the season is behind us.  You can see almost anything in any given game.  Some of it will be amazing.  Some of it can be horrible.  Saturday was a day for the history books.  A young man from around here pitched only the 21st perfect game in over a hundred years of baseball.  Let's put that into some perspective.  Teams averaged over 150 games per year for over that century.  Multiply that into however many teams were or are now active in the major leagues.  This means only 21 times over those thousands of games has a pitcher faced 27 batters while getting the same amount out.  That is an event  that stands the test of time.  Even throwing your average no hitter is very difficult to do in the big leagues.  No wonder Saturday became such a special day.  


The pitcher played baseball in a nearby town to mine.  He went on to college before being drafted by the New York Mets.  His high school coach and I grew up in the same town together.  We played off and on together until his graduation.  It was just last May when I sat in his parents home on the occasion of his sister dying unexpectedly.  There is a lot of connection there for me.  Seems to me that I should get some of the credit for the perfect game just based on personal history.  The coach and I did graduate from the same high school.  We played together on different teams.  Doesn't that rub off on me somehow?  The obvious answer is of course no.  My knowledge of his high school coach lacks any substance to this achievement.  But maybe it makes a simple point.  


We are reminded in Acts 3 of our connection with the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob.  This same God is the one involved in Jesus.  What you read of God doing way back when is directly related to what He does through Jesus.  When you are related to God this way then your very history does have a sense of history.  You can be sure of God's goodness since it is never a spur of the moment thing.  We can depend on His faithfulness since it is on display in each one of these biblical people.  No one can deny that God works that divine will even when obstacles come along.  Perhaps we may feel lonely but you can be sure that you are never alone.  Our faith traces back centuries to when God first put His plan of salvation into action.  Nowhere does this mean our faith may go without some tense moments.  It does mean we can draw comfort from our divine relationship.  It makes every day matter with His power.  It changes everything.


Bro. Trey

My cell phone didn't ring today.  There were no text messages to answer.  It finally got used late this afternoon but for most of Monday it was silent.  A thought ran across my mind that perhaps my cell was unneeded any longer.  Everything that I did could be done the old fashioned way.  No sooner did that idea register but there came a very real sense of anxiety.  Surprise is the word to describe my reaction.  Can a person really exist in today's world without that piece of technology?  My chief concern was that nagging "what if" feeling that hit me.  That's what I call the belief that something bad could happen and "what if" there were no phone close by.  Maybe this is all nonsense to you but it gave me a reason to reflect a bit.  


There is a common theme among novels of both the suspense and the horror genre.  It is the idea that human beings are slaves of the technology created to simplify life.  Various plot devices are used to suggest if not blatantly point out this dynamic.  One recent novel described a sinister plot where the victims are cut off from rescue due to the loss of the internet along with cell phones.  The author writes in his comments that this is indeed a scenario some predict that could be a reality someday.  Can you imagine what would happen if this younger generation lost the ability to use their phones?  Most young people use their cells to run their life not just make calls.  They would move way past mild anxiety into a full panic mode if forced to make do without them.  I am not saying either of these ideas is right or wrong.  It is something to think about.


Let me admit that it does bother me how dependent we are on all of these new gadgets.  Count me as one who sees them more as our masters than anything else.  Don't get me wrong on this.  I enjoy the internet as much as the next person.  So much more information is available to us than ever before.  We can click a button and end up reading almost anything in a moment.  Cell phones are great since they can rescue us in difficult settings.  But there is still a nagging suspicion that we are dependent on them in an unhealthy manner.  Again, check your emotional response at even a suggestion that you go without them.  You may be surprised.


Would we be as concerned about being too independent from God?  My guess is we march along day by day without a lot of thought about this.  Losing our stuff terrifies us.  Being out of line with God may not bug us as much.  Perhaps we are more like Samson who didn't know the power of God was gone until it was too late.  So we roll through each day unaware of our spiritual level.  Maybe it's just me but shouldn't we be as concerned about losing our closeness to God as we do our cell phone?  


