Journey of a Lifetime

Change and Charles

2012-01-02T22:16:00.003-06:00

Scripture: "In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Proverbs 3:6 ESV

Weight Watchers reported in December that Charles Barkley will be their "Ambassador" to attract men to their Weight Watcher's Online program in 2012. It is reported that Mr. Barkley lost 27 pounds following WW's format. He should attract a large number who have followed him during his Hall of Fame career in the NBA.

Every January people all over America desire to lose weight, but many are not willing to pay the price by February. It is not just extra pounds that people want to lose. Some would like to discard some bad habits, take on perhaps a service to others, or do something personal for themselves. It is all about change.

Every Christmas for the last 35 years I have spent the last week of the year in Mobile, Alabama. It has been a great time for us to spend with family and friends. I usually spent most of those weeks at a desk in my mother-in-law's dining room. I would plan for the coming year, complete writing projects, send notes to particular individuals, and read. It was my time to do what I wanted to do while Patti shopped. All that changed this year, by design.

This year I spent very little time at that desk. I did not read one page of a novel. I did a little planning, but did not send any notes. I probably did not spend two hours doing what I've done for 35 years. This year my top priorities were to walk an hour each day and shop for what I wanted. I walked every morning in the Bel Air Mall and shopped every afternoon. It was out of my realm, but I enjoyed it immensely.

It is all about change. You have to want to do it, whether it is losing weight, exercising, writing, or planning. You have to want it badly enough to be willing to give up something else. If you want to have a daily Quiet Time in 2012, you have to be willing to give up the time to do it and it has to be worth more to you than what you seem to be missing. Our spiritual lives can be improved and changed just like our physical and emotional lives. We too often let our spiritual lives slide and they end up taking a back seat to everything else in life.

Application: What would you like to change in your life?

What would it take to start this change?

Would you be willing to give it a 30-day trial?

Prayer: Lord, it is a new year and I am sick and tired of the old me. I am frustrated concerning my constant procrastination. I can't stand the old habit of ______________ that I've held onto for so long. I fail to do some of the things _____________that I know would bring about change in my life. I want to begin this year with you and take my eyes off of myself. Guide me through the days ahead that I might implement what would change me in this new year. I trust in you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Gold Is A Precious Commodity

2011-05-15T19:35:00.003-05:00

It has been awhile since I last wrote a post. I am coming to the end of my third year of teaching and it has been more than fulfilling. I love my 90 kids and really enjoy teaching, but I want to have a little more family time. Every week night is filled and about 15 hours on the weekend. I will be replacing my teaching duties with chaplain responsibilities at one of our retirement centers here in Pearland. I hope to have more time to write and even read.

I spent 16 Saturday mornings this school year watching my grandson play soccer. His parents, Jared and Tiffany, took on the responsibility of coaching Reid's soccer team. They began last fall and just completed another season this past Saturday. They were very successful.

Jared and Tiffany took a team of 4-6 year olds who had no previous experience. They had no skills and were typical of what you would expect at their first game last September. They lost. Jared and Tiffany began teaching them skills---you know, how to dribble, how to pass, how to shoot, how to play defense, how to use strategy, and the list can go on and on.

They won the rest of their games during the fall season. This Spring they were undefeated and pretty much outclassed everybody they played. Some of the players will be moving up to the 8 year old level this fall, so the team will not be together again. Too bad we can't see more of them.

This is just in from Sports Radio...Gold outscored their opponents 61-30 in the Fall and 80-13 in the Spring! Reid was the second youngest on the team and led the team with 21 goals this Spring. The next leading scorer was only one goal behind Reid. Well, maybe it wasn't on Sports Radio, but it was their loss!

I am proud of Reid. His dad, Jared, was a really good soccer player in his day, but Reid is better at 5 years old than Jared was at the same age. It will be interesting to see how he progresses. He favors Jared in a lot of his moves.

Yet, Reid, does not receive my most praise tonight. I am most proud of Jared and Tiffany, who took a group of kids who had no obvious experience and turned them into a tremendous 4-6 year old team. I can't believe how far they have come this year. They can coach better than I ever could. They also had the full cooperation of the parents and that is special in today's world.

Some of our journeys in this life are similar to what I have just detailed. Don't miss any of the "journeys" or you will be missing some of life's beautiful moments.

Changing and Not Changing

2010-08-03T15:06:00.002-05:00

It has been hovering around 100 degrees for at least a week now. It is the hottest part of the summer. It is suppose to be hot, no different than any other year.

Precious babies are born. One of our couples in our church had a baby on Sunday. She was born around the 28th week and weighed 2 lbs. 8 oz. She was taken off the ventilator the next day and is doing just great. There are a lot of sick people around us and some of them will die within the week. Others, in great health, will experience a sudden accident and leave this earthly existence. This is all about the human experience.

We are going through the toughest economic time since the Great Depression. I heard this morning that unemployment figures have increased again. One group says that the economy is improving, while others say that we are still in the thick of it and there is no improvement. I believe I just heard that foreclosures are back up. Maybe they really never improved. The Dow Jones is slowly moving upward, but economists say, "Beware"!! Why do they say that? In 1930 the stock market gained back 50-70% before the bottom fell through and we were into a massive depression. They say that those indicators are showing their ugly heads. We've never been here in our lifetime, so it is hard to say that it is a regular part of the life cycle. Time will tell us.

There is one thing that remains constant, or the same. Our Lord is the same as He has been in the past and will be in the future. He does not change. He is the constant in our life when everything else is failing. Jesus will never let us down. He will be our constant companion. We can always count on Him, even when the weather is uncomfortable, when death and illness are knocking at our door, or even when the economy is falling apart and everything seems so hopeless. Think about that and then give thanks that you belong to Him and He belongs to you.

The Hottest Day of the Year

2010-07-31T09:44:00.003-05:00

My day started yesterday in a hospital room visiting one of our members. Then it was north on 59 to the Humble area. On 1960 East I turned into an entrance called Tour 18. It is a unique venue of 18 of the great holes in golf. Every hole is difficult. I played there for the first time in 1997 and I don't think my score has improved on that course in all of these years.

Yesterday was not about a great score for me. I was going to be playing with Jason Crandall and it is always fun to be on a golf course with Jason. Hit hits the ball as hard as anyone I've ever seen and keeps the ball in play. Jason was only +1 for Amen Corner and that is a pretty good feat. I think he scored a 90 with a 44/46.

Like I said, yesterday was not about scoring for me. I knew I was in trouble on the first hole when I had difficulty getting out of a bunker. There were some bright moments, but most of it was not worth writing about. I had a good time with Jason and that made it all worth it.

Talk about HOT yesterday. I thought maybe it was the hottest day that I ever played. It was around 100 with a heat index around 108. It just zapped you of your energy. We used ice water on our faces from time to time and drank lots of fluids, but it didn't seem to hold for the whole 18 holes. On the par 3 17th hole I landed in a green-side bunker AGAIN. I didn't play the last hole.

Am I going out today to a local course? Heavens no. It is suppose to be hotter than yesterday. I love golf, but not on days like this weekend. When I got into my car yesterday and started heading home, my temperature gauge showed 100-101 degrees. It is usually within a degree of the real temperature.

What does this have to do with our spiritual lives? There will be days when we are zapped and our lives feel like we have no strength. Ice water will do no good. Standing in the shade will not help. It feels like you life is falling apart. There is only one anecdote: Dependence on the Lord.

2010-07-05T11:10:00.002-05:00

This year's Fourth of July weekend has been great. The whole "family" came over on Saturday for brisket and everything you could put with it. The grand kids played inside and outside to their hearts content and the adults had a wonderful time together.

Yesterday our church had it's annual Freedom Jam. The place was packed with people, lots of tailgating, great music, and great activities for the kids. It has become a huge summer activity for our church and community. A little before nine, we went across the street to the LA Fitness parking lot, which is a little higher in elevation than our church property, to watch the fireworks. It was amazing watching the "dancing eyes" of our grandchildren as they watched the fireworks explode. It was a magical moment to see that surprise in their eyes. It was like seeing a first-time experience through their eyes.

Today is becoming a day of rest. Patti and I are both on our laptops in front of the TV, but tomorrow will bring us back to reality when the normal week returns. I work at the church and Patti has a few things to do as well.

Patti has a big birthday coming up on Friday. It is the big "Six O". She seems much younger than her chronological age. We are going out to dinner on Thursday night with our dear friends of 32 years--Leroy and Sharon Krolczyk. Gosh, Patti would have been 28 then, that's younger than our own children!

I have learned something on our recent journey to Hawaii. Steve Corn, our son-in-law, has me thinking about "risk-taking" this morning. When we did the Zip Line I realized that it was not so hard to jump off of a box 85 feet in the air. If you can't jump, you never zip line. What is important is the journey on the zip line and the landing. The landing is what concerned me the most. Could I land in that small area and stop enough so the "catcher" could do his job? The answer was "Yes", but I was not sure. That was the risk for me.

More than a decade ago, Steve was the Youth Pastor where I served as Senior Pastor. Steve wanted to start a new ministry to the street kids of that city. Many were skateboarders, but most had never been inside a church or influenced by its ministry. Steve has a dream and it was risky. Imagine 200 unchurched teenagers in your church building. Not a big deal?? You've not been where I've been! This was an atmosphere where even picture hanging was controlled by a committee. Two hundred unchurched kids and this kind of control probably did not go together.

A significant number of those teenagers came to Christ. It all started with Steve's dream, but the journey was what was important. The ministry could have come to a sudden halt at several different times during those formative years, but Steve held true in the midst of pressure and assault. Today, many of those young adults are professional church workers like pastors, worship leaders, graphic artists, teachers, missionaries and the like. I know Steve is proud of them. Some adults did not understand, but Steve did. It was all about the journey and "landing on the other side".

Thank you Steve for allowing me to watch and work with a true risk-taker!

Fantasy Islands--The Epilogue

2010-07-01T11:30:00.002-05:00

The Journey to Hawaii began the first week of August last year. I was sitting at the computer in Orange Beach, Alabama and the thought came to be about taking Patti to Hawaii for our 35th wedding anniversary. Then the thought entered my mind to take the family. I suggested it to Patti and she said, "How?" That became my adventure for the next eleven months.

I made airline reservations for us while we were still on vacation at the beach. We were then committed to at least going to Hawaii. Then came the reservations for an NCL cruise of the islands. That just seemed like the wise thing to do and now we know it was definitely the right decision for us.

Once we had a flight and knew where we were staying(Pride of America), the rest was just research concerning what we were going to do while we were there. That was fun and we all got in on the act. I planned almost every detail, but my family knows that I'm like that. They may laugh at me, but also sort of expect it.

Why did I feel that this was so important? First of all, we wanted the kids with us when we celebrated #35. Second, we thought it would be great for all of us to be together for an extended period of time. As it turned out, it was even without children. Third, we wanted them to experience some time with just their spouses, just relaxing. I think it accomplished those things. I would highly recommend it to anyone, especially if you really enjoy being together as a family.

What could be an encore? I'll keep it to myself for now...

Fantasy Islands--Day #9-10

2010-07-01T11:05:00.002-05:00

Saturday/Sunday--June 26-27

On Saturday morning we had breakfast about 7:00 a.m. in a really crowded breakfast area. Everyone was getting ready to leave the ship as soon as they could. It was kind of sad to see this great time come to an end, but it was also reality.

We disembarked about 8:30. It was so easy. It was simple compared to our first cruises in 1986 and 2000. I guess the cruise lines have learned a lot and come a long way since then.

We were met by our excursion company at the exit to the terminal and we boarded a bus for a City Tour and Pearl Harbor. It rained during most of the City Tour, but that was okay. We ended up at Pearl Harbor about 10:30 and remained there until about 3:00. Did we need that much time at Pearl Harbor? No, but that was the way to get a guaranteed ticket to the USS Arizona. The boat ride to the Arizona and viewing it only lasted about 45 minutes, but it was a special place to be. Oil still leaks to the surface every few minutes. It is really an underwater cemetery...a place where over a thousand men gave their lives for their country.

There is also a baby girl buried with all of those sailors. You say, "How?" A sailor and his wife had twin girls. One of them died at birth. The sailor was being transferred to Pearl Harbor. He made arrangements with a chaplain to lay her to rest in the Pacific on the morning of December 7, 1941. The sailor and chaplain boarded the Arizona with the cremated remains of his daughter, but never had the time to do what they intended to do. Months later divers attempted to remove the urn, but it was too dangerous to retrieve it and the urn remains there to this day with her daddy and the chaplain.

We headed to the airport about 3:30. Our flight was scheduled for 9:15 P.M., so we knew we had a long wait. When we checked in, we found that the flight was delayed and was not scheduled to depart until 10:55. We think it finally got away around midnight, but we were offered an earlier flight around 7:20. That was magnificent.

We arrived in Houston the next morning. It had been a long ride. We were lucky to get a couple hours of sleep, maybe in smaller increments. The journey was over, but it was wonderful for our family. We will not soon forget this special time together.

Fantasy Islands--Day #8

2010-07-01T10:51:00.002-05:00

Friday--June 25

This was our last full day on the ship. Patti and I walked our two miles like we had been trying to do each day and had breakfast. Then I think I did some more reading, before we met the rest of the family by the pool. I then read some more.

At 2:00 the cruise ship departed the island. The next time it docked would be in Honolulu and the trip would be over. We spent some time packing and then went out on the deck to see the area where Jurassic Park was filmed. It was beautiful.

That evening we had our last meal with Christian, our waiter, who had made some really wise choices for us during the week. He became a special element of our evening meals. After dinner I wanted to do something that I knew would be soothing based on my experience from the last cruise we were on ten years ago. I went to listen to a guy play the piano and sing in the piano bar. It was quiet, peaceful, and relaxing. Patti met me there and we went to a show.

We put our luggage outside our cabin door, where it would be picked up after midnight and went to bed.

Fantasy Islands--Day #7

2010-07-01T10:19:00.002-05:00

Thursday--June 24

What could top snorkeling in a cove off the coast of Kona? I am not sure much could top it, but let's look at Thursday. It may not top the snorkeling experience, but it is up there in that area.

We had a really leisure morning on the ship following breakfast. I love to read novels. So I was working on novel by Vince Flynn entitled Act of Treason. My favorite place to read was out on the deck in a deck chair, but I also used the library and our cabin. I did some reading on this particular morning outside. It was refreshing and restful. I enjoyed every minute of it.

Around noon we got a taxi cab and drove to the Zip Line facility. We were all excited, with some of us probably a little anxious. They met us at the front gate and then we walked to a staging area, or a waiting area. It wasn't long until they were setting us up with the gear and giving us an education about zip lining. Then the fun began.

The first thing we did was climb a rope ladder that was probably 60 feet in the air. I did wonder how that would work when we got to the steepest part of the ladder, but it was doable. I didn't have any problem in stepping off into space, but worried about the landing area. There was someone on the other side ready to catch us, but that landing area was pretty small! It went well. Patti "unfroze" and she did very well too.

This was the only Zip Line in Hawaii that once you went up into the trees, you didn't come down for 2.5 hours. You would zip line from tree to tree, usually about 85 feet in the air. You would go use more rope bridges along the way. Most people think that is the scarest part of the experience. I guess it was from my perspective as well, but you are strapped in.

We covered seven zip lines over the next couple of hours, the longest was about 800 feet. I never did have a problem stepping off, but it took me three our four lines to overcome the fear of not hitting that small platform. It was fun. They had snacks waiting for us at the end. We could not have asked for better people helping us enjoy this experience.

Imagine the opportunity to overcome fear two days in a row. Imagine conquering this fear with your family. These were the same people who stood by me through thick and thin. You know what? They did the same thing in the water and up in the trees! It was a great experience for our entire family.

Fantasy Islands--Day #6

2010-06-30T16:16:00.002-05:00

Wednesday--June 23

We woke up on "hump day" on the island of Kona. We had a similar breakfast to what we had been having and then it was off to our next excursion.

This was the one island that we had to take a tender to shore, so we left early in order to make sure that we arrived by 9:00. We got there at 8:30, so we had to wait, but it was worth every moment.

We finally boarded the boat about 9:20 feeling like we may have missed 20 minutes of our trip. This would turn out to not be true. It was one of those boats where you sit around the perimeter of the boat. We went out about 16-17 miles down the coast. We saw many dolphins on the way right next to our boat. When we got to the spot our guides were looking for, it was time to snorkel. There were about 20 of us and Patti and I were the only ones who did not snorkel at that point. The others were in the water a good 45 minutes.

Then to make up for our late departure, they took us down the coast a little further to a beautiful cove where we anchored. They put small air vests on Patti and I and over the side I went. I felt a state of panic at the outset, but as soon as I began to float, the panic left me. Then I put my face into the water and the whole world opened up to me. The fish were beautiful and the coral was magnificent. I guess we were there about 45 minutes also, but I lost all track of time. I really did not want to leave when it was over. Patti experienced it as well.

We conquered our fear. It was almost a spiritual experience. I can't quite put it into words. Our two guides showed us so much kindness, patience, and caring concern. I thought that this must have been what it was like to be on an adventure with Jesus. We got back about an hour later than it was scheduled for, so we really got our money's worth and we all knew it.

That evening we ate in the more formal dining room. That really meant long pants and a polo shirt or Hawaiian shirt, as opposed to shorts. I had swordfish and lobster on this night. We just had a great two-hour, multi-course dinner together and the food was secondary to the great family fellowship.

Then it was another show or maybe shows and off to bed.

Fantasy Islands--Day #5

2010-06-30T15:39:00.002-05:00

Tuesday--June 22

We woke up to Hilo this morning. Had a great breakfast outside on the aft of the ship. I could handle the breakfast outside every day. The difference between Hawaii and Texas was about 10-15 degrees and much lower humidity. Maybe that is why I enjoyed the outside breakfast.

We left for another excursion about 9:00. This day we were headed to the Volcano National Park. We stopped at a Macadamia Nut Factory along the way. It was interesting. When we reached the park we really saw a lot. Walking on an old lava flow was great and seeing where it emptied into was pretty neat.

The highway has been closed to the active volcano because the acid content is so high, but we did see a lot of steam from a distance. Then we traveled to another crater that exploded, creating a crater within a crater. The steam was still pouring out of it. Then we walked through a lava tube, like a tall tunnel the lava made as it fell to the ocean. We ended up at what I think was called The Candy Store, where we sampled Kona Coffee that sells for about $40 a pound. It really is the smoothest coffee I've ever tasted.

That evening we ate in the dining room and then Patti wanted to attend a 50's Sock Hop. I wasn't wild about going, but I knew Patti was really looking forward to it. When we got there couples starting dancing. Patti leaned over to me and said, "If they play the Twist, will you dance with me?" What could I say?

Moments later the music came on and we went out to dance with many other couples. At the end of the music, one of the employees tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Can you help us?" I said, "It depends on what you want me to do." He said, "We want you to be in our finals." I thought, "What has she got me into?"

There were three couples in the finals and they introduced us to the audience. Then we were the first couple to dance. I just had to let it all hang out. I could tell that Patti was really enjoying herself. Then the other two couples danced and I think we both thought that we had won. They then did the applause thing and the crowd went crazy. I was embarrassed. They presented Patti with an NCL shopping bag and she was happily ready to leave. She had done her thing and was satisfied. Then we saw another show and went to bed.

I was excited to be a part of Patti's adventure on this night. She beamed from ear to ear!

Fantasy Islands--Day #4

2010-06-30T11:35:00.002-05:00

Monday--June 21

June 21 was our 35th wedding anniversary. We had a leisure breakfast and then went on our first planned excursion. We used a local company through gorabbitgo.com. They picked us up at the ship and we went to one of the beautiful beaches of Maui. They dropped us off about 10:30 and picked us up at 3:00.

There were actually three beaches that butted up against each other. One seemed to be for families, children's groups, and youth groups. Another one seemed to be mostly adults of all ages and the third was a mixture.

My son-in-law, Steve, is a natural explorer. Steve never sits still and is not the type to lay on the beach. Jared and I went with him exploring the three beaches. Steve found a large lava rock formation about 75 yards off the beach. We made our way out to the formation and then Steve jumped off of it into the Pacific. On the way back to the beach I reached out for some lava rock to steady my balance and yup, it "bit" me! Talk about sharp!! I now know what lava rock can do.

That evening we celebrated our anniversary by going to one of the speciality restaurants. It was a "Texas Steak House". The food was great and the service was impeccable. They presented us with an anniversary cake and sang to us at the end of the evening. It was nice. Then there were more shows and off to bed.

We learn a lot about Jesus in the gospels, but not everything is covered. With what we learn about Jesus in every day life, I would be surprised if He did not celebrate big days with His disciples. We just don't read about most of them in the gospels.

Life has changed a lot in the last 35 years. In June of 1975 it was just Patti and me. Today, our family includes two grown children, their spouses, and four grandchildren. The "two" has turned into 10. We lived and were married in Alabama. Now we have lived in Texas for 34.5 years. I was in management, but now have been in the ministry since 1976. The only thing that has not changed is that Patti remains a teacher. Thank God for these 35 years.

Fantasy Islands--Day #3

2010-06-30T11:02:00.002-05:00

Sunday--June 20

This was the first of two days in Maui. So, this was a golf day for Jared and me, plus a day of exploration for Patti, Tiffany, Miranda, and Steve.

We played at the most beautiful golf course that I have ever had the opportunity to play. It was almost completely surrounded by the Pacific and where there wasn't water, there was mountains. It was hard to concentrate on playing. Every hole was unique and awesome. When I made an easy par on the first hole, I knew that it was going to be an enjoyable day( I never par the first hole).

Then name of this course was the Wailea Golf Club, the Emerald Course. This was not the course where The Skins Game was played for so many years. That was the Gold Course, but we were looking for something even more picturesque and the Emerald Course was it.

The Pro from our ship played nine holes with one group and the other nine holes with us. He joined us on hole #8 and I triple bogeyed the next three holes. By hole #11 I began to settle down again, with a birdie on a par 5. I ended the round with a sand shot into the cup on 18. I should have shot a 95-96, but ended up with a 102. Probably not too bad for not touching a golf club in a year. The teaching Pro taught us something on every hole, so it was very profitable. It was a great day of memories. I would recommend it to any golfer.

That evening we ate in one of the Dining Rooms again. This dining room was more casual. You could wear shorts, rather than long pants and a polo shirt. It served the same menu as the other one. In addition to the dining rooms, there were speciality restaurants at one extreme and buffet dining at others. It was all good!

We took in some shows and went to bed.

Fantasy Islands--Day #2

2010-06-29T15:30:00.003-05:00

Saturday--June 19

I did not think I would have any more time today, but here is a pocket of unexpected time, so I'll use it to continue with the journey.

We got up on Saturday morning and went to the restaurant in the hotel. We had vouchers for a free breakfast and the hotel is known for its pancakes. Three of us ordered the pancakes and it was enough for an army. They serve three 14 inch pancakes! That is like a box of pancake mix!! I hardly put a dent in mine and the others did not fare any better.

