Homecoming is this weekend in in my small town.  It's a time for all of the mums and celebrations to begin.  Friday night will be the big game.  Nothing says fall or homecoming like a high school football game.  Some former students will show up more to see one another than to watch the contest.  That is how it goes after graduation.  Our team is younger than usual.  We are still learning how to play at the varsity level.  Just because we are undefeated does not mean we have it all together yet.  I could not begin to predict how we will wind up when the season ends. 

We missed my usual attempt at predicting various outcomes in college or professional football.  Now the year is underway but we can make a late effort at suggesting who will prevail at the end.  College football looks awful like a repeat of last year.  Alabama is just that much better than most other teams currently.  Something could always happen to change that but it will be a serious upset should they lose a game.  Some experts say that LSU or Oregon will wind up in the final game with Alabama.  It is just going to be tough to knock off the defending champs.

No one may be able to predict the NFL this year with the replacement referees.  Their presence may lead to some unusual outcomes by the end of the season.  You cannot go back and undo any damage they caused so far.  Do not expect me to pick the Cowboys this year.  That just won't be happening.  Some teams like the Packers and Patriots already have marks against them due to the replacements.  Experience says there will probably be some unexpected team to rise up this year.  But let's stay close to last years choices of San Francisco and Baltimore playing in the Super Bowl.  One year you may discover I actually get my prediction right.

Just recall the point of all this foolishness is to remind us the predictions are only worth the effort to put them in print.  People in all areas of life make predictions.  Economists try to tell us the financial future.  Sports journalists use all of their tools to make predictions in sports. Even religious people keep trying to project the end events of time.  Some will write a book every few years to correct what they got wrong in the last one.   My best advice is to anchor your world to what is true without adding the stress of guessing what comes next.  We don't have to live knowing every single detail of the future.  God keeps trying to remind us all is under control.  That is the one truth we cannot afford to live without.

Bro. Trey

We are now only a few weeks from this next election.  Candidates are spending what is no longer a small fortune to get out their message.  I wonder at times what could be done with all the money spent in campaigns for other means.  You could probably feed most of the hungry in our country with that amount of money.  No one ever seems to pick up on that in the media.  Just seems somewhat ironic that these two men spend so much cash to tell us how they can fix our problems for the price that may actually do some good.  We might make a small dent in our national debt if they turned over their funds for that.

Neither candidate is setting the world on fire now.  In fact, both seem intent in running their campaigns in ways we can learn how not to do it.  You would also think that a sitting President would not make the mistakes this one does.  Even he needs better advisers.  Then the efforts of the Romney group leave tons to be desired.  Things have to be bad when even your own political party says you have issues.  The history nerd in me really would like to know what these two guys are thinking.  Reality is that about ninety percent of our country already knows who will get their vote.  What the candidates are trying to do is persuade the very few undecideds to vote for them.  The question is how will they make their decision?

We talk about the social issues of our day as believers.  We should be doing that.  Items like abortion, marriage and other hot topics are a concern for people with biblical values.  Scripture does indeed give us a framework to develop our agenda in that aspect of policy.  Just be careful how you do your study to reach your conclusions.  You need to know that some believers will take the Bible to aim for positions it may not really teach.  Some liberals vote that way in the idea that scripture says the government should care for the poor.  It is very true that the poor matter to God.  He says much more about poverty than we realize.  But it does not mean scripture says it is the role of the government to be in that position.  Most of its direction is about the church doing more for the poor.  It is tough to move from that truth to establishing more government programs.

But it also illustrates a harsh reality.  Not every believer votes by social issues.  People still basically vote with their pocketbooks.  That hasn't changed since this all started.  What this also says is we do not always consider our economic policy as a whole.  Lots of people still start with what can a candidate do for me.  We may wax eloquent about our values but far too many still cast a ballot due to more selfish reasons.  I cannot tell you who will win this November.  I could say who seems to be the favorite but predictions are like noses.  Everyone has one.  What we can do is be informed to make the best choice possible.  This may not be an easy thing to do but it will be worth the effort.

Bro. Trey

Frustrating does even begin to describe my feeling this evening.  Coughing your way through your morning message was never listed as a good way to get the attention of people in school.  The good news is things are getting better as I cough stuff loose.  The bad news is in the still trying to get it all gone.  No one feels worse than me when things go wrong in a service.  Maybe this is because the problem starts and ends with me.  Just take a moment to see it from my point of view.  You gather material all week for a message.  Time is spent investing in thought or prayer on how best to approach the sermon.  Writing out the research takes a large piece of your time.  You do all you can to be biblical yet relevant only to have your work disrupted by a persistent cough.  It is never ever my goal to have good material bomb for whatever reason.  Here is why frustration is only one word to get a handle on my emotions.

