I love it when the first cold front blows thru in September and the temperature drops 30 degrees. It means the Summer season is over and the fall time is here.
I also love it when I look up at night and no longer see Scorpio’s tail in the heavens but Orion’s belt and sword in the east. It means the season has changed and winter is here. Just about the time my Wisteria begins to bloom, I tend to catch a giant V of Geese headed back north to Canada. And it is so much fun to sit down in my chair in the back yard, watch the sun go down and hear the locusts and crickets fire up for the first time. There is hope in seasonal changes.
God is the designer of times and seasons. He made sure that people can separate in their mind the difference between childhood and young adult life. He wants things to be different for us in our strong thirties than it is in our mellow seventies.
For the person who hates the hard work of summer, there is always the harvest of Fall. I love how God has such a value for Hope.
Today you find me at the end of a season. For the past seven years I have faithfully and joyfully hammered out my thoughts and theology in this column. I am hanging up my newspaper column hat today.
THE REASON FOR THE SEASON
Nothing negative what soever provokes me to make this change. Seeing my writings in newspapers everywhere has been a dream come true for me.
It’s just that at 44, I do not find things slowing down but much much busier. My recent move to Down Town Joshua and our incredible church growth has me stepping and fetching in a way like I never anticipated. My life has changed and so has my ability to meet another deadline.
I am about to start a school to train up people in ministry and once things settle down at Open Door, I will spend several days a month in foreign countries training Pastors and working on my orphanages. My Calendar of conference speaking is filling up and as grateful as I am to the Lord for that opportunity, I know it means saying good by to my love of writing this column.
I will still write it from time to time but I just can’t promise to keep a deadline anymore and my editors deserve better than that. So I don’t want to be like Bret Farve, I want to be like Michael Jordan and leave the game while people are still very happy with what I do.
Saying Good Bye
Just a moment ago My brother-in-law, Lonnie Applegate called me and said that my good friend John Smith is living his last day in a hospital in Ft Worth. John and I played in the same band, The Midnight Riders, as kids. we actually provided all the music for the Joshua Centennial, back in the day. Apparently John has suffered some kind of diabetic stroke and today his family has painfully and prayerfully decided to pull the plug on John’s machine.
I expect the next time I see him, he will be happy and young and funny like he was when he was a kid. I look forward to that and as I type this out I pray that John’s last moment in Texas will be peaceful and full of God’s presence. Its the end of a season for my friend John and the beginning of a new one.
I have to go guys. My daughter finished high school early and today, not unlike my friend John, is the day she graduates. Her older sister also graduated early from Burleson High and Rhema is walking the stage at TEAM school in Cleburne today. It is a time of celebrating what we have done and moving on to the next big thing.
Blessings and peace and a really fun life be yours in Jesus Christ.
Troy A Brewer
www.opendoorexperience.com
Showing posts with label Pastor Troy Brewer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pastor Troy Brewer. Show all posts
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
A WIMP FREE CHRISTMAS
Fear and Loathing in Las-Christmas
As a Church leader I am happy about the opportunity to use the Christmas season and the culture to reach people with the Good news that Christ was born. But truth be told, as an average guy I feel the same kind of feeling right before Christmas that I do right after a chili cook-off. Not that I hate Christmas, I love Christmas, I just hate my inability to do so much of the Christmas thing right.
For instance, I am fearful of phrases like, “Some assembly required.” As far as I am concerned, in most cases, you might as well have placed that sticker on a Jarvis mechanical heart. I know I’m not alone in this. The outside sound of slamming car doors sends terror into many hearts and signals the annual migration of the dysfunctional family members. People you can’t believe are in your same gene pool and proof that in some cases, cousins still kiss.
If there is anything I know about Christmas , it is that Christmas is not for wimps. Its always been like that.
Holi-daze
Two thousand years ago, a young girl had to tell her fiancée that she was pregnant, it wasn’t his child but not to worry because it was a “God thing”. From there things went rapidly down hill for Mary setting the first precedent that Christmas season would be marked with emotional trauma.
Nine months later she found her self seventy miles south in the middle eastern version of the Mardi Gras. Bethlehem was over ran with lots of stressed out people that didn’t want to be there. The houses were packed, the hotels overbooked and the traffic was horrendous. Sounds a lot like today, doesn’t it? From the very beginning Christmas has not been for the faint of heart.