Then it was a trip to the beach until about noon. The water was beautiful, very similar to the gulf of Mexico along the northwest corridor of Florida. The beaches were pretty, but did not compare with the white sand beaches from Gulf Shores, Alabama to Panama City, Florida.

Our limo picked us up at the hotel around 2:00 and we boarded the ship about three o'clock. We walked around the ship and made dining reservations and golfing reservations. We went to dinner about 6:00 and met our waiter, a young man by the name of Christian from El Paso, Texas. We got to know him better as each day went by.

I think we went to a couple of shows that night and got to bed at a decent hour. We were finally on the ship and it was on its way to Maui. All we needed was a good night's sleep.

This must have been how Jesus felt when He had traveled all the way to Bethany and finally settled in with Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. He was relaxed to be with friends, but glad to be at this point in the journey.

Another installment tonight or tomorrow.

Fantasy Islands--Day #1

2010-06-29T09:00:00.005-05:00

Friday--June 18

On June 18 the Mathews clan took off for Hawaii. The purpose was to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary, but the hidden agenda was to just be together for an extended period of time. We accomplished both. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I was able to get a non-stop flight from Houston-Honolulu last August(before the Continental merger with United). My choice was Continental because of my satisfaction with them over the years. The cabin crew was the worst I've seen in all of my years. They seemed to not be engaged with the passengers, seemingly unhappy, and "flying" down the aisles as if no one was on the plane. The rest of our family picked up on the same thing. It was not a bad start, but the whole plane was happy and looking forward to their vacation in Hawaii. The crew could not have failed, you would have thought.

It was a long flight. It felt like a trip to Amsterdam, but we arrived in late afternoon Hawaii time. We transferred to our hotel. We took a shuttle from the airport. After about 20 stops at other hotels and two hours later, we finally arrived at our hotel. That trip was worse than the flight over. NOTE: The shuttle cost was $9 each, or $54 in total. The next day we rented a limo to go to the pier for $25. Skip the shuttles!!!

We checked into the hotel and then went out to dinner. There are many restaurants to choose from, all within walking distance of the main hotels. It was nice, the food was really good, and we had a great time together. We went back to the hotel for some hot tub time before turning in for the evening. It has been a long day, but a good one.

We read in the gospels that Jesus often wanted to get alone with his disciples. They needed to get away from the crowds and just relax. They needed to be together. The Mathews family needed some of this "away" time as well. We needed some extended time together without so many interruptions and every day life getting in the way. It was happening.

Tomorrow, I will go on to day #2. The best was yet to come.

Home Alone 4????

2010-06-17T22:16:00.002-05:00

No, there is not a Home Alone remake on the horizon, at least as far as I know. I am reminded of this series of movies on the eve of our 2010 vacation. What I liked most about the first two movies was the family excitement leading up to their departure.

Don't you remember how family members arrived from out of town and spent the night? The house was full of relatives, everybody was running all over the house and then pizza was delivered. Then the star of the movies was sent to his room because he would not apologize to his brother. The next morning the entire house oversleeps and they have to make a mad dash to the airport.

Patti and I both get excited the night before we go somewhere. I enjoy the last few days as you pack and live off of a To Do list. It is about 10:30 and we are both packed. We are waiting on Steve and Miranda to arrive from Fort Worth. Patti has spent some time in the kitchen tonight preparing Monkey Bread and Baked French Toast for breakfast. The kitchen/den smells like cinnamon.

Our kids and their spouses will be leaving for Hawaii in the morning. It is our 35th wedding anniversary, so I thought we would just all go over there together. We will spend the night in Honolulu tomorrow night and then board a cruise ship for seven days to island hop. It should be great for us to all be together!

I would not trade anything for my precious family. We enjoy being together and we are all looking forward to the week ahead. There will be hiking in Volcano National Park, a Zip Line experience, and a Rafting experience, just to name a few of our family events. It sounds like fun, but the best part of it will be just being together. It will give us memories for years to come.

Now, all we have to do is not over-sleep in the morning and take everybody with us!

What Does Christmas Mean to You?

2009-12-19T11:21:00.002-06:00

The Christmas season is a special time for our whole family, even me. I was a hum-bug for several years, but I have come out of it during the last 5-6 years. I know that Jesus was not born on December 25th. I know that Roman Christians changed from a pagan observance in early 300 A.D. to celebrating the birth of Christ. I know that the world has increasingly commercialized it over my whole lifetime. Need I go on and on?

Whether we celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25, or in the Spring, or even in the Fall, we still need to celebrate His birth. I am not seeing a substitute date any other time of the year by folks who do not celebrate Christmas. We need to celebrate the birth of Christ because if there had not been a birth, there would not have been a resurrection. I guess I feel sorry for Christians who refuse to celebrate Christmas because of its pagan beginning. We may be throwing the baby out with the bath water.

A long time ago Patti did something really special for our family. She gave us each a small gift every day in December. It was something like a small package of coated paper clips for me. The kids and I never forgot how Patti did that for us for several years. I don't know where the tradition came from, maybe Hanukkah. I don't know. All I know is that it was meaningful to us. It didn't matter what the gift was, we knew it came from Patti.

This year I picked up the tradition or whatever you want to call it. I decided to do the same thing for Patti during the six days leading up to Christmas Eve. I had an absolute ball deciding on what to buy and then what day of the six to give it on. Then I wrapped the gifts and put a sticky note on each with the day it would be given. Talk about fun!!

Today is Saturday, December 19 and the Christmas season moves into full force in a family sense beginning today. Tonight Miranda, Steve, and the kids will be spending the night with us. Tomorrow we will all eat lunch at Tiffany and Jared's house. Tomorrow night our extended family (Leroy and Sharon) will be with all of us at our house. I am not sure that it will really stop after that.

You see, Christmas is first and foremost about the birth of Christ. Secondly, it is about family being together to celebrate that birth and what that birth means to us. The presents that seem to take over Christmas, if you let it, are down the list for us. We all enjoy picking something out for another family member, but being together is way ahead of that. We enjoy playing games together, listening to each other, and hearing laughter more than anything else.

I've only written one blog this quarter. I've let other things crowd out my time to write. I'm going to do a little bit better these next couple of weeks while I am enjoying the Christmas season.

The Passing of the Shoes

2009-10-06T20:37:00.002-05:00

I don't have much time to write anymore, at least this kind of writing. My days are filled with writing curriculum, PowerPoint presentations, and preparing lectures, but I had to make time to write about this little topic.

Tonight I threw out a pair of shoes that had given all they had. The shoes were Rockport penny loafers that I bought in June 2003. A friend and I each bought a pair of shoes and had them shined right on the spot. They were my favorite shoes ever.

The shoes began wearing out last Spring, but I could just not part with them. Patti bought me two new pairs of loafers, but they sat in the closet. Sunday morning I spent part of the morning in the church parking lot while it was raining, My feet were soaked by the time worship began and I knew that these precious shoes had just walked their last mile.

Tonight I gingerly placed them in the garbage and brought out the two new pairs. I am one of those who believes in putting polish on new shoes. Now they are back in the closet, ready to wear tomorrow morning. I know that my feelings about those shoes will pass.

Those worn out shoes still looked good on the outside, but the soles, heels, and insides were deteriorating. I could have had them resoled and added new heels, but then I would have invested some dollars in a really old pair of shoes. Discarding the shoes was the right thing to do.

The old Rockports represented the past six years of my life. I know that sounds a little over the top, but they represented a transition from the early 2003 to late 2009. A lot has happened in the past 6-7 years. I think in many ways those shoes represent the passing of one period into another. Maybe you have something like that going in your life right now. You know exactly what I'm talking about.

Our Journey of a Lifetime involves throwing away old "shoes", putting on the new ones, going about our business even if they have to be broken in, and leaving that part of life behind us. Tomorrow morning I'll put on my new shoes and take the garbage out, which will include the old shoes and leave it at the curb. New life will begin! I just don't know what all is involved in that at this moment, but God knows and that is all that matters.

Tomorrow Is Labor Day

2009-09-06T20:18:00.002-05:00

Many people say that Labor Day is the end of summer. They are probably correct, although there will still be many days with temperatures in the 90's. We are still a couple of weeks away from the official first day of Fall. I still understand why people feel like tomorrow is the last day of summer.

It seems like only yesterday that it was the 4th of July and Memorial Day was the day before yesterday. The summer went by all too quickly. Now we are going into the third week of school, Alabama has won it's first game, and Big Brother is coming to an end. Even the days are getting shorter. It must be the end of summer!

So, our family will celebrate Labor Day tomorrow. I will probably cook something on the grill tomorrow, but don't know what that will be as I'm writing this post. Patti has made a chocolate chip cake, so I know the dessert that is on the menu. Whatever it ends up being, it will be good.

Jared and his family will be here and if Steve and Miranda stop by on their way back to Lake Jackson, we'll have the Corns with us too. It is Miranda's birthday. If we don't celebrate it tomorrow, maybe we will celebrate it next weekend.

On Tuesday it will be back to the school and church schedule. I don't think we will have another break until Thanksgiving. By then we will know if Alabama is going to the SEC Championship and if Pearland H.S. is in the state playoffs. It will all be about football this Fall. Not really, but that is what some people think. That is what some people live for during the Fall. There really is more to life than football. I'm watching Friday Night Lights for the umpteen time. They think it's all about football.

Next month our church has set aside about a week in early October. We are going to have what we're calling a Thirst Conference. A team of 28 is coming in to spend at least four days with us. We have a tendency to "substitute" in our Christian lives and that is the main cause of dryness in the Christian's life. We see how otherwise good things, such as work, hobbies, entertainment and food, become substitutions for our main source of fulfillment and joy, the source of living water,, Jesus Christ. These should be life-changing days throughout our congregation. It will be the highlight of 2009.

You can see that this Fall will be a busy time, but a profitable time. I hope your future is just as bright!

One Scary Place

2009-08-29T17:50:00.002-05:00

We really like our house. It had to be a gift from God. We are just taking care of it for Him. We are purely stewards of what He has entrusted us with at this point in our lives. One day someone else will live in it, but right now we are the occupants. Thank you Lord.

My favorite rooms in our home are the den, where we spend most of the time, followed by the master bedroom, bath, and kitchen. We don't eat many meals in the dining room and I don't get to the other side of the house very often, except when I am emptying trash cans. I used to spend some time in the office, but since I bought the laptop, I'm not back there very much. But, there is another room that I want to tell you about.

We have a walk-in pantry that Patti really enjoys. I was standing in it the other night and I thought, "This is one scary room." I try to stay out of that room, but sometimes you can't avoid it. What is wrong with it? It is jam-packed with a year's supply of everything. I probably don't know everything that is in there. The scariest part are the shelves right in front of where you are standing. It is a giant "seasoning" area. There is every kind of spice you can think of. They are able to "walk off" the shelf so easily. Have you ever seen a floor full of red pepper mixed with all-spice?

Most people whose lives are out of balance, or who may not be living up to the Christian life that they could be living, all have a room like the pantry. It looks like a pantry, it smells like a pantry, and it is arranged like a pantry, but something is scary about the room. Maybe it needs to be re-organized and some thing thrown out. Maybe there are old things in there that need to be replaced with the things that would seem new. Sometimes our lives need a fresh spring cleaning where we get rid of the old and replace it with the new.

The "room" in our lives is turned into what it should have been all along.

A Couple of Goals Before School Starts

2009-08-22T21:15:00.002-05:00

School starts Monday. At last count I will have 77 students and saw some of them at "Meet the Teacher Night" this past Thursday night. Most looked like they had grown 3-4 inches and looked older facially. I look forward to seeing then in class on Monday morning.

I had three goals the past three weeks. One was to be ready for school to start, the second was to read Daniel Silva's new book, The Defector, and three was to finish designing a new assimilation thrust for the church. Let me tell you how I've done.

First, I've spent hours creating a six-year Bible plan for our junior and senior high classes. It begins with three basic courses for seventh graders, progresses to Bible book studies through eleventh grade, and culminates with a special year of course for seniors.

I designed a Biblical Backgrounds class for our new seventh graders, planned special projects for junior and senior high, and completed all the administrative start-up duties. I think I am close to being ready.

Second, I read The Defector, by my favorite author, Daniel Silva. Lest you think that he is the only one that I read, these are my other favorites as follows:

Vince Flynn

John Lescroart

Robin Cook

David Baldacci

Stephen Coonts

Steve Martini

Robert Ludlum

Jack Higgins

Patricia Cornwell

Allan Folsom

Patrick Robinson

I have just started The Assassin by Stephen Coonts and one of Patrick Robinson's books is waiting in the wings. I try to read most of these authors each year.

Anyway, back to The Defector by Silva. It is the best Thriller that I've read in the past two decades. It is Daniel Silva's best yet obviously. I am not one of these armchair critics. I don't even deserve to critique any of these writers, especially Daniel Silva. I 'll just tell it from the heart.

Silva always does a terrific job of researching for his books. It is so obvious that any reader just knows it, even if it never crossed your mind when you read another author. I am also amazed at how he develops his characters. They come to life and have great depth. Silva spins a story that will keep the reader spellbound and not wanting to put the book down. I feel like I know his characters and can picture them in a movie. His settings are so real that they can likewise be visualized easily. Daniel Silva is one of those rare mystery authors who really pulls the story together in the last 75+ pages. Most authors seem to rush the ending and sometimes it is so abrupt it leaves you in shock. You will we amazed at what the author does with two main characters during the last few chapters. It is just one of the best novels that I've read in recent years.

If you want to have a good read this fall, pick up a copy of The defector and you will not be disappointed. You will probably start reading Silva and may even attend his book signing next July in Houston. It was a great way to end the summer.

Third, I did the basic design of our new Assimilation Thrust while I was on vacation, but now I have it all on paper. This thrust will affect how we relate to guests, regular attenders, and potential members. It will lead us into our discipleship program for spiritual growth.

Today I wrote up final drafts of the communication tools we will be using with our new targets. Now they will be put on the computer for easy access. Then we will need to enlist some needed workers and get ready for implementation the week of September 13. I am pleased with the way it looks on paper, but workers and implementation will be the key to success.

This has been a good summer, but it is just about over. New challenges and opportunities lie ahead. The same holds true for you. Keep your eyes open.

2009-08-07T15:41:00.005-05:00

The journey today took me to the pool. I had been walking on the beach 2+ miles a day, but today was our last day and I decided to devote all day at the pool.

I took my new novel, The Defector, by Daniel Silva, with me to the pool. I would read for awhile, speed some time in the pool, and then lay in the sun. It was great.

We met a couple from Texarkana this afternoon. They grew up in Texarkana, so it was like 'ol home week around the pool. It was a wonderful time talking about our time there from 1982-1990, people that we both knew, and what was going on there since we left.

We are just about ready to leave for an early dinner. It is our last night in Orange Beach. Tomorrow I head home. Patti will stay until Monday morning. Our family has had a great time together. It just went by way too fast. Wish I had one more week of this, but I do feel rested and ready to begin teaching again.

I hope you have a chance to take a break sometime soon. At least make it a long weekend away from the everyday grind. Get your batteries recharged and maybe you will even look at things differently.

A Need for Change

2009-08-06T18:52:00.002-05:00

If you are over 40 years of age and still functioning, we've got a problem. If we don't do something about it, we will end up leaving it for our grandchildren and I'm not talking about our national debt.

If you are over 40 years of age, we all have something in common with each other. It is how we relate to a world that is living increasingly without Christ. Sometime in our lifetime we were exposed to the church being in a building and a popular movie told us to "build it and they would come". We've been waiting ever since!

Around the same time in our lives we were exposed to Relational Evangelism, but we said, "If Evangelism Explosion was good enough for the 70's, it's good enough for the 80's and 90's."

By the 90's we thought that a vital Children's Ministry would bring them in and it did, but we didn't know what to do with the parents, except put them in an unpopular Sunday morning study, or put them to work helping out in what??? The Children's Ministry. We thought the parents had not had enough of the kids during the week and surely would not want some adult time. Maybe we just needed vast numbers of parents to make it work.

Now, I've said a lot of this with "tongue in cheek". I wish it was as simple as I've stated it. A whole book could be written about our transition from the 70's to late in the first decade of the 21st century. What bothers me is that the gap between us Christians and the world is widening!

Today there are a lot of 20 and 30 Somethings who have never been to church. Their children will not go to church unless something profound happens. If they are lucky, maybe a high school campus ministry will reach them, but if we wait for them like we've done for so long, our churches will not reach them.

We, the over 40 crowd in our churches, have got to change. We have got to start going to them. We need to know how to welcome people to our churches, but that is only if someone is coming, or there is a chance that someone will come. As my son-in-law, Steve Corn, would say, "We need to become "The Welcomed". That will only happen if we are going out into the marketplace and creating such a love that they will be glad to have you around them.

I'm sure I'll have more to say about this in the days ahead. Until then, think about what the lost around you need. Obviously, it is Jesus, so don't go there. That is a given. Don't tell me church. They don't know that they need the "family" and there are some families they would do better without. The question is--what do they need and how do we get an audience to be the provider??

Life Is Often Not As It Seems

2009-08-05T14:07:00.004-05:00

This is vacation week at Orange Beach, Alabama and today was golf day at Craft Farms. My son, Jared and I had a reservation for an 8:00 tee time. We had a great breakfast in the club house before we went out. It was a wonderful start to a day on a resort golf course.

[You may remember that one of my summer goals was to play golf with some regularity to see if I could improve with at least two rounds a week. I can't say that I really improved this summer like I expected to do. I always wondered what kind of a golfer I could be with some kind of regular play. Disappointingly, I think that I know.]

Jared and I went to the driving range and hit a few balls to get warmed up. I was hitting a utility club like I owned it, straight as an arrow. I felt pretty good, even though I had not played in 2-3 weeks. I was ready to tackle a course that was in absolute top condition.

I hit my opening drive down the middle. My second shot dribbled into a fairway bunker. The third shot made it to the front of the bunker. A fourth shot within pitching distance to the green and a fifth shot to the apron of the green. Add two putts and you've got a triple bogey 7!

The next seven holes were more of the same with triple bogeys on six of the seven. I never played the ninth hole, but with a triple bogey on it, I would have shot a 62. I could not stop from picking up my left foot during my swing. I struggled with it all summer. My highest score ever was a 63 when I was 12 years old. I "caddied" for Jared the rest of the way around. I can't ever remember quitting in the middle of a round...ever!

Maybe 52 years of not being able to play golf regularly is enough. After playing this summer, maybe regular play would not have improved me either. I always pictured myself in retirement like these old men that you see hitting the ball about 150 yards straight down the fairway, never getting the ball more than 50 feet high. They would usually score bogeys, with a few pars and a double bogey. I no longer see that. Maybe I just need to find something better to do with my time and money.

It was bitter sweet leaving the golf course today. It was sort of like leaving a job on the last day. You knew what you had experienced, but did not have a good, clear image of what was to come. Now I'll have to find something that Jared and I can do together. I'm sure we will find something.

What I experienced today is part of the journey that we call life. I will miss the idea of playing golf, but not like I was playing. I can leave that behind. What about you? Has anything in your life changed this summer and you know that it will never be the same again? But, need I remind you that it can be better!

The Passion of Silva Followers

2009-07-26T18:35:00.003-05:00

I attended the Daniel Silva book signing today at Murder By the Book bookstore in Houston. It is usually SRO at one of these events, so today I arrived one hour before Mr. Silva would speak. The place was packed out one hour before the event time. I could not believe it.

I bought a book and was given #77--meaning I was the 77th book they had sold and there would be 76 ahead of me for book signing. There was a maximum of three former books and as many of the current as you purchased. Looked like it could be a long wait when we got to that point.

I found a fairly good place to stand, but it was still 50 minutes before the start time. While waiting, I found out that people started gathering three hours before the event. The room could have been filled in the first hour with two more hours to go. That was amazing to me that people would gather for a seat three hours before Daniel Silva would arrive.

Who were those folks that got to the bookstore so early? They were educated, fairly affluent, well-read (besides mystery novels) highly communicative, and very knowledgeable about the writing of Daniel Silva. They were "disciples" of the author to the utmost degree. I felt at home amidst these folks because we all had something in common.

I am not sure if I have ever witnessed Christ followers arriving for Bible study or worship three hours in advance. I know what you are thinking...in the church we always have adequate seating. No, it was more than that. They love Daniel Silva. He's my favorite author, but he has not changed my life! I enjoy reading his novels, in fact I will take the new one with me on vacation, but it is a far cry from God's Word.

The Silva followers love to have their books signed by the author. They thank him for a certain character in his books. I don't think I've ever heard anyone pray, "Lord, thank you so much for giving us Peter. You will never know the impact he has had on my life." They buy multiple books as gifts. Many had three and four new books at about $29 per book. I wonder how many people in my church bought a hardback study Bible this week for one of their family members or friends?

The folks that I've been talking about would make great believers. We, the church, are missing out on that kind of passion. How can we ignite those around us to have that kind of passion? It would change our world.

Family Makes the Difference in Life

2009-07-25T18:39:00.003-05:00

What got me hooked on conspiracy mysteries? I read part of Seven Days in May many, many years ago and then saw the movie. I was immediately absorbed in political intrigue and any story that dealt with Washington, D.C. Then, about 15 years ago I began to read novels and it was all a result of Seven Days in May.

If I started writing a non-fiction piece tonight, it would probably be titled Five Days in July, because I just had five wonderful days this week.

On Tuesday I took my grandson, Reid, to the Houston Zoo. We had a ball and Reid knew exactly what he wanted to see. The weather was hot, with a slight breeze, but we started the day at 9:00 a.m. We saw lazy lions, sleepy tigers, elephants getting a bath, monkeys eating breakfast, and so much more. We ended out day out at Chick-fil-A.

On Wednesday Miranda, Steve, Kason, and Kesleigh spent the night with me. We had a great time.

On Thursday, the Corns, the Mathews, and I went to the Circus. We took the kids for an up close and personal look at the animals before the circus performance. Then we watched a great two-hour presentation by Ringling Bros./Barnum and Bailey. We all felt that we really got our money's worth. We went to a late lunch at Moonya's.

On Thursday night everybody was at my house for dinner. I cooked steaks with a special Caribbean rub and Miranda fixed the rest of the dinner inside. It was good, but the time together was even better.

On Friday Steve ran errands with me most of the afternoon. Miranda had a GNO so the guys had the children. We ate leftover steaks and the trimmings, put the kids to bed and watched a movie. Miranda and her Girls Night Out gals came home about 10:00. We stayed up until after 11:30 just talking. It was all good!

Today we got up and Miranda supplied us with Shipley doughnuts. Everybody left around noon and now it is sooooooo quiet! It was five really great days though. Now I am doing a little catch-up and it is all good too.

Tomorrow my favorite author will be in town for a book signing. Guess where I will be going? To Murder By the Book, a bookstore in the Rice U. area. My favorite author is Daniel Silva. He always spends about an hour sharing info about his new book and following is the actual book signing. It is strictly standing room only, so I am going early to get a seat. I always look forward to Silva's down to earth presentation about his preparation, research, characters, and other wonderful tidbits.