Bro. Trey

Tonight our church called a new student minister.  Those who are not Baptist may not fully realize what this means.  We invited a young man along with his soon to be bride to lead our student ministry.  Not many congregations do such any longer.  More than a few now approach such an effort similar to hiring a new employee.  I do understand that our world is changing in many ways but one can hope we don't lose sight of such an experience as a call.  We searched, prayed, and interviewed several over the last seven months or so.  Our vote tonight was the climax to these efforts.  My hope was to remind all of us that it was a spiritual moment and not just finding a new person for a job.  This young couple deserve more than that mindset.  We can all use some sense of recovering the unique job that is ministry.


My mind wandered some during the question and answer period this evening.  Most of my thoughts were about how old I really am now.  Was I ever really that young?  Seems like only yesterday my career was starting.  Mail was still delivered the old fashioned way.  Phones were still limited to somewhere in the house or office.  Churches still extended a call to ministers to move to a new field.  A computer was something for big organizations not contained on your cell phone.  Odds are good my outlook was as hopeful as it was tonight for this couple.  I just knew my words or efforts would change the world.  Now my ministry is older than the young man coming to join us.  Being part of the experience flooded me with all types of emotion from my own journey.  Time keeps flying by with each passing day.  Strange how that tends to happen.


Perhaps the time is here for me to map out my last twenty years or so of ministry.  I really hope to remain healthy enough to do this until then.  Cancer may have something to say in this but that is my prayer.  No one can say whether those twenty years may be here or in another setting.  That is part of the adventure of God's will.  He may choose to leave me here or send me in another direction in time.  That is something to leave up to Him.  What happens in these years depends a great deal on me.  You cannot plan for every event that may or may not occur.  All one can do is keep the heart right with God no matter the circumstances.  Hold tight to your core philosophy when it comes to church work.  Do all you can not to let the negative clutter your mind or your heart.  Remember you are not in control of your times.  But also keep in mind not to allow the times to control you.  And never forget that all you can do is all you can do.


Let's hope that God will exceed our wildest expectations as we add this new minister.  My prayer is for one divine surprise after the other.  May the best blessings of God be on all of us as we start this journey together.


Bro. Trey

Most pastors spend their Wednesday getting ready for a bible study or other meeting in the evening.  I decided to spend it car shopping for my daughter.  Don't worry as most of the details will be left out of this brief post.  One of my jobs around the house is to do the car hunting when there is a need.  This does not make me some type of keen trader.  Mostly it means that I am the only one willing to go through the punishment of this errand.  Maybe it makes me a tad foolish but someone has to do it.  I can report success as my daughter will have a newer automobile to drive in a few days.  Some may think my efforts fell short but this dad believes the new vehicle should work out for a few years.


Some of my relatives by marriage are in the car business.  The only benefit of that to me is the ability to just be honest with salesmen.  I learned that they need to sell cars to keep the money flowing.  The best approach is to just shoot straight with them about your needs.  One of the odd facts of the day is this new purchase is from the dealership that bought my relatives out a few years ago.  I spent sometime when they were here just dropping in from time to time to visit.  Now they set up shop back in Louisiana but my first serious stop was on familiar turf.  It also helps when you tell the people that the car is for your daughter.  They know full well that no dad is going to just drive anything off the lot.  My dealer looks a little older than I so he got my drift when he learned it was a car for a daughter.  Reminding them often of this truth never hurts either.  We got about as good of a deal as one could hope for under the circumstances.  Some may be able to go back and forth for the extra few dollars off but that's not my style.  I personally like to walk away with some shred of self respect intact.


I mentioned getting to talk about family during the day.  Most of my relatives are either gone or live away.  We are a very small group of people left.  A family reunion could be held in a closet.  So having the chance to remember stuff from the past was pretty amazing.  It took me back to the times of my grandparents as well as to thinking about some of their family.  I could remember voices from my past even after all of this time.  Always surprises me how the past can catch up with your present on occasion.  I walked out a bit poorer financially but somehow felt more connected to those I miss.  This makes today a very good day no matter why I was out shopping for a car.  That in itself is the spiritual point of the post.  Never be surprised by God's small gifts in the midst of an ordinary day.  It can happen even when you shop for cars.