Manger Danger
When you consider all the mess and stress that goes with Christmas time you might be tempted to wonder if the hassle is even worth it. That is until you catch a glimpse of the child whose birth splits time from BC to AD.
I know that Christ-o-phobes would love to haul baby Jesus off like the Lindbergh kidnapper but you cant take Christ out of Christmas When you do all you have is a big mas. For those of us who are silly enough to believe in the biblical version, Christmas time is the point on our calendars where we remind ourselves God has done what none of the rest of us could have. More than that, He did it for us.
Mission Impossible
When none other than Gabriel himself was sent on the special mission to announce the birth of Jesus. He said a whole lot of things to little Mary but one phrase stands out that makes Christmas worth shouting about “With God nothing shall be impossible.”
What couldn’t be pulled off had been pulled off. What couldn’t be made right had been made right. That which was impossible became tangible reality and it has been that way ever since.
Because Christ is born in my life, I can say what used to be impossible is no longer impossible. What couldnt be made right can be made right in an instant. Every Christian on the planet has the capacity to live life with constant awareness that nothing is impossible. All that started in an overlooked stable a few miles south of Jerusalem nearly two thousands years ago.
Tough enough for Christmas
So when you start to stress out I encourage you to know that it has always taken true grit to celebrate the impossible birth that hits home with us today. May you be blessed in spite of what is against you and because Christ is born, really believe that these are the days where anything is possible.
On behalf of the Brewer family and the congregation of Open Door Church, we wish you a very merry and wimp free Christmas Season.
www.opendoorexpereince.com
As a Church leader I am happy about the opportunity to use the Christmas season and the culture to reach people with the Good news that Christ was born. But truth be told, as an average guy I feel the same kind of feeling right before Christmas that I do right after a chili cook-off. Not that I hate Christmas, I love Christmas, I just hate my inability to do so much of the Christmas thing right.
For instance, I am fearful of phrases like, “Some assembly required.” As far as I am concerned, in most cases, you might as well have placed that sticker on a Jarvis mechanical heart. I know I’m not alone in this. The outside sound of slamming car doors sends terror into many hearts and signals the annual migration of the dysfunctional family members. People you can’t believe are in your same gene pool and proof that in some cases, cousins still kiss.
If there is anything I know about Christmas , it is that Christmas is not for wimps. Its always been like that.
Holi-daze
Two thousand years ago, a young girl had to tell her fiancée that she was pregnant, it wasn’t his child but not to worry because it was a “God thing”. From there things went rapidly down hill for Mary setting the first precedent that Christmas season would be marked with emotional trauma.
Nine months later she found her self seventy miles south in the middle eastern version of the Mardi Gras. Bethlehem was over ran with lots of stressed out people that didn’t want to be there. The houses were packed, the hotels overbooked and the traffic was horrendous. Sounds a lot like today, doesn’t it? From the very beginning Christmas has not been for the faint of heart.
Manger Danger
When you consider all the mess and stress that goes with Christmas time you might be tempted to wonder if the hassle is even worth it. That is until you catch a glimpse of the child whose birth splits time from BC to AD.
I know that Christ-o-phobes would love to haul baby Jesus off like the Lindbergh kidnapper but you cant take Christ out of Christmas When you do all you have is a big mas. For those of us who are silly enough to believe in the biblical version, Christmas time is the point on our calendars where we remind ourselves God has done what none of the rest of us could have. More than that, He did it for us.
Mission Impossible
When none other than Gabriel himself was sent on the special mission to announce the birth of Jesus. He said a whole lot of things to little Mary but one phrase stands out that makes Christmas worth shouting about “With God nothing shall be impossible.”
What couldn’t be pulled off had been pulled off. What couldn’t be made right had been made right. That which was impossible became tangible reality and it has been that way ever since.
Because Christ is born in my life, I can say what used to be impossible is no longer impossible. What couldnt be made right can be made right in an instant. Every Christian on the planet has the capacity to live life with constant awareness that nothing is impossible. All that started in an overlooked stable a few miles south of Jerusalem nearly two thousands years ago.
Tough enough for Christmas
So when you start to stress out I encourage you to know that it has always taken true grit to celebrate the impossible birth that hits home with us today. May you be blessed in spite of what is against you and because Christ is born, really believe that these are the days where anything is possible.