So much about me...how is your week progressing? I hope it has been as good as mine!

What Keeps You Going?

2009-07-21T13:28:00.002-05:00

I have been discipling folks since the late 1970's. My first recollection of ever using anything published by The Navigators was in the late 80's and it was called The 2:7 Series. At one time I had five groups going at the same time, all using different courses. My week was full, but it was amazingly fulfilling and over a few years I saw hundreds go through the course.

One of the basic tenants of the introductory course of The 2:7 Series was to incorporate The Wheel Illustration into one's life. The lordship of Christ, making Christ central in your life, is paramount to going further in your faith walk. If Christ was the center of your life, then there were four spokes that showed the evidence of your Christianity, each of which were vital to the Christian Life.

The four spokes were The Word, Prayer, Witnessing, and Fellowship. The Word and Prayer were depicted on a vertical plane, while Witnessing and Fellowship were shown on a horizontal plane. When all four were operational in one's life, it produces a balanced Christian life. The 2:7 Series would say that those around us see "The Obedient Christian in Action".

The Word is crucial in our daily lives and prayer becomes the overflow of spending time in the Word. Prayer produces power and the result is victorious Christian living. Fellowship is vital because we should always be learning from each other and encouraging those around us. If that element is missing, we become "loners". Witnessing is the natural by-product of a vibrant life in Christ that is attractive to others. You can see how the four fit together and how crippled we become if one is our of sync.

Anyone who has ever gone through, even the introductory course of The 2:7 Series, cannot forget the amazing Wheel Illustration. It is a checklist and evaluation of your Christian life. Now I learned that almost 30 years ago, hasn't the world changed tremendously in the last three decades?

The world has definitely changed in our lifetime, but the spiritual principals remain the same. If a person is not getting into the Word today, they are probably not praying and fellowship/witnessing takes a back seat whenever spiritual nutrition falls by the wayside. The result is a Christian who is out of balance and trying to live to the best of their natural ability.

I guess this post begs the question: "Have you ever made Jesus the Lord of your life?" That is the starting line for the Christian Marathon of Life. Isn't a marathon about 26 miles, 385 yards? It is a long way and so is the Christian life. Many runners "hit the wall" at about the 18 mile marker when every muscle in their body wants to quit. Sometimes that happens to us in life, when we don't think we can take one more step. The Wheel Illustration will keep us going when continuing looks impossible.

Friends Are Paramount to Life

2009-07-14T22:14:00.004-05:00

Last week Patti and I visited some dear friends in Naples, Florida. We have known Rob and Charmaine for 15 years, but they moved away from this area almost six years ago. We have not been able to visit them during this time, mostly because of my work schedule. We finally made it!

Naples must be one of the most beautiful cities in the United States. It lies on the west coast of southern Florida with fluffy white beaches and beautiful gulf waters. It is a real paradise. They say that there are more retired CEO's in Naples, per capita, than anywhere in the nation. I can see why they want to live there!

ATTENTION: THIS IS NOT INTENDED TO BE A COMMERCIAL FOR THE NAPLES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE...but, if you saw it, you might think otherwise!

While we were in Naples, Patti woke up, on her birthday, with a migraine. That ruined the day for her, but she was up and moving by the evening. Talk about missing one's birthday...Patti did! She made up for it on the beach looking for seashells. Patti thought she had died and gone to "Seashell Heaven".

I am not a fisherman. I never grew up around the water, so the most fishing I ever did as a kid was at a pond. I went deep-sea fishing once on the morning after our high school graduation. The last time I remember fishing was on a lake outside of Texarkana in 1982-1983. Well, Rob and Charmaine took Patti and I fishing off the coast of Naples. We do quite well "bait fishing", but never got a strike when we went off a reef for the game fish. It was mega fun.

I told you the story about our three days in Naples as a lead-in to the subject of Friends. No, not the TV sitcom, but the concept and importance of friendship. We met Rob and Charmaine when we moved to Tomball. In fact, they took us out to lunch on our first Sunday. Rob was an elected leader in the church and Charmaine was involved in everything. They were both natural leaders and as far as I am concerned, being a natural leader is far more important than holding an elected position.

Rob and Charmaine were real people. They lived in the real world, had real challenges, made real decisions, and were wonderful role models for a number of people. As we go through the journey of life, if we are fortunate, we will develop friends along the way. I respected both of these people for eight years, but they also became friends. I cannot imagine what life would have been like without them.

The other day I went shopping for a novel. I went into Half Priced Books and as I was browsing around, I saw one of those Mystery Murder Dinner games. You invite eight guests for dinner and they portray the characters during the evening, including dressing up for the part. As soon as I saw the game I thought of Rob and Charmaine. They had one of those dinners and we were invited. That they did something unique like that always stayed in my mind. They are two people who just do things like that.

Don't take friendships for granted. Friendships have to be fostered. They will grow if you will give them a chance. Some of the friendships that we make in life can remain for a lifetime. They are a gift from God and I think Rob and Charmaine are one of those gifts---not just to us, but to everyone they touch. Rob seems to be really laid back, but there is more there than meets the eye. Charmaine seems to be "the life of the party" (the ultimate hostess, the fun person that we all want to be like), but if this is all you see, you will miss the serious-minded,, thought-provoking person who is deep in many different ways. You can see how they fit together.

I know that Rob and Charmaine will remain our friends for the rest of this earthly experience. We all need relationships like these in our lives. Take an inventory this week and see where you stand. If the evaluation disappoints you, do something about it. If the end result is satisfactory and you are being honest with yourself, just thank God.

The journey thru life is full of relationships. How full is your life?

Weekend Was Wonderful

2009-06-29T09:46:00.002-05:00

It really was a great weekend. I played a round of golf on Friday with Jason, our Student Pastor. He played bogey golf. I, on the other hand, did not do so well, but I learned a lot about why I was doing so poorly. Now I can make some corrections. It was fun being with Jason and playing golf early in the morning.

On the 17th hole we found out that Julie, our worship assistant, was going into the hospital as soon as a room was ready. She finally got a room about 5:00 p.m. So she spent the day in pain waiting for a room. I saw her that evening, but now she is doing much better and hopes to come home tomorrow or the next day.

Saturday our whole family went over to our friend's home--The Krolczyk's. We have known Leroy and Sharon since the 70's when our children were quite young. Jared had not even been born yet. Their daughter and husband, plus four daughters, were home on furlough from Jordan, where they are missionaries. It was great visiting with them. They will be in Texas until September when they will return to the mission field.

On Sunday morning I preached at our church. Pastor Sonny was gone to Israel and three other pastors were on a mission trip to Denver to help plant a church. It was a good day, although attendance was way off. Preached about Abraham on Mt. Moriah with Isaac and used some visuals that worked out well.

Went to lunch at a new hamburger place, called something like Moonya's. Don't know if that spelling is correct or not. They have the best hamburgers. Jared brought the grandchildren over and we had a relaxing afternoon until I went to visit Julie in the hospital again. The rest of the night was good. The kids spent the night with us.

Got up shortly after 6:00 this morning, shaved, and took a shower. Found Kallie awake about 7:00, just laying on her back singing. I changed her, fed her breakfast, and just had her to myself until about 7:50 when I woke Patti up because I had to leave for work. Reid was still asleep when I left, but it was really a great time for Kallie and me.

I hope your day is as good as what I have described.

Journey Into the Unknown

2009-06-23T08:19:00.003-05:00

I just saw on television that NASA is gearing up to send astronauts back to the moon sometime about ten years from now. After that it will be beyond the the moon. That part of exploration is the journey into the unknown. We have never been there before. What new challenges will NASA face in going beyond the known? I am sure that they have it all planned out, but it is still the unknown.

Yesterday Tiffany, our daughter-in-law, had her gall bladder removed. It was a simple procedure, but the doctor filled her in on everything he was going to do and all about the recovery period. She came through it with flying colors, just a little sore this morning, but it was still a journey into the unknown. It was he first gall bladder surgery!

I am sitting here in front of the computer at 8:40 a.m. and don't have a clue about what could happen today. Yesterday we had a rail tragedy in Washington D.C., more protesters were killed in Iran, and they tell us that the recession is deeper than expected and the stock market dips 200 points. It is all about a journey into the unknown.

Journeying into the unknown can be a little intimidating. Notice that i did not say fearful. God is not the author of fear. When a person gives their life to Christ and there is a change withn, an about face as it were, the unknown following that is another one of those journeys into the unknown. The new believer does not know what to expect. You can prepare them with insight, but they have never been there before. You can share with them what they need to do to begin the spiritual growth cycle, but it is pretty much greek to them. They need someone to walk with them. We call the process discipleship and we call the mentor the discipler. It is all new, but just remember the unknown factor the next time to come along side a new Christian.

June 21...A Special Day

2009-06-20T21:19:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is the longest day of the year. After Sunday, the days start getting gradually shorter for the next six months. I think there will be about 14 hours of daylight tomorrow. The sun has been rising earlier every morning and setting later each night. Therefore, the days have been getting longer.

But, the first day of summer is not why tomorrow is so important. Tomorrow is Father's Day. The Mathews clan will be meeting at our home for lunch, so it ought to be a great day. I love it when everybody is together. Now we have three dads--myself, Jared, and Steve. As little as three years ago it was just me. How quickly life changes. I am going to really enjoy being with everybody!

But, as good as Sunday will be, Father's Day is not why tomorrow is so important. Tomorrow is our 34th wedding anniversary.

It all officially started on June 21, 1975 the day Patti and I got married. I remember playing golf during the day, getting home mid-afternoon and taking a nap. I almost didn't wake up in time to get ready for the wedding, but I did arrive about the time Patti wanted me there. I remember a "ball and chain" being secured to my leg, so I had to duck walk to the car. I remember hiding out at a retired preacher's home, the drive to Pensacola, where we were surprised again, followed by the honeymoon to Disney World.

A lot has happened in the past 34 years. Would I do some things differently? You bet! Yet, I would do the primary things all over again. I must be one of the most fortunate men alive to have Patti by my side after 34 years. I've got two of the best kids anyone could ever hope for. Today we have a daughter-in-law and a son-in-law, who we deeply love, plus four grandchildren. They are all the most precious people in all the world.

If I had not met Patti in 1974 and married her in 1975, none of this would have happened. There would be no Jared and Miranda. There would be a Tiffany and a Steve, but we would not know them as family. There would not be four adorable children that are our grandchildren.

So, tomorrow when we acknowledge fatherhood in our worship service, when we share lunch with each other, and when it is 8:30 when it starts getting dark...as good as all that will be, I'll be thinking about June 21, 1975 and the effects of that day in 2009!

Cleaning...A Necessity

2009-06-18T11:11:00.002-05:00

It is Spring Cleaning Day at our house just a few days before the first day of summer. Patti and I went for a walk after breakfast and then started moving furniture. Baseboards have been cleaned, carpet vacuumed, and upholstery cleaned.

I noticed a rubber band behind the couch, small patches of debris, misplaced miniature toys, and just your normal everyday dirt that you would expect to end up in a vacuum. We have probably not moved furniture like that in a while.

We all need a spiritual Spring Cleaning of sorts. I hope it comes more often than in the Spring though. I was cleaning off my work bench in the garage yesterday and the top back of it was full of cobwebs. Sometimes that happens in our daily lives. "Cobwebs" accumulate around our hearts from a lack of communication with the Father. We live in a fast-paced world and allow it to dictate what we do. As a result, our prayer life becomes stagnant and the "cobwebs" accumulate.

Sometimes we allow debris to accumulate as well. Maybe it is unconfessed sin. It is easy to see, but we ignore it as if it was not there. It breaks our relationship with the Lord and we wonder why we feel so empty. We wonder where the purposefulness went. We wonder why nothing seems to be going our way. Maybe we need a general cleaning and Spring time is never enough. It is a daily cleaning like taking a shower. You wouldn't think of skipping a day bathing our bodies, but we view spiritual cleaning as different.

Well, I've got to get back to helping Patti with this Spring Cleaning thing. I can help her do that, but the spiritual cleaning is a personal thing. I'm the only one that can do that. Think about it!

A Hot Day Can Teach Lessons

2009-06-15T12:56:00.003-05:00

Sunday, after church, Jared and I hurried home to change clothes and eat a quick lunch before heading for the golf course. We had a 1:36 tee time and there were some dummies just like us out there.

The light breeze kept it relatively cool until about 4:00 and as one of our playing partners said, "If we didn't think it was hot before, it sure is now!" He was so right. I don't have a clue how hot it got, but it had to be around 97-98 degrees.

We only got to play 12 holes because I had to be back at the church for a program. But, I shot a 47 on the first nine holes. Earlier in the week I shot a 53-53, then a 51-50; and then on Sunday a 47. It is showing some improvement. I hope to shoot a 47-48 this week.

Yesterday's round reminded me a lot about life. We put on sun screen to protect us from the Sun's rays. You would be foolish not to use it. Likewise, it is stupid to try to live life without the armour of God to protect you. We would force fluids about every other hole to keep from getting dehydrated. It kind of reminded me of spending time with the Lord so we don't cave into the problems of the world. We wore golf gloves to keep the club from turning in our hands due to perspiration. It reminded me of listening to good Christian friends who can keep us from turning toward the world.

I hated to leave the course at the end of the 12th hole. It was like the round was not finished. Yet, duty called. There will always be this week. Maybe that is like being appreciative to the Lord for the day He just gave you. You need some sleep, but there is tomorrow...by the grace of God.

The Summer of 2009 Is Special

2009-06-13T09:47:00.003-05:00

This has been a special week. Our entire family has been with us for at least part of this past Wednesday-today (Saturday). Yesterday I started off the day with a 6:20 tee time. I played with two other men, who are in the food service industry. They usually play early on Friday because around 11:00 their orders start coming in and it is controlled chaos the rest of the day. I had a good time with them.

One of my life buckets is to break 85 on the golf course. I've been playing since I was twelve, but have not been able to play regularly over the past few decades. I remember one time playing between 85-90, but I've not been back there yet. I'm planning to play with regularity over the next eight weeks and just see if I can do it.

Why do I like golf so much? I think because it is outdoors in a beautiful atmosphere, but most of all...it's just me and God. That's how I felt this week. I'll let you know if I real my goal by the end of the summer.

Yesterday I cooked dinner on the grill. It consisted of 2-3 different kind of steaks and pork chops. Patti did the rest of the meal inside and she did a marvelous job. Everybody liked the food and there is plenty left over for the weekend. No more cooking, I guess, over the weekend.

We ended the day by attending a Cancer fund-raiser at Tiffany's (daughter-in-law) high school. We left there around dusk to get the kids home and to bed. The grandchildren ran all over the football practice field. They had a ball!

My life-long dream has been to retire and play golf several times a week. About six years ago I would drive past Southwyck Golf Club and see the men playing and I think I knew that it was never going to happen for me. I was working at Best Buy at the time and retirement/golf seemed like it was in the next galaxy. I believe I gave up on that dream, which I very seldom ever do, but it is sort of happening this summer. I should get a taste of what it is like. Maybe that will be good enough for me.

Summer Is Here

2009-06-11T14:32:00.002-05:00

I have had a great year teaching, but sometime during the last two weeks, I knew it was time for a break. Now the break is here. I am still working at the church two days a week, but to have Wednesday-Saturday off is magnificent.

Yesterday was my first summer day off. I got up at 5:15 to play golf. I had a 6:18 tee time. It was the first time in my life that I was the first one to tee off. There was nobody in front of me and after the first hole, there was no one close behind me. I had never experienced anything like that. I saw a Marshall a few times and an employee on a tractor fertilizing, but that was it.

Yes, it is light out at 6:18 if you were wondering. I finished the round in 2:48 which is unheard of for the course that I played. I've been in a tournament when it took over six hours to finish a round. I don't know if I have ever played 18 holes in less than 3 hours! As you could figure, I got through playing just after 9:00. One of the Marshalls told me that I could keep playing if I wanted to, but the funniest thing happened that didn't allow me to take him up on it.

Around the 8th hole I noticed that one of my soles was flip-flopping back and forth. I wondered if I would be able to finish. By the 12th hole it was getting much worse. I walked onto the green on #14 and walked out of the sole, leaving it on the perimeter of the green. Now I am practically walking on nothing, but the worst part was that now I was higher on one side than the other.

I made it through the 18 holes. While driving home I realized that those golf shoes were probably 11+ years old. I've got another pair, but they are about the same age. I have not been able to play much the past six years, so those shoes have just been sitting in the garage. Yesterday's pair was just rotted out I guess. Maybe I should check the other pair too...what do you think?

I've got a lot of things to do this summer, but I just wanted to enjoy this first week. I've got a lot of work to do to prepare for next fall's school year, many honey-do's to complete, and assorted other jobs. I think I will enjoy this time of being off. Life really is a journey isn't it!

Letters from Dad Is A Must for Men

2009-04-28T14:43:00.002-05:00

We are midway through the Letters from Dad course. We have about 28 men who are participating in the four sessions that meet every three weeks. The purpose of this course is to unlock the hearts of fathers. The theme is taken from Malachi 4:6.

Letters from Dad leaves a legacy of faith, hope, and love through the lost art of letter writing. The men have already written a letter of blessing to their wives and are in the process of writing letters to their children. These letters will be delivered before we meet again. A third letter is a letter to parents (maybe even deceased) and the fourth letter is a "Final" letter to be given to the family at the writer's death.

Letters from Dad is so much more than the opportunity to learn to open up and express ourselves to those whom we love the most. If that was all it was, then it would be worth every moment of investment, but it is also a bonding time for men. They learn from each other and hold each other accountable. LFD is a growth time when men take off their mask and just be themselves. It may end up being one of the most profound men's events of the year. It can't help but change lives.

One of our men finished the letter to his wife early last week. He was excited about it. On Friday his wife walked out and he had one of those grieving weekends that most of us have encountered. On Sunday night I saw something that left me in awe. At the end of our LFD session, the men gathered around this hurting man and prayed over him. I felt like I was in heaven and I know that many of the men felt the same way. It was an awesome time that came out of the offering of Letters from Dad. I won't forget it.

As you can tell, I would wholeheartedly recommend Letters from Dad to anyone. We will probably repeat it this Fall. Men from other churches are already asking for it. The producers of LFD have just finished a course for women as well. If you would like more information, go to www.lettersfromdad.com .

It Has Been Awhile

2009-04-19T19:15:00.003-05:00

It seems like forever since I last wrote something on here. I guess it has been over two months. Most people will have forgotten that I even have a blog, but I guess I deserve that for my inattention.

So much has happened. We had our fourth grandchild since I last wrote something. Her name is Kesleigh Anne and she was born on February 23rd. Miranda gave birth to her at Texas Women's Hospital and it was a great day. I got lost that night between the Medical Center and 610 trying to get home. I know it is hard to get lost down there, but if anybody can, it is me.

Then my card went out on the laptop. It was so easy to write while watching television, but I still have not replaced it. I guess that is the main reason that I've not written, but maybe thinking I've been too busy would rank up there too. I guess anything sounds good if you're looking for an excuse.

We did start Letters from Dad. About 30-35 showed up for the enlistment (informational) dinner and we ended up registering 30. We had our first session two weeks ago and it went real well. We come back together again next Sunday to see how we did that last three weeks and get ready for the next phase.

The men are writing letters right now to their wives and should present it to them sometime this week. They are also reading the book Letters from Dad and a couple of other assignments. The next assignment is letters to their children. That should be an awesome adventure. Then there will be a class on May 17 and we end on June 7. I would highly recommend this study for anyone and a class for women is about to begin. For more information go to lettersfromdad.com.

Have a great week and really make it count for something!

Letters from Dad Coming

2009-02-12T21:54:00.002-06:00

We will be offering Letters from Dad beginning on April 5. LFD teaches men how to express themselves through writing. It has healed some husband/wife relationships, improved the way dads relate to their children, and has revived many adult/parent relationships. It is a great program for men,

We will have a free BBQ Informational Dinner on March 9. Men will have a great meal and learn what LFD can do for them. Men will have an opportunity to register for the four-session study that evening and order the materials they will need for the study. It should be a great evening of being together and deciding to do something special for those we love the most.

Recently, there was a Baptist church in north Texas that had about 1,400 in worship attendance, but they had a terrible time getting men to turn out for anything. More than 240 men attended their dinner and about 120 registered to take the course. After LFD was completed, the men divided themselves into 6 groups and started a Men's Ministry!

If you are reading this and want some more information, type in lettersfromdad.com and you will gain more information than I am writing in this space.

I'll keep you up to date as we progress in this new endeavor to help men.

Abundant Life University Has Begun

2009-02-09T18:53:00.003-06:00

Abundant Life University got off to a great start last night as 101 people attended four courses that were offered during the Winter semester. We offered Fireproofing Your Marriage; A Bible Study on Romans 8:28; The Theology of Israel; and The Life of the Cross (an evangelism course).

Three out of the above four courses will run eight weeks and one will be a six-week course. All of them will conclude by March 29. On Sunday, April 5, we will offer Letters from Dad, which is four sessions offered three weeks apart. I'll be surprised if this course does not have a higher attendance than any courses we've offered during the last three semesters. It is a hands-on, practical study that produces results that can be seen immediately.

I was pleased with the 101 adults who chose to take part in the above discipleship emphases. Our Children's Ministry had 53 children in choir rehearsal and another 27 leaders, plus nursery care. That was excellent. Was it a good adult attendance? I think anytime you get 181 people together on a Sunday night it has to be good. That is a large group for us. Our Missions Conference will surpass that figure by quite a bit, but discipleship is new in our church. Maybe we are right where we should be at this juncture of our infancy. I would have thought 140 was a minimal number, but we are not at minimal yet.

Five years from now I hope that we have about 25-35% of our Sunday morning attendance involved on Sunday night. I hope that we will have many of our leaders in that group and Christians who desire to be true disciples of Jesus Christ. Our world is changing at break-neck speed. It is probably changing faster than it ever has in our life-time. The truth of the matter is that in five years folks will probably be meeting every night of the week in some capacity. It won't look anything like it does today. The bottom line is that we are turning believers into disciples!

ACSI Was Excellent

2009-02-06T21:56:00.003-06:00

Just returned from Galveston where I attended the ACSI Teacher's Convention. There were about 2,000+ teachers and administrators in attendance. It was my first time to be around that many teachers and they were great!

Josh McDowell was the keynote speaker. He has been one of my contemporaries over the last 35 years, so it was great finally hearing him in person. He as actually been in ministry for 49 years--that is a long time. McDowell probably does more research than anyone I've listened to in my life. I think he has multiple studies for everything he says. He can keep 2,000 people spellbound for 90 minutes and you wonder where the time went.

I attended eight sessions over the day and one half. They were all good, but my favorite was on the subject of how to increase student comprehension. It was taught by a retired college professor who really knew what he was talking about. Now I just need to put it into practice.

I was surprised at what I saw in Galveston. I was surprised at the number of businesses that were open after Ike. I was also surprised to see that places like McDonalds and Whataburger had not opened. Maybe they are not planning on opening. I saw old homes torn off of their foundations in some areas. There were huge piles of materials from old buildings and sailboats sitting on sidewalks. It was all a shocking sight, but it shows that Galveston will come back,. even if it takes a long time.

