Spartans, Texans and Warrior Kings

Almost 500 years before Christ, a Spartan army of only 300 men stood against a million or so Persians at a place called Thermopylae. The Brewer isn’t a particularly a big fan of ancient Spartans — besides destroying the fair city my mama named me after with a stinking wooden horse, they were also known to be racist and pagans who had no mercy for anyone. With that said, the Texan in me can’t help but love the astonishing quality of warriors they produced.

The king who is famous for Sparta’s military miracle was a guy by the name of Leonidas. What I love about king Leonidas is he wasn’t just a king, he was a warrior King. He didn’t sit on a golden thrown and order men to fight. He fought in front of all his men and invited them to fight beside him. I love the whole idea of a warrior king.

About 200 years later, another warrior king rose from the same part of the world — but this one would be remembered as “Great.” Alexander conquered the known world not for a righteous reason but just because he wanted to. Before it was over, millions would be dead and many more hurting because of Alexander’s ambition of conquest. Though I don’t much care for his empire any more than the Spartans, I can’t help but love the fact Alexander was a warrior king.

After Alexander and his army turned south on the Indus River, they encountered a warlike clan called the Mali. After building siege weapons and ladders, Alexander’s army attacked the walled city — and Alexander was the first over the walls. He was so far ahead of the rest of his men that he engaged the entire army by himself while his men scrambled to keep up. With an arrow piercing his chest and his lung and a sword in his hand Alexander the Great fought hand-to-hand combat until his men were able to subdue the enemy. I love a warrior king.

Almost 2,300 years later on holy ground that would be called Texas, a general with a righteous cause, raced across the San Jacinto battlefield. Though vastly outnumbered and in broad day light, Sam Houston was so far ahead of the rest of his men that he drew all the fire of the Mexican dictator’s troops. Having two horses shot out from under him, Houston limped towards the enemy with pointed sword yelling, “Remember the Alamo, Remember Goliad!”

Sam Houston would soon become the president of the nation of Texas. Though he was a political leader he was also a proven warrior. I love a warrior king.

Being a fairly famous Jesus freak with an ever-growing popularity, I get a lot of letters and e-mail. Most of them cuss me but there are more and more asking me what denomination or nondenominational group I subscribe to.

I am for whatever in Christianity is wimp free.

Sign me up with the Christians who have the guts to be Christians in a day where men act more like women than men. Show me Christians who are not just talking about the love of God, but who are demonstrating it through the hard work it takes to make a difference in somebody’s life. Put me in line with the people who are living proof that God never consults your history before giving you a future.

Real Christians don’t just serve a King. They serve a passionate, warrior King — and those of us who follow Him live a lifetime of learning how to get out of His way and let Him fight like He wants to. Not only is Christ not scared of the battles you and I face, He actually gets excited about the prospect of another glorious scrap. That’s the way our King is, and He is unlike any we have ever seen before. He’s compassionate, ready to serve, approachable and full of mercy, but make no mistake about it — He is a warrior King.

“The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.” — Exodus 15:3

Troy pastors Open Door Ministries near Joshua and can be found at www.opendoorministries.org.

Texans and Christians Have It All

Texans, to the bane of the rest of the insignificant planet, love Texas. Texas is not just a place; it’s an attitude, a culture and an independent spirit that seeps through to the actual real estate.

The philosophical vision of maverick-minded people from all over the world has left its mark on our cities and towns. If you are able to look past the influx of non-indigenous humanity, you can still see hints and outright declarations of mythical Texas.

Way before political correctness. Back before the idea that stating a fact is an attacking posture or vocalizing your belief is somehow disrespectful to others. When what you did mattered more than how you felt, and when your character was more important than the right to do something, Texans were building where the rest of the world was scared too.

Gone to Texas

The collective idea among the founding fathers of our towns seems to have been, “Whatever you need, you can find it in Texas.”

For example, if you’re lonely, you can drive to Friendship, Texas. Feeling down? There’s always Comfort, Texas.

If your wagon is draggin,’ you don’t need an energy drink. Just drive a little northwest of Lubbock to Pep, Texas. If you’re still exhausted, you could land in Energy, Texas.