Bro. Trey

Let's hope tonight turns out to be relatively short when it comes to writing.  Seems like my efforts get longer as we go along.  I also noticed that not too many people are still reading here.  That's really fine by me.  There are no expectations of this site breaking any new literary ground.  We will keep putting stuff out here on the odd chance someone stumbles upon the blog.  Most of what is written is just a way to put things down for me to see.  A lot of it is the thinking out loud process.  Maybe it can remain a sense of therapy for my mind even if it doesn't reach anyone else.  It may also be true that blogs are on the way out.  Only those with some commercial appeal will survive as we move forward.  So we will soldier on regardless.


My daughter is into her second week without a car now.  A deer ran right into the front of her former vehicle while she was coming home from town.  I took her back to school a week ago.  We are still waiting for all of the paperwork and such to finish with our insurance.  Her automobile is a complete loss.  This means she is dependent on her college friends for transportation.  She is doing as well with it as I would.  Neither of us enjoy leaning on others in that way.  We want the freedom to go and come as we please.  I would much rather drive when accompanying someone on a trip or errand.  Being so dependent on the schedule of another person is not pleasant to my system.  We have that trait in common.  But most of us enjoy our independence.  Sometimes we take it to extremes.


Human beings do want to do life on their terms.  We get that in our genes.  It really is not an awful thing on the surface.  It does become an issue when we get so caught up in our life we neglect or even forget the grace to depend on God.  Adam and Eve began this habit years ago.  They decided to try life without obedience to God.  It cost them dearly.  We still pay the price today.  Even those who follow Jesus are not immune from this character flaw.  How many go along doing their thing while asking God to bless their efforts?  We know what is expected so we trudge through our days without any thought of God having other plans.  Being independent is a mark of maturity in some areas.  But be sure it is also a temptation to be so free of dependency we miss out on God's guidance.  Maybe we can learn lessons of patience or grace when we remain open to God's activity.  God knows more of us could use those experiences to shape our character.  


But just know my search is getting more intent on finding a new car for her.  Too much dependence for her may be dangerous.  It could be for me if one isn't found soon!


Bro. Trey

Let's talk about houses this evening.  Don't ask me why this is the topic of choice.  It just kinda turned out that way.  Maybe it's because I am in my twelfth of living in my current home.  Obviously it is not mine but it is still where I reside.  No matter how much yard work or house work gets done by me it will not alter the fact it belongs to other people.  Time does move quickly when thinking about all of the years spent there.  Twelve years is the longest time spent in any one residence since my growing up years.  That could contribute to my thinking tonight.  Both of my children now experienced the same amount of time as I in one place.  Funny how your mind works when you just go with it.

I still remember my home growing up.  There are times my travels take me by it for one reason or the other.  Now its been 33 years since the last time I was inside it.  Memories do tend to be stubborn things on occasion.  Images are growing more and more fuzzy over time but most of the house is still halfway vivid in my mind.  The most obvious memory is of my room when young.  For years the walls were pink and the floors were black and white tiles.  Could be a reason for my odd personality to be sure.  It was formerly a garage before the enclosing.  There was a lot of room for a growing boy to be active.  One drawback is it was at the far end of the house with the bathrooms.  You had a long walk to get to the other end of the house.  This was a small price to pay for enjoying the space.  Sometimes my mind will wander back to hold onto the memories of each part of the house.  Perhaps most of us do that with our homes.

Like we said, my children have the same amount of time in this house as I did with mine.  This will probably be the house they remember in their adulthood.  Maybe someone else will live their by then.  One can only hope their memories will be pleasant to recall.  There are a few who get to hold onto a house along with their experiences of the past.  The past just weaves into the present. Grandchildren run in the same hallways as their parents once did.  Holidays come and go with years of tradition displayed around a house.  Houses do matter.