Now I'll look forward to getting back in the classroom on Monday. I can see a bigger picture than I was aware of three days ago.

Full Speed Ahead

2009-02-01T16:23:00.003-06:00

2009 is in full-swing in everything I am doing.

We are offering seven new courses in our Abundant Life University series. The semester will begin next Sunday night. So much for my free Sunday afternoon and evenings.

I completed a 3.5 hour web-based training for a new offering called Letters From Dad. If you are not familiar with it, I encourage you to go to their web site and check it out. It is a needed program for men. We will have our kick-off in late February and offer the first class during the first week of April.

We just completed a Discovery Day event last Sunday. It started off with breakfast before
Bible Study and we planned for 300. I don't know how many we had...probably 200-250. It doesn't sound like much to plan for, but it was more work than most people would think. The main goal was to give people a chance to visit for about 45 minutes and it was successful.

We ended up with the most people in Sunday school than I've seen during the 18 months I've been on staff and the worship service was also the largest, probably outside of Easter. We did a complete stage remodeling, so the look was completely different. It was beautiful. We did a final film clip in a series on the Sonic commercials, changed out announcement to the screens with voice-over, and many other changes. It was a great day!

School is in the second semester and going well. This week we attend a convention in Galveston, so it will be a short week in the classroom. I thank God for my students every day.

I'm busy, but I love it. It is a great challenge and wonderful opportunity to balance both jobs. I'm not sure that my life has ever been any fuller from Monday-Friday. Thank God I have Saturday and I guard it pretty religiously. Something has to be pretty important for me to give up that break time.

Well, today is Super Bowl Sunday. I'm no a huge NFL fan. College football is what I am wild about, but I'll probably watch the opening of the Super Bowl. Everybody goes wild about the expensive commercials...my life will be no less full if I don't see even one. Many would never miss the halftime show, but I may switch to a movie, if I'm still watching at all.

I hope the month of February brings great blessings to you and yours.

It Has Been A Month

2009-01-22T20:00:00.002-06:00

A month ago it was still 2008. It was three days before Christmas. I can't believe it, but it's been a month since I last wrote a post. People have probably forgotten that I do occasionally write! I can't blame you...nobody takes off 30 days.

The Mathews clan had a great Christmas. We celebrated Christmas on the 23rd, everybody spent the night at our home and then we went in different directions on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning we all met at Denny's for breakfast. Then Patti and left for Mobile, while Steve and Miranda took off to the Ft. Worth area to see Steve's family.

We had a great time with Patti's mother in Mobile. We spent 8 night with her and she cooked some great meals. We just had fun hanging out with her, seeing friends, and shopping. Our Christmas holiday ended in New Orleans at the Sugar Bowl and we headed for home the next day.

School is back in full swing again and going great. It is the first of the year, so the pace at First Baptist Church Pearland and picked up dramatically. We are celebrating "Discovery Day" this Sunday morning, Abundant Life University is in the registration process, and we hope to offer Alpha again. From now until the end of March will probably we quite hectic.

I read a couple of novels over the Christmas holiday. My favorite was written by someone that I've never read before. It was The Collectors by David Baldacci. It was a very good read. I knew I should have read him before now. I've been missing a wonderful writer who kept my attention all the way through. The other book was Crisis by Robin Cook. I always enjoy reading his novels, but not one of my Top 5 authors.

I just started Mark Batterson's Wild Goose Chase. I am offering it as one of the seven courses we will begin on February 8. We studied Mark's first book, which the people loved. I guess the whole country loved it! Batterson's new book looks just as good. I will be facilitating the study when we offer it next month.

I hope your new year got off to a great start and will just get better and better as the year rolls out. God undoubtedly has something special for us in 2009.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-22T08:48:00.004-06:00

We are several days away from Christmas Day and the whole month of December has been a whirlwind, a beehive of activity, but it has been good. It seems like only yesterday that it was December 1. It has been so hectic that I have written a post since the end of November.

School is out for the holidays. I think students and teachers were looking for a break. It came at just the right time. The activities at church were inspiring. It started on December 7 with our church-wide Christmas Banquet sponsored by the Women's Division. The next weekend it continued with the Worship Ministry Banquet and the Children's Ministry Banquet. Yesterday, our Sunday Morning Bible Class held a Christmas Brunch and last night 33 Miles was here in concert. It was a free concert from our church to the community. It will end on Christmas Eve with our traditional service of Carols, Candles, and Lord's Supper.

We all know that the history of December 25th was pagan. By the time that Rome ruled the world, December 25th was the biggest pagan holiday of the year. You see, it evolved over the centuries to be the day it became.

By the 4th century, the Roman Catholic Church adopted December 25 as the date for the birth of Christ. No one knew the exact date, so this seemed to be a logical date to them, even it was the biggest pagan day in the history of paganism! Maybe they thought, while the pagan world was doing their thing, the Christian world would celebrate Christ the Lord. That is probably giving them too much credit.

Then there was St. Nick in the same 4th century. By the early 1800's St. Nick came to America and by the 1860's St. Nick evolved into Santa Claus. By the 20th century, America seemed to need a break from the long, bleak winter season and big business climbed all over it. The rest is history.

I am fully aware of the world's position on Christmas. I know that we celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25. We are Christians...Christ followers, disciples, believers, He is our all in all. We live in the world and yet we are not of the world. Sprinkled among us are those who celebrate a much different season. Yet, this is where we find people without Christ.

As we celebrate the birth of Christ, shouldn't we be reaching those without Him, where they are? Just like we do the other 11 months a year? We seem to separate ourselves when the world needs us the most.

If there had not been the birth of Christ, there would be no discipleship today.

Merry Christmas and may God bless you abundantly in the new year.

It Is Now Christmas At the Mathews

2008-11-29T20:34:00.002-06:00

Just thought you might like to know that it was not all that bad decorating the Christmas tree. The tree is about 8 feet tall and we used 13-15 strands of lights. I think it looks better than any tree we've ever had, but Patti says we say that every year. Maybe so. I don't remember a lot about Christmas decorations from 2007.

Patti has been putting up other decorations all day long. I think the only break she took was during the Alabama-Auburn game. Alabama won after losing six years in a row. It was kind of one-sided, 36-0, the biggest margin of victory since 1962. Now Florida is on the horizon next Saturday for the SEC Championship.

Patti is really into this seasonal decorating. The second floor of our garage is full of "hundreds" of those storage containers. They are all sorted according to the different holidays of the year and there are multiple containers for each holiday. There are probably 15+ containers of just Christmas decorations. Our house just turned from a Thanksgiving motif to Christmas in the last 12 hours. The transformation is amazing. I give Patti a hard time about it, but I like it.

Hope you will get into the Christmas spirit as we enter December, if you are not there already!

Goodbye Thanksgiving...Hello Christmas

2008-11-28T22:22:00.004-06:00

Thanksgiving 2008 is now history, but I think it was a great day, or should I say a very good couple of days. How can you leave out Thanksgiving eve as your prepare for the big day and family members arrive?

We had family and friends with us on Wednesday and Thursday nights, so it was a special two day period. This morning we went out to a Christmas Tree Farm and cut down our Christmas tree. It was fun. Tomorrow morning I get to decorate the tree, not exactly one of my favorite things to do. Maybe this year will be different!

Tomorrow is also the Alabama-Auburn game. Only a person familiar with Alabama sports can realize the magnitude of this game. Alabama has lost six in a row to Auburn during its "down and out" years, but I'm hoping that this skid will come to an end tomorrow.

On paper it looks like Alabama should win tomorrow, but you never know when two rivals like this play each other. It has so much emotion connected to it. Players on both sides have known each other for years and have probably played against each other in high school. If you are bored tomorrow afternoon, take a look at this game. It should be worth your time.

I'm still waiting on two bids to get my backyard fence replaced. I should get them tomorrow. It is great to know that I'm the only one on my block who has not had their fence repaired or replaced. Maybe it will get done over the next couple of weeks. I still want a wrought-iron fence across the back, but I guess it will depend on how the bids come in.

Well, everything now points to Christmas. It's not that far away and my calendar is already starting to fill up. By December 7 the Christmas season should be in full gear and full speed ahead. Don't forget to stop and smell the roses, instead of starring at the poinsettias.

A Thanksgiving Thought

2008-11-26T23:15:00.002-06:00

Today I spent some time cleaning out old stuff from in and around my desk. I discovered a journal I had written when my son-in-law and I went to England and Italy in early 2002. It was fun reading it again and seeing things that I had forgotten Here's a synopsis of what I experienced:

Our trip was only five months after 9/11 so nobody was on the plane with us...we each had three seats to ourselves, which makes for good sleeping.

Four days of sightseeing...we saw all the John Wesley sites, plus the London the world sees

Two stage plays

Trip to Oxford to see the "Soul Survivor" Church, which is located outside the city. It is where Mark Redmon wrote a lot of his music that we've been singing for the last 10 years.

I realized today how fortunate I was that Steve took me to the Soul Survivor Church.

The highlight of Rome was the Coliseum and St. Peter's...drizzle went everywhere with us.

Rode a Euro Star fast train to Florence and then on to Venice. Not too excited about Florence, but loved Venice.

Met a couple by the name of Loftus, which was my mother's maiden name. They were from the same county in Ireland that our family was from. I was probably related to them in some way.

The whole trip was a wonderful experience and it was great to be with Steve, who would later become my son-in-law. They are with us during this Thanksgiving holiday and I am thankful to God that we started working together in 1994 and he is part of our family now. You never know what will happen!!

Thanksgiving Week Is Upon Us

2008-11-22T19:28:00.004-06:00

Four more days and counting...until Thanksgiving Day, but that means we are in the season. School is out next week, so I will only be working my church job. It will allow me to sleep past 5:30 a.m. for a few days. That will be wonderful!

Going back to my earliest recollection, family being together has been the most important element of Thanksgiving to me. I remember what it was like when I was just a little boy being around the extended family during Thanksgiving. I knew it was special. It was special for me to be around all of those people and to know that I was part of what was represented. My feelings about it have not changed to this date.

I fondly remember the "Turkey Bowl" that we played for several years in Mobile, Alabama. Norvelle Sawyer and I were opposing quarterbacks. Our kids were divided up on both teams and then the neighborhood kids were also placed on both teams. It was just one of those fun times when the Sawyers and the Mathews got together and did the unusual. Norvelle and I must have been in our late 40's---maybe our "prime"--well, maybe the end of even being able to play the whole game! It was fun. I will remember it the rest of my life.

I am spending time each day this week, leading up to Thanksgiving Day, just being thankful for something special in my life. Here's the schedule I'm on. No particular importance to the ranking. I have felt like I was on holy ground each day so far.

7 days and counting...Thankful for Patti's good health after double cancer 23 years ago

6 days and counting...Thankful for my grown children whom I can relate to as adults

5 days and counting...Thankful for friends, a rare breed, who will stick by you no matter what

4 days and counting...Thankful for the opportunity to teach and shape young lives

3 days and counting...Thankful for my grandchildren (3 with one on the way in three years)

2 days and counting...Thankful for living long enough to see dreams of previous churches realized
1 day and counting.....Thankful for Rebecca Jones and family as Terry rehabilitates

I hope this gets you thinking about what you are thankful for this week. Happy Thanksgiving!

Which One? Alabama or Troy?

2008-11-16T14:21:00.002-06:00

Last night was one of those "decision" times when you are forced to take the best of two options. One option was to watch the Alabama-Mississippi State game. The other option was to watch the LSU-Troy game.

Alabama is my favorite college team and Mississippi beat them the last two years. Alabama had not even scored an offensive touchdown in three years. Troy University is where I went to school and they were playing LSU, a golioth to them. Troy had already been beaten by Ohio State and Oklahoma State this year.

It really wasn't a big decision. I watched Alabama beat Mississippi State on CBS and switched back and forth to stay up to date on the LSU-Troy game. Troy unexpectedly was ahead 31-3 at half time. I thought the game was over, as did half the crowd, who went home.

While Alabama was beating Mississippi State and putting the game out of reach, LSU dominated Troy in the second half, completely turned it around and won the game in the last few minutes. I was disappointed that Troy blew the huge lead and lost a chance to beat an SEC school, but Alabama won their game that keeps them #1!

Is the Church Losing Ground?

2008-11-15T16:25:00.003-06:00

I read that there are two "extreme" type of churches today.

At one extreme is the "feel-good" church that promises health and prosperity. It is a name it and claim it environment. Everybody is happy and not much is demanded of the person who attends. In some cases, there is even a fast food mentality. Have a cup of coffee and a doughnut while you're listening to our super teaching pastor and we'll have you out in less than 55 minutes. You will experience the best cutting-edge technology you've ever seen and it will fly by so quickly that you won't realize that you were in church.

At the other end of the extreme is the church that isn't even sure that they like the idea of growth and they are not growing. They may even think that they are being more doctrinally pure by sitting back and doing nothing. This kind of church is dwindling in number and growing older. In many ways, they are still living in the twentieth century.

The largest arena is the churches in between these two extremes. These churches gag at the "feel good" mentality. They don't know who they are trying to reach. They would say, "We go after everybody...that's what Jesus would do." They preach sin and forgiveness, but fail to reach their target (what target?) where the people are. It would never enter their minds to get you out in an hour (we're not McDonald's), or any time frame. It would not be a spiritual thing to do. These churches have become stagnant and since it is not showing itself in an obvious way, they are not thinking what life could look like by the time the next new president is elected.

What is needed to be an effective church if you are in the large center group? I guess a book could be written as an answer, but let me take a stab at it in a few paragraphs. I wish it was that simple.

In 2008-2009 the individual church must identify who they are. They could say that they are a solidly orthodox church that believes in biblical fidelity and is trying to proclaim the gospel, while leading people to an understanding of the lordship of Christ. Now I know that was a mouthful, but many church do what I just did. If the average person in the pew cannot articulate that in every day language and live it, that church is still not getting any traction.

Today, it is vital that churches articulate a vision of what they are all about. If I don't have a vision of what I want to do with my life, then I don't know where I'm going and cannot plan on how to get there. I have to allow "life" situations to dictate it for me. Without a good vision, my wife won't know where we are going either. It will affect her. With a vision and a plan we can move from 2008 where we are right now to where God would have us be 10 years down the road. Don't sit back and wait for something to happen.

Is the church losing ground? No, we are just in a holding pattern as we get caught up in time and methodology. We are like the airliner that is circling the airport. The fog is heavy and visibility is poor. Will we try a visual landing, or rely on instruments? We could be in this holding pattern for several years, but we will come out of it and be stronger than ever.

This did not do the subject justice in such a short space, but maybe it got you to think!

Give Them A Reason

2008-11-13T21:57:00.002-06:00

I have heard all my life that you must meet the needs of people before they will hear the gospel.

See, we realize that the need is the gospel, but if a person is starving to death, or sleeping on the street, they may not see it the same way. We seem to understand this concept when we apply it to a third world country, but we miss the point at home. Why? We think we live in a land of plenty, but most of the needs around us are as important to people as a basic necessity overseas.

When a family crumbles and falls apart, that is a life-altering situation that leaves a hole in life. When a person loses a job, their self-worth is destroyed. When a person loses a loved one, the whole world caves in. When a person fails another, the disappointment can be devastating. Contrary to what we might want to believe, any of these people will have to be ministered to and loved before they may hear.

I like what George Barna said in "Rechurching the Unchurched". "Millions stay away, because they cannot make the value equation work. When they calculate the amount of time , money, and energy they would have to invest in a church, they do not see a reasonable return on the investment. Most of the unchurched figure they've gotten along just fine without the church for a long time, and until someone gives them reason to feel otherwise, they will remain spiritually unattached."

Do we think they will come to hear a sermon? Obviously not. Do we think they will come to experience good praise and worship? Obviously not, or they would be coming to many of our churches. Do we think they will come for their children? That may be 90's thinking. If it was true our churches would be full of young couples with young children. People can listen to polished speakers on television, attend concerts with all the flair of a great spectacular, and spend money to provide interesting venues for their children.

But, are they really building true relationships out in the world, or are the so-called relationships really nothing more than acquaintances? Are they surface friendships with neighbors, co-workers, other parents in extra curricular activities, and even PTA at school. These same busy people may be starving for some real relationships.

Are some of the people I've been talking about hurting? Is there a void that can't seem to be filled with anything they try? Are they going through the motions of life without anyone knowing how they really feel? We know the answer is Jesus, but will you have the stage to present Him?

Let's give them a reason to change their next step and to do that, we've got to change first!

Complacency Takes Over Top Spot

2008-11-12T14:16:00.002-06:00

I have been watching for the BCS rankings to come out every Sunday afternoon with much anticipation. Several weeks ago Alabama took over the #1 position in the BCS standings after Texas fell to Texas Tech.

Now I guess Alabama controls its own destiny. All they have to do is win against Mississippi State this week, beat Auburn two weeks down the road, defeat Florida in the SEC Championship and Alabama is in the National Championship Game. The latter will be a huge obstacle, but I think Alabama may match up to Florida better than many teams have done this season.

Speaking of taking over first place...I think "complacency" has taken over as the biggest culprit in the Christian hemisphere. Complacency creates more paralysis than any disease that I can think of. What is complacency?

According to Webster, complacency is the calm or secure satisfaction with oneself or one's lot. It is self-satisfaction accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies.

Mainstream America seems to be far too complacent as we get into the early years of the 21st century. If relationships in the family unit seem to be in place, dad sits in his easy chair as if things could not be any better. If mom is satisfied, she goes shopping and says to herself, "Only in America." If the children's lives are stable, little Johnny proceeds with his game on Play Station as if this will go on the rest of his life.

If dad can go hunting every fall, sit in front of his new big screen plasma TV every weekend, and play softball a couple times a week, life doesn't get any better than that. If mom can buy Christmas presents for everyone this December and plan a family vacation for next summer, what else could you want? If our personal and family schedules are full to overflowing every week, isn't that all part of the American dream?

Those of us in the ministry think we are called to orchestrate the Sunday morning rush in and out of the auditorium. It is so important that we use parking lot greeters, door greeters, and hospitality ambassadors throughout our buildings. The celebration worship service has become central focus rather than a venue to corporately worship.

The fellowship hall where meals used to be served has been remodeled into something else and is just full of dust from non-use. We have acknowledged that people may not have time to come to a mid-week prayer service. There are dance classes, soccer, softball, and special band rehearsals. Weekdays are meant for work, school, extra curricular activities, and catching up on what did not get done yesterday. Sunday is reserved for God, unless The Houston Marathon is being run, or the Outer Mongolian Fine Arts Festival is being conducted. Mark something else on your calendar--I want to take my son to the Antique Car Show that is held every year on Easter Sunday, but hey, "That will make room for someone who is not in church two Sundays a month like I am."

Everything is about ME. My work usually comes first, followed by my leisure time, maybe my family, and then I'll squeeze God is there somewhere...maybe even being part of the church where I belong. Don't ask me to do anything outside of Sunday morning. I'll usher if you need someone. I'll sing in the choir, but no mid-week rehearsals. And the walls continue to be built as each month rolls on.

When paralysis sets in, one's limbs become useless. That is what is happening across America and complacency becomes more deeply embedded because I am trying to satisfy myself with what the world is offering. I become more and more blinded and I can fail to see the dangers that lie ahead at a so-called "dead man's curve".

Roll Tide Roll

2008-11-08T21:51:00.003-06:00

The Alabama-LSU game ended about four hours ago. Alabama did not play well, but LSU played better than they have played most of the year and the game was tied at the end of regulation. I told my son, Jared, that LSU probably outplayed Alabama in the first half, but Alabama may have been the better team in the second half.

The game went into overtime and LSU got the first opportunity from the 25 yard line. Alabama intercepted in the end zone. Alabama got their chance from the 25 and scored on a quarterback sneak to win the game. The score was 27-21.

The six year drought is over. Alabama beat the mighty Tigers at home in Baton Rouge. I feel a sense of respect again. It feels more like 12 years since Alabama could walk into Death Valley and have a chance. I think the announcers said that it was the first time that Alabama entered the field at LSU as #1 going back to the Bear Bryant days in 1980. I feel a sense of relief that it is over and we won.

Now Alabama is 10-0 with Mississippi State and Auburn remaining on the regular schedule. Both will be gunning for Alabama. Both could beat Alabama. Mississippi State's coach is an alumnus of Alabama and I think they beat Alabama last year. Then it's the Iron Bowl and I've heard that Auburn has to beat Alabama for the Auburn coach to keep his job. This will be Auburn's big bowl game. There will be a lot riding on this game against two in-state rivals.

Alabama has not won the SEC West and will be playing in the SEC Championship game in Atlanta. It would be nice to be 12-0 at that point. Looks like we'll be playing Florida in that game. We'll meet that game when we win the next two ballgames.

Roll Tide!!!

Tomorrow Is the Big Day

2008-11-07T21:10:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow is the Alabama-LSU game at 2:30 on CBS. This is the game that I've been looking forward to for a year. If the tickets were not so expensive I'd be in Baton Rouge on Saturday, but instead, I'll be on the 50 yard-line in front of my Samsung.

Why is it such a big game? Well, Alabama is ranked #1 and they haven't been in this kind of a position since the early side of the 90's. It is LSU that they are playing as a #1 team. That is big enough all by itself. See, for years Alabama owned the series, even in Death Valley. But, for the last six years or so, LSU has owned Alabama and the Crimson Tide has not even been in the running in the SEC West.

Everybody that knows SEC football knew last summer that this was going to be a really key game. Everyone expected LSU to be highly ranked and maybe a 10-15th ranked Alabama would come to town. As it turns out, it is exactly in reverse of what everybody thought.

This Saturday will be the first time that Coach Nick Saban returns to the LSU campus. I think it becomes a bigger game in this regard for LSU than it does for Alabama, but hype is hype and some sports "experts" will do anything to get the fan excited. Know one thing, by kick-off time Coach Saban will have relived the past and will really be into the game!

There will be a big birthday party at our home tomorrow. It is Kasen's 1st birthday (actually the date was the 4th) and we are celebrating it tomorrow. Both our kid's families will be here and we will celebrate during half time of the game and then following the game. We are all looking forward to the party and it just happens to be on the day of the Alabama-LSU game.

The only time that I have been in Baton Rouge for a game was in 2002. It was Jared's last year there, so we decided to attend the Alabama game. It was during the time that Alabama was not fielding very good teams. No one in Tiger Stadium expected Alabama to be in the game after the opening kick-off. Alabama won 31-0 in a route and I will never forget that atmosphere and the thrill of winning such a game.

Alabama went 10-3 that year, but was on probation and not eligible for a bowl game. Dennis Franchione left Alabama for Texas A & M in December and they were "blessed" with him until his departure. He was so eager to get to College Station that he failed to tell his players good-bye. Now that is a class act!!!

Well, I hope Jared does not get to celebrate tomorrow like we did six years ago. The next 24 hours should tell the tale.

