Old Men & No Hitters

To my readers,

For me, nothing beats watching a live baseball game. Last night I went with a group of friends to watch my local team, the San Antonio Missions. I was looking forward to this night all week. It was the perfect way to begin the weekend.  Little did I know I’d watch something amazing.

Last night I witnessed a no-hitter. 

It’s a great and rare thing to see.  In fact, there have only been 272 no-hitters in all the history of the MLB. How lucky am I to witness something so rare firsthand?  

Sadly, it wasn’t the Missions that had the no-hitter but their opponents, the Frisco Rough Riders.  The last pitch thrown caused an entire sea of red jersey’s to invade the mound.  The game was over and my team had lost. 

Talk about a downer.

In the scriptures an old king named Solomon writes his memoirs in a book called Ecclesiastes.  In here he writes,

“I have observed something else under the sun.  The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle.  The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy.  And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.” Ecclesiastes 9:11, NLT.

The truth is sometimes we lose.

Sadly we wont always win.  We won’t always have the right answer.  We won’t always have the strength to keep running.  We won't always have victory after victory. No matter how prepared we are, eventually we all will lose. 

But who likes to lose?

I know that I don’t enjoy losing.  Losing has always given me the idea that I was a failure rather than a great player who had an off night. For you, maybe it isn’t losing a baseball game.  However, loss is something we will all experience. We will all lose, however it’s the way we react in these situations that show our true colors. I am not saying that we cannot have emotions, but we cannot let them overcome us.

If we overreact to losing, what does that tell us about our faith? 

Turn your focus on Jesus. Follow the example he set for us.  Not every city he visited accepted him with open arms, but he continued forward enduring everything, even the death on a cross to redeem us. He didn’t let the losses outweigh the greater purpose that the Father had for him. 

When you lose, let it go and move on. Keep moving forward towards what Christ has called you to no matter the cost. Never give up. Press forward and have hope that tomorrow will be a new day.  

Simply, 

Tex G.M. Rule

“I have observed something else under the sun.  The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle.  The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy.  And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.” Ecclesiastes 9:11, NLT.

Avalanches & Being A Loser

To my readers,

I never win contests. 

When it comes to contests, I am in the most sense of the word, a loser.  To be honest, this doesn’t bother me.  I am fine knowing I’ve never won a cruise, a raffle drawing, or trivia.  However, when my favorite TV show, Psych, tweeted they were going to have a twitter trivia challenge- I was sold.  I wanted to win.

The rules were simple. Every hour from noon to five the Psych twitter (@Psych_USA) would post a trivia question.  The answer didn’t need to be correct to win, just the right format. If you followed those rules, they would randomly draw a winner before the next question.

 

During the first round, I retweeted the correct answer within 25 seconds.  I figured I had won since I was the first person to answer.  I didn’t win. This continued in the second round. Then the third question came up and I knew the answer immediately, but I had a problem. 

The answer was the name of specific episode of the show.  The problem was that the episode had a word that I don’t use. I sat for nearly ten minutes debating whether or not I would retweet the answer correctly or not.

I had a dilemma.

Jesus tells a parable in Luke’s account of the Gospel.  He tells about a shrewd manager who is dishonest and ends up being found out.  Towards the end of the story Jesus says this:

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.  But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.”  Luke 16:10, NLT. 

To some this word means nothing, but to me it meant crossing a line I didn’t want to cross. I struggled with the thought of crossing this line.  I told myself, “Tex! It’s to win a contest with sweet prizes from your favorite TV show. Its okay this one time!”

The truth is I wanted to just cross this line.

But what would it cost?

I would have given my integrity away so that I could have a prize.  Yes, this is a little issue, however, this is where it begins.  When I start to shift in my morals and values in the little things, it pours into the bigger things.  It’s the start of a metaphorical avalanche. One small rock can cause the entire side of a mountain to fall down.

