Memorial Day weekend is in full swing now. Facebook is running over with photos of people out and about enjoying the extra day free. Some will spend their time at the lake. Others are doing the usual stuff in the yard or around the house. A few do make mention of the original intent of the holiday. This is always an unusual occasion for me. My birthday is two days away from now. It always revolves around this observance. That didn't bother me too much when I was younger but it does cause a little anxiety the older I get. But it is also true that I am grateful for any birthday at this rate. But that is only a small piece of my point.
It was about five years ago that I spent this weekend up in Washington D.C. with our high school band. I got volunteered somehow into being a chaperone for their end of school trip. No one could be the same after such and experience and I don't mean by a bus loaded with kids. We walked in Arlington Cemetery that weekend among all of the flags set on every grave there. Grave markers are as far as the eye can see. Knowing each person laid to rest there served our country was a sobering moment. People such as a common soldier to past Presidents are buried among the hills and trees of the grounds. Each one is united by service to the point of sacrifice. No amount of beauty can ever deny that reality. I also watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Breathing becomes difficult observing the quiet ceremony when one guard replaces another. Every person in this country should see this in person. It is a moment never to be forgotten.
We do live in the land of the free but I do wonder about the brave. We remember that bravery of so many on this weekend. But we also should consider our level of courage when it comes to being a citizen. You know as I do that we are too often a country of complainers at the least when it comes to our conditions. You realize how we forgot the words of President Kennedy when he said we should ask what we can do for our country. Much of our initial history was based on a primal courage to fend for our self. We did believe in God even if not always as we wish we did. But there was also a great sense that we could survive or even thrive no matter the odds. Today we have way too many waiting for another person to do something even if they criticize what takes place. The history student in me wants to scream over how far we drifted from the character of those who made this land what it was. Now it's possible those founding fathers would not recognize what we are becoming.
Political parties or candidates are not really an answer. Changing laws or repealing some may be a short term fix but still falls short. I believe the real solution is in the character of our people. This does include a biblical faith but is much more than that. It would require two generations of character building to undo where we are. But it also means doing this one day at a time. Make a positive difference in the life of another person each day. Be the change you want to see in our country. Be part of the blessing we desire God to shower on our nation. I know most if not all of this may wind up no more than wishful thinking. But a guy has to start somewhere.
Bro. Trey
No one enjoys a good book more than I. Most of my journey in this world can be measured by reading. Comic books were my starting point several decades ago. Those first grade readers had nothing on me after a few years of reading the exploits of super heroes in the comics. School libraries were a second home as I checked out book after book of one kind or the other. My room growing up held more than a few titles selected from the old Weekly Reader papers. Now my office library holds selections from varied disciplines relating to my work. Then there are the personal novels or biographies that are beginning to overflow. What would happen if I could no longer read? Perish the thought.
Books are often referred to as old fashioned in our world of technology. It is true that some of my time today was spent searching online for articles on a certain topic. So many things are available to us through our computer that once seemed out of reach. One website recently found its way to my list of study helps. One can research a scripture passage with solid helps once limited to pages in a volume. This doesn't begin to count the multitude of blogs or other news websites I refer to on a regular basis. We no longer have to wait for a book to go to print. There are so many avenues for us to be stirred in our thinking or learning. But all of this may not be good news always.
Blogs also reflect the crises or conflicts that occur daily. This is not limited to the political spectrum but includes matters of faith. I have a few for checking everyday for updates or new information. Our dirty laundry used to remain hidden away in dark corners of our congregations. Now we air such in public for all to see. Anyone can click on their mouse to write opinions whether valid or not. Painful is the word that comes to mind when I read of such moments. For any one viewpoint there are unlimited counter opinions added to the mix. And yet I still continue to review these places even when challenged in my thinking. It's seldom pretty but it does matter.
What lessons are learned when slogging through the endless dialogues on faith and life? One thing seems certain and that's we are in a mess. All of our advancement in technology only opens the door for ugliness and strife. People are labeled by who they follow or support in doctrine or practice. Jesus' words from John 17 now appear foreign and much too idealistic. People are led if not driven to a corner so they can fight the enemy. We also lose a sense of relationship way too often. If you do not agree with a writer then you can be discounted for your view. All of this technological ability sure seems to appeal to our worst nature. Even when a writer exposes horrific wrong among churches or organizations you find defenders simply because it's our guy or movement. People cannot simply say they are wrong with any degree of humility. We need to know the truth so we can have the darkness lifted from our life.