It's A Monday-Saturday Remedy

2008-11-01T20:57:00.002-05:00

When you are trying to emerge from a no-relationship atmosphere, it has to start with leadership. It starts with the inner circle. If it was the inner circle of Jesus, it would start with the twelve apostles. If it is a business, it would start with upper management. It starts with leaders.

I remember a television commercial a few years ago that really got my attention. It showed a CEO calling his major leaders into a Board Room for a meeting. He told about how they had forgotten their best customers and had lost some and were on the verge of losing others. He gave each leader an airline ticket and told them to call on them and win them back. Now that is a highlight of the commercial and may not be covering it real well, but it left an indelible mark on me. They were starting all over again by winning back the customers that they could and building relationships from that point on.

In most of our churches, we need to re-build some relationships that got away, or were never developed in the first place. It cannot be done on Sunday. It must take place during the week as life rolls along. Maybe it takes place over a cup of coffee. Maybe relationship building happens when we work on a project with another person. Maybe it takes place when we go somewhere with another person and find out who they really are. However it takes place, it requires a committed effort and must be an authentic reach to another human being. It will take time and cannot be rushed. Real relationships are built over time by real people.

Not until some real relationship building takes place, will people eagerly and genuinely become part of an organized small group. That may be why small groups have failed to succeed in some places. It didn't have a chance of making it as a real small group. In my particular setting, it might take 100-150 "in relationship" to turn from status quo to the entrance of excellence, or where you can move on with continuous relationship building that spawns other types of movement.

If you don't have small groups and you are living in a no-relationship atmosphere, you've got to start somewhere and I think it is starting with one individual building a relationship with another. Before you know it, you will have a foundation on which to build. Until then, nothing will seem to work and you will be one frustrated person.

Steve, thanks for getting me to think about this subject. I think it is one of the most valuable things I've read in a 2008. It put some things in focus for me, when it was a little blurry.

How Important Are Relationships?

2008-11-01T20:25:00.003-05:00

I just found a comment that my son-in-law left on one of my earlier posts. It is so good that I've got to share it with you. It will make you think. I am going to spend a lot of time digesting it myself, because I think Steve has the handle on it. He is part of his comment:

I agree Mike, but what do you do? You offer deeper things, but people won't come and if they do, they won't do the required reading/homework. And so true habits are never formed. I'm wondering if the whole system is failing somehow? Are we accidentally communicating to our people that this is all there is? Are we, as leaders going into the depths and living as testimonies saying there is more? What are we doing (or not doing - my bet is it's more the not doing, not risking, not stepping out in faith, etc) as a church that communicates status quo?

The people in our church seem like they've been lulled into this complacency - complacency for church, for worship, for discipleship, even for God Himself. There's something in me, (maybe the Spirit) that says they'd get off their rear ends and do something if they truly understood/believed/experienced the God that you and I know when they did come to an event - even if it was just a "successful garage sale."

How do you turn the corner - well get others to turn the corner into lifestyles of discipleship? How do we gain that kind of influence with the people we serve? How can we give them their little "soul massage" in such a way that they want deeper things - like "soul surgery or life replacement?"I think it ultimately has to come back to relationships. When we get involved in peoples lives beyond Sunday morning, when we share not just the Gospel but "our lives as well" like Paul describes. . . .I think that's where influence grows.

I appreciate what Steve said so much. When the church family arrives on Sunday morning, we are coming together to worship God corporately. The church is returning to be together for a couple of hours to praise God as a larger group of believers.

We have made Sunday morning our "all in all". Sunday morning has become the "beginning and the end". As Steve would say, "Are we giving our people the idea that Sunday is what matters and everything else is secondary? No wonder they will not support other opportunities that we offer like we think they should. We have sent a message and they have received it and applying it to their lives. We didn't intend that to happen over the past decade did we?

I totally agree with Steve. It does come back to relationships. Many of our churches need to punt and turn it over to the defense to stop this trend where it is in this first decade of the 21st century. I'm afraid that many of our churches need to spend the next few years developing relationships that we failed to do for so many years.

How we develop these relationships in a "no relationship" atmosphere is good fodder for my next post. This one is getting far to long. Think about it...

The Story of the 21st Centruy (Part 2)

2008-10-26T16:56:00.001-05:00

Can we break the cycle? It's the cycle of becoming a church member somewhere and never getting off of the religious merry-go-round where we keep seeing the same landscape on every revolution. It is the life that never grows spiritually. It is the life that looks for fulfillment and finds it in getting involved in doing good deeds, very seldom ever taking a spiritual risk, and never questions why they are only religious.

Let's go back to the stereotypical 24 year old college graduate who is in their first job after finishing college. Maybe they too were won to Christ during their latter teen years, or while in college. Their minds have been shaped by the world, their expectations set by worldly standards, and goals for life set by a world that can only identify success by what it sees in the world.

There are a number of professions that have a real advantage over most other vocations. Take for example the medical professional. They are not expected to have their lives together until they are 30+. Why? It takes eight years of education, not counting internships and residencies, much less specialties. Why don't we level the playing field and let all grads know that they don't all have to have it together the summer after they graduate. Why can't they use their mid and late 20's to find themselves in the profession that they have chosen?

There is a spiritual correlation to the above "vocational lane". We are going to call that 24 year old "Jed". Jed has become a new believer. He doesn't know what is expected of him. It is a lot like his profession--he is starting at the bottom--it is a whole new world. Where does he go from here? Sometimes he feels like one person in a sea of people in downtown Houston at noon. Many of them are going in one direction, so he decides to join them and begins walking with them. They are headed to the underground tunnels and he doesn't know what's there, or where the tunnels will take him.

Spiritually speaking, why can't Jed be discipled over the next five years and have an opportunity to grow and mature in his faith. It would teach him about abundant Christian living and he would be able to experience it through the life of someone who is ahead of him, but walked the same surface. Why don't we provide that? You say, "Some churches do provide discipleship." Sure they do, but not near enough. It is almost like we are afraid to raise the bar of expectation because we might run them off and then they will go somewhere else.

If we truly discipled Jed, say from 24-29 years of age, he could probably look after his own road map for growing from that point on. During that period he would probably find a wife and they might even have a couple of children, but he would be growing during that period. He would be ready to be a good husband and father. He would be learning how to be a leader and would probably find his niche in the church as well. If he continued to grow, his years after age 30 would probably be the most productive of his life.

In too many cases, Jed becomes a Sunday morning attender and never grows beyond his "baby formula" spiritual existence. Jed may become a success in the world, because that is how he has been groomed by the world. He never becomes a spiritual leader in his home, while his wife is looking for some kind of leadership. He thinks being a great provider is what life is all about, while his children beg for attention. Life may fill with some cracks and yet Jed does not know where to turn. People don't know Jed, so his life rolls on almost unnoticed. It is a critical stage for him and for his family. If he survives this period of his life, there will probably be similar "emergencies". How many can he survive?

If Jed keeps being revived time after time, he goes into his 40's, then 50's, then 60's and life has not changed. Now Jed becomes an usher in the church and he's a good usher, but that is the apex of his spiritual life. There has to be more than that! We must do more!

The Story of the 21st Century

2008-10-25T13:11:00.002-05:00

I've been thinking about what happens to a young man after he receives Christ and the link that may tell us why he doesn't become the disciple that Christ expected him to become.

When I received Jesus Christ I was a college student. I was baptized the next Sunday evening. Then I asked a number of people, "Now, what is next?" College came after high school...there must be something that comes after a monumental decision like this one.

No one seemed to be able to give me the answer about what comes after my public declaration of my faith and baptism. Several adults told me that I was now a member of their church. A few more told me to join a Sunday school class. I never attended a class on Sunday morning, but I did attend worship my entire senior year.

After graduation I joined the military and got lost in the world for the next few years.

I'm afraid that what happened to me is multipled thousands of times each day. A young man or woman receives savior of the world, but never makes Jesus the Lord of their lives. Those last few words are foreign lingo to them---nobody ever helps them past first base!

About this same time in the life of this 20 Something, he is trying to find his place in the world. He or she may have a very good job, but they are trying to figure out how to get ahead. Maybe they are dating, or even recently married. They are searching for meaningfulness and can't seem to define it.

Let's assume that this ficticious person attends a worship at a contemporary church and thinks it is a pretty cool place. He enjoys the praise singing, the different styles of visual presentation, and the messages seem to be so practical. He can apply so many of them to his work environment and the people he is meeting. He gives a token offering each pay day and thinks everybody does the same thing.

Now, ten years pass by. The young man is now 35 years old, married to a great woman he met through a mutual friend, and they have two beautiful children. They both have very good jobs and are "rising stars" with their respective corporations. They make more money than they ever thought possible. They are very good parents and dad looks forward to coaching both kids in soccer and baseball in just a few years.

They both decided to get involved in the church "for the sake of the children". So they chose a church that would be "new" to both of them. They now attend large "First Church" where all the up and comers rub elbows with each other. Sunday morning worship is rather traditional and somewhat stuffy, but they are always bringing in nationally known speakers like Bill Gates. Our young man gave $50 a pay period for several years, but since their income increased so dramatically, they have increased their giving to $75. There has not been much of a change in their lives religiously.

If everything remains the same in this family's life, the chance for genuine change and growth is alarmingly low. By the time the kids become teenagers, the parents will be busier than ever and the whole family will be driving themselves as hard as they can. When the kids leave home and the nest is empty, nothing will really change, except maybe the hole created by the missing children. When they become grandparents life will probably be not a whole lot different. Maybe now "Jed", our main character will be an usher or greeter for the church.

Stay tuned for the next installment and see what could have been for Jed and his family.

What Is Missing Today?

2008-10-02T20:15:00.002-05:00

I wake up in the morning and go to bed at night thinking about discipleship. I can't tell you how many times a day I think about how we can help Christians grow in their spiritual lives. I believe the lack of personal spiritual growth is the primary reason that so many of our churches seem stagnant. We lack the power to do what is needed for the new believer and as a result, many of these new believers drift into oblivion, or become supporters who do nothing significant in the church.

What are we seeing today? Too many people who want to come to worship on Sunday morning for a little "soul massage". They want to hear good praise music, view different forms of media that connect with the theme of the day, and experience how others are relating to over-all message. Too many folks do not see themselves in the equation at hand. They do not want to be expected to act on anything they hear.

I guess it bothers me to watch people who act religiously on Sunday morning, but there is no fruit eminating from the Sunday morning buds! They want to look religious on Sunday, but the fervor is not translated into the other six days a week. They are not making an effort to grow themselves, much less reaching out to minister to others. Their hands go up in surrender on Sunday morning, but they escape into the world during the week. They stand on Sunday to honor our Lord and maybe be seen by others, but sit down and blend in with others the other days of the week.

We need discipleship, or spiritual growth to be the primary goal of the next decade, probably across the country, if not the world. Without this kind of emphases, evangelism will diminish and probably is on a decline right now. We may see people who are willing to do some street ministry once a month, but it will never become a lfestyle. We might get a few people to take an annual mission trip to the other side of the world, but they will do nothing with their new-found passion when they get home. There will be little outreach from a Sunday school class if the folks are not growing. There will not be a passion for the needs of others, if it cannot be handled by a checkbook or debit card. Do people help others during times of tragedy? You bet we do, but what about some on-going ministries>

I think you get the picture. This is why we need to offer what will grow our people over a 3-5 year period of time. It is one thing to offer the opportunity. It is something else to motivate them enough that they will want to participate. It has to be at the top of one's agenda, People have to understand that you feel that it is of absolute primary importance. It is looking down the road for results and change, not for a successful garage sale this Saturday. We, too often, want the quickie and discipleship does not work that way.

If your church is not investing in discipleship and valuing it as primary, I would bet that most of the plans that you see are short-term in nature, only have a partial, spiritual, emphasis, and may not be affecting human lives, especially people who do not know Christ.

I feel strongly about our ineptness in the 21st century concerning spiritual lives and the impact it has on other people and our churches. Maybe we need to re-evaluate everything about ourselves and re-write where we are going and how we will get there. I would challenge every person who reads this to not blow it off as we often do things, but to let it linger in the reaches of our minds for a period of time. But, BEWARE: it may create a new way of thinking and a new way of looking at the world around us,

Tide Is Now #2 and #4

2008-09-28T14:50:00.004-05:00

One more post about Alabama football and then I will have it out of my system for the week.

Patti just looked up the new rankings for Week #5. I heard a scream come out of the office. I knew it was a good kind of scream. Alabama is #2 in the AP poll and #4 in the important Coach's poll. They jumped from 8th to 2nd in the AP and 10th to 4th in the Coach's poll. LSU and Missouri are ahead of them.

Oklahoma (#1) will be playing Texas (#7) on October 11 and then Missouri meets Texas the week following. I wonder if Texas could beat both of them??? That may be asking too much out of that young team. I'll be rooting for them anyway.

I can say something that I've not been able to say for a long time. I think Alabama will play one game at a time the rest of the season. Any team can get beat on any given Sunday. That's what parity has done for us. I hope I can enjoy each week for the next month and a half! This week I just need to enjoy being #2 and #4 for a change.

We had a great evening last night. Our Children's Pastor, his wife, and three children joined our kids and their three children at our home for the game last night. There were 14 of us all together--8 adults and 6 children. It was a great group. I cooked hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill and Patti fixed several other dishes. A good time was had by all, except maybe the Georgia fans who were in attendance.

Today I've already had a noon luncheon where we trained mentors for out new New Believer Track. I will go back to church in about an hour and a half for the Alpha class. I should be out 8:00-8:30, so it will make for a long day. Then tomorrow it will be back to the teaching routine again. I can't wait to sleep again until 7:00 or 7:30. I guess Saturday will arrive in another 6 days.

Hope you have a good week coming up.

The Big Game Is Over

2008-09-27T22:49:00.004-05:00

It is late on Saturday night and the 2008 edition of the Alabama-Georgia game is now history. Alabama won 41-30 and dominated the first half with a 31-0 shellacking.

Alabama did not play well during the second half. They looked like a team coasting with a big lead. They won it just the same and will probably rise in the polls, hopefully to #3 just behind LSU.

I felt all week that Alabama could whip Georgia convincingly if they came to really play. I just couldn't bring myself to say it out loud. I don't think anyone gave us a chance I think we really are that good, we just can't seem to play for 60 minutes. Like, where were we during the 3rd quarter?

Tonight the ESPN crowd told us that nobody would have expected Alabama to turn around this quickly. They started out the season at #24 and by the end of the month, they will undoubtedly be ranked in the Top 5. That is a quick rise by any one's standards.

Maybe Alabama has made a "return" to the SEC West.

Roll Tide!!

2008-09-21T13:40:00.005-05:00

My family and extended family was at our home yesterday for an NCAA Football Tripleheader. We started out the day with the Alabama-Arkansas game at 11:30. I wore an Alabama t-shirt and cap. Patti also wore an Alabama shirt.

Arkansas has always been a real competitor for Alabama down through the years. There were some real duels even before Arkansas joined the SEC. Yesterday I thought it would be another battle to the end. ESPN broadcasters said it would be Alabama by two touchdowns. I wondered if Alabama was ready to win by that much in SEC competition in Arkansas.

The game was over early as Alabama destroyed Arkansas 49-14! I was surprised at what Alabama did to them, but maybe it showed what Alabama was capable of doing, at least to an inferior opponent.

Next week we play Georgia. Then we will find out if we are really any good this year. Maybe it will show us how far we have come after one season with a new coach. Even if that coach is Nick Saban! He was the one this month that became the first coach in the country to ever adorn the cover of Forbes magazine.

Anyway, we have moved up to #8 in the AP poll and we will be playing Georgia, who remained at #3. They beat us in overtime last year, so I am really looking forward to Saturday night's game. Pastor Travis Duke, our Children's Pastor, is a grad of Georgia and is a huge bulldog fan. I warned him this morning that this is the week before the big game and I'm going to give him a hard time. He will probably be the one who gives me the hard time!

After Alabama won its game on Saturday, we tuned into the Florida-Tennessee game and it looked to me like Florida really is as good as we thought they were, if not better.

Whoever wins the West division will more than likely have to face Florida in the SEC Championship game. Imagine having to face Tennessee, LSU, and Auburn before you even get to the championship. There are certainly other teams that could take you out that are not even the above caliber, but they can beat you on the way to one of the "big" games.

Finally last night we watched LSU-Auburn. As an Alabama fan, I always want Auburn to get beat. As the father and father-in-law of LSU graduates, I changed out of my red t-shirt and cap. I then put on a purple t-shirt and sported an LSU cap for the evening nightcap. LSU came from behind 14-3 to win the game. It went right down to the end.

That was a full day of football, but we are huge college football fans. I know that I'm in the minority, but I enjoy college football more than I do the NFL. I have already checked out tickets for the LSU-Alabama game in November, but I think the cost is too rich for my blood. I may just have to settle for a 50 yard-line seat in front of the TV. But, there is something about being on the LSU campus when underdog Alabama comes to town. It is magic for the college football enthusiast.

Well, you know where you'll find me next Saturday night. The sound coming from our den will probably be heard at the front of the subdivision!

Fried Chicken Anyone?

2008-09-18T22:46:00.004-05:00

Today was my first day back at work at the church. We have electrical power, including computer capability. Sunday will be a normal day for us, so I wrote an e-mail to our Abundant Life University and Alpha leaders, filling them in on what was happening. Only God knows how many will get the note.

Some of the major fallen utility poles on 518 were resurrected today. Next will come electricity, businesses opening, and gasoline pumps up and running. I think we will see a major difference on 518 by Monday.

Patti cooked for the family tonight--six adults and three children. Patti surprised all of us with fried chicken! That may not be much of a shock for you, but Patti has not prepared fried chicken in more than 30 years! Our kids have never tasted her fried chicken. They were as flabbergasted as I was. Patti said she was just tired of eating food off the grill when we were without electricity.

We had a great time together. We ended up going over to Tiffany and Jared's house because that's where our family's four dogs were being lodged. We had coffee and ice cream over there and watched a movie together.

Now it is about 11:00 and my eyes are telling me that I am tired. Whoever reads this, I hope you have a blessed Friday and weekend coming up.

Day #5

2008-09-17T12:25:00.002-05:00

It is just past noon on Wednesday. As I look out beyond my backyard, it is a beautiful day with cool temperatures of 75 degrees and blue skies with high clouds. I just saw a butterfly flying around Patti's flower garden. Still, disaster is all around us.

I heard this morning that 60% of the Greater Pearland area still does not have electricity. I wish that were the worst of the problems. As we view television reports, it is obvious that some folks have lost everything they have, thousands are receiving food and water, while huge problems plague Galveston to the point of increasing fear of disease. It is bad.

I spent some time this morning working on lesson plans for next week. We assume that school will be back in session by Monday, but who knows? I'm just trying to be ready and it felt good to be doing work like that again.

I am looking forward to being at church tonight for our Wednesday night Prayer Meeting. We are going to meet in the Fellowship Hall. We lost our church steeple during the storm and that allowed water into the auditorium. Electricity was restored yesterday. It smells musty as you walk through the building. I'm looking forward to seeing my fellow staff members, as well as our members. It will give us an opportunity to just be together, hear from each other, and pray together.

God bless you wherever you are!

Four Days Into Ike

2008-09-16T22:08:00.002-05:00

This morning we returned to our home and we found that the electricity had been turned on. That was a fantastic sight! We walked inside and felt cool air. We got the refrigerator going and it wasn't long before we were back in business again.

Patti spent the day clearing the ground floor of our garage. The middle of the floor has been filled with boxes since we moved in over two years ago. Not any more. We could park a car in there now and two cars if I rearrange the yard equipment.

I've had more than 30 boxes stored for over five years. The boxes mainly contain books and office knick knacks. I went through every box today. I finally ended up with five boxes that I want to take to my church office. I discovered one box that had my most valuable certificates and knick knacks in it. That put a smile on my face.

There are still a lot of homes in a Pearland tonight without electricity. Maybe tomorrow will be the day to get their power back. There are more fences down than I've ever seen and of course, many trees and utility poles. Some of Pearland looks like it was hit by a tornado, or several of them. Not many businesses are open. A few grocery stores, a couple of drug stores, and a few convenience stores pumping gasoline with long lines. It will be awhile before life returns to normal, whatever normal happens to be.

"Ike" Was Here

2008-09-15T19:16:00.002-05:00

It is about 60 hours since Hurricane Ike left Pearland. I didn't care for Friday night or
Saturday morning in the least. It was a long night of listening to the loudest howling sound of wind that I've ever heard. I haven't been in the middle of a hurricane in about 20 years, but Ike will last me for a long time.

Friday morning was beautiful. I cut the grass and spent most of the late morning outside. The sky was blue with few clouds. By 1:00 the clouds began to take over. As each hour passed, we knew that the storm was getting closer.

Sometime between 6:00 and 7:00 we began to lose our electricity. It would go out and then come back on again. About thirty minutes later it went out for the last time. By this time the wind was whipping up pretty good.

About 10:00 we went to bed. The house was warm. I had covered all the windows with plywood 24 hours earlier, so we couldn't tell what was happening outside. The sound of the wind was ferocious on the north side of the house, but our bedroom was a little bit quieter comparatively speaking. The sound of the wind was awful. We had a battery-powered radio going in the bedroom.

I think I must have dozed off and then woke up about midnight. They were saying that the eye wall was approaching the coast, but the center of the eye was still two hours away. I realized that we may have still been 2-4 hours away from the worst. That was a difficult conclusion to swallow if it seemed that bad at that moment.

I guess I woke up every two hours or less after this point. I remember how they described the havoc that Ike was having on Galveston. It sounded really bad. When I woke up about 4:00 I wondered if our homes would stay together. It really was worse than I had expected!

We got up about 7:00 and went out to the back of the house. The fence was down across the north, backside of the lot. It was a terrible site, but when we reviewed the rest of the house, we knew how grateful we needed to be.

We have two pine trees in the front yard. I guess pines are known for shallow roots. These two trees were planted a little over two years ago. I was surprised to see them still standing and not even slightly bent. Many newer pines in our subdivision did not fare so well. I guess out roots were just deep enough and strong enough to hold during this stressful time.

I am reminded that we also need to have some deep roots when the going gets tough. We had better know where our strength comes from, whose we are, and who is our strength. If not, we will just lean over during the "storms" of life. That is a simple rendition of a complex truth.

Most of Pearland is still without electrical power. It is terrible to be in the dark! That is really true spiritually isn't it? Yet, life goes on and hopefully we will learn some valuable truths from this experience. Thank you Lord for being with us and so many people along the Gulf Coast.

2008-08-29T20:01:00.002-05:00

This week has been one of the most fulfilling time periods in my life.

I can only think of three time periods that have been better than this week. The best week of my life was the week that I married Patti and I am reminded of it every time that I look at her. The next biggest times were when my children were born. Like Patti, I'm reminded of those special times every time I'm around them.

This week was my first week as a teacher. It was a little different than I expected, but in a very good way. It was a hectic week. I got every morning at 5:40 so I could arrive at school early. Then it was go, go, go until 5:00 that evening and then it was several hours of preparation. I usually got to bed after 11:00. I have a new respect for teachers. Patti always made it "look" so easy, I guess I didn't realize all prep that went into it.

