Tonight we go in an entirely new direction.  We are at the start of football season yet again.  It doesn't seem as if the year ever ends but this is the beginning of the games.  Men's eyes will again glaze over with game after game on television.  We will be force fed an unending stream of information and coverage.  It will not let up on the barrage until February.  Football is a multi billion dollar business whether it is professional or in the college ranks.  High schools now build complexes for the sport that are beyond imagination.  We are going overboard on the sport but that's just my opinion.  I do enjoy the game but count me as one with reservations on what its become. 

College football gets underway tomorrow with several games on television.  It really gets going over the holiday weekend coming up.  It's been a year or two since this blog set out predictions for the upcoming season.  Let's see how this year goes.  My first idea is pretty obvious.  Until some team proves it is really outstanding my prediction is again Alabama as ultimate champions.  There are a few possible upsets that can take place but no one is proving to be as talented or as well coached as the Crimson Tide.  Perhaps another team in their conference such as Georgia or South Carolina could surprise but they still must get past the Tide.  Ohio State is mentioned as a contender as well as Oregon but they still have to prove themselves when it matters.  Until that happens, the Crimson Tide remain the obvious favorites yet again.

There will again be some team that sneaks up on everyone to overachieve.  One time it was Boise State.  Another year it was TCU.  I would tell you what team it will be this year but the point is that no one knows until the end of the season.  Another projection is we will have a new Heisman award winner.  There will be no repeat.  My gut feeling is the voters will hesitate on a repeat due to the controversy these past few months.  Texas could actually beat Oklahoma this year in Dallas.  I do not know what all went wrong with the Longhorns the last few years but maybe the issues are finally fixed.  Coaches will again be fired with the newest hot young coaches taking their places.  Promises will be made of glory in the aftermath of disaster.  Before long we will be talking about the 2014 season.

Some will try to watch every game possible.  Others will keep up mostly with their favorite team.  There will be those who won't even pay attention all season long.  That is the nature of life.  I hope you find your place but don't depend on my predictions.  They are guaranteed to be broken!

Bro. Trey

Texas still is under a drought condition.  No amount of rain seems to make up any ground on a recovery.  The lack of rain is stunning though not totally unusual for summer.  We started this drought two years ago when everything just dried up.  Grass fires were everywhere.  Acres of trees and foliage were lost in flames.  You can still see trees that are dying from the damage.  So any summer experience without moisture just adds to the condition.  Our part of the state may soon look like the western side.

Sunday seemed like a good day to catch up on some mowing.  That was probably my first mistake.  But part of what I do is to keep the yard looking decent especially since my house is adjacent to the town cemetery.  I already told the congregation that the next pastor will need to be reminded of this.  Push mowing has its own rewards usually.  This day was mostly about dust and dirt from the dry ground.  You can really tell when walking on the dry grass how bad things are.  The dust even soaked my socks through my shoes it is that bad.  It was close to the end when it seemed as if God spoke directly to me.  That does not happen often but it got my attention.  It was as if the Lord said this ground is dry but it is also thirsty.  How often do we go dry in our spiritual life but never realize a thirst for Him?  We grow content in our dryness without any desire for Him to renew us.

Being dry spiritually is not a sin on its own.  All of God's people in the Bible went through occasions like that.  What is a failure is to not notice our condition to become thirsty for a fresh filling of the Spirit.  Jesus promised the Spirit to those who were thirsty and came to Him alone.  Just being dry is not enough.  Droughts can come and go.  We are dependent on the weather to change that.  But being filled is something we do have some choice over.  You do not have to remain dusty and barren.  God promises a renewing that comes right from His spirit.  Are you thirsty for that?

Bro. Trey

All good things must come to an end.  So my summer routine stops tomorrow with the beginning of school.  Feels like we just go underway with our activities and outings.  What looked so far away is now just a few hours from starting.  I did try my best to keep my autistic son entertained these last months.  This year it does seem like we did much better than in previous years.  Now it is the time for a new schedule.  Getting back to the normal school time approach feels like the start of a new year.  Some sociologists do count the start of the school season as the new year for most of us.  My first week promises to be busy.  Some of my time is reserved for catching up on stuff.  Some of my time will be spent doing church work.  The rest of my time is for getting a nap between those two activities.

Just a single thought for tonight.  Famous people are not always great and great people are not always famous.  I reflected on this while mowing today.  One of our long term members died yesterday.  He is one of my favorite people since coming here.  Things didn't always go smooth but that will not lessen his value in my eyes.  He is a great person from where I sit.  Being a person of influence is a great gift.  Perhaps that statement needs some clarity.  There are those whose influence is far in the negative area.  People like this just suck the life out of you.  You have those in your family, among your friends and probably go to church with a few.  So do not make the mistake that influence is only positive.  It is far too often moving in the opposite direction.  

We have more than enough negative people among us.  Where are all of the positive influence people?  Not every person comes by this talent naturally.  It can be a learned art.  Sometimes we will have to let go of a ton of baggage that weighs us down.  There may be sins to be confessed or hurts to let go.  We may have to spend more than our usual time reflecting on scripture.  God has to change our heart to view others as He does.  Only the truth of scripture will be able to make that transformation happen.  Becoming a person of positive influence may not be easy but it is essential in our spiritual life.  