It is very possible that my own expectations contribute to any downfall.  Dealing with scripture is a serious thing for me.  God speaks in times long ago with application for our current reality.  Even when you wonder how much is left to say you discover God always has new depths to uncover.  Maybe these failures do not match up to others in comparison.  Perhaps there are times you need to remember that God is the one who actually matches the words to the meaning.  The very best of messages still require the blessing of God who initiates the whole process.  Years of prepping and delivering sermons have not robbed me of the joy of pulling it all together.  But neither have the years offered some sense of protection from struggling when it falls short. 

I know that most preachers tend to hide behind whatever anxiety or insecurity that remains in their being.  More than a few offset a lack of substance by relying on sheer volume of voice.  Ours is a day of serious issues in our world.  The real problems of human beings cannot be solved with noisy platitudes served up in a biblical disguise.  Doing such things may make a person popular with a crowd but it cannot touch the nerve of humanity.  Jesus will do His teaching with a blend of stories and spiritual truth.  You most often witness Him teaching while seated in a boat or on a hillside.  Even the longest of His recorded teachings will take only a few minutes to read.  Yet what He says will transform not just the culture of the time but throughout the ages.  Surely that is worth consideration as we think through our approach to public speaking?

Tomorrow starts a new week.  It is time for more reading and reflecting as we move toward next Sunday.  We will do this in hope that our next effort will be without the physical ailments trying to get me down.  This is honestly all that I know to do in moving past this.  One can only hope it will be enough.

Bro. Trey

There is nothing like recovering from the upper respiratory infection.  How is that for an odd opening line?  Feeling better can sometimes seem like getting worse.  Coughing is welcome even if it comes at a price.  Breathing is improving though there is still the sound of the yuk within my lungs.  Grossing you out is not my aim tonight.  Perhaps it is already too late but let me report that the treatments are working.  I was able to get on a cardio machine at the school today without much fuss.  I hate being sick.  But it is probably valid that most normal people do not long for days of illness.

Two years ago was about the time my chemo treatments were drawing to a close.  Those were not a day at the fair either.  My doctor visit last week was with my physician who set me on the course to discover my ailment.  I told her there wasn't much she could tell me this time that would bother me more than my last trip to see her.  She laughed but it sounded like a nervous laugh.  No doubt doctors do not enjoy the reminder of the more difficult diagnosis. 

This leads to a question.  Why would anyone refuse the advice or treatment of a physician when sick?  I know my preference is to do what is required to get over this bronchitis stuff.  Even enduring chemo treatments paid off with a prognosis of remission.  Some refuse help for all types of reasons.  None of those explanations make sense to me when you have a good shot at recovery.  Getting better may not always be an easy path but it is worthwhile.

You can guess the obvious application of tonight.  God often tells us what may be wrong in our life while offering to heal us of sin and such.  We don't always leap for joy when that happens even if it is needed.  God may get real personal about our shortcomings which makes us feel uneasy.  Then what He prescribes for our spiritual health sounds painful if not difficult.  Maybe this is why most of us practice the art of drive-by devotions where we ask God to bless us rather than renew us.  We are timid when it comes to being honest with God about His purpose for life.  People who truly know God are those willing to persevere even when He gets very personal about our life.  They know whatever pain comes with His examination is worth it when we become who He desires.  That health isn't just for awhile but it lasts for a lifetime.

Bro. Trey

Today was not the best of days here.  It was one for me to endure more than enjoy.  Please do not consider that a harsh statement as it was directed at me.  Getting through the day was going to be iffy at best before it began.  Last week turned out hectic with the death of one of my favorite people here.  More time goes into funeral arrangements than you may know.  Then my lungs decided to get clogged up to the point of a doctor visit.  I had an upper respiratory infection a few weeks ago but my lungs still weren't cooperating.  My doctor gave me a complete checkup along with some breathing medicine.  I did get an X-Ray that came back clean.  The whole point of this is preparation time was limited along with getting past this bronchitis.  I normally say that this is not an excuse but an explanation for my day.  Also, the rain we received today may be great for farmers but not so much for churches.   Perhaps this sounds like complaining but try to see it a simple list of facts. 

Not everyday goes according to plan.  We may not feel our best on occasion.  Other times we may have circumstances that work against us.  You just have to reach down to find your best even if you feel your worst.  You also have to remember that it is God who does the actual work in church.  He is not limited to the success of our efforts.  This may sound like a veiled attempt to get out of being responsible but it is not.  Years of experience reminds me that not every service is awesome.  This does not mean the week was a total loss though.

My doctor visit was set for Thursday afternoon.  I asked my son the night before if he wanted to go or stay at school with his aide.  She often comes to our house to help stay with him as needed.  His response was that he would travel with me even if that meant leaving school fairly early.  I called that day to let his teacher know that he would be going with me.  She tried to talk me out of it but I knew he already had a plan.  So her next attempt was to ask him if he really didn't want to stay with her and the aide.  He thought for a moment as he often does.  Then he replied, "I love Trey."  That is his way of saying that he was going with me.  So her next question was about how much he loves me.  He spread his arms wide to say this much! I enjoyed our trip that day way more than normal. 