I am spending about an hour per class doing lesson plans and then gathering materials. I made four tests for today and a Powerpoint presentation for the Jr./Sr. High class. I should be able to diminish the time it takes me to put the lesson plans together, so that should save me some time.

Having said all that, I have some of the greatest kids that I've ever been around. They are eager to learn and they give me all of themselves every day. I guess that is my biggest surprise. Each class seems so unique and I can't wait to walk into each classroom.

I guess I am writing this to tell myself what I've felt this week and what I've experienced. You just get to hear what I'm saying to myself. Welcome to my world.

Are You In A Rut?

2008-08-23T10:11:00.003-05:00

It has been a hectic weekend. I just completed my first Teacher In-Service week. I learned so much and got a lot accomplished as well. School starts Monday. I'm just nervous enough to make it interesting.

I came up with an awesome thought this week. I don't know a Student Pastor, or any other staff member that gets to teach students five days a week. That thought blew me away. If you had told me 30 years ago that I'd start teaching school at 63 years of age, I would have had a good laugh. The Lord must know what He's doing and has a great sense of humor as well.

School starts and the football season begins this week. Alabama is playing Clemson on TV this Saturday. So, we'll be watching LSU first and then Alabama. Everybody will pick Clemson to whip us, but you never know what will happen in college football.

We are still registering people for Abundant Life University. It has not gone so well, but this is the Sunday before school starts. If we don't get a significant number of new registrants this weekend, we probably won't make up for it on Labor Day weekend. We continue to receive new folks for Alpha. Both programs begin September 7, so not a lot of time remains.

I don't know who said this, but there is not truer statement:

"Without assimilation the opportunity for ongoing discipleship training will not exist."

Churches that major on Sunday morning worship at the expense of a healthy over-all ministry often end up building what we used to call a "Sunday Morning Chapel". The people are usually not assimilated into the church and therefore never become the body of Christ. The church is a place to come to on Sunday morning and feel good, or get refueled, not to be ready for the week to come, but to survive the week before. They seldom become a church family, assimilation does not take place, and so there is no chance of being discipled. Discipleship ends up not existing. The people do not grow spiritually and nothing changes. The lost are not reached because the body is so weak and there is nothing for people who stumble into the chapel service. It becomes an endless orbit going nowhere and touching no one.

There is hope. You can break out of this endless circle, but it will take effort, prayer, and dedication. What does one do?

First, create a vision of where you want to go. Nail it down. Then share that vision with your staff, key leaders, natural leaders, and the church as a whole. Plant the vision as many ways as humanly possible with as many people as possible. Keep spreading the vision until people start laughing about it. Then you will know that the word is out. Keep going.

Second, create harmony and teamwork. Use bonding opportunities to pull people together, think together, and enjoy being together. Move from individuals to a team approach. Plan together, make things happen together, and analyze together. Since everyone is now thinking as one, they should be doing everything together as well.

Third, create an infrastructure that will accommodate the new vision and dedication to make it happen. Without an adequate infrastructure, nothing can happen except the hatching of new and great ideas. The ideas will never get off the page.

Lastly, how can I tell if I am in a rut and going no where? If you are judging the success of your ministry by the success of programs, you are in this rut. Why? Because the programs are probably not doing as well as you would expect. Your judgment is is based on failing programs

that are doomed before they start. Therefore, you feel like a loser...defeated...alone.

Take a risk and step out in faith. Change your direction and your M.O. Lay leadership "metabolism" will change and you will feel like you are in a different environment. Now the real work begins and the new plan continues. You are on the road and discipleship will become real as you evolve.

Fall In the Mathews Household

2008-08-16T20:50:00.004-05:00

Sunday is the first day of the week. It is the day we give to the Lord. It is a day of corporate worship. Sunday is a day of rest. Sunday is a day for the family. It is the most special day of the week. Nothing compares to it.

The second best day of the week offers something special during the fall of the year. The day of the week is Saturday and during the fall of the year there is NCAA Football. I will put away all of my work on Saturday afternoon and evening. Why? Patti and I are some of the staunchest Alabama Crimson Tide fans in this country, who never attended the University of Alabama.

Patti and I have been Alabama fans forever. When you grow up in the state of Alabama, you are either an Alabama fan, or an Auburn fan. My son grew up in an Alabama household that went crazy every Saturday afternoon. Then he graduated from LSU and you'd never believe that he grew up in our home. We also have a dear friend, Heather Zempel, who grew up as a die hard Auburn fan, but received her degrees from LSU. Now she lives to see Alabama destroyed in Death Valley this November. I still love both of them. They are just misdirected.

So, Patti and I will be in front of our Samsung every Saturday this fall. If you call me, you might get a recorded message, but you probably won't get me. We start out the season with Clemson, who should beat us, but we will lose our voices sometime in the second half. We will probably win only half of our games, but every Alabama fan knows that getting better is just a matter of time. LSU will probably beat us in Baton Rouge, or any other place we might play, but we will give them a good fight. If you want some good entertainment, stop by our home on that Saturday...just join in the fun.

Now you know what my whole week will be like this fall. If you ask my family, they would say that I would say, "It doesn't get any better than this."

One Step At A Time

2008-08-16T20:19:00.004-05:00

I have spent several hours today working on lesson plans for four grade levels and rewriting a syllabus for Junior/Senior High. It took about an hour per lesson plan. After I finished, I asked Patti how long it takes to complete her lesson plans. She said, "I've been working hard on it and I've got it down to about 45 minutes." I knew this lesson plan writing was going to end up being a real learning curve, but boy do I have some things to learn...but I'm pleased with what took me four hours to do!

Now it is Saturday evening and I'm switching gears. Now I'm reviewing power point material for a Teachers In Training class tomorrow morning. Later tonight I'll switch again and zero in on reviewing material for our Alpha training that will begin Sunday afternoon.

My plate feels fairly full, but I could not be happier. In September I'll replace the TNT class with a regular Sunday morning Bible study. I'll be leading The Good News class until we find an appropriate replacement. Then I'll trade the Alpha training for teaching a class during Abundant Life University. I'm going to be leading the study of Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Pastor Jim Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Church. These two classes should keep me pleasantly busy.

Can I prepare to teach six classes a week? I am going to find out! I think I can.

What else will be going on at the church? We will begin preparing for the next ALU which will begin next February. We will also plan for a new Alpha Course that should kick off in February as well. We will also plan new discipleship adventures for 2009. My week should be full.

Pray for me that I will take one step at a time.

Fall Discipleship Just Around the Corner

2008-08-15T18:10:00.002-05:00

We are about three weeks away from a huge discipleship thrust. It will begin in early September and be fully implemented by the end of the month. What is it?

We will kick off our second semester of Abundant Life University on September 7. We are offering six courses that will run from 8-13 weeks. We are in the registration process right now. Then we will order the books and be ready to start on the Sunday evening following Labor Day.

Alpha will start on September 7 as well. It will meet in the Fellowship Hall, while ALU is meeting on the first and second floors. The people who have been invited and have committed to attend, seem very excited to get underway. They have built a fire of excitement around everybody who has anything to do with Alpha.

While Abundant Life University and Alpha are being conducted, there will be two choirs offered for our children from Pre-school to sixth grade. The kids will be presenting their music in December after ALU and Alpha have concluded. There will be something for everyone.

In mid-September we will be Mentor Training. The mentors will be assigned to new believers. The mentors will shepherd those who profess their faith in Christ for a period of six months with less and less supervision as other leaders take their place. You can look on our web site www.fbcpearland.org to see how it actually operates. The mentors will receive their first students beginning September 28.

Once we get these Fall pieces activated, the basics of discipleship will be in place. Then in 2009 we will add the final two new dimensions to the existing structure. The 2009 dimensions are designed to further mature the growing Christian by exposing them to ministries.

What happens after 2009? 2010 comes along. Just kidding. We will add supplementary learning experiences that we discover are needed at FBCP and fine-tune what we already have in place. Discipleship is never stagnant. The methodology is always changing and improving.

I am excited to see our discipleship thrust expanding. 2009 will also be the time period when we will have to bring more people on board to make it all happen. At the rate we are going, discipleship should be a vital part of the FBCP landscape within a five-year period. Let's shoot for 2012!

Relearning About Life

2008-08-14T20:58:00.004-05:00

I spent part of Monday and Wednesday this week at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. It is a huge complex in the Texas Medical Center, which must be one of the largest medical centers in the United States. M.D. Anderson is absolutely huge, with over 17,000 employees. It is like a little city.

Thirty years ago was the first time I ever visited M.D. Anderson. I was doing a clinical internship at Southwest Memorial Hospital and went to the Medical Center to use their medical library. I remember the many people that I saw with cancer, but they were surrounded by the most caring medical personnel I had ever been around. It was an amazing place and still is.

When I visited MDA this week it had been five years since I had been on the campus. It looked completely different, except for the original lobby in the main building. Today you've got to get on the right bank of elevators, or you will never find where you are going. It is quite impressive and specialized to the inth degree.

I sat in the Surgical Waiting area and watched people. Some families received the news they were hoping for. Other families received the news they expected, but was not the news they hoped for. Still others were talking about treatment and what might lie ahead. The need was beyond comprehension.

Life was seemed to be in "suspended animation". Normal eveyday life was on hiatus as families were fighting the disease with their loved ones. It felt like there were thousands of people with similar struggles in common. They were behind the walls of these multiple buildings fighting cancer as the world went on outside.

That's the way it is in the spiritual realm as well. Catastrophe strikes. It might be tragedy, disappointment, disillusionment, disease, or even sin. There are so many other possibilities. The person can feel all alone. They can feel separated from friends, relatives, and any other important people in their lives. They can even feel cut-off from God. They don't know where to turn. They just float as if in a gravity-free environment.

What does a person in suspended animation need? Contact would probably be #1. Without contact nothing else will happen. They need someone to really listen to them. They need to know they were heard. They may need a gentle, loving, caring person to respond to them where they are. They need someone to go slow with them. You may be just the person that God could use to bridge a gap that would unite Him with someone really estranged.

What have you thought about while reading this post?

The Goose Is On the Way

2008-08-09T22:02:00.002-05:00

Mark Batterson's new book, Wild Goose Chase, will be released on Tuesday, August 19. I can't wait to read it. It should be in your favorite bookstore in just a few days.

Mark's first book, In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day, was an absolute hit. When I offered the book study in early 2008, the folks who took the course were really inspired by it, but the people in the community who heard about it was the surprise to me. They all wanted to know how to get a copy of the book.

Here's some book bytes from Wild Goose Chase:

I wonder if churches do to people what zoos do to animals. We try to tame them in the name of Christ. We remove the risk. We remove the danger. We remove the struggle. And what we end up with is a caged Christian.

Jesus didn't die on the cross to keep us safe. He died to make us dangerous. I would like to think that when I pronounce the benediction at the end of our church services, I am sending dangerous people back into their natural habitat to wreck havoc on the enemy.

I don't know what Mark will do with the above book bytes, but I have a few ideas of my own. Have you ever been to a major zoo? I guess I've always enjoyed going to the zoo. In the past year I've been to the Houston Zoo and The National Zoo in Washington, D.C. I would rather see animals in a "natural" habitat than behind the bars of a cage.

I must agree with Mark, at least on the surface of these bytes. We do try to tame people and they end up being caged Christians. They get so accustomed to their caged environment, they are not much good out in the "wild". We try to purify their environment to such a degree that they find themselves straddling both hemispheres and they lose in both worlds.

Jesus prepared the disciples for three short years. Then He sent them out into the world. The early church discipled the new believers and they lived and reached others in their natural habitat. They did not have to be perfect; they were just Christ followers, who loved the Lord and wanted to share Him with others. They wanted to see those new Christians discipled and the circle continued.

When will we return to the New Testament model in America? Is it too late? Definitely not! Why do we keep passing on the "zoo" concept, rather than the "natural habitat" environment? In my lifetime, leaders have passed on what they received from leaders that they respected and we seem to have produced "religion". We can see it in other realms, but not our own. We are blind to see the cages that we have created and perpetuated.

See why I can't wait to read Mark Batterson's new book? He has such great insight into an ecclesiastical world that wants to spray a sanitizer rather than live with less than an antiseptic environment. We want to protect people from what they might hear, rather than leading them to Christ and growing them in their new found faith,

My Retail Career Has Ended

2008-08-08T18:58:00.003-05:00

After being in the retail environment for four years, it came to and end last night. I left The Home Depot to begin teaching Bible at EHCA this month.

I am looking forward to teaching this fall. It will be a challenge to teach such diversified age groups from 4th-10th grade(there are no 11th and 12th graders). I am diligently preparing to teach four classes and I am on schedule for where I want to be.

It was bitter-sweet to leave The Home Depot last night. I had built up some wonderful relationships and it was hard to say good-bye. I felt myself choking up several times. Everyone was so wonderful. I will miss them. I guess you can tell I'm talking about relationships more than anything else.

I have about 10 days to finalize my school preparations before Teacher In-service days begin. Then the following week school begins for the kids. Then it is sink or swim time. I've been teaching for about 35 years, but the 4-6th graders will be a new challenge. I look forward to it.

I will remain on the staff at First Baptist Church Pearland. I will be working in the church office everyday when I am not in a class. The church will get more hours out of me and the school will be pleased with my schedule with them. It looks like a win-win-win.

I am excited about our church web site.It has taken a year to prepare the material and then get
the discipleship info on the site. I printed the pages today and it needs some proofing and minor changes, but it is now current. Give me until next Tuesday/Wednesday when I work again at the church and I'll get it right. Then click on www.fbcpearland.org and take a look. You will see what has been developed in these first 12 months. During 2009 the other two segments will be added. Not too shabby for a part-time project!

I am amazed. How many people get the opportunity to disciple elementary aged children, junior/senior high students, and adults all in the same week?

I will keep you up to date as fall arrives and my daily life changes drastically.

Pearland Town Center Is Awesome!

2008-08-03T21:24:00.003-05:00

The Pearland Town Center was more impressive than I had imagined. It is far bigger than I thought it would be, but the atmosphere is what blew me away. I would compare it to a beach resort area in the late afternoon as people are mingling, heading for dinner, and moving around after dinner having fun. If those who manage the Town Center can build on that atmosphere, it will be the weekend place to be! If you haven 't experienced it, don't wait.

You won't believe this. Someone from the Tomball area responded to yesterday's post and they spotted my Morgan Freeman look-a-like at a Quiznos. I didn't tell you this, but this man had freckles just like Morgan Freeman and the person responding to me mentioned that little fact. I really didn't expect to hear anything from anyone. I was amazed. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Promotion for our Abundant Life University started in earnest today. We handed out a 12-page brochure that described the whole discipleship thrust and gave information on the classes we will offer this fall. Registration will begin big time this Wednesday night and run about two weeks. Now all we need is a good response.

One of the courses we will offer in ALU is Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey, which could be our largest class. Other courses include Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala, The Wonderful Spirit-Filled Life by Charles Stanley, So You Want To Be More Like Christ by Charles Swindoll, Divorce Recovery, and Exploring Worship. I think we are offering some good courses for those who want to spiritually grow.

I have a busy week ahead of me. My last day at The Home Depot is this Thursday. We continue working on The Alpha Course, slated to begin on September 7, along with ALU. I'm also trying to schedule a class for those who want to mentor new believers. I am teaching during the Sunday school hour and planning for school to start soon. As the wise man said, "IT'S ALL GOOD"!

Looking for A Morgan Freeman Look-A-Like

2008-08-02T13:49:00.003-05:00

The weather forecast just flashed on the television screen. Channel 11 says that they are expecting the temperatures to hit 100 today and 101 tomorrow. That is pretty hot. It even has that look of being hot as I look out the study window.

Our children and grandchildren will be here in a little while. This weekend is the Grand Opening of the Pearland Town Center. I think there are 80 stores on some tremendously large parcel of property. A lake separates us from the backside of the shopping area. They have put in a sidewalk all the way around the lake with lights every 100 feet or so. It is rather pretty.

Anyway, we are all going shopping and then eat dinner at the Town Center. I hope to spend some time at Barnes & Noble, but I'm looking forward to seeing the whole thing. He is a simple fact that will show you how my mind thinks: It is one minute and forty seconds from our driveway to the parking area around Dillards Department Store. Now that is a worthless piece of information, but it is me, non-the-less. You don't care if it is one minute, or ten minutes away and I really don't either, but that's how I think. Aren 't you glad you're not like that!

I guess you could say that I'm really enjoying this Saturday off business. I worked on Saturdays for so long in retail that I'm still getting used to having the day off. I will enjoy this afternoon with my family.

I went with Patti yesterday to Tomball Regional Hospital for her colonoscopy. She left me about 10:00 and I didn't see her again until about 1:00. Something went wrong with this first patient and it threw the line-up off. During the wait, I met a long-time resident of Tomball in the waiting room and our conversation was worth the whole wait. I wish I had got his name. It would have been nice to contact him from time to time. He looked just like one of my favorite actors---Morgan Freeman---and even sounded like the character he played in Shawshank Redemption. So, if you know someone in Tomball who fits the description, please let me know.

I hope you have as good a day as I hope to have.

"Can I Broaden Your Horizons?"

2008-07-27T22:41:00.002-05:00

That is exactly what I said to my son Jared, a little after 1:30 today. I wanted to do something just for me today and I asked Jared if he wanted to go with me. He was not overly excited about the prospect, but decided to go with me.

My favorite novelist, Daniel Silva, was in town as part of his 33-city National Book Tour. He was scheduled to be at Murder By the Book at 3:00 P.M. I did not want to miss this opportunity. I had met Mr. Silva during a similar book signing about three years ago and I've read all of his books.

I printed up a map on how to get to the bookstore on Bissonnet and headed over to pick up Jared. Now what I'm going to tell you is so much like me. I left the map and directions in the printer! Called Patti and the way and had her verify what I believed to be the way to get there.

There were about 150 crowded into that small bookstore, half of them standing. We joined the throng. A few minutes after 3:00 Mr. Silva was introduced and kept us spell-bound for about 50 minutes. I don't know if Jared was spell-bound, but I thought the author did a great job of informing us about how the book was written and answering questions.

The event closed with the book signing. There was only one problem. I was #92! After the first 40 had their books signed, we found two vacant chairs and were finally able to sit down. Then we stood in line with those in the 90's to have our books signed.

After reading all of Silva's books and really digging into his major reoccurring character, Daniel Silva seems like a friend. When we were driving home, I realized that I was glad that I didn't skip the event and I was glad that Jared got to experience something in life that he had never tried...a book signing. I will not forget that even for a long time to come.

These Are Busy Days

2008-07-26T14:57:00.003-05:00

I have two major projects that I'm working on for about the next three weeks.

One project is rolling out another semester of Abundant Life University for the church and launching the first Alpha Course. Both are scheduled to begin on September 7. I will be facilitating the study of Jim Cymbala's Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire and leading part of the Alpha Course. They will be held on the same evenings, so that should be a challenge. I think we have it worked out.

The second project is getting ready to teach four daily classes: 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, and a Junior/Senior class. I am presently designing a syllabus for the Jr./Sr. High class and will follow it up with some lesson plans. Then I will do the same thing for 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. This is a whole new learning curve for me, but I am enjoying the opportunity to be creative.

In between these two major projects I'll be teaching a "Teachers In Training" class for prospective teachers and substitutes during August and then I'll be filling in for one of the Sunday morning Adult Bible classes for at least the month of September.

I think my schedule this fall is pretty well filled up. I guess it could be a little overwhelming, but I learned a long time ago to just take one step at a time and that is what I'm doing. I'll fill you in as the weeks roll out. I am looking forward to the next three months!

Lombard Street

2008-07-24T21:42:00.002-05:00

Life is often like Lombard Street is San Francisco. Lombard is the crookedest street in the world. It is steep, full of hairpin curves, and can even trap some vehicles as they attempt to descend it's crooked path.

Lombard has some of the finest Victorian homes in the city. Some time ago, the residents of Lombard Street completely changed the configuration of the road in front of their homes. They constructed it at their own expense to lessen the increasing number of vehicles that passed their homes bumper to bumper. The crooked road became so unique that it increased the amount of traffic and had just the opposite effect than what its designers had intended.

Life is like Lombard Street. Life is full of steep inclines, surprising curves, and runaway descents. We will run into a variety of obstacles along our journey in life and we have to navigate it, but without the Lord as our navigator, pilot, and everything else that is important, we can end up at the wrong destination.

Four years ago I began working in retail. For four years I've sold appliances at Best Buy and then The Home Depot. It has been a wonderful experience in so many ways. I've had the opportunity to observe people out in the world, where they are comfortable. It is a different view than from the pulpit, the walls of a church office, or even the cubicle of a hospital intensive care unit. I have had the opportunity to really listen to ordinary, everyday people. The experience has changed me, opened my eyes, and has made me a better minister.

About a year ago, First Baptist Church hired me to head up education, or as I would prefer to call it, discipleship. It has been a challenging year for me and yet, I have grown through it as well. We are a long way from making discipleship real in people's everyday world, but it will come.

Earlier this month I was asked to teach Bible in the Christian School that is part of the ministry of FBC. I will be teaching 4th, 5th, 6th, and Junior/Senior High. I am looking forward to this challenge, doing what I think I do best.

Today, I gave notice at The Home Depot. My last day there will be August 7 and New Teacher Orientation begins on August 18. I have a lot of work to do to get ready for the start of school on August 25. I've got to plan curriculum for each of these grades and write lesson plans. I'll have a "learning curve" there, but I've been through that a lot of times in my life. I've even got to send off for transcripts tomorrow. And I thought those days were over!

Life has been like Lombard Street for me the past four years (I guess we could say that all of life has its curves and we sometimes get stuck), but it feels like I've been in the middle of Lombard for these four years. That is not something that is bad...you just can't see the bottom, or a clear view of where you're going. God knew and I followed. What an education! God had me on course, within the parameters of His Will, even when I didn't understand. I am in awe of Him.

Maybe it is dark and you are on Lombard Street right now. Stop and look around. Get your bearings. Depend on your supernatural compass. When daybreak comes, you will know where you are! Life is a journey. It has a beginning, a huge middle, and a wonderful ending.

What Will 2008 Hold for You?

2008-07-20T22:25:00.003-05:00

I was watching television tonight and was slightly bored when I began thinking about 2008. Allow me to share a few of these thoughts with you.

2008 will be remembered for many things, but let me mention just a few:
$4.00+ a gallon gasoline
Escalating food prices
Airline Industry chaos
Massive foreclosures
Declining home values(that could have a double message)
Investment losses
Layoffs leading to higher unemployment

And this is just a few of the highlights...you could probably list even more. Just these few downturns can be devastating to many people. They can think their lives are over and life is not worth living. It can and has changed life for many as they have known it.

What if we can recognize some things irregardless of our circumstances?
1) What if we recognized that what the world gives is secondary to our happiness and has nothing to do with our joy?

2) What if we recognized that Jesus is with us despite the world's worst conditions and that He will sustain us?