Have strength in who you are in Christ.  When we are tempted to give the little things away, turn your focus onto him.  He gave you a calling, morals, and values to keep and when you let these little things go, how can he give us more?  If we aren’t faithful in the little things, how can we be expected to do great things with giant things? 

In the end, I posted an adjusted form of the title knowing I wouldn’t win.  I posted this: 

Want to know the best part?

I won.

Don’t throw your integrity away in the little things. Keep focused on what Jesus has called you to do. 

Simply,

Tex G.M. Rule

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.  But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.”  Luke 16:10, NLT. 

Homeruns & Quitters

To my readers,

My favorite sport is Baseball. If I had it my way, I’d never miss a game. I can remember as a kid watching the Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa homerun chase with my grandfather. Then two years later, grandpa and I watched Barry Bonds break 73 homeruns! I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything. 

However a few memories I wouldn’t mind trading are my own at a career in baseball.  I played little league until the 4th grade. Going into my last season, I had never hit the ball that wasn’t on a tee.

To make matters worst, I wasn’t a very talented player.  In fact, I was so terrible that I played only five games all season.  The first few games of not playing left me frustrated.  I understand my team wanted to win, but come on! I then decided to quit. 

However, Mom had other plans.

Mom wouldn’t let me quit.  She said that I had made a commitment to my team.  Not only would I be letting them down, I would be missing out on something I loved playing, even if I was terrible.  Despite my complaints, she pushed me back out there and told me to never give up and keep trying my hardest.

 

Fast forward to my final game of the season. I am up to bat with two outs.  It all had come down to this.  The first pitch was thrown- “Strike one!” The next pitch came, “Strike two!” Then came the last pitch.

“Crack!”

I hit that ball deep into center field. I ended up on base.  I had done it! I had hit a ball for the first, and last, time in my baseball career! Though I never played another season of Baseball, that day I was king of the world.

In the New Testament, Paul wrote a letter to the church in Rome saying,

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.  And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.” Romans 5:3-4, NLT.

I am a quitter. Whenever I run into problems or things don’t go my way, I want to quit and jump ship.  I find myself saying, “Have fun with that! I’m out of here.”

The truth is quitting is easy.

It’s sticking with something in the hard times that is challenging.  It’s when we are in our brokenness, our pain, anguish, and hurt that something happens inside of us.  If we turn our focus onto Jesus in this time, we begin to endure.  No matter how terrible or little of a player you think you are, God has a greater plan and his love is greater than anything we are going through.

The Great Bambino- Babe Ruth

When we endure, we find ourselves changed. Our character is strengthened and when the next trial comes, we can run headfirst to take it on. It’s what we’ve endured and Christ faithfulness and love for us that gives us hope that tomorrow will be a new day.  Those baseball players with the greatest homerun streaks also had the greatest strikeout streaks.

Never give up.  There is always hope.

Simply, 

Tex G.M. Rule

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.  And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.” Romans 5:3-4, NLT.

Barbers & Swimming Pools

To my readers,

Can you think of a time when God moved and the Holy Spirit showed up?  There are no words to describe it.  The experience is so overwhelming that I still get goose-bumps thinking about it. 

Last night, God moved. 

I have the privilege of being apart of a men’s Bible study called “The Barbershop.”  One of the elements that make the Barbershop unique is that it teaches people not lessons.  What I mean is that, before any lesson begins the group takes time for each individual to share what is taking place in their lives and how the group can be praying for them.  If we spend our entire allotted time ministering to our brothers, so be it.  We believe people are more important than teaching any lesson.

One of the guys in this group shared some amazing. He felt God was leading him to be baptized.  He believed that it was the next step in his walk as a public profession of his faith in Christ to a group of men that would hold him accountable to his dedication to Jesus.

I was astounded, speechless to be honest.

I began to think of a passage found within the scriptures in the book of Acts. Philip meets with an Ethiopian who has been reading the scriptures.  Philip takes this time to explain to him how the scriptures are pointing to Jesus' death and resurrection.  After hearing all this, the Ethiopian believed and wanted to be baptized. We read,

“As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?” He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.” Acts 8:36-38, NLT.