I have no idea what our eternal home will be like.  Some glimpses are given without much definition.  We do have a promise of an eternal dwelling place.  Even our earthly homes are far more temporary than heaven.   Maybe our minds should not be too consumed with that future but it matters.  But we can rest in that given truth.  Memory will someday give way to that awesome reality.  That is something worth always remembering.

Bro. Trey

There are some sermons that are easier to deliver than others.  Anytime you talk about stuff that can be measured or weighed it becomes far simpler to make your points.  Topics like praying, bible study, going to church and such can come down to suggesting an appropriate amount of activity.  Anyone can pick a particular number to suggest for any of these activities to fit the message.  But what happens when the sermon is less easily valued in terms of being busy?  Most people struggle listening much less talking about such ideas.  We want a measuring stick to know how we are doing.  Usually we look for that number so we can either feel good about our efforts or feel better than what another may be doing.  The message this morning was one of those that defies the usual grade for our busyness.  After all, how do you really measure love?


John 21 is the familiar story of the conversation between Jesus and Simon Peter.  Three times the disciple is questioned about his heart toward his Lord.  Out of all of the things Jesus could press this failed follower about He chooses to ask about his heart.  It is amazing that Jesus didn't just fire Peter from his post.  He does not elevate another of the disciples to take his place.  Jesus chooses to restore this wayward disciple by taking him to another level of faith.  What we wouldn't give to have that same grace extended toward us?  But be sure this restoring does not come easy or cheap.  Peter will have to deal with the most sensitive issue of humanity.  He will come face to face with his own selfish heart.  Simply doing more religious stuff is easy compared to this type of confrontation.  Just know you cannot really go deeper in your faith without it though.


We need this conversation with God at various places in our journey.  Sometimes we need it because we stop being real in our faith.  It becomes more comfortable to protect what we have rather than let God stretch us.  There are times we need such an event when we hold onto past hurts until they damage both our present and our future.  It is even possible for us to decide we know all we need to know in our spiritual life.  Our life stops being surprised by the discoveries God has for us.  Some people get too independent in thinking they can do this religious stuff without God's help.  That sounds peculiar but it happens more than you realize.  We know what is to be done so we just set out without any thought to whether or not God wants to do a new thing.  What rests at the core of all of this is we fail to love God in light of His grace.  Now we seldom reach a point where we do not desire God's blessings.  What happens is we forget to want His heart as well.  Jesus reminds Simon Peter that the one non-negotiable is to let the heart stay in touch with Him.  How is it that the one thing that matters so much to Jesus is so far down the list for us?  Maybe this is why we fall so short of being God's people.


There is no simple formula for repairing this problem.  You have to make time to be alone with God to take Him seriously.  You may find it painful as the divine presence works its way in your heart and mind.  This is much more than simply suffering in pain.  God gets really real in your heart to make the needed changes.  But always take comfort knowing He does this so you can grow even more in the journey.  God can use you in so many ways beyond your expectation should you allow Him the freedom to operate.  Simon Peter would deliver a sermon just a month removed from this conversation.  Over 3000 people would become followers of Jesus that one day.  That doesn't happen unless he is willing to go through the examination of his heart.  Isn't the broken heart well worth it compared to any blessings that follow?  Only you can answer that question.


Bro. Trey

Everyone has their peculiar set of pet peeves.  No one is immune from this reality.  Some develop during the process of life.  Others may set deeper in our personality.  What they are and how we handle them determines much of our character.  There are those who seem to go out of control when confronted by one of these.  You find some people who learn to take such things in stride.  They recognize not every person is the same.  I sometimes wonder about why we feel the need to state the obvious.  Maybe this is one of those bad habits of mine.  But it just seems as if we miss the bigger picture when we get focused on a single aspect of anything.


Recent examples can be seen in books that fly off the shelves in stores.  One book made tons of money just by saying " Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus."  You would think no one ever realized gender differences exist.  Then came the one that says, "Don't sweat the small stuff, it's all small stuff."  Maybe our preferences say more about our not being in touch with real life as much as it does our reading choices.  We do have this innate ability to get wrapped up in our world to the point we forfeit our perspective.  Even believers get so excited over the insignificant way too often.  Someone once said, "The important is seldom urgent and the urgent is seldom important."  Surely some version of that quote is found in scripture somewhere.