On behalf of the Brewer family and the congregation of Open Door Church, we wish you a very merry and wimp free Christmas Season.
www.opendoorexpereince.com
Friday, November 26, 2010
GET CONNECTED
This last week was Thanksgiving and for all my family, its not just a time to eat but a time to laugh. My sisters and brother sat at the table and played a game called Left-Center-Right with all of the in laws. It’s a dice game where literally anybody can end up with the prize at the end. As we laughed and made outrageous noises at each roll of the dice, I caught a glimpse of my mother and grandmother. They were sitting there quietly smiling and watching those of us at the table enjoy each other like only we can.
My mom is in her sixties, my grandmother in her eighties and all of us kids are in our forties now. I’m not sure how Mom and Nana thought our family would turn out but I think that one scene in mama’s house on Thanksgiving day was as much of a success story as any mama or grand mama can ever hope for. -They have kids that love each other.
This, in fact, is actually a picture of heaven. Everything in the Kingdom of Heaven is first about family and everything is relational. I think a lot of us bible thumpers have caused a lot of good people to miss the point of how it all works. Everything in the Kingdom is in relationship with the King or else it aint in the kingdom at all.
God is absolutely over the top about being a Father first and restoring his family so we can all sit at the same table.
I am not saying there will be a dice game, but the picture of success that He has as a Father is that same picture of success I described of my Mother and Grand mother.
When you really believe that everything in the Kingdom is first relational, you begin to come to some off the wall conclusions about how things work. Things like: God Values restoration over punishment. ( Turns out, he’s not Zeus, He’s Jesus. Who knew?)
God would rather call you family than call you a servant. ( yeah, it turns out he made angels to be servants and you and I to be Kings and priests and live in His house as family. Help me get the word out about that.)
God doesn’t move through a good church service He moves through good relationships in a church service. ( Believe it or not He wasn't faking when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane that we would become one even as the father and Him are one. That’s a big shocker since most of us in the body of Christ think we are supposed to be the bloods and the crips. )
The great commandment is not the great commission which is to reach the world, the great commandment is found in Matthew 22:37 which says, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
All of this kind of stuff gets you into big trouble because it means we actually have to love each other. I think most of us would rather have our knees drained than actually be held responsible for loving the people around us. We love John 3:16 which is all about how God loves us but very few of us want to quote 1st John 3:16.
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
1st John 3:16
www.freshfromthebrewer.com
www.opendoorexperience.com
My mom is in her sixties, my grandmother in her eighties and all of us kids are in our forties now. I’m not sure how Mom and Nana thought our family would turn out but I think that one scene in mama’s house on Thanksgiving day was as much of a success story as any mama or grand mama can ever hope for. -They have kids that love each other.
This, in fact, is actually a picture of heaven. Everything in the Kingdom of Heaven is first about family and everything is relational. I think a lot of us bible thumpers have caused a lot of good people to miss the point of how it all works. Everything in the Kingdom is in relationship with the King or else it aint in the kingdom at all.
God is absolutely over the top about being a Father first and restoring his family so we can all sit at the same table.
I am not saying there will be a dice game, but the picture of success that He has as a Father is that same picture of success I described of my Mother and Grand mother.
When you really believe that everything in the Kingdom is first relational, you begin to come to some off the wall conclusions about how things work. Things like: God Values restoration over punishment. ( Turns out, he’s not Zeus, He’s Jesus. Who knew?)
God would rather call you family than call you a servant. ( yeah, it turns out he made angels to be servants and you and I to be Kings and priests and live in His house as family. Help me get the word out about that.)
God doesn’t move through a good church service He moves through good relationships in a church service. ( Believe it or not He wasn't faking when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane that we would become one even as the father and Him are one. That’s a big shocker since most of us in the body of Christ think we are supposed to be the bloods and the crips. )
The great commandment is not the great commission which is to reach the world, the great commandment is found in Matthew 22:37 which says, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
All of this kind of stuff gets you into big trouble because it means we actually have to love each other. I think most of us would rather have our knees drained than actually be held responsible for loving the people around us. We love John 3:16 which is all about how God loves us but very few of us want to quote 1st John 3:16.
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
1st John 3:16
www.freshfromthebrewer.com
www.opendoorexperience.com
Friday, October 29, 2010
Moving Day
When I was a very little kid I lived in Alvarado. I spent a few of my single digits in Burleson and then moved a few miles east of Joshua. That was about 35 years ago and I was not quite 9 years old. I have been here ever since.
Being a speaker and a Teacher, I have had the privilege of visiting 31 nations throughout the world and nearly all of them multiple times but for me, Johnson County feels the most like home.