What you don’t know is that the Barbershop meets near a pool.  Then the question came up, “What’s stopping you from being baptized?”

His response was simple. “Nothing. Let’s do this.”

As we approached the pool, everyone’s phones turned into flashlights. With everyone gathered around as witnesses Joshua was baptized.  As soon as Josh got up another guy walked into the pool saying, “I want to be baptized as well.” With everyone in agreement, Jonathan was baptized as well. 

To Joshua and Jon I say this- 

We are more than proud and excited for the honor you have bestowed on the Barbershop.  Witnessing your public declaration to follow Christ has blessed us immensely.  You are warriors and we will continue to hold you accountable as we fight along side you.  We know you will fall down, and that is where we will be there to help you up and help return your gaze to Christ.  Continue to run the race set before you, with your eyes focused on our King, Jesus. 

God is moving.  Be praying that we would follow our King’s guidance, no matter the cost.

Simply,
Tex G.M. Rule,
“As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?” He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.” Acts 8:36-38, NLT.

Being Hip & Scooby Doo

To my readers,

As an intern you receive some interesting emails. This past week I received an email from my boss that left me worried.  It is the one email that leaves every intern worried and confused.  As I read the words on the screen, I became more and more frightened.  It read- “Hey guys! I want to you invite you to my daughter’s birthday party this weekend!”

You may think I have over dramatized this but let me explain. I realized I would have to find a gift for his daughter.  Not only did I have to find a decent gift, but I had to find one that was age appropriate and equally as awesome than the other interns attending.

I didn’t want to be the intern that got his daughter the lame gift!

What was I going to buy?

I didn’t want to get the same gift or a lame one.  I also didn’t want to get one that overshadowed my coworkers.  Then I realized a bigger problem. I had no idea what was even appealing to children today.

When I was a kid, Scooby Doo & Sesame Street were hip. Are they still considered hip? Do we even say things are hip anymore? Considering what she likes would be important, but I didn’t want to call my boss and ask him this.  That would mean that I wasn’t creative or hadn’t put enough time into picking it out. I needed to make sure it was cool.  What if I got her a gift, and she turns and said, “Tex, This is so last year!” 

After searching “What is hip to children” on Google for an hour, I decided it was time to act.  I grabbed my truck keys and drove to the toy store.  It was time to make a decision. 

When I arrived, I realized that I was in way over my head.  There were so many toys to choose from. The worst part was my inner child wanted to escape and play with everything.  However, I refrained despite the inner child’s temper tantrum.

Decisions. Decisions. I walked around the toy section for way to long before I realized what I needed to do. I bought the gift and proceeded to the party. 

“Tex, I’m glad you made it!” my friend and co-intern told me when I arrived.  “What did you get for a gift?”

I proceeded to hand my boss a gift card. 

My friend laughed, “A gift card? Oh that’s too great.” I tried to explain how difficult this was, but it didn’t matter.  The next words he said were, “Oh, Tex.” 

Simply,

Tex G.M. Rule

Workout Montages & The Italian Stallion

To my readers,

One of my favorite films of all time is Rocky.  There is just something about all these movies that I just love.  It must mean that I have the Eye of the Tiger­.  I’m sure you can imagine how ecstatic I was when I heard the final Rocky movie was coming to theaters.

On December 20^th, 2006, my sister and I waited to watch the first showing of Rocky Balboa in theaters. And it did not disappoint. I loved it.  Whenever I am going through a rough time, I watch this one scene where Rocky has a heart to heart with his son.

“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it.  You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life.  But it ain’t about how hard ya hit.  Its about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.  How much you can take and keep moving forward.  That’s how winning is done!”  Rocky Balboa

Rocky of all people knew about taking a hit.  He walked into the line of fire more than any other boxer, but he never gave up. He pressed forward enduring the tough hits so that he could eventually take his one shot. 