My little blog is just that. I suppose we could go deeper or point out more error among us but we have enough of that already. This is where I will stand.
Bro. Trey
This was the last ballgame for the Storm. We are a T Ball team playing in our small town. Ages four to six is the designated limit for the league. It sure seems like we had more than our share of the younger ages than the older. I got involved at the request of a church member against my better judgment. Sometimes your better judgment is not always the best idea to follow. The last few weeks were a blast for me being around these kids. My title was coach but you learn fast that is a bit of a stretch. Maybe some can coach kids that young but my task was to go along for the ride.
Now please know these children did get better at their baseball skills. I can say they were much better at the end of the season than at the start. As far as I'm concerned that is enough for these guys and gals. Just getting them to use their glove was a minor victory. We only had a few run the wrong way upon hitting the ball off the tee. We won some games and lost some games. My guess is none of them will ever remember their record. My hope is the recall how much fun the game can be.
Some of our children do have some talent for baseball. There are others who have a very long way to go. Latrell was one of my favorites. He is about as tall as he is round. I kept telling him that he was going to get some big hits if he got better. Latrell is always smiling or laughing about something. A good time is wherever he is at the moment. Tonight he came to bat when I realized he would be the last hitter of the inning no matter what. I walked over to him to tell him to keep running when he hit the ball no matter what. He gave the bat a mighty swing to hit the ball. The other team actually threw him out but I told him to keep running. No one was sure what to do. He rounded second with all the speed he has to head to third. I then told him to keep going to home plate. He charged down the baseline on a mission. He heard me yell slide as he neared the final base. Now he did not really score a run but he ran determined to do something special. The small crowd of parents and relatives all cheered and clapped as he touched home plate. He looked around to make sure his mother got a photo or a video of the triumphant journey around the bases. No one was more excited than me that he ran for a "home run." He is my guy.
Ever wonder why we stop cheering each other on as we go through life? Most of our efforts seem as if aimed to tear down rather than build up. Encouragement seems foreign to our modern world. We can do all sorts of stuff on computers or even phones but we cannot look past our interests to build up another person. I often wonder how different our world would be if we helped others be better by our encouraging life. Who knows that would happen in others around us should we live that way. I do know how the world is when we don't cheer others to greatness. Take a look around.
Bro. Trey
I spent some time last night looking back at the blog. Curiosity got to me as the years went by. No one will ever say what is written here is world shaking or altering. Most of it is just my perspective on stuff that may or may not matter. There are many other blogs with super insight into the world from differing views. Maybe there are a few things here that are original but that is occasional at best. You can also see the many stops and starts along the way. Months went by with nothing written. This surely cannot be a good sign. It does help that I can go back and consider where life took me at times since the beginning. Some lessons are more easily grasped than others.
Some of us spend far too much time reviewing the past as if somehow it might change. I admit to being one of those people. Once again this is not a good thing. I know we may uncover reasons for mistakes when we go over our history but those blemishes remain. Scars still measure our process in the journey. We can easily forget to live in the here and now while punishing ourselves over the past. It is true that what we did or who we were goes a long way for today. Just do not allow that history to define you now. My hope is that we all grow until our final day. Learn to adjust to God's contemporary voice.
How we live or make our choices may surprise you. It is easy to look back at points in time to discover motivations or anxieties in our decisions. Looking back at my times of illness reminded me how much of faith can be simply hanging on during the temptation to give up. Someone once said that much of success can be linked to just showing up. Those are the times we read scripture even if the words seem strange. Those are the times we say our prayers even if they seem to go no higher than the ceiling. It's more than just going through the motions. We are indeed trying with all we have to hang in there even if we have little to nothing left. Choices are not made on an island. We deal with feelings, circumstances as well as God as we do this. Purity is often not something we get often in our minds or hearts. What we can do is just showing up until God does something radical and wonderful in our midst.
The question is not would you make different choices in the past if you knew then what you know now. I know there are things that needed to be handled differently. No amount of time or review will change that. But that still leaves who and where I am now. God still needs to purge us of that natural selfishness that dogs our steps. You do not have to remain as you were or as you are. God says we can be new in heart and mind. Eternal life need not wait until we die. Let's grab hold of God now so we live in His life in the present tense.