Joshua was a 1 A school district when I was a 3rd grader, and H D Staples was not the name of the school building, it was the name of my principle. The reason the little street outside of that elementary school is called College street is because there used to actually be a college there. The remains of that three story building was still standing until I was a fifth grader.
Just two blocks north of HD Staples elementary school and in between College and Min street was the campus of First Baptist church. It was a church with great influence in our little town. In the 70’s and 80’s they were one of the only churches that hauled kids like me and my buddy Robert Copeland to Sunday School and the only church that was willing to put up with us.
In the sixth grade, they held some kind of kid’s crusade in the summertime, I think it was a vacation bible school. At the end of the week they asked me if I wanted to be baptized and since it was a hot day I was more than willing to get wet. I was so excited because I got to go swimming and go to heaven all on the same day.
All these years later I find my self typing this out from my new office on that same property. We just recently bought this building and this Sunday we are having our first service here. I have come back. Not as a little kid wanting to get wet or a teenager hiding my snuff can but as the guy who will be leading and doing the teaching.
This Sunday, when the praise band hits the first A chord and our 9 foot by 16 foot stage screen lights up like the 4th of July, look for a good looking fat man behind a Fender Strat with a custom, Texas flag paint job on it. I’ll be the guy with the bewildered look on his face wondering how in the world could I be on this stage and living the life I am living.
I will be the guy with no way to properly articulate how good God really is. I will be the one with no explanation as to why I get to be the one telling the stories instead of hearing about them. All I can say is that God is good and somehow that just doesn't do it.
My prayer and thought for you today is that you are so blessed you are unable to really define how it has all happened. I call that living an unexplainable life. I hope your blessing and your walk with God goes beyond what you are able to figure out.
The Miracle Mile
It has been a long haul for us but a glorious one. This coming sunday we will actually have one service instead of three and it will start at 10:00 am. We are holding off our grand opening until November 21st where we will have two identical services, 9:30 am and 11:00 am.
One of these days, I hope to see every one of you face to face. When I do, I hope we both look like dummies because we just cant find the words to describe how Good God has been to both of us.
Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us...
www.opendoorexperience.com
Being a speaker and a Teacher, I have had the privilege of visiting 31 nations throughout the world and nearly all of them multiple times but for me, Johnson County feels the most like home.
Joshua was a 1 A school district when I was a 3rd grader, and H D Staples was not the name of the school building, it was the name of my principle. The reason the little street outside of that elementary school is called College street is because there used to actually be a college there. The remains of that three story building was still standing until I was a fifth grader.
Just two blocks north of HD Staples elementary school and in between College and Min street was the campus of First Baptist church. It was a church with great influence in our little town. In the 70’s and 80’s they were one of the only churches that hauled kids like me and my buddy Robert Copeland to Sunday School and the only church that was willing to put up with us.
In the sixth grade, they held some kind of kid’s crusade in the summertime, I think it was a vacation bible school. At the end of the week they asked me if I wanted to be baptized and since it was a hot day I was more than willing to get wet. I was so excited because I got to go swimming and go to heaven all on the same day.
All these years later I find my self typing this out from my new office on that same property. We just recently bought this building and this Sunday we are having our first service here. I have come back. Not as a little kid wanting to get wet or a teenager hiding my snuff can but as the guy who will be leading and doing the teaching.
This Sunday, when the praise band hits the first A chord and our 9 foot by 16 foot stage screen lights up like the 4th of July, look for a good looking fat man behind a Fender Strat with a custom, Texas flag paint job on it. I’ll be the guy with the bewildered look on his face wondering how in the world could I be on this stage and living the life I am living.
I will be the guy with no way to properly articulate how good God really is. I will be the one with no explanation as to why I get to be the one telling the stories instead of hearing about them. All I can say is that God is good and somehow that just doesn't do it.
My prayer and thought for you today is that you are so blessed you are unable to really define how it has all happened. I call that living an unexplainable life. I hope your blessing and your walk with God goes beyond what you are able to figure out.
The Miracle Mile
It has been a long haul for us but a glorious one. This coming sunday we will actually have one service instead of three and it will start at 10:00 am. We are holding off our grand opening until November 21st where we will have two identical services, 9:30 am and 11:00 am.
One of these days, I hope to see every one of you face to face. When I do, I hope we both look like dummies because we just cant find the words to describe how Good God has been to both of us.
Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us...
www.opendoorexperience.com
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