I am a cancer survivor.  That means not just getting physically healthy but discovering how such a journey changes you.  At no point do I believe such a title makes me any better than another person.  Just be absolutely sure that my perspective is forever altered by my encounter.  Not everyone gets that.  You will always find those who want you to be as worked up over some matter as much as they are.  When you spend hours being poisoned in order to get well you decide that most everything really is small stuff.  Relationships matter greatly after such a time.  Children are essential when your earthly journey is threatened.  You no longer see events as "life and death" because you know what that truly means.  Adding a relationships with God into the equation only magnifies the learning.  Your mind, body and heart can never be the same.


We prayed for two years or so for a young woman diagnosed with a brutal form of cancer.  Regular updates were sent to us so we could continue our intercession on her behalf.  That life came to an end this week.  Each time someone leaves our world early due to this disease only strengthens my resolve to focus on the important.  My heart breaks regularly for those who do not share my outcome of treatment.  Far too many people waltz through this world without a sense of the fragility of life.  Their life is treated more as a right than as a gift.  I fully realize my small rant will not change a thing in the long run.  But this is at least a moment to drive my stake in the ground for the value of each day.  My one hope is more can come to this approach without going through grueling difficulty.  Then there may be more patience with others as we take God seriously in our every single day.


Bro. Trey

It looks like we now know who will be the primary candidates in our presidential election.  Beating the incumbent is always difficult even with a good candidate.  A sitting president just has numerous advantages over the opponent.  This year will be no exception.  We are in for a historical campaign in 2012.  You have a president who is a first of his kind with his ethnicity.  You then have a challenger who will have his religion questioned each day from now until the election.  Neither gentleman is a particularly strong prospect.  My bet is this will be about as ugly as we could imagine and then some.  My prevailing thought is to wake me when its over.


Some of my reading does happen on more liberal sites than I may like.  Let me confess to my basic approach being so conservative it is almost libertarian.  No one has to share my views but it seems fair to state it up front.  My point was to say how those writers or commentators are daily attacking the other side even if it makes no sense.  I never mind reading the ideas of those who may not agree with me.  The mind needs to be challenged on occasion.  What scares me is the venom in print now towards even simple, basic moral ideas.  My mind can see the eventual outcome of such thought and it is not pretty.  Some are saying there is now a war on religion.  My answer is when did one ever stop?  Believers in our country long enjoyed relative peace from most individuals.  Those days seem to be over.  Great wisdom is essential in our world today.


Do not think that the "other" side gets a free pass either.  It does bother me greatly when believers declare one side or the other as somehow more divine than the other.  Scripture is bigger than any political platform.  Those on the liberal side say that since Jesus took care of the poor then government has the answer.  I don't think Jesus would put those two ideas together.  Then again, to be pro-life means more than protecting the unborn.  That matters greatly to me but so does what our society does to those once born.  Then you throw in the fact we will have our first  Mormon candidate and all bets are off.  Who knows what those who believe solely in Jesus will do now?  Some will say that a believer cannot vote for a Mormon.  We are surely in uncharted waters here.


You should also know that I do not see my minister job including telling groups of people who should get the vote.  We already see churches or pastors declaring one candidate or the other to be God's person.  I think that should be left up to God not the man of God.  It is true that we should vote our convictions.  We need to be informed about the issues beyond the rhetoric.  It does appear we have two very imperfect candidates this year.  But we should still listen closely to do our best with our one vote.  We may not agree on who deserves that vote but we can let our voice be heard.  


Bro. Trey

Today was not a good day for coaches in the world of sports.  The sports reporting probably enjoyed it but not for very admirable reasons.  One coach or manager will spend the next five days off work because of comments he made about Fidel Castro.  You just cannot say you admire a Cuban dictator when your job is in Miami.  He apologized in two languages today but it may not be enough in the end.  The other just got relieved of his duties as the head football coach at a major university.  I was going to summarize his problems but did not know where to even begin.  The bottom line is his success as a coach fell far short of his being a decent human being.  Even the most popular or gifted of leaders are fully capable of making enormous mistakes.


