How can you really please your minister?  That is something that not many of us think about very often.  Now it is also true that we have far more to our spiritual life than worrying whether or not we can do what a pastor may desire.  But it is a good way to introduce a few posts on 1 John.  This small book toward the end of the New Testament is where we are spending our Sunday mornings so far in 2014.  John who writes this epistle may not be the local minister but he does write to a congregation near to his heart.  Make some time to read the first four verses of the very first chapter.  I think that our author is laying some groundwork on his hopes for the church.  He knows that false teachers are having their way at the moment so his words will be aimed at correcting those problems.  One can see a pattern of how to make a minister happy.  I say that for his hopes are the same as mine.

Times may change but the issues often remain the same.  Advances in technology, information or knowledge may continue to increase but the human condition seldom varies.  What was a problem for people 2000 years ago tend to remain the same.  That is one of the marvels of scripture.  God knew what needed to be said both then and now.  Humanity can often live at the level of the lowest common denominator.  We want just enough of faith or God to get by.  Punching our ticket to heaven is often the start and end of our faith.  Our life can be far more than that should we allow God freedom to work.  John's genius is in knowing the names may change but the obstacles remain the same.

Most people in church work today recognize five basic purposes to the individual life as well as for the congregation.  Seminars exist in abundance for anyone to grasp their meaning.  Here they are in no particular order.

• Worship
• Discipleship
• Fellowship
• Evangelism
• Ministry or mission.

Now we once would just focus on perhaps one or two of these for our growth.  We are still understanding that all five matter for a person or a congregation.  We need all of our senses to be considered healthy.  Logic would say we also need all five of these spiritual motives to also be fully functional.  It is also true that we can be stronger in one of these areas than the other.  But that is no excuse for being undeveloped in our journey.  Life was never meant to be aimless with no clue of when you arrive.  John and I would agree that being intentional in each part of faith means we have a depth that goes beyond the moment.  You do that and not only will John and I be happy but so will God.  Isn't that what all of this is about anyway?

Bro. Trey

We can come back tonight to offer a short wrap up to what began yesterday.  Maybe none of this matters to most people but it does to me.  I am not sure that it shouldn't matter to the average believer also.  The normal believer who attends the typical church may not be aware of some of the tension that occurs behind the scenes.  We can even let our vision or opinion of church leaders become confused by the issues of fame or fortune.  We all tend to have favorite preachers or leaders but are these ideas based on the right reasons?  I may not have all of the answers but it is good enough should you think about it.

It all started last night watching a well known speaker preaching at a church led by a former classmate.  While my journey went through all of the tasks of education not every person gets into that.  Most everything studied over the years is priceless to me.  There were a few times when that was tested but I wouldn't trade my years of classroom time for anything.  Now we live in a day where many of the best known of preachers have actually very little theological training.  That does not include everyone but it still happens.  It also does not mean that academics are the sole measure of a ministry.  How do you weigh a ministry?

I once was young with the imagination that my journey could lead to large congregations someday.  That never happened.  Most of my years were spent trying to aid churches with one set of problems or the other.  My salary will never be so large that lavish vacations or summer homes will be an option.  You should know that is fine by me.  I know that each congregation served came out better in the end that at the beginning.  Maybe it was close sometimes but that is my belief.  Nobody ever read my books since none were written.  That is as much my choice as anything else.  You cannot find me on television or the radio.  So does that really mean that a ministry like mine falls short?  What do the hundreds or thousands of ministers who are in the same category reply when asked about success? 

We said that Jesus surrounded Himself with twelve imperfect followers.  None of those guys gave any inclination of having their act together.  He did draw large crowds at one point of His life but then ran them off by laying down the challenge of discipleship.  You really have to think through envy, jealousy and pride when asking yourself the hard questions here.  I am not sure my responses are still free of those sins.  But hold onto one truth in all of this.  We are all very human with a tendency to rationalize our existence.  Even the most popular of writers and preachers can fall prey to those subtle sins.  So can I.  Being on the alert for that ugliness is a requirement to remain anywhere near holy.  Do I wish my ministry was enormous with all of the bells and whistles?  You wonder what that is like but I believe that isn't my goal.  Would I like to be on television and such?  I see my face every morning so that isn't an option.  The real question is what do we do with what we have while we can do it?  Jesus had a word for that.  He called it being faithful.  We can miss that quality in our search to be significant.  That happens whether our congregation is 20,000 or 20.  It can happen to any of us.

Maybe there is more to be said still but let us stop there.  Let's think about it and pray much.