God will work through us to make others better.  Our encouragement will be like cold water to a thirsty person.  Our kindness can be a balm to injuries suffered in life.  Our prayers can provide strength when another is at their weakest.  Our wisdom can offer guidance to one with great confusion.    All of us can be great by being a positive influence.  Here is the good news about doing that.  Even if our earthly life ends we can be assured our impact remains.  I find that comforting.  God does His work in us so He can work through us.  We may not every be famous for that but we can be great.

Bro. Trey

What if I said that the Lord God wants us to be killers?  Our first response would be to think there is no way that is His desire.  I would agree with you for the most part.  Yet there is an aspect of the spiritual life that calls for such a mentality.  This does not negate the idea of God as love or mercy but reminds us how harrowing is our spiritual life.  We read in the Old Testament of tales of death under the direction of God.  That bothers many of us in trying to figure out what in the world was going on?  There is obviously no way we can deal with all of these matters in a simple blog post that primarily goes unread.  But we can give it a try.

There is one God revealed in scripture.  He is the centerpiece of our entire Bible.  What happens in the Old Testament is to move us to the New Testament.  Begin by remembering that those stories happen in a time and place many years removed from now.  Then notice that those God sends to defeat are not just enemies of His people but of Him.  Many if not all of these war stories include time for these opponents to repent or recognize Him as God.  Sodom does not fall before a time of grace.  Moses offers the leaders of Egypt multiple opportunities to repent.  Joshua allows one who does repent to escape Jericho.  Maybe you begin to see a pattern.  Even the great prophets of old such as Jeremiah or Amos will preach the invitation to be saved prior to judgment.  God is willing to do the drastic to gain attention but it is not without mercy.

Our study today revolved around the contest between David and Goliath.  Perhaps contest is not the best word to use here.  The giant never stood a chance.  Goliath knew only his talent and skill.  David knew God.  I can only hope that people will discover again the many wonders of that account.  What is funny is how the army of Israel got dressed for battle.  They shouted for victory.  Maybe they even had lots of strategy sessions on facing Goliath.  They just never actually go to war.  David will stand up for God by slaying the giant.  His most prized tool is knowing God in such a way as knowing He will deliver David.  The future king realizes that controlling or managing the giant simply will not do.  The enemy must die.

We all have giants in our life.  Some are spiritual.  Others are physical. There is no end to how they affect us and not for the best.  We become like some of the characters in this biblical drama by losing hope we can ever get past it.  We can even try to help others deal with giants in negative ways without facing our own.  The best advice from this tale is that giants are to be killed and not tolerated.  They simply will not do if we are to reach our highest purpose for God.  Being a victim to the onslaught of the enemy was never God's intent for our life.  God will put an end to those things that our ultimate enemy attempts to keep us from growth.  Our task is to build the relationship with Him so our confidence is not in our power but His.  Keep your focus on God and not the Goliaths of our being.  You will soon find their power lessens as we trust more in Him.  That type of death is one we don't have to grieve.

Bro. Trey

August is in full bloom as usual.  Anyone who enjoys the heat should be delighted by the weather lately.  Football practice gets underway in the morning across Texas.  Baseball season my just be reaching the exciting point but football is about to be in full swing.  Summer could let up any day now if it was up to me but it's not.  Going out to mow or exercise is a trial almost by fire.  We finished about eight weeks in 1 Samuel today.  Now our attention will turn to the story of the new king.  Saul will always be regarded as the first king of Israel in history but he is a long way from the best one.  How can a person who is blessed beyond measure by God crash and burn so badly?  My hope was to learn those lessons over the last few weeks but my fear is some missed out on the truth. 

Our study today covered 1 Samuel 13-15 in trying to uncover what mistakes Saul made so we avoid them.  God made Saul the king with every blessing at his disposal.  The one condition was that God would not stop being the ultimate king.  Saul never gets a handle on that one.  Things get so bad that Saul refers to God as "your God" to Samuel.  A relationship he could not accept becomes the core of his failure.  There are plenty of occasions for Saul to repent or get his act together but he never figures that out.  God is indeed blunt with this king but it never sinks into his heart.  The answer is beyond obvious to the reader but not to Saul.

Perhaps this first ruler just had it too easy?  He lives with gift and talents beyond the norm.  It was all just too easy for him.  Times of crisis reveal our nature.  Saul would cause his own crises by taking matters into his hands.  What may be worse is that when confronted by his sin how he blamed everyone else for the problem.  Being honest about failure was difficult when you can handle things so easily on your own.  That may be the greatest temptation of all.  We want to do our religious thing while asking God to bless it.  Little room is left for God to guide or direct our paths. 

I couldn't help but notice how Saul often turned to the religious in times of trouble.  He could put a biblical spin on failure.  He would often tell Samuel that his intent was to offer a sacrifice to God with whatever was involved in his sin. He is confronted in 1 Samuel 15 with his most tragic decision.  His disobedience hits home to cost him a throne and a legacy.  He states his intention to build another altar for God to sacrifice from his failure.  He is so much like us today.  We don't mind doing religious stuff for God as long as we don't have to lay our life on the altar.  We still try to keep what we end up losing.  Saul begins this journey with so much promise to have it lost by not looking past himself.  Perhaps we will someday learn how not to do this so often.

Bro. Trey