3) What if we recognized the need for a changed life that would produce abundant Christian living and we make the change?

Then life really will be different and we will find ourselves on a plane above the world's values and aspirations. We would find what we didn't even realize that we were looking for.

We may never make the money we once did; we may live in a rent house, drive a used car, have no retirement account, but life would be abundant because our focus has changed.

What will you remember 2008 for five years from now? Will it be the world in terms of a recession, a bear market, losses we sustained and maybe never recovered from, or will it be the changed life that produced life that touched other lives??

There are five months left in 2008. Make them count!

Two Funerals In Last 24 Hours

2008-07-17T19:41:00.009-05:00

Dr. Michael DeBakey passed away at the age of 99 and his funeral was held today. They said Dr. DeBakey was the pioneer of medicine in the 20th century. He was a hero and changed the world!

We lost one of our family members yesterday at the age of 112. She had no impact on the world, but had a wonderful impact on our family. She changed the context of our world. We knew death was not too far around the corner. She lost her eyesight during the past year and was starting to get pretty frail. I just wasn't ready for her death yesterday.

Pixie Mathews came into our lives back in 1993 when we were living in Texas City. One of Patti's students offered her a puppy and Patti accepted it, much to the surprise of the rest of the family. Patti said she would never have a house dog and we all knew she was partial to cats. This addition to our home was a tremendous surprise.

Pixie was Pomeranian/Pekingese and the runt of the litter. She lived with us in six houses over a 15 and one-half year period of time. She became a family member and a "house" dog, I might add. The kids left home for college, got married, and started their own families, but Pixie remained and was one of the constants in all of our lives.

Pixie, like many dogs, loved us unconditionally and we loved her. It seems like any dog owner would have to learn about total acceptance from their dog. How could they not apply that to the acceptance and love God has for us. He sent His only Son to give His life for us. He paid the penalty for our sin. You can learn a lot from a dog, but it pales in comparison to how much God loves us. Dogs stay with us during all the ups and downs of life, but God even more so. They are faithful to the fullest extent of the word, but God is faithful beyond what we can even imagine.

When I came in from church last night, Patti said, "I think Pixie is dead." I was shocked at several levels, but it was not a 100% surprise either. There was no heart beat, the warmth had gone out of her body, rigor mortis was setting in, and when I looked into her wonderful eyes, no one was home. It was the look I had never seen in her. I was the one who bathed her from the time she was a pup. The life that I had held so many times was gone.

We both know that a dog does not have a soul, but Pixie had a spirit about her, a personality that is no longer with us. She loved to be in the back yard and feel the gentle breeze blow in her face. She would close her eyes and look like she was in total relaxation as the wind blew her hair. She thought she was a watch dog--her bark did get people's attention, but her 8# physique gave her away.

Today, there is a big hole in our lives and something missing in our home. When I look on the floor of our bedroom she is not there. When I shaved this morning, she was not looking at me like she did yesterday morning. When I cut the grass this weekend, she will not be in the backyard with me. She is not around in all the old familiar places. Patti says she doesn't want another animal...I understand...it's the grief of life.

Now, if we can love an animal like that and receive her love...how much more should we be able to love a human being that has a soul that Jesus died for?

2008-07-13T18:44:00.003-05:00

Sunday has got to be the best day of the week! Today was no exception.

I remember a year ago going to work on Sunday morning at The Home Depot and walking down the main aisle about 7:55 a.m., before the store officially opened. I wondered, "What in the world am I doing here on Sunday morning?" Then First Baptist Church Pearland gave me a part-time position leading discipleship and I've been where I belong the past year. This little walk down memory lane keeps life in perspective for me. Thanks for reading along.

I've got some good news. Miranda and Steve are expecting their second child next February. That will be our fourth grandchild in less than three years. I never imagined what it would be like to have four grandchildren that close together. Truth is, I never imagined four grandchildren period. God is so good (all the time)!

Changing the subject...our lawn is really growing. If I cut it on Saturday, it is really ready to cut again before the next Saturday. I heard that other people are experiencing the same thing. I am amazed at how green it is and how fast it grows. That is what grass is suppose to do. It is suppose to grow. If it is fertilized, watered, weeds removed, and disease prevented, anybody's grass will grow. Just like grass, you and I are suppose to grow as well. The Word of God enriches our lives. Life opportunities and the decisions that we make strengthen our lives. Living the Christian life gives us an opportunity to grow and if we grow, our lives will become healthy. We can't help but grow in our faith.

The next time you look at your lawn, or cut the grass, think of your own life.

Hiatus Is Over

2008-07-12T17:13:00.003-05:00

The "vacation" is over and I was suppose to be back on Journey of a Lifetime on June 23, but here it is July 12. I could not get back into a routine after we got back, but the hiatus is over.

Patti and I had a great time in San Francisco. We did the "tourist thing", but had a great time doing it. Yes, we rode the trolley cars, but found that the subway was the best way to travel in that city. We did a city-wide tour and spent several hours at Muir Woods. The National Park was absolutely awesome. Patti felt like it was the best part of the trip.

We went on an evening tour of Alcatraz. Left the dock about an hour and half before sunset and came back after dark. It was great, except, my audio became disconnected during the tour and I wandered without directions for about 30 of the 45 minutes audio tour. My family says that is typical "me"!

We celebrated our 33rd anniversary on a Dinner-Dance cruise around the Bay. It was beautiful. They served us a five-course dinner and the band played music from the 60's to the present. Yes, for those of you who know Patti well, we did the Twist, danced to some of the 60's music, and while we danced to "Pretty Woman" we sang the words with everybody else. It was fun.

We got home about 1:30 a.m. and decided to put everything up. I guess we got to bed about 2:30 or after and then I went to work at noon on that Monday. It has not slowed down since. Patti picked up her mother in Mobile and they arrived back on July 1. We had a fantastic Fourth of July and the celebration with our whole family is still going on. I've got a feeling that it will continue until Patti takes her mother back this coming weekend.

I am leading our discipleship emphases to start Alpha in September, as well as our second semester of Abundant Life University. We are in the process of enlisting participants for Alpha. We got our first one last week. Our goal is to have 20-25 by September 7. That may be a really healthy goal, but we will push for it. Also lining up teachers and courses for ALU. This July-August will be a hectic time of planning and making things happen. I 'll let you know in mid-August how it has turned out.

Have a wonderful weekend wherever you are and enjoy those closest to you.

Vacation In Progress

2008-06-16T17:06:00.002-05:00

I am on vacation. I have not been off since last Christmas, so this time off is great. The weekend has been wonderful. We celebrated Father's Day on Saturday and had four fathers present for the event. It was Steve's first time to celebrate it as a father. I cooked hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill and Patti made potluck potatoes and her bean dish to go with it. We ended the day with nine of us playing Balderdash.

This was the weekend of the U.S. Open and I think the first time it was shown in prime time. We watched it Saturday and Sunday night and then because I was on vacation, I got to see the play-off today. I guess that is the most golf that I've got to see in a long time. Miranda hung right in there with me.

Tomorrow morning Patti and I leave for San Francisco. I cut the grass yesterday in the middle of the afternoon when it was 99 degrees. Man, was it ever hot. I just kept taking breaks and drinking water. Today I completed all the final details for our trip. I am looking forward to getting away for a few days and leaving behind my weekly routine. I think we will enjoy every moment of being a tourist in and around San Francisco Bay! I have our tours lined up, but also plenty of free time to use as we are moved to do so.

I'll get back on here again starting Monday, June 23.

Summer Is Always Full of Surprises

2008-06-11T16:14:00.002-05:00

Once temperatures reach 95-100 degrees we wonder if summer is here to stay and that is usually the case. We enter the month of June and hear about the hurricane forecasts. If nine storms turn into hurricanes, what are the chances that one will hit the Texas coast? If we have not had a direct hit in a couple of decades, doesn't each passing year increase out odds? The weather is always a concern along the coast.

Television journalists tell us that not as many people will be traveling this summer. They are saying that gasoline could be over $5.00 a gallon by the 4th of July. That prospect should keep even more people at home. The surprise of this summer may not be storms, but the increasing cost of fuel.

We are preparing for our first Alpha Course which will be kicked-off on September 7. So, the rest of the summer will be spent getting us ready for it. We will also be offering our second Abundant Life University starting on the same day. That, too, will take many man-hours to roll out. I am excited about what I see on the horizon and a little nervous at the same time.

Next week Patti and I are leaving for San Francisco(I booked and paid for the trip long before jet fuel escalated). We are going to celebrate our 33rd wedding anniversary while we are out there. We will do all the tourist stops. In fact, I've already have a City Tour with Muir Woods included and a night tour of Alcatraz. I've got a few surprises up my sleeve, but I'll wait until I get back to share that with you. Remember, summer is always full of surprises.

I really am leading up to something. It doesn't really matter where you go this summer. You might even stay at home, but get out of the routine of everyday living. I usually work six days a week. I am looking forward to being out of that routine for about nine days. I will enjoy it one day at a time and I'll laugh as much as possible. My days of taking things so seriously dropped by the wayside about five years ago.

What about you? Are you living in Tomorrow Land, or are you really in the present? Are you so serious about life that it has you stressed out and your tongue stays chalky pink? I want to challenge you to get out of that rat race. If that is hard to understand, then maybe it does not pertain to you. Stop and smell the roses...look at the green grass...watch the birds...and see what is going on around you.

I hope your summer is full of good surprises!

Someone Is Missing in the Picture

2008-06-02T09:23:00.002-05:00

When you look at our family picture there are two people missing. One is Kallie Grace Mathews, our newest grandchild, who was born on March 25. The picture was taken just before her birth. Kallie is doing just great. Patti is taking care of her this week while Tiffany is finishing her school year.

The other missing person in the picture is Patti's mother, Nan. She will be celebrating her 83rd or 84th birthday on June 14 and then will be out here with us beginning July 1. Nan is the matriarch of our family on the east side of the Mississippi and Patti is the matriarch west of the Mississippi.

I have been a part of Nan's family since I was 29 years old, but she had an impact on me before I ever met her or her daughter. She was on the Nominating Committee of our mega church back in Mobile and she recommended me to teach a Sunday school class, which I did and continued to do until we left for seminary.

Nan is an extraordinary woman. She is, in all likelihood, the most extraordinary woman that I have ever met and she became my mother-in-law 33 years ago. Then she became like a mother to me, yet even more. Over the years I have been able to talk with Nan about anything. I can discuss ministry with her at any level and I know that she understands and will have something enlightening to say about it.

Nan has headed up the Visitor's Center at her church for more than 40 years. When I met her, she was contacting every visitor every Sunday afternoon. It took the whole afternoon to contact all of those people. She would write down volumes of info about each family and turn it in to the pastor and Music Director. As a result, the choir grew from about 50 to well over 200 during a short period of time and people joined in droves.

Patti and I left for seminary in January 1976. We were from a fast-growing Southern Baptist Church, but I felt like something was missing. We were all about evangelism, but there was something missing. I enrolled in seminary and it was all about evangelism. I latched onto Pastoral Care and knowing that it was missing in my church back home, I thought I found the missing link. That still wasn't it.

In late 1983 I accepted my first pastorate after serving three churches in other staff positions, including leading evangelism. I went to my first national church conference in January 1984. It was there that I discovered the world of discipleship. I went home to my church that probably average 100 and began discipling them. They followed and they grew.

Over the next four pastorates I expanded the concept of discipleship until it stood hand in hand with evangelism. How could it not? It was now in its rightful place, both in my mind and in the body of Christ.

Why did I tell you this and what does it have to do with Nan. It is all because of Nan. She taught me when I was still "green" about what people needed and how the church needed to get off its duff and do something that would change and mature spiritual lives. Nan has been like a mother and pastor-friend for the last four decades. She has been a fellow-struggler with me and unconditionally loved and accepted me all of these years.

Nan is coming to be with us for a couple of weeks. It will be holy ground around here, but Nan is as real as anybody that you have ever met. God made her that way and as a result, people listen. I can't thank her enough. Every time I come up with a new idea in discipleship, I can't help bu think of the impact she has had on my life. Thank you Lord!

A Weekend With Family

2008-06-01T17:11:00.002-05:00

I have not written anything in about three weeks and that seems like forever. I am back to working three complete shifts per week at The Home Depot on Monday, Thursday, and Friday. They had cut one of my days out for awhile, or gave me six hour shifts. So this has been an adjustment. I am still at the church on Tuesday, Wednesday, and of course, Sunday. Maybe I can get back in my groove again.

This was one of those wonderful weekends that we all experience from time to time. Patti and I had all three grandchildren on Friday night. Then Jared arrived, followed by Steve and Miranda, who spent the night with us. Sometime on Friday night we decided to go to the Zoo together on Saturday.

I had not been to the Houston Zoo in probably 15-20 years, or maybe even longer. I didn't know the place. It had changed that much. Reid, our two-year old, is really into pictures of animals in all of his books. He was just amazed at what he saw and could name every animal.

When we were in the Big Cat House, there was a lion asleep with his head right up against the glass. I had never seen a lion that up-close. It was interesting watching him breathe and just taking in his huge body and paws. Looking into his face was awesome. If it was that good looking into the face of a lion up close, think what it will be like to look into the face of God!

I guess one of my biggest fears is snakes, so I had to go into the snake house. Tiffany, our daughter-in-law didn't think much of the idea, but I had to go. I saw a South American Bushmaster, a Puff Adder (that kills more humans in Africa than any other snake), and many more that I can't think of right now. I just can't stand snakes, but you can see that I was drawn to them. Remember one thing as you're laughing...there was glass between me and the snakes!

After three hours we decided that we had all had enough and headed home. It was a great time for the whole family to be together. Jared made a comment. He said, "If you had told me ten years ago that I'd be married with two children and spending Saturday at the Zoo with the whole family, I would never have believed it!" Life is full of surprises and we had a great time together.

The day was not over. We cooked fajitas and topped it off with Banana Splits. It was a wild day.

My family is really understanding the importance of "family". I believe God gave us to each other. What a gift!! One month from now, Patti's mother is coming out from Alabama for a couple of weeks. The family will expand by one generation...won't that be great!

Take your family to another level and enjoy each moment with them. Life flys by. Learn to live one day at a time and teach them the same thing.

Home Depot...A Little Town

2008-05-14T10:11:00.002-05:00

The Home Depot is like a little town. My store is made up of about 120 people, plus managers. They are a microcosm of humanity. A vast majority of the "town" come and go, but I've realized that those who stay, really understand the world scene because they have had a multitude of life experiences. They understand people. They know what makes people tick. There is far more to them than the orange apron that they proudly wear.

I love and respect the people behind the orange aprons. They often come from different parts of the country, or outside our great nation. Some are married and others are single. Some have children and others do not. A certain percentage have another job, while others have had wonderful careers and are using their lifetime of skills to assist customers and fellow associates.

My manager's name is Glenda. She is a "thinker" and can make things happen. I have never gone to her with an idea that she did not listen enthusiastically. She makes you feel that you are the most important person in the world at that moment. I've watched her do the same thing with customers, who felt like they needed some TLC from the top. You know the type of personality I'm talking about. Glenda is a customer-centered manager and above all, a leader of people of the highest magnitude. She is an asset to our company and we are fortunate to be around her.

We work in a warehouse environment where merchandising is king. Over the years, the old concept of "stack it to the ceiling" or "grab and go" has gone by the wayside to a certain degree. Today, the public wants attention and individualized information. They want the customer to be the center of attention and they will find that somewhere. The typical "fix it yourself" consumer, the average "Joe", the average homeowner is waiting for us to catch on and create a "customer environment". The whole consumer world is waiting and yet we sit back operating the way we have always operated. The world is leaving us behind, even though everything on the surface looks good. If we don't change, we will die. We may be the Montgomery Ward of the early 21st century and just don't know it yet. One day it will catch up with us.

Now, what does Home Depot have to do with Discipleship and the church? Everything! The church, for decades now, has had the opportunity to minister to people because they just automatically came to church on Sunday. It was the thing to do in America. Yet, the world has changed over the past couple of decades and we have not changed with it. We still seem to do things the way they have been done for years. We don't see a reason to change our methods. We need to stop "stacking what we offer high", or offering "grab and go" Christianity and become seeker-sensitive, or customer centered. We need to plan differently. We need to determine the needs that are out there and design what will meet those needs. What if we don't? Then the "consumer" will go elsewhere, we won't have a chance at meeting their needs, and we may die.

I would take a dozen Glenda's right now and set the world on fire. She sees the big picture. She sees the minute steps that must be taken to get where you are going over the long haul. She sees deeply into people and responds to what she sees. She is in a league of her own at Home Depot. We need some folks who are in a league of their own in our churches.

Thank you Glenda for being a good role model for our young people at The Home Depot and for being a model for me that I can use to motivate people to be more than they ever thought possible.

Vision Is Paramount

2008-05-07T10:38:00.002-05:00

I went to the Eye Doctor the other day and they ran me through all the usual protocols before I even saw the doctor. Then the doctor did his examination and fitted me with a new prescription for contact lenses. Before I left the office, the doctor put some new contacts on my eyes and I could see!

When I got home I turned on the television while I was getting ready to go to work. I glanced at the screen and I could see the smallest print as clear as anything I had ever seen. I thought to myself, "What have I been missing?"

Vision is important to see where you are going. Without a good vision, you won't know what you are suppose to build. You will be like the person who wants to build a new house, but you don't have any blueprints. It is the same way in the area of discipleship. Without vision, you may want to put together something to grow people, but you won't know what it is.

Without vision, you will find it difficult to enlist people to help you with your dream. The best leaders that I've ever been around want to go after the best people available to make their vision become reality. The vision has to be shared with others and they have to buy into it. They have to believe in it as deeply as you do.

Without a blueprint, you will find it impossible to devise strategies to make it happen. Why? Because you don't know where you are going. How can you come up with ideas on how to get where you don't know you're going? You will, unfortunately, stay in a spinning circle that feels like gravitation is holding you in the same place. You're going no where.

How do you discover your vision? Sometimes God gives you the vision. God got Moses attention through a burning bush. Then God gave him a vision for His chosen people. Maybe God has put some kind of burning bush in your way and is just waiting to give you a vision of opportunity.

Nehemiah heard of a great need. He fasted and prayed. Then Nehemiah began to move toward the need. Maybe God is planting something in you right now and it is so bold and obvious that it cannot be ignored.

Maybe it is time to draw a mental picture of this vision that God is giving you. This mental image will become your vision. It will look like a series of pictures to you in your mind.
Are you trying to help others enter into a relationship with Christ? What does it look like? Or, are you seeing people be given an opportunity to become Christ-followers in their daily lives? What does that look like? Or, are you trying to comfort others who are going through crises mode? what does that look like to you? Or, are you trying to build Christian community? What does that look like to you?

Remember, vision must come first in order for you to know where you are going!

Celebration of Life

2008-05-01T17:51:00.003-05:00

In Rob Bell's book, Velvet Elvis, he asks a rather thought-provoking question. What did Jesus do almost as much as He taught and healed? Can you come up with the answer? Jesus eats long meals. He spends time around the table with people.

Then Bell asks another question. What ritual did the early Christians observe the most frequently? I'll bet you've got the answer to this one. The Lord's Supper. What did the meal consist of? Now, before I give you the answer, allow me to review a few things with you.

When you are part of a Seder Meal in your church, you re-live the Passover Meal. You eat what has been observed since the days of the Israelites in Egypt. You learn the meaning behind what you are eating. Have you noticed that there is usually an air of excitement? I remember being invited to share the Passover Meal at a Jewish synagogue many years ago. The thing that sticks in my mind the most was the anticipation, excitement, and hospitality of that group of people.

Now, what did the meal that Jesus ate with His disciples consist of? What does the same meal today consist of? Here's the answer: Hours of talking, sharing, and enjoying each other's presence. Rob Bell would say that the table is seen as an altar. It is holy. Time spent around the table with each other is time spent with God. It is a gift.

Sometime around 30 years ago, Patti and I began spending New Year's Eve with the Sawyer family in Mobile, Alabama. We would go over to the Sawyer home about 8:00 P.M. and sometimes we didn't get back to Patti's parents home until after 2:00 A.M. It was an evening of just being with each other, playing games, bringing in the new year, and having so much fun that we didn't want to stop even at 2:00 A.M.

As our children grew older and made new friends, they were invited too. We watched young people come and go during the years. We watched our own children mature, change, and take on new frontiers in life. Yet, the family dynamic between the Mathews and the Sawyers remained the same. This went on over a four decade period until life changes kept us all from being home on New Year's Eve.

The Sawyers will always be special to us. They are a gift from God. I taught Sunday School with Norvelle (the dad) in the same department back in the early 70's. We saw he and his wife when we were home at Christmas, but we couldn't stay around until New Year's Eve. I've heard from both daughters in the past 24 hours. I will never forget the time our families spent together and what that has meant to us over the years. Sometimes I fell asleep on the floor during some of those late games, but my family would say that I felt comfortable enough to do that with them. That time, over the years, with the Sawyers, will go down as some of the happiest times of my life.

Today, my family is having some of those special times in our home. One of these days we may invite others to join us. Who knows? But, history is repeating itself, but I learned to enjoy good friends at the Sawyers home. Maybe we can give someone that same chance here.

Rob Bell said, "Relax. Slow down. Quit having a purpose for everything. Eat more slowly and enjoy it more. Ask people how they are doing and mean it. Take more walks. You will get more done anyway."

What's On the Horizon?

2008-04-28T10:03:00.002-05:00

We have three grandchildren now. Reid, who is the oldest, just turned 2 years old. Kasen is within days of being six months old and Kallie is just over one month old. They were with us on Friday night and Saturday. We had a great time with them. I re observed one thing---they are totally dependent on who is taking care of their needs. They are totally self-centered, but what do you expect out of children who are two years old or less?

New believers are pretty much just like my grandchildren. They are self-centered because the world has taught them that. Since childhood they have built one foundation on another until there are layers of "self" that will not dissipate overnight. Like the way we train a child, we must help the new believer put self to death daily and begin living for Christ.

I spent about four hours yesterday designing a time line for three fall projects. It is scary, but crucial in meeting the needs of the seeker to the youngest Christian to the most mature child of God.

I will be spending the next four months planning and executing the framework for our first Alpha Course in September. It will require a significant number of committed people and lots of "behind the scenes" preparation. I believe that this new endeavor will be monumental for the church's future and our attempt to live out The Great Commission. I expect it to reach people that we would ordinarily never reach and infuse our people with a resolve to win people to Christ.

We will also be introducing our second semester of Abundant Life University in September. We will offer the courses that we think out people need the most and that will have the biggest impact on their lives at the present. Some courses may be four weeks and some may be 12-13 weeks, with others in between. We will devote whatever time frame is needed to cover the material. Again, this will take a number of committed folks, lots of planning, and effective execution. The pay-off is giving people an opportunity to mature in their faith over a period of time.

The Track for New Christians will also be rolled out. It will include six months of small group discipleship, which will include mentoring by more seasoned believers. The new believer will move through five small group opportunities, all the while being mentored by their original mentor with less and less mentorship. As the mentor lets go, the small group leader will take on more of the guidance. This program will require some commitment and dedication by those who desire to be a mentor, but the pay-off is rewarding for everyone.