If you are hungry, you can have a run through Bacon, Oatmeal, Turkey and Sugarland, Texas. You’ll need to top it off with a refreshing sip of Sweetwater, and you still haven’t left our state.

If you’re cold, there’s Blanket, Texas, and if you’re hot, there is Winters, Texas.

You wanna see the world? Don’t leave the state, just drive over to Earth, and have it all. If Paris is your dream, you’ll find it not far from the Red River. You might as well go see London, Rome, Italy, Egypt, China Grove and Athens, Texas, while you’re at it.

Wanna get way…way out there? Take a visit to Venus, Texas, but you’ll want to stay out of the prison over there.

Strange Sightings

If you drive about 20 miles southwest of San Antonio, you can say you have actually seen Bigfoot because there is a town with that name. We also have Tarzan for savages and Kermit and Elmo, Texas, for the kids.

I love the name Gun Barrel City, but hate the name Santa Anna. To me, that’s’ like naming your city Hitler or Stalin. I think the name Muleshoe is cool, but I got a ticket there once. I stopped in the fair city named after me, Troy, and found no wooden horses or monuments to the Brewer. Dimebox is an interesting name for a Texas town, and no doubt there’s a neat story behind it. You see, the attitude of the settlers still speaks to us today.

The mind-set of our pioneers was that you need’nt go anywhere else to get what you need. This goes along with true Christian thinking.

TEXIANITY

Recently, I was asked, really rather accused, of being big-headed when it comes to my theology. I understand that it pegs the cringe meter of some people to hear a Christian say Jesus is the only way. I also know that some Christians have done really ugly things while pointing to Christ. I am sorry for that.

For me, to say that Jesus is the only way is to say, “There is no one else that makes you safe, and there is no one else that is coming back for you.” You and I need not go anywhere else because he is available to both of us right here and right now. Jesus, like Texas, has it all.

You need mercy, compassion, and grace to overcome things? Redemption, salvation? Jesus has it all and freely dishes it out to anybody willing. Need a new beginning and a fresh start? You need not look anywhere else. You want hope and the promise of a future? For Christians, we find that in no better place then in the person of Jesus himself. I love being a Christian even more than I love being a Texan.

Because of Jesus, I am actually a resident of Heaven, temporarily living in Texas.

The town I live in now is called Joshua. It is named by our founding fathers for the Biblical taker of the Promised Land. To me, Joshua is still a place of Promise and in Christ, the promise remains: the best is yet to come.

Contact me at www.FreshFromTheBrewer.com

Decisive Battles

Saints at San Jacinto
The Brewer is a sixth-generation Texan and dang proud of it. I have an ancestor, Henry Brewer who actually fought along side Sam Houston at the Battle of San Jacinto.

I was there, if only in microscopic form and really glad (for my sake) that Henry Brewer was with Houston, instead of Travis at the Alamo.

San Jacinto is the decisive battle that won Texas her independence. To wrap your head around what a big deal it really is, it’s important you read the inscription carved into the monument that stands on the battlefield today.

"Measured by its results, San Jacinto was one of the decisive battles of the world. The freedom of Texas from Mexico won here led to annexation and to the Mexican-American War, resulting in the acquisition by the United States of the states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Utah and parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas and Oklahoma. Almost one-third of the present area of the American Nation, nearly a million square miles of territory, changed sovereignty."

In other words, there is a reason why people in Ft worth, Salt Lake, and Los Angeles don’t have to live the lifestyle of our neighbors in Matamoras, Juarez and Tijuana. That reason is because of a handful of heroes, not even trained solders, who chose to oppose and defeat a dictator back in 1836.

The Fight Is On
Some battles are so strategically important that everything afterwards hinges upon the results of that single event. I wonder if those Texans knew how important that one single battle actually was. I wonder if you know how important it is that you win the battles you are fighting. Unseen spiritual battles in brutal mental and emotional arenas you are choosing to oppose.