Maybe some of this is our fault.  Let me explain.  We look for and even crave leaders who are a step beyond perfect in every area of life.  Not much room is left any longer for people to be just people.  Coaches are to be the very image of perfection both publicly and privately.  The other problem is we overlook any failings as long as they win games for our team.  We do that in politics, business or in sports.  My view is people want that charismatic leader who never fails or shows any humanity.  Churches are falling prey to that urge far too often lately.  They want someone with all of the answers before questions are asked.  Believers look for someone who can do for them what either they cannot do or will not do.  Being led is far more than having another person do it for you.  This approach works for awhile but usually causes more problems than it solves.


My personal view of leadership revolves around the concept of what is called servant leadership.  It is not about being weak but being strong enough to withstand temporary temptations.  No person can just do it all in times of need.  You only invite exhaustion when you go down that road.  No person can really have all of the answers at any time.  Nowhere is this more true than in church.  Servant leadership is when one looks to God for direction or guidance.  It includes allowing others to develop as disciples.  Sometimes it may involve failures so that a greater victory may be won.  It puts other people first before the needs of the ego.  This style is seldom easy and almost never appreciated.  But it is the approach we desperately need in these days.


Jesus is obviously a model of this tactic with others.  No one can doubt His strength but it is always channeled to benefit others.  He does great miracles to be sure but also makes time for the outcast.  Even the end of His earthly life finds a focus beyond the moment.  The end of His work leads directly to lives being eternally changed.  Some would think of Jesus as a failure based on His death.  More than a few would ridicule Him for the methods used in ministry.  He never flinches no matter the pressure.  He is a servant.  Then the call will come to us to be a servant also.  How you doing with that?


Bro. Trey

Getting ready for Easter is hard enough without life going off track.  Last week turned out to have more twists and turns than your average pretzel.  You normally would want it to be smooth sailing rather than stormy seas.  But you also cannot always get what you want.  I wondered at all of the reasons for the upheaval during the time but it became clear today why it happened.  God does seem to know the times of life far better than we do.  He also knows how to see us through the various ups and downs.  When we remain in touch with Him then we leave room for the discoveries along the way.  You may find God can do more during the week than you even expect on the one big day you are trying to celebrate.


Monday was the day my youngest had a bad day at school.  These do not take place as much as they once did but every so often he will surprise us.  It wasn't real bad but it was enough to call for dad to offer parental guidance.  Tuesday began with a realization that it was not Wednesday!  I have no idea why my days were confused but that is just what happened.  It was also the day my daughter drove home from college in the mass of storms in our area.  She did very well even with the weather to arrive home safe and sound.  What we did not know is everything would change two days later.  My week of getting ready for the big service was already falling behind then it would get even worse.


It was after a long day on Thursday that plans were altered yet again.  My daughter was driving home after visiting with friends when a deer thought it wise to run in front of her.  There was the inevitable collision on the highway.  So her dad made a very late night run to go rescue her in her dilemma.  Now we were even further behind with calls to make and the like.  Do not think of all of this as a complaint.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  My gratitude for her safety outweighs any need to craft a perfect service.  Being taken in different directions may not be conducive for intense study but it does keep God real in life.  Even those who have more than a few Easters under their belts can use that type of encounter to keep the heart conditioned in faith.


Maybe my message was far from polished today.  I can honestly say it was not remotely near the top of any effort over these thirty years.  My mind was probably nowhere near as focused as I would wish it to be for this Sunday.  My hope is that perhaps something was said that was both real and spiritual.  Easter was not just a theological idea for me this year.  It was something I needed through this unusual week of circumstances.  It is still something essential as a new week unfolds.  I cannot imagine being able to handle the obstacles without God's involvement.  So everything about Jesus being risen matters today.  What is even better is that He will still be risen in the days after Easter.  I do hope to avoid serious calamity this week.  But you can be sure God will be ready to make Himself known even if things go south.  That is why Easter matters all year round.