At the end of the first six-month period, the person being mentored will have the opportunity to become part of a Life Track Bible Study designed just for them. At the end of the first year, we hope to incorporate these folks into the mainstream and encourage participation in the Abundant Life University and other discipleship vehicles that we will be offering.

Maybe 3-5 years later we will have helped some believers in putting death to self and rising in Christ-likeness. Pray for us that we will have the leadership to bring this to reality.

Move Over to the Right Lane

2008-04-20T17:15:00.002-05:00

My emphasis this month in discipleship is prayer. You know, talking with God. Sometimes we try to turn it into something else by speaking in a language that is foreign to ourselves. We talk to God in a language that is different than the one we speak everyday. It doesn't sound like us. It may sound manufactured with a vocabulary out of another point in time. God just wants us to talk with Him.

You say, "I would love to meet with the Lord every day and just talk with Him. I'd like to just share what is on my mind, what I am struggling with, and what my concerns are, but I never seem to have enough time. What can I do about the time factor?"

I think we have to slow down by moving into the "slow lane", you know, the lane on the right for the slower moving traffic. I guess you could either slow down, or change your lifestyle altogether.

Many people today are up by 6:00 A.M. and don't go to bed until midnight. That is an 18-hour day! Medical authorities tell us that we are "sleep deprived". We were once told that if we got at least 6 hours of sleep each night that we would be okay. Not true anymore. Now some leading researchers are saying that most people need 8 hours of good sleep each night for maximum efficiency.

If a person needs to get up at 6:00 A.M. in order to be at work on time, then it may mean going to bed by 10:00 P.M. What an adjustment!

Even with that kind of change, we would still need to use our time wisely in order to have time to pray. First, analyze how well you spend your time after getting up in the morning and before you actually walk out the door to leave for work. Maybe some of that time could be transferred to prayer time. Could one use half their lunch hour to eat and half of it to pray? Could one use their time more productively from the time they get home in the evening until they retire for the night? Could we readjust our self-imposed schedule to find 15-20 minutes to meet with God before we go to bed?

Taking my own advice, allow me to show you what I'm going to do with tomorrow's schedule. I will get up at about 6:10 and leave for the gym around 6:30 when Patti leaves for school. I'll have a workout from 7:00-8:00 and then head home. About 8:30 the house will be quiet and I'm going back to my office to spend some time alone with the Lord. Then I will shave and shower and I've got an Eye Doctor appointment. I may go straight to work depending on how long I have to wait at the doctor's office. Whatever the case, I'll get the important matters taken care of as top priorities.

You say, "That's great for someone who goes into work later in the day, but what about those who arrive at work at 8:00, or even before?" That happens to me on Tuesday and Wednesday. Here's what I am going to do. I really enjoy watching the news in the morning before I leave for work. I'm going to cut that time in half and spend the other half with the Lord.

You just have to find a way to be creative with your own personal schedule sometime between sunrise and the time you turn in at night. Will it be difficult to add something to an already crowded personal schedule. You bet it will! But, we seem to find time somewhere to do the things we really want to do. Good luck in the slow lane.

Preaching Tonight

2008-04-16T09:06:00.002-05:00

We are in the midst of a Prayer emphasis during the month of April. People are signing up for an eight-day Prayer Clock, I just came from a Wednesday Prayer Breakfast, we had a Half Day in Prayer, and our people are using a Prayer Calendar during this entire month.

The intent of this Prayer emphasis is to get us ready to install the Alpha Course in September. We are trying to spiritually get ready to build relationships during May and June, before we begin inviting people in July and the early part of August.

Tonight I will be preaching in the place of our Senior Pastor who is in Israel. You guessed it...I'm going to be preaching about Prayer. The message will come from Colossians 4:2-3 where Paul is telling the church at Colosse to "Devote yourselves to prayer". That is exactly what we have to do.

If you think about it tonight, pray for me anytime between 6:30 and 7:30, or pray for me as I finish my preparation this afternoon. I would appreciate it.

Have a great day!

Time Is of the Essence

2008-04-14T10:02:00.003-05:00

Thom S. Rainer writes the following in his book High Expectations:

"Can you imagine Luke adding a sentence or two to his account of the early church in the Book of Acts? Perhaps the words would say, 'And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. But within two years, 6o percent of those saved were no longer active in the church.'"

We could never imagine Luke adding that kind of comment, but we accept that kind of thinking today in the 21st century. We accept the fact that only 40 percent of our church members are in attendance on a given Sunday. When some of our newest members disappear, we look around and say, "Where did they go?" That's about as far as we go.

The importance of assimilating and discipling the new believer cannot be overemphasized. The churches across America that do the best job are assimilating these folks into the body of Christ and beginning the discipleship process of maturing them in their faith immediately. The process should optimally begin within 24 hours of their decision, but at least no later than the first week.

Most churches leave the assimilation/discipleship process up to the Sunday School, or the Sunday morning Bible Study structure. The Sunday School has provided such a climate over the decades when teaching, fellowship, and outreach were paramount and just part of breathing for this wonderful instrument. Today, are we providing good fellowship times, a nurturing influence, an opportunity to build relationships, and an avenue to understand what the church is attempting to do? At one time this was being done without a lot of conscious thinking. Maybe it disappeared with the typewriter.

I have discovered that only four out of 10 churches have some kind of system in place to help people discover their spiritual gifts. That 40 percent can seem huge when you are in a church that has no opportunity in place, but it should be unacceptable.

I have also discovered that only 25 percent of churches offer One-to-One Mentoring. If only 25 percent offer mentoring, how many do you think offer mentoring and a full-range Discipleship Program? Or, how many offer a full discipleship emphasis and mentoring as part of that total program?

We are presently rolling out a multi-faceted discipleship program that will take us until the end of 2009 to unroll the whole concept. As part of the whole program, we will be offering a mentoring beginning this summer/fall. The idea is to have a mentor assigned to every new believer the day they make a profession of faith. The mentor will follow that new believer in one-to one mentoring for about six months. Then the new believer will be able to take part in an on-going study designed just for them, or enter the mainstream discipleship program with the rest of the church. There will be redesigning until we get it right for the new believer.

What will be a key ingredient in making this work for the good of the new believer? Expectations are going to have to be set early on so the new believer will see the over-all gain from such an experience. Our people who assist in this needed ministry will also have to see the same thing from a mentor standpoint. In other words, everybody involved will need to be on board!

I'll keep you posted on how this whole thing develops. Remember, time is of the essence for the new believer. We have a certain time frame to capture the life of this person and then it will vaporize into thin air. It can be done and must be done for the sake of this new creature in Christ.

Who Will Throw Down Their Stones?

2008-04-10T15:57:00.004-05:00

I just read today's post on Mark Batterson's blog and it saddened me. Mark is the pastor of the National Community Church in Washington, D.C. and one of the most sought-after speakers in our country. He recently published the book, In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day, which is being studied in churches all across America. Mark is a man of impeccable character, sound in doctrine, and wise beyond his years.

Mark has been attacked because of a book that was on his recommended reading list on his blog. He was called an apostate evangelist. Now I don't know what the book was, but I know that if Mark had it on his list, it had to contain something that would lead us to really think about what we believe. Mark chose not to defend himself. In other words, this was one of those battles that you choose not to fight. There are more important things to do.

One of the people who left a comment wrote the following: "I think there are apologists our there that work more like lawyers than doctors. Let me explain. Doctors see a weakness in your body and then offer you help to get healthy. A lawyer sees your weaknesses and argues with you to strengthen his position. I prefer being a doctor."

I have also run into "wanna-be" apologists. They want to destroy the ministry of another person by using the rational that they are protecting the innocent. Many of these wanna-be's don't even have their information correct because they are getting it from another wanna-be. They seem to be blind and so bent on wanting to be right that they speak and write as if they are wearing blinders. The worst outcome of their attack is not the possible destruction of their targeted person, as bad as that might be, but the spill-over effect to multiple people they are attempting to protect. As you can tell, I have no place for wanna-be apologists.

Batterson closed out his post by asking if we could put down our stones. We have stoned folks as these innocent people watch, or as Mark Batterson says, "...as the world watches." He wonders how we can reach people who need Christ while we are stoning others. What an awesome thought!

The intent of this post was not to try and protect Mark Batterson. I'll let God do that, but we are seeing good men being attacked all over America by internet apologists who are trying to gather a following. It makes me sick. If some folks pick up some stones around you, remember this post, and don't join in. Go home and pray. You don't look good with a stone in your hand!

Are You Living for the Moment or for Eternity?

2008-04-05T09:39:00.004-05:00

The weather was great at the Shell Houston Open yesterday, at least while we were there it was beautiful. We were leaving the course when the tournament officials suspended play for a little over two hours. We were on the course from 8-2 and it was great.

We met the Brooks in the parking lot and shuttled over to the course together. It was wonderful being with them again and enjoying something together that we really love. I lost my voice on Thursday, so I was not a great conversationalist, but I tried. One time, while we were eating lunch, Jared looked at me and said, "Dad, you don't have to try to talk." So the three of them talked for me and all three can talk!

When "Lefty" came to the 18th green we were 30-40 feet from the hole. Phil did not play the hole very well and came away with a bogey, but talk about a front row seat. Then we followed another golfer for seven holes. When he approached the opening tee box, I was shocked. His face was bloated, he had put on some extra pounds, and pretty much looked like he had difficulty getting around. He would continually lean against the golf bag for seemingly support. He has been and is one of the crowd pleasers. The second largest crowd on the course followed him.

I did watch this golfer put his tee shot on the green of a short par 4 hole. His playing partners did not make it. He missed a long putt, but nailed the next one for a birdie. I'd like to remember that hole than anything else that I saw in him.

The golfer's life off the course is well known by golf enthusiasts. Jared said he had an idea for my blog, "Are You Living for the Moment, or for Eternity?" I think this golfer has lived in the fast lane for years, but has now switched to a lane for slower traffic, yet still living some of the same life style habits. I wanted to keep following him because I thought it might be the last time that I would get to see him play. One of the big surprises for me was that he had very little to do with the gallery and that is 180 degrees from the golfer I've watched in previous years.

Sometimes people around us seem to be living life for the moment. I guess there are times when someone could even say that about you. Are you living life for the moment? Do you want what the world has to offer so badly that it appears that all you are interested in is what life can give you right now?

Some folks are not living for the moment, but living life for eternity. They know that we are just sojourners on this planet earth for 60-85 years and then we become a passing memory. What counts is what we do with our lives that affects the Kingdom of God. Is everything for me? Or, am I interested in the spiritual well-being of those around me? Am I living for Christ daily, or am I living for self day in and day out?

I doubt if I will ever forget the look on the golfer's face that I watched for seven holes. There seemed to be something missing that was there the last time I saw him up close. I wonder what people could say about you and me.

Just a thought...

What's Special About This Weekend??

2008-04-03T09:47:00.004-05:00

I have the day off tomorrow at Home Depot. Jared has also taken the day off. Now, what would two guys do on Friday, April 4 in Houston, Texas? You're right. We are going to the Shell Houston Open with our long-time friends Gary and Patti Brooks.

It will be so good to be with Gary and Patti again. We had many good times together as families back in Tomball in the 90's. We have known each other now for about 13 years. They are the kind of people that you can just hang out with and be yourself. They have a way of looking at life that you don't get hung up on an awful moment, you just enjoy the best of the moment. They also have a great sense of humor.

Wouldn't you know it? There is a 60% chance of rain on Friday. They said on the weather this morning that the tournament would be lucky to get in some holes. That doesn't sound so good. But, that is the kind of thing that happens to me. Now Saturday is suppose to be a pretty day. Anyway, I'm looking forward to doing something and part of that will be celebrating Jared's birthday with him that was really on March 31.

I am actually a pretty fortunate guy. I never work more than two days in a row at either of my jobs, although I work six days a week. You say, "How can that be?" I am usually scheduled at The Home Depot on Mondays; Tuesday and Wednesday I'm at the church office; Thursday and Friday back at Home Depot; off Saturday; and back at church on Sunday. My schedule really breaks up the week as you can see.

I have a good friend who is the Pastor of Discipleship at the National Community Church in Washington, D.C. I think she is one of the foremost authorities on Small Groups and discipleship in the country. She has been asked to speak at the Group Life Conference at Willow Creek Community Church October 16-18. A few weeks ago Patti asked me if I planned to attend the Conference and I said, "How can I miss it?" Yesterday I asked my right-hand man at the church to go with me. Now all I have to do is come up with the funding for us.

Some of you may remember my writings about the Sawyer-Mathews football games in Mobile whenever we were home. Our kids were Jr. high, high school and college during that era of the famous football games. Heather, the girl I'm talking about was always on her dad's team and always a competitor. I've know her since she was born and I'm proud of her. I couldn't stay away from Chicago in October if my life depended on it.

I'll let you know how Friday turns out in my next post.

Preparation Is All Important

2008-04-01T22:09:00.002-05:00

The Major League Baseball season is underway. Houston got shut out 4-0. Not such a great way to start the season, but it now in progress and there is nothing the Astros can do about it, except start a win streak.

The pre-season started months ago as the players conditioning took on a serious tone. Then Spring Training began and with it the exhibition season. Each week took the players to a new level in their preparation for the 2008 season.

We are introducing the Alpha Course in our church in September, but first some preparation needs to take place. We need to bring our people on board and it needs to be done in a systematic manner that will produce the outcome that is needed. We are going thru a "Spring Training" of our own.

Last month we educated as many people as possible with what Alpha was all about and why we would bring it to FBC Pearland. This month will be a month of prayer. We passed out a prayer calendar to be used during April. There will be prayer breakfasts, a Half Day in Prayer, a message on prayer, and a Player Clock to end the month. We should be prayed up by April 30.

In May and June we will educate our people on building relationships and then ask them to start building relationships with friends, family members, and work associates. This will be our "Exhibition Season" if you will. Then in July we will "throw out the first pitch and ask our people to invite someone that they built a relationship with to attend our first Alpha Course. In August we will contact each of these people and send them a formal invitation.

The Alpha Course will begin for us the week of September 7, but as you can see, preparation began in March. We wanted our members to know as much about this endeavor as possible and then we wanted them to get involved. Preparation and involvement--these are the keys. I hope we can reach 25 men and women who may be searching and not even know what they are looking for at this point.

Pray for us and I'll keep you posted.

Neo-Natal ICU for New Believers

2008-03-31T09:48:00.002-05:00

I taught my first Sunday morning Bible study 36 years ago. I've been leading small groups for more than 20 years. Yesterday I started a new small group and something happened that I've not experienced in all of those 20+ years. No one showed up. Now that was a strange feeling. This morning I realize that I've learned things from yesterday's experience that would rank right up there with some of the best things I've learned over the years.

It has solidified in my brain that new believers are a different kind of breed. They need special handling. An invitation will not necessarily get them to attend. A face to face invitation may not get them to commit, but it is moving in the right direction. It seems to me that maybe they need a large group experience of explaining what one is trying to do and then a follow-up, more personal approach. I will have to chew on that for a while. Share anything you can with me.

Then I learned that maybe I can't do everything by myself. I think I knew that, but was trying to do it anyway. To build the kind of structure that I'm trying to put into place is not a solo event. It is probably going to require a steering group and volunteers at every major level. When you consider that I'm trying to put it into place working part-time, I must be out of my mind, or just plain need help.

What I've described was an eye-opener to me. I'm not sure I ever wanted to do it all by myself anyway, but yesterday solidified that for me. It was a defeat and yet a giant win if I can revamp my organizational structure and fill slots to make it all happen. I don't think there is any other choice for it to ultimately be a success. Thank you Lord for removing the cataracts from my eyes.

Last week my granddaughter was born. They put her in the nursery, under constant care and observation for the first four hours. They say that this four-hour period is the most critical for newborns. Then they brought her to her mother and she began feeding right away. The bonding experience began, or should I say, continued to a new level. Now that baby will need a mother's constant care for weeks to come.

The physical birth of a baby is a beautiful picture of the birth of a new believer. They need constant care and observation. I'm beginning to believe that it may be four weeks, rather than the first four hours. Mike, you mean that a new believer needs more care than a newborn baby? No, but you take a newborn baby home with you. A believer returns to their previous environment. This idea has solidified in my brain, heart, and spirit.

One last thing for today. A human baby is in trouble if a mother and daddy do not bond with that baby from the beginning. There is a time period when that bonding has to take place. The same thing happens with a new believer. They profess their faith in Christ. They follow Jesus in baptism and join the community of believers. What happens if bonding does not take place? The new believer begins to pull away, looks for it elsewhere, and often disappears in a matter of weeks.

With what I have learned over the past week and in particular over the weekend, I am determined to set in motion whatever it takes to care for the newborn child of God.

Is Change Like Castor Oil?

2008-03-29T11:03:00.003-05:00

About a lifetime ago, back in the early 80's, God called me to a specific ministry. I grunted, moaned, kicked my feet, and went into a childlike tantrum over several months. Some are called to preach, others to teach, some to provide pastoral care like no one else, but I was called to be a "Change Agent".

I can't remember when I heard the term Change Agent for the first time, but it was after God called me to do the work. I knew who I was, whom I belonged to, but not that I was called anything in particular. When a tag was put on what I do, I knew that was me. I remember saying to myself, "Is that what I'm called?"

Change Agents can be scary people. We define what is going on, devise a plan to improve it, and then set about implementing the plan over a period of time. It usually involves change and most of us do not like anything about our lives messed with, or changed.

I began reading a book about five years ago. It was entitled How To Change Your Church (without killing it) by Alan Nelson and Gene Appel. Little did I know how much my life would change in the next 30 days. I got as far as page 130 of the 329 page book. I think I will start reading it again.

Change means to cause to turn or pass from one state to another; to vary in form or essence; to alter or make different.

The authors of How To Change Your Church tell us that pure status quo is a myth. If everything around us is changing, even when we think we are staying the same; as people evolve, we may no longer be in tune with them and are likewise changing in a way that might be more difficult to reach them.

On my birthday the other day, my pastor gave me a printout of what took place on my day of birth. I'm sure you have seen some of these. Allow me to show you some 1945 prices:
Bread: $0.09/loaf Milk: $0.62/gal.
Eggs: $0.64/doz. Gas: $0.21/gal.
Car: $1,250 House: $10,131
Stamp: $0.03/ea. Average Income: $2,807/yr.
Minimum Wage: $0.40/hr. DOW Average: 193

I think you would agree that there have been substantial changes during our lifetimes. I remember paying around $0.21/gal for gasoline while I was in college and during gas wars it even got less. I remember paying about $2,800 for my first new car in 1972. I remember paying $18,000 for the first new home that I built around the same time. Obviously massive
changes took place following the mid 70's.

I remember back in the late 80's that there seemed to be a new trend taking place in church music around the country. There was an emerging movement toward contemporary Christian music and away from the old gospel hymns. Now, just stating this trend opens up a whole can of worms, but my point is that some people thought it would never come to their church. It is one area of change that they could never visualize. By the 90's change was on the horizon, if not taking over like a tsunami and by 2000 music had really changed.

Nelson and Appel tell us that "All churches either change to continue prevailing or they change by becoming irrelevant to people and eventually disappear."

The Barna Research Group has revealed a staggering fact: "Most people who come to Christ in American churches leave within the first eight weeks." This is one of the most startling facts that you will probably read this week. Barna goes on to say, "The faith of most people in the United States who claim to be Christians is shallow and not very significant in terms of impacting their behaviors." Now imagine, if long-term Christians have a shallow faith over-all, what kind of shape is that new believer in? I think he is ready to dig, if we will give him the tools!

Lots of life-change has gone on. Where we live is not the same as it was even 25 years ago. Yet, the people around us have the same needs. They need Christ and they need to be discipled. Isn't it time that we change clothes and do something different than what we've been doing? It hasn't worked has it? Obviously NOT.

Our methodology needs to change in 2008, but the gospel never needs to be compromised. If we can deal and struggle with that, then maybe we can get out of our comfortable cubicles and really change lives for the sake of Christ.

Do You Expect Service?

2008-03-28T14:07:00.002-05:00

I returned a Home Theater System to one of the major Big Box stores around the end of January for warranty repair. I was informed that they don't do the repair work. It would have to be sent back to the manufacturer. I was not a "happy camper".

I contacted the manufacturer and was told that I would absorb the shipping to them and they would pay for shipping back to me. How nice...what a deal! So I spent $31.51 to send it back. The manufacturer received the shipment on February 8 and I was told to expect a 7-14 day turnaround. Not in this lifetime. After several e-mails asking for a status report and no response, I called them. Now they offer me an exchange and they will send the offer in 48-72 hours. I would then need to accept it, or reject the offer. Not on planet earth.

Today I called back and explained all the details. They looked me up and guess what? The new unit is on its way and is scheduled to arrive Tuesday. Now, do I believe this? Not today...maybe next Tuesday. Was this good customer service? Not from my perspective, but maybe too many businesses are just like this. Will I do business with the local retailer again? Not even when they have a closeout sale this year. I've been reading that they are just about to go under.

I really believe in good customer service. When someone trusts one enough to make a decision to make a purchase, I think that we had better come through. It is true in business and it is true in our spiritual lives. Let me explain.

You build a relationship with a person. Trust develops between the two of you. You introduce Christ to them. The person trusts your judgment and then trusts in Jesus Christ. They are baptized and brought into the church, the community of saints. How many churches provide warranty service to them? All parts and all labor. What do you mean?

Do we tell that precious new believer that this is just the beginning? Do we inform them that there is more after the beginning? Or, do we infer that you can now dive right in, there are really no expectations for you, and you are part of the "club" now...pay your dues and do what you please? Not unless we want the "spiritual consumer" to start shopping somewhere else. If we do, they will all of a sudden disappear and we will wonder what happened.

By mid-year I hope to roll out a Life Track for New Believers at FBCP. Each new believer will be discipled One-on-One for the first 30 days. Then they will have the opportunity to attend two back to back basic courses and then join a small group tailored just for their needs for about 12 weeks. After these courses are completed, we will have developed a Sunday morning study just for them. This latter study will transition them to the mainstream Abundant Life University and other discipleship offerings for the entire church. But, they will have been discipled and protected for about six months before being thrown into the community to learn a variety of behaviors.

Why would we offer such a track? I have watched people for over thirty years enter the church and not receive the guidance they needed. Many were new believers who may have had a spiritual IQ of 50. Others were so-called Christians who had never grown spiritually and would probably disappear inside 90-180 days. Still others were a little more spiritually mature, but were headed for disappointment if they repeated the same old patterns.

I believe in this so strongly because it will guarantee these new believers that they will be under a spiritual warranty program for at least 6 months and the church is dedicated to taking care of them at this important junction in their lives. They will not get lost in the shuffle because mentors will be looking after them. When they need attention, they will get it.

I'll keep you posted on how this develops and the impact it has on the lives of new believers. Does God expect us to provide the best "service" possible? You bet He does!