Bro. Trey

Tonight was my time for one of my usual duties at home.  I folded clothes.  That sounds a bit mundane but it also has its moments.  You can catch up on a program or a game on television while you make those neat piles.  It is true that my system is unique.  Years of study and experimenting went into finding the best path to tackle the task.  Perhaps there is still a need to refine my efforts but it works for me now.  Mine is no pile and plunge in approach.  Items should be distinct so all shirts are together and so forth.  Colors should also be in particular piles for putting away later.  It is very possible that way too much time goes into just being ready to start.  Blame my brain for that one.

I did get to have one of those moments where life and time intersect.  While folding those clothes there was time to watch a church conference live.  The main speaker for the evening was former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.  You may know him more from his program on Fox News without knowing he was and is also a Baptist minister.  Long before he engaged in politics there was a time he both had his own congregations as well as traveled to speak in other churches as an evangelist.  I heard him about 35 years ago or so in my church.  He did deliver a great speech or sermon this evening.  There were the appropriate three points as most Baptists do.  There was no heavy handed politics involved but only what is the reality of our day.  He simply spoke from the heart to the heart.

The odd thing is his place of preaching is a church led by a guy I went to college with.  I cannot say that we were anywhere to close friends.  Odds are better that he didn't even know my name.  We did take biology together way back when.  Seems to me that he gave up on the college idea long before I graduated.  Now he is the senior pastor of one of those huge churches in the Dallas area.  My pilgrimage includes a masters degree then almost completed a doctorate.  His congregation is probably larger than my current town.  He is on television weekly if not more.  I'm not on television unless it's by accident.  It's a bit of a good thing as you have a literal measure to watch out for pride or jealousy.  I am grateful for every piece of my education.  My congregation is just fine without all of the bright lights or fame.  You just never really know how life is going to go.

Therein lies part of my thought for the evening.  I am no longer a young guy in ministry.  More years are behind me than may be in front of me.  That is one of those things to accept.  My blog isn't famous by any stretch of the imagination.  No one hears my sermons but those actually in attendance.  Is that really acceptable or should we applaud only those who become well known?  Some will say that success in ministry means you get the big pulpit or have invitations to speak often.  There is the idea that if you are faithful then you get the huge church with its enormous problems.  I cannot lie.  At one point of my life there was the idea that success meant just getting bigger in notoriety.  Now things seem very much different.  Jesus never held on to those big crowds that came to hear Him.  He selected only twelve men to be the closest of followers.  Most of those failed Him at the crisis point of life.  No one was even there to greet Him on the day of His greatest triumph.  So there is the lesson of learning to be content with whatever God gives you.  You discover that one life changed for good really isn't a bad thing.  Besides, it never was about you but God. 

Perhaps there will be more to come tomorrow.  This seems like a topic that needs another posting to really make clear my point.  I will get back to you soon on this.

Bro. Trey

Our extended run with the holidays is just about over.  I will miss all of the activity but too much of a good thing can still be bad.  My youngest tells me that we are back to "normal."  Only time can tell if that really is a step in the right direction.  Let me start by catching up on a few things rather than tackling one long post.  We can then get back to our usual routine.

• Global warming may indeed be real but it surely doesn't feel like it now.  Our weather is not helping us deal with the flu or any other bug going around.  We used to just have cold fronts that were either from the arctic or the pacific.  Now we endure "polar vortexes."  That is simply a cold front with an agent.  Just be sure this will pass soon.
• Cleaning after the holidays takes longer and longer.  I started last Wednesday only to finish yesterday.  Actually, there is a bit more to put away but at least the bulk is behind me.  We have five different seasons packed away in buckets for each year.  Christmas is by far the one that takes up the most space.  It rates at least a ten on the back ache range.
• I saw where a current movie set a record for the most swearing in a film.  Who actually keeps up with such trivia?  What is the reward for being the most graphic in language during a movie?  My thought is a news note such as this cannot speak well of us in the world today. 
• Most everyone around here knows by now that I met Uncle Si from "Duck Dynasty" last week.  My sister got a photograph of us together.  He seems genuinely nice from all I can tell.  He didn't talk much no matter how much I tried.  Most times when encountering someone famous it is my habit to leave them in peace.  My resolve broke down this occasion so I could get a picture with him.  It does make me a popular guy in my small town.
• Today was my best sermon of the year.  It was of course my only sermon of the calendar year.  Thank goodness for that.  Maybe they will improve greatly past what today became.  Some days you just don't seem to have your best stuff.  I know that there were times in my limited pitching experience that everything worked great.  Other games would be hard as nothing worked.  Today was toward that latter area on the spectrum.  It is my great hope that next week will be the best sermon of the year.  It almost has to be just that.

We will return as soon as possible with our typical approach to writing.  It may not be fancy but it is mine. 

Bro. Trey