Here is one simple point.  Making better decisions is easier when you have a greater love of God.  His choice was rather easy with his desire to be with me.  Ours gets far less complicated when we have our heart set first on God.  Even getting a better handle on our sin becomes less of an issue when we love God first.  Far too many times we base our decisions on our feelings or how we view life rather than by loving God.  Focus your heart on Him so the rest of you will fall into line.  It may not make your day easier but it will insure that each day matters.

Bro. Trey

Tomorrow will be the eleventh anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001.  Seems hard to believe it really is that long since we watched those horrific acts.  More than a few commentators write about what our world is now like since 9/11.  Everything about our world changed in the span of a few hours that morning.  What we forget is the number of young people who do not recall anything about that day.  It must be like what our grandparents felt about life when people were too young to connect to Pearl Harbor.  Then it became what people thought in the years after the death of John Kennedy.  Tons of conspiracies grew out of all these events.  History tends to record the simple truth of each tragedy.

Now we remember as our next election is only a few weeks away.  The various media people will be raising their voices to new levels as we approach this occasion.  Both sides are making unreal claims for their candidate and against the opponent.  You may be interested to know this is not really uncommon.  Even in the earliest days of our country you could read varied newspapers which were aimed at one topic or the other.  The one difference is writers often hid their identity behind other names.  Now we just go ahead to display ignorance regardless of the issue.  One can only imagine just how bad things are going to get based on the last few months.

Neither party has a particularly great candidate.  The incumbent has issues to overcome as he opted to move far to the left in some areas.  The challenger is not known for being very dynamic in his campaign.  Both conventions were interesting at times but not very truthful.  That is not what conventions are for anyway.  Think of them as great big pep rallies for the faithful.  Each had its own entertainment.  Republicans had Clint Eastwood.  Democrats had Bill Clinton.  Neither convention really changed my mind much.  Gone are the days when conventions had real drama. 

Talking about politics is not easy for me.  I can discuss it for hours in general but my day job limits what can be said on occasion.  Most ministers usually don't do a good job of really dealing with that stuff anyway.  They come from one perspective or the other with no room for real thought.  You may not know that I cannot really say in public what is on my mind in detail.  I cannot just say one candidate by name is better than the other.  That is fine by me.  I am happy working with issues of debate to clarify our thoughts in a biblical pattern.  My ultimate view is that God can handle whatever the decision is this year.  This does not mean we should just put such things on the side since it is divine.  It does mean God knows how to work His will in any condition.  Whoever wins the election cannot change the grace or power of God.  He is still in control.  We still go vote but we don't need to fear the results.  At least that is my approach to this mess. 

Bro. Trey

Trying to get the music just right in a Baptist church is normally a set up for failure.  No two people seem to like the same style.  Some will aim for the blended set as it is called only to find there are two groups upset rather than just one.  You can only imagine the obstacles involved seeing as I am also doing music now.  Singing is not high on my list of talents.  My taste in music runs a wide variety but it does not mean I can sing.  But there you will find me on Sunday mornings trying to lead the hymns during our service.  It is fun for me to choose the songs each week regardless of our direction.  I will somewhat miss it when times comes for me to give that up.

My faith journey involves many of the older hymns and songs we consider to be classics.  I still enjoy the tried and true songs of our faith.  But there are also the newer hymns that are on the way to being the new classics.  These songs are not always so easy to sing.  The beat and other assorted issues do not always flow as smoothly as they do in our old standards.  I just keep going over these songs with the congregation to expose them to all types of worship hymns.  Sometimes it goes far better than imagined.  Other times it does fall a tad bit short.

One of the curious points of all of this music are the songs that fit in neither category.  They are too old to be new yet too new to be old.  We pulled out one of those songs today.  It is called "Reach out to Jesus."  This was written in the late 1960's.  I do remember hearing and learning it during my teenage years.  Most official hymnals do not have the song listed.  But it is one of those I remember very clearly.  We tried it out today without inflicting too much damage among the people.  We are going for another one next Sunday that is neither old nor new.  Odds are good most will recognize the tune even if they never thought of it as a congregation song.  It's my job to choose the music so I get to choose the ones that are my favorites!

You can guess part of this conclusion.  Worship is much more than what songs we sing.  You can sing whatever style you prefer without really connecting to God.  There is far more to a church service than whether or not we enjoy the tunes.  Nothing is more wondrous than to take God into our life while singing.  We sadly spend more time dwelling on negative stuff rather than letting Him change our heart.  Eternity is portrayed in scripture as spending much time in worship of God.  My guess is we will not be so wrapped up in the style as much as we will be focusing on Jesus.  If only we could start now doing just that.

Bro. Trey