When I think about it, it reminds me of what the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Philippi.  He writes,

“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have no achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”  Philippians 3:13-14, NLT.

I think too often, when we face any kind of resistance or struggle, we give up.  Quit. We throw in the towel and allow for ourselves be defeated. 

When life is at its worst, we must dig deep and press forward towards what we know God has called us to.  We cannot give up.  It’s in the toughest of times that we have the chance to stand toe-to-toe, go the distance, and overcome. 

We must have our focus on Jesus.  It is in this relationship that we have a place to dig deep into when the hard punches start.  It’s our confidence in him that allows us to stand up when we’ve been beaten to the floor.  It’s our determination to press onward towards Christ’s calling that compels us to go the distance. It’s our strength in what Christ did on the cross that allows us overcome anything the world throws at us.

 

Dig deep into Christ. Keep moving forward. 

P.S.) I now have a strange urge to have a montage to "Gonna Fly Now." 

Simply,

Tex G.M. Rule

“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have no achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”  Philippians 3:13-14, NLT.

Laundry Mats & Homemade Candy

To my readers,

Our dryer doesn’t work properly.  Despite its age, the dryer can only take a small load at a time.  Now, when I say small load, I literally mean a single pair of jeans at a time.  It doesn’t make for the most conventional way to wash clothes, however, we made do until this summer.  With all my siblings, an aunt, and my parents all living together, it makes laundry day especially difficult. 

Because of this, I gladly go to a little hole in the wall Laundromat.  Every time I go to this laundry mat, a sweet old lady tries to sell me homemade candy.  I don’t use the term “sweet old lady” sarcastically; I genuinely mean she is a sweet old lady.  Though the last thing I want to do at a laundry mat is buy candy, she is always there soliciting her candy. 

There is this parable that Jesus tells in the Gospels about prayer through the image of a neighbor.  He gives a setting that if you needed bread at midnight to feed a guest, you would go to your neighbor and knock on his door.  He continues to say that you would keep knocking despite all his responses until he finally gets up to give you what you need because of your shameless persistence.  He then closes with,

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.  Keep on seeking, and you will find.  Keep on knocking, and the door with be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds.  And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Luke 11: 9-10, NLT.

Normally if I get one “no” or a “closed door,” I just quit trying.  I think if we are all honest, I am not alone in this statement. 

What if we prayed with shameless persistence? 

Normally we become shameless when we are completely desperate. What if we prayed as though we were desperate? What if we treated people and situations, we would normally pray for once, as something so important, we cant help but continuously pray for them?

I believe we would not only start to see the world change, but our own hearts.

As we start to focus on God and pray for Him to move, our hearts become more focused on the things that affect his heart.  We start to notice the hurt and pain around us.  We see this broken world that is in such need of hope and love that we can’t help but become desperate that God would move.

This last time at the laundry mat, I bought a candy.

What would the world look like if we desperately sought after God?  

Simply,

Tex G.M. Rule

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.  Keep on seeking, and you will find.  Keep on knocking, and the door with be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds.  And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Luke 11: 9-10, NLT.

Masculine Worship-Leaders & Calm Babies

To my readers,

Our worship leader lives in a house powered by estrogen.  You think that I’m kidding, but between his wife and three girls; the color pink and Barbie dolls just bleed out of his ears. Don’t get me wrong; he makes up his masculinity with his beard, construction, carpentry, and rock-star persona.  This past week at Two42, his youngest daughter, who is only months old, astounded me. 

You see Two42 is a loud worship service.  We’ve finished worship many times with ringing in my ears. What I find astounding about our worship leader’s daughter is, even though it’s loud and both parents sing in the band, she doesn’t make a fuss.  I cannot honestly think of a time where she has been upset or screamed because of the loud music.  Why is she so comfortable amongst the chaos?

She was listening to her father and mother’s voice. 