Bro. Trey
We never grow old on monster movies. Various creatures are staples of film ever since the initial movies began to filter out. Writers and directors started almost 100 years ago putting the stories of these characters on the screen. Many of them stand the test of time even eighty years after their release. It was fifty years ago that the Japanese introduced us to their leading man. Godzilla is still making films no matter how many times he wipes out parts of Japan. He returns this weekend for yet another update on the original tale. Humanity savors the idea of facing down these foes no matter the odds. Victory is not an option in the story. This never means there will not be another one to come along but we soldier on anyway.
Believers do not always enjoy the same winning percentage when dealing with our own monsters we face. It is easier when the demons we face reveal their nature with scary faces. What throws us is when our foe conceals his nature behind a façade. Our once grand confidence in God fades into the night while we yield to our lesser natures. Discouragement is one of those perils we deal with regularly. I truly do not know if authentic growth is possible without wrestling this temptation. People who are content to stay where they are never get discouraged. Compare that to the characters in scripture who confront this prospect while following God in the journey. The problem is not if God is big enough to handle this conflict but whether or not our hopes are too small from the start.
We face discouragement in various fashions. It is not a one size fits all malady. Being disillusioned is a low grade symptom we deal with. Notice this is about our illusions rather than God's reality. Our expectations begin out of line with the truth so we damage our own heart along the way. It runs all the way to full fledged depression. We become angry about the situation with no real hope of change. That anger warms past the frustration level until it drains us of any real energy to live. People can discourage us perhaps more than the conditions of life. Sometimes we forget we cannot control people no matter how hard we try. It is true that a few raise control to an art form but that doesn't mean it's the healthy way to live. Being discouraged is a common place in our maturity but the choice of what we do with it remains with us.
Some people just give up or settle for an easier path than engage in the crisis. Others may blame another for their lot in life. Another might just keep pushing to cross that place to discover a greater grace. Our emotional health is often up to us. David chooses often in his Psalms to look beyond the moment into eternity. We don't often share that decision. People like Simon Peter break free when they realize God has a bigger plan in store for them despite the failures. Maybe this is why he will write later that we can cast our cares on Him because of God's mercy. His words are not isolated theology but real time issues we share. Find the honesty and freedom to admit discouragement. It does not matter if others do not share your desire to be whole as long as you do. There will be only one opinion that eternally matters. So face your monsters with all of the resources of God. It makes that much of a difference.
Bro. Trey
Writers go on and on about it. Songwriters sing countless songs about it. Scientists even study it in various ways. Love still works as one thing we cannot wrap our mind around. It is a simple four letter word but there is no end to our thinking, writing, or singing about it. Is it any wonder that this single idea drives much of our profound musings these days. We all reflect on it but God is the only one so far who seems to give it definition. Scripture is a testimony to His heart toward us. There are more pages than not in the Bible that mention it. Cupid perhaps shot an arrow but he still falls short of this incredible and divine passion.
John 3:16 is our starting point each Sunday in May. Our goal is to spend time each week working through some aspect of this most quoted statement. I still contend that we may be able to quote it but that is no guarantee we really understand it. How can we if the hurts of the past drive our decisions or destinies today? How can it when people do not allow this love to transform our temperaments? How can it when we are stuck in the same old status quo rather than embracing our potential? Most of our problems arise from not knowing love while still quoting its most famous verse. We think we are so smart when we are blind to the damage around us. Love really is all we need but it must be genuine and original with God.
Someday we may realize that love is action and attitude. We may come to grips with the toughness of love that goes beyond the usual Hallmark card poetry. Jesus will express that truth in how He lives and dies. God cares enough to send His son to save us even though we are so far from deserving. How often our hearts feel as if we are forgotten while the cross stands as reminder of God's heart. That love is not a small trickle or shower but it is a flood to overflow our life. What would happen to our life should we ever comprehend that truth? We would become different people once we said yes to that love. We may not know it but our great need is to center our world in light of that love. Start today or tomorrow by taking it a step at a time. None of this may happen over night but it can take place. The real question is not whether or not God loves you but did you accept that love? My hope is we do at least a little better with it than we are now.
Bro. Trey
What in the world ever happened to God? Everywhere you look there is more and more antagonism towards Him for one reason or another. Scientists are moving into outrage at any thought of God doing anything in the world. Atheists are growing in number across our country. Believers are going to be nabbed as people with no brains or no real understanding of the world. I am normally not an alarmist or one who believes in conspiracies. I still think Oswald killed Kennedy without any help from outside forces. Area 51 has more military hardware than it does UFO stuff. But recent events even make me wonder what is taking place.
