We are going to use tonight for touching on a few topics without any one single idea.  That makes what follows as pointless.  Some nights are just that way.  Who ever imagined this election would be this close?  A sitting president inherits all types of advantages going into the contest.  One thing tends to get lost in all of the poll numbers.  A candidate can still win the states with the most electoral votes to win the prize.  A loss in Montana will not hurt as much as a victory in Ohio will help.  I am looking for President Obama to be far more animated and direct in the next debate.  It is still his election to lose. 

My house is far different now than in the past six months.  Our baseball season ended with the collapse of the Rangers.  No one could imagine years ago that Ranger fans would be this worked up over a season.  We usually just lost our 80 or 90 games then went into the winter quietly.  Now there is all manner of pointing fingers at what happened to this team.  You have to lead with good starting pitching.  We really only had two we could depend on for the year.  Players do get older without warning.  You also have to balance your offense throughout the lineup.  One player who has two good months out of the six is just not enough to keep you going.  My reaction would be a series of trades or signings to remake the team again.  This is one reason why I am not in charge. 

I continue to spend these fall months with a series of studies that grow out of a book called "Radical."  The author is a Baptist pastor with tons of experience in foreign missions.  Part of his emphasis is contrasting how we do church in our country against other nations.  He makes some great points along the way.  You would really have to wonder about finding any failings in his message.  But this does not mean I agree totally with all that he writes.  It is hard for most people in the average church to have an idea of the troubles other churches face.  Few of us go to those lands where even being a Christian is against the law.  This does not lessen his compelling arguments.  Patience is needed when reading this book.  It would be far too tempting to fall into guilt for reasons not our fault. 

My approach is to sift through each illustration of radical for it to translate into my setting.  I would suggest the writer begin with a better grasp of just how radical Jesus was and is to our world.  That is a minor quibble at best.  Each of us live in this world called to follow Jesus who just kept turning His world upside down.  That is our call to radical following.  We may not suffer as others do in other lands.  Maybe we don't need to volunteer to do that.  We can start with where we are and the Jesus we follow.  Everything else will be radical enough in where and how we live.

Bro. Trey