Bro. Trey

Maybe we put too much pressure on Easter.  We get this one time during the year to celebrate the Resurrection so it takes a life of its own.  Choirs rehearse to knock our socks off.  Preachers search for every angle to make the sermon the best of the year.  It is our Super Bowl in many respects.  We expect much from this one day.  Attendance matters greatly to us.  I remember the full crowds in my church while growing up.  But is this really too much pressure for this one day?


No one really expected much out of the very first Easter.  The one thing that always gets my attention is that the women showed up at the tomb of Jesus to finish the burial!  Surprise is the word of the day as they discover everything changed overnight.  Angels remind them of the promises made by Jesus in the days before His death.  Mystery overtakes them as they cannot imagine the stone being rolled away.  Those spices prepared for the body get forgotten when the miracle becomes a reality.  Not a single act of finishing the burial process ever gets underway.  This is a definite moment when the new normal comes to pass.  Not a single follower expected such a divine encounter that day.  Yet it still happens as morning sheds light on God's power.  We tend to read this story with such familiarity that the emotional arc escapes us.  Maybe that is part of the key of avoiding a misguided emphasis on Easter.


We get so busy getting ready for Easter that we run the risk of missing the meaning.  That is just the norm for humanity.  It does little good to aim for perfection on a day that stands for grace.  It causes us to look ahead in the story without coming to grips with the details.  It becomes so human centered that we may miss the simple truth of God's power becoming real to us.  Some days we end up more tired than terrific with everything we do on Easter.  Do not get me wrong.  Easter is the central experience of the Christian faith.  My fear is it gets lost in all of the trivial matters in our world.  Those of us who believe the basic truth of Easter can do it all in our power.  That is not what the day is all about.  Let's try to discover God's presence in a fresh way this year. Then we can recover Easter for all year beyond the single observance.  It will make all the difference in your world now and then.


Bro. Trey

Getting old has some benefits.  It also has drawbacks.  Today is one of those times that includes both aspects of aging.  My memory was once a strong suit of mine.  Now it seems as if notes are required to remind me of where other notes are with what they are for.  Our church is hosting an academic meet among schools in our district today.  My daughter will come home from Baylor tonight to help out tomorrow.  But my brain kept telling me that our church would be open tomorrow and not today.  I woke up this morning to discover my memory failed me.  We now have students from various schools in the building.  It really is a fun day and a highlight for me.  These are kids who are smart enough to compete in academics.  Perhaps they can loan me some brain cells to use.  


I was gone during part of all this going on here.  We went out to our nearby community to serve the  Lord's Supper to those who cannot get to church any longer.  This was not totally my idea I can confess.  But it is a great thing to do with others.  Some of my favorite people do not get out to church for various reasons now.  So we set out with packets to share this time in their homes.  I read some scripture then we took Communion together.  My hope is this can be as meaningful to them as it is to me.  All of them once sat in our building every Sunday.  Most of them gave a heritage of faith that remains in the congregation.  It is my honor to share this significant moment with them.  We will return in two months to receive a blessing from those we get to serve.


Now it is time to wrap up a few projects while waiting on potential storms.  Spring can get rough with the outbreaks of wild weather to be sure.  It seems a bit like waiting on the judgement day.  You know it's coming but being ready is your decision.  Spring storms are unpredictable in nature.  No one can tell you exactly when it is coming or how bad it may be.  But being ready in our spiritual life is built on truth straight from God.  You can be sure of God's blessing both now and then in your journey.  Nothing can separate us from that grace of God that sees us through times good and bad.  Just use the time you have now to get ready.  No umbrella will be any help should you fail to be ready.


Bro. Trey

Today was just a Monday for most people.  Rains came in mid-afternoon to throw off our schedules.  Kids went back to school for a short week prior to Easter break.  Summer is almost here as families are locking up their plans during those three months.  News was slow to come by which may be a good thing when you consider our recent string of bad news.  It appeared to be just another Monday.  But for one group of people this was a big day for them.  World Autism Day takes place below the radar of most people.  It made my Monday far more than just another day.