In the scriptures, a man named Paul writes a letter to the church in Corinth addressing his personal understanding of God as our father. Even though he was being greatly persecuted, Paul wrote this:

 “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.”  2 Corinthians 1:3, NLT.

There is something comforting about listening to our parent’s voice.  We find comfort in it.  Its why our parents read us bedtime stories, talk to us when we scrape our knees, and wrap us tightly in their arms when we’re scared telling us, “Its okay. Its okay, I’m here.” It’s why we go to them in the midst of our worst times. 

When we focus on God, whether in prayer, worship, or study, we find comfort.  We begin to set aside the distractions and the junk that is in our lives. We ignore the chaos around us.  We can begin to understand what the psalmist wrote, “God has spoken plainly, and I have heard it many times: Power, O God, belongs to you; unfailing love, O Lord, is yours.” Psalm 62:11-12, NLT.

In his presence we find strength and love.  Its echoed throughout the scriptures, that God is strong and he loves us.  I think the challenging question is “how often do we spend time with him?” If we were all honest, everyone could spend more time with him. We all could be more like a child scared in their father’s arms. Its here that you find peace, refuge, and love.  It’s here in this embrace we can let go with our Father, because he is strong and he loves you.


Simply, 
Tex G.M. Rule
“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.”  2 Corinthians 1:3, NLT.


P.S.) Thanks Jennifer & Phil for being such awesome parents and leaders to Two42.  Y'all are amazing people.  

MacBooks & Antonyms

To my readers,

I have a MacBook.  Not a MacBook pro, just a plain and simple MacBook. One of my favorite things about purchasing my Mac, was how quick and smooth it ran. It was great.  My new computer was my best friend. Until one day, I found it running slow. A snail could have won this race.

It literally crawled.

Instead of calling Apple Support, I quickly called my roommate with all his Mac-user genius to my aid. His first question was, “When was the last time you turned your computer off?”  To be honest, I had no idea.  “Its been a couple days,” I replied.  

He quickly reached across me and shut my computer off.  “Your computer is not made to run all the time. It needs to rest so that it can work properly.  You’re over working it.”

Little did he know that his words would echo into my daily life. I don’t rest. I keep adding more things to my back until I find that I have no strength to carry forward.  I start to lag behind getting slower with each step, until a snail could outrun me in a race.

In the scriptures we find what one psalmist wrote:

“Be still and know that I am God. I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” Psalm 46:10, NLT.

I am not very still.  In fact, if the dictionary had a picture of an antonym for still, you would find my picture.  

In my head, I was being strong but in reality I was being prideful.  I have this idea that I am strong enough to push onward myself.  I push and I fight and all I’ve found is that I am not strong enough to this by myself.

When we take the time to put down our pride, and simply focus on nothing more than Jesus, it changes us.  When we choose to not do other things and to simply spend time with God, we are actually proving that He is more important than those things.  It is showing Jesus that he is our focus; he is everything we need. 

Recently, a friend told me, “Look at your schedule of how much time you spend with Jesus.  Let’s imagine you spend an hour a week with him.  How terrible would it be if you only spent an hour sleeping a week?”

Put aside your pride. Work will still be there. Cleaning will still be there. Life will still be there, regardless of how much work we put into it.  Take time daily to rest with Christ because only he can give us the rest we need.

Christ said these words, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28, NLT.

Simply, 

Tex G.M. Rule

“Be still and know that I am God. I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” Psalm 46:10, NLT.

Text Messages & Awkward Responses

To my readers,

As an intern, some of the jobs I'm given aren’t always what I would call prestigious. However, every once in a while I get handed a project with the opportunity to knock it out of the park. This past project, I did just that. The next day I woke up to a text message from my boss that read, “You did a great job yesterday! Keep it up!"

I have to be honest.  I felt good reading this message.  I had done well.  Way to go me!

But then I realized I had a dilemma.  To make things worst, its my boss- a pastor giving me this compliment. I didn’t want to come across arrogant, but humble, yet confident, and still grateful.

How was I going to respond to this?

