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