Autism is a daily reality for me.  It is one of those issues misunderstood by more than a few.  My youngest lives with that diagnosis.  We all join him in his journey wherever that may take him.  Not every person has much patience for this calling to be his dad.  Church people are not immune from ignorance.  One person suggested my failings were due to my attention to him.  My guess is he quickly realized his suddenly precarious situation.  No desk was going to stop me from answering that opinion.  Someone recently wondered aloud if I should just go put him in some facility now.  Anger is not one of my prevalent emotions by nature.  Be sure that rage runs through me when someone displays that total lack of compassion.  Most people are gracious when we make our trips around town.  He is not always easy to handle but we just keep trying.  Who knew that his arrival in my world could be so profound in so many ways?


Society can be measured by how it treats the weak, powerless or disabled.  Government aid is not the sole weight to determine value.  Jesus comes along in a world driven by those with various tools of power but acts contrary to popular notion.  Sinners of all types would be welcomed by Him in the ebb and flow of ministry.  Those outcast for whatever reason not only received salvation but also affirmation from the Savior.  Among those last few words of His life is a statement on forgiving one who lived contrary to God's will until the end.  People who have disabilities matter greatly to God.  One of the great joys of my career involves finding ways to include such students years ago in Louisiana.  One counted numbers for us each Sunday morning.  Another helped out in doing ministry.  Some may find such folks to be a nuisance but they are a great gift of God in our world.  It says more about us if we do not recognize that fact.  We are the ones blind and dumb not those we see as inferior.


I laugh when people seem to have the idea they are normal compared to those like my son or his classmates.  Everyone on the planet is weird.  None of us escape that ailment.  This is why grace matters much.  God accepts us on the basis of His mercy.  He then says we are to extend that mercy to others.  It's my view that we forget or choose to neglect that grace in our zeal to feel superior.  Autism serves as a stark reminder to me that every person matters to God.  You matter to God.  Now we just need to learn how to connect those two truths together.  


Bro. Trey

Being the bearer of bad news is never a thing I enjoy.  My emotional wiring tends to go against that desire.  Some people seem to relish being negative beyond reason.  Some of my early sermons did take a negative tact when it came to making my point.  Intentionally working at the positive was the only way out of that tendency.  All of this is to say that this morning was not something to look forward to saying.  But there are times when scripture moves past the casual into confronting us about our lives.  Sometimes you read accounts of people in the Bible that remind you of the dangers in being a disciple.  What happens to Jesus in the garden prior to the cross is one of those moments.

Suffering is unique to those who are believers.  Everyone has problems but the follower of Jesus knows what it is to move past the comfortable when God is involved.  Jesus will suffer greatly while laboring in those hours before His death.  This was more than having a problem of whatever nature.  He is facing off with God to determine how life would be lived.  Max Lucado would write that the conflict of the cross begins in the garden during that prayer.  He also says the battle was won in Jesus being obedient to the Father.  Suffering is the process of God taking our conditions to sift our heart into His likeness.  This is never easy, comfortable or superficial.  It is the stuff that moves us from being complacent to having real depth in our faith.  

We get sold a bill of goods that says our religion should always make us happy.  Somewhere along the line we forgot that Jesus says to pray for God's will to be done.  Fear sets in when we imagine this may mean giving up physical stuff we enjoy.  Courageously praying such a prayer is less about our things and more about our heart.  Believers tend to bail out before reaching such a point of obedience.  Moving fast toward the comfortable replaces staying with God to see what He has in store.  We end up with people who settle for playing church rather than maturing into God's fullness.  Some of these individuals may even end up in leadership roles.  The sad truth is they will never be able to lead others further than where they go with God.

Now you can see why talking about such a significant event in the life of Jesus can be a challenge.  It just hits us between the eyes on where we are with Him.  It reminds us of the costs of being serious about following Jesus.  But there is the promise through all of this that we know God with a depth never known before.  Suffering is not for the weak of heart to be sure.  But it seems to me better than not growing a relationship with God that lasts through the hardest of times.  

Bro. Trey