There is a lot more on the line for what you think then what you might think.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

Every Christian has to fight in order to hang on to and posses the land or to have victory with the territory God trusts us with. Our fight is first spiritual and most of that fight goes on between our ears.

God has given us weapons to fight with and they are “mighty in God”. Powerless in and of themselves, but in God they are mighty, powerful and able to bring those thoughts under control. They break down the mightiest stronghold. These weapons include the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17), prayer (Ephesians 6:18) and the anointing of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).

One of the ways you use the Word of God as a weapon is to personalize it for you. It is no good as black ink on a white page but actually in your hand, it’s a sword that kicks mental butt!

Declare What the Word Says About You While God Works on Your Problem

Personalize Jeremiah 29:11 by saying, "I know that God has plans to prosper me. I know that God has a hope and a future for me and I know those plans are good and I know that they will come to pass because God said they would."

Let it be said of you, the reason why those behind you live in victory is because you chose to oppose and defeat an oppressive enemy in the battle between your ears.

Spartans, Texans and Warrior Kings

Almost 500 years before Christ, a Spartan army of only 300 men stood against a million or so Persians at a place called Thermopylae. Now the Brewer is not particularly a big fan of ancient Spartans. Besides destroying the fair city my mama named me after with a stinking wooden horse, they were also known to be racist and Pagans that had no mercy for anyone. With that said, the Texan in me can’t help but love the astonishing quality of warriors they produced.

The King that is so famous for this military miracle was a guy by the name of Leonidas. What I just love about King Leonidas is that he wasn’t just a king, he was a warrior King. He didn’t sit on a golden thrown and order men to fight. He fought out front of all his men and invited them to fight with him. I love the whole idea of a warrior king.

Almost two hundred years later another warrior king rose from the same part of the world but this one would be remembered as “Great”. Alexander conquered the known world not for any righteous reason but just because he wanted to. Before it was over, millions would be dead and many more hurting because of Alexander’s ambition of conquest. Though I don’t much care for his empire any better, I can’t help but love the fact that he was a warrior King.

After Alexander turned south on the Indus River he encountered a warlike clan called the Mali. After building siege weapons and ladders they attacked the walled city and Alexander was the first one over the walls. He was so far ahead of the rest of his men that he actually engaged the entire army by his self while his men scrambled to keep up with him. With an arrow in his lung and a sword in his hand Alexander the great fought in hand-to-hand combat until his men were able to subdue the enemy. I love a warrior King.

Almost 2300 years later on holy ground that would be called Texas, a General with a righteous cause, raced across the San Jacinto battlefield. Though vastly outnumbered and in broad day light, Sam Houston was so far ahead of the rest of his men that he drew all the fire of the Mexican dictator’s troops. Having two horses shot out from under him, he limped towards the enemy with pointed sword yelling, “Remember the Alamo, Remember Goliad!”

Sam Houston would soon be the President of the nation of Texas. Though he was a political leader he was also a proven warrior. I love a warrior King.

Being a fairly famous Jesus freak with ever growing popularity, I get a lot of letters and e-mails. Most of them cuss me but there are more and more asking me what denomination or nondenominational group I subscribe to. I am for what ever in Christianity is wimp free. Sign me up with the Christians that have the guts to be Christians in a day where men act more like women then men. Show me those Christians that are not just talking about the love of God but actually demonstrating it through the hard work it takes to make a real difference in somebody’s life. Put me in line with the people that are living proof that God never consults your history before giving you a future.

You see; real Christians don’t just serve a King. They serve a passionate, warrior King and those of us that follow him live a lifetime of learning how to get out of His way and let him fight like He wants to. Not only is Christ not scared of the battles that you and I face, he actually gets excited about the prospect of another glorious scrap. That’s the way our King is. Unlike any we have ever seen before, He’s compassionate, ready to serve, approachable and full of mercy but make no mistake about it. He is a warrior King.

Exodus 15:3

The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.

Contact Email: The Brewer welcomes your input at FFTB@OpenDoorMinistries.org

Contact by Phone: 817-297-6911.

Please visit us online at http://www.opendoorministries.org/ & http://www.joshuarising.com/