Let me add a few ideas as we move along. Most of the wackiness going on today is only in our country. You wonder what people with next to nothing in other nations would think of all of this. Even sociologists recognize that man's concept of the divine is natural as people grow. Believers in those lands where it is dangerous to even have faith would find this a huge waste of argument. It is also true that a rise in militant atheism is something that comes and goes. People in the early 60's leaned toward such philosophy until it was found to be empty and lacking in substance. That is when we saw a swing back to evangelical theology in the last part of the 20th century. We just recycle our ignorance while dressing it up in new clothes. I have to imagine people in Russia or other socialist states know far better than we how not having a God leaves you totally without hope. You wonder why people would want to live that way here.
Science does not really explain away God. It does not matter how educated a person may be in their field because they tend not to understand His place. Where did all of the laws or theories initiate? Perhaps the scientist is only discovering God's place in the universe. Does this mean that we believers need to lose our minds in any anti religious declaration? Steven Hawking wrote in his first major book of how God can be behind or involved in science without constantly changing the rules. The sad thing is later editions of the book would be scrubbed of those references. Many academics in fields of science are indeed believers who know how to walk among the tensions. What ultimately gives me pause about recent developments is these very smart people fail to go to the next step in asking one more question. What do we do with the evil among people after science does its part?
I believe in a God as revealed in scripture. But this does not mean my mind has to be a fortress against thinking. One reason for my faith is there is no amount of education that can really change us to reach a divine purpose. Theories about the cosmos will not deal with sin that destroys us. Ideas of philosophy do not promise answers for real life issues. Casting away any idea of God will not make us any more loving or caring. We live in a desperate need of God to heal us from self inflicted wounds. Most of this recent outbreak of trying to do without Him smells of arrogance and pride. Humanity still wants what it wants when it wants it. We never really moved far away from the Garden of Eden. I can only hope we move someday to where God meets us in the power of His grace.
Bro. Trey
The month of May is striking with a vengeance. I am writing this post with a headache from just trying to keep up so far. This is once again not a complaint but a fact of life. There is something almost everyday already on the calendar for the month. A free weekend will not happen until Memorial Day. Don't read that I am complaining as it's almost fun to go charging through the days. Lulls do happen in ministry that makes it harder to concentrate. Perhaps my headache is from thinking too much?
Two meetings are behind me but there is still a wedding next week to lead. We cannot leave out just the normal duties as dad around the house. My son and I did go to prom last weekend which was a blast. He loved having his photo taken for posterity. I leave in two days for Waco to help my daughter pack and load for the summer. Thank goodness for my baseball team which keeps me entertained by what they say and what they do. Sitting on my desk is the research for this Sunday. Time demands that everything is moved up a day so I can depart in some peace. Tired is what I am just after reviewing all of this. So let me make a point here.
Some constantly are running in the rat race. As someone said, if you win the rat race you are still a rat. Compare that to the life of Jesus. He never seems hurried or pressured by the demands of His task. Ever notice that even when the schedule got a little hectic that He would walk away to be alone? Jesus understood the need to stop what you are doing to keep your focus on the eternal agenda. He refuses to get pushed into things outside of that divine purpose. He lives that great life on God's terms and not of those who were seeking their own approval. Do not think that He was not busy at times because He was. But never mistake that activity as something out of control. Jesus refuses to let life be so demanding it spins wildly out of its groove.
You may find there are times when you absolutely have to stop what is going on to regain focus on why you are here. If hiding away for a short time was good for Jesus then imagine what it can do for you. But it is also true you may have to move to a higher gear for a duration. That is understandable as part of life. Just avoid forfeiting your health on the altar of being busy. Go for that walk or run. Sit quietly with your eyes closed until the universe stops spinning. Make sure you write out a calendar or schedule so you can balance your tasks. You may discover ways to juggle everything without it consuming you. Live according to your strengths whatever they may be. Never let the craziness nudge you from being who God is making you. None of this may be easy or simple but it is nonnegotiable. I look forward to June when it slows down some. But these are divine days also. Let your heart and mind be surprised by God as you run ragged. That is when you can really celebrate your world.
Bro. Trey