I didn’t want to come across with the response that turns the compliment around on the person giving the compliment.  “Thank you, but I really appreciated the opportunity to be able to work for such a great boss.  I learned from the best there is!”

I wanted confidence in my message, however, I didn’t want to come across like a rock star that is overconfident.  This response usually begins with,  “I know, but thanks for saying so. I always do a great job!”

However, I didn’t want to straight out come across too humble.  This response always ends up with a Jesus-juke* just waiting to come out. (*coined by Jon Acuff, if you don't understand what a Jesus-juke is- read here).  “No I didn’t do a great job.  I appreciate you thinking so. In all honesty, its Jesus that is great.  He did the greatest job we ever could do!”

After over-thinking, analyzing, and writing out several text message answers, I realized two hours had nearly gone by.  I realized that I was overreacting and needed to just respond.

What did I do?

I didn’t respond. 

The next day my boss asked me, “Hey, did you get my text?”

I quickly responded with “Yes, I did.”

“Why didn’t you respond?”

Busted.  I shared with him the story of my previous day’s over-thought response.  He laughingly responded, “A simple thank you would have sufficed. Oh, Tex.” 

Simply, 

Tex G.M. Rule

"Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ." Philippians 3:8, NLT. 

Bitings Mints & Sunrises

To my readers,

I chew mints. 

Apparently this isn’t the way you are supposed to enjoy a mint.  I found this out after a friend offered me a mint and proceeded to laugh as I bit down on it.  I was confused why she thought this was so funny until she explained to me you’re supposed to savor a mint like a piece of butterscotch.  Oops, I chew that too. 

I was in disbelief for a while. In fact, I questioned other people in the office just in order to find out if this is true or not.  The results all came back the same.

Who would have thought that this little thing would leave me so embarrassed? 

Either way, I spent the next half hour trying to savor a mint the proper way.  It was very difficult fighting my urge to not bite down and chew.  As I started to think about this, I realize I just didn’t want to savor the moment.  I wanted to just hurry and get to the “good part.” I found that I don’t savor life.

In the Old Testament an old king named Solomon writes his memoirs down in a book called Ecclesiastes.  After all he has experienced and endured, he writes,

“So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can.  And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.” Ecclesiastes 3:12-13, NLT.

Solomon is writing to me, though not intentionally, but his words have spoken to me. God is showing me my life is busy.  Between Lifegroups, Bible studies, services, blogging, and the toils of life- I am in a constant state of rushing.  I don’t have the time to sit down and smell the metaphorical roses.  The truth is the reason I don’t have this time because I don’t make time. 

Work hard. Its good for you, God intended us to enjoy the fruit of our labor but take the time to enjoy life.  Find the time to enjoy the creation that God has placed before you. If we don’t, we will find that we will have passed moments by where God is showing glances of his beauty and majesty.  It would be like never opening a wrapped birthday gift because I had too much going on. 

My band director in high school used to always say, “Never rush a good night kiss.”  It’s something to be enjoyed.  Savored.  Remembered. 

I believe he spoke truth in this statement.

Watch a sunrise. Take a walk. Savor this moment now before its past by.  

Simply,

Tex G.M. Rule

“So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can.  And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.” Ecclesiastes 3:12-13, NLT.

Mushroom Clouds & Soccer

To my readers,

This past week I received some very important information with the rest of the country.  Apparently it was the Women’s World Cup, more so USA was in the finals.  It was quite a journey watching these underdogs fight there way to the finals.  Though they played hard, the USA lost in the final round.  What surprised me is what followed.

The metaphorical mushroom cloud of social media explosion was astounding.  So many negative things started to be typed out.  One minute we went from biting our nails rooting for USA, to downright degrading them. A week ago we didn’t know the names of the USA women’s soccer team, but now our heroines had become our garbage. 

I was really troubled by this. We are really hard on people when they make a mistake or don’t live up to our expectations of what they should be doing.  We are often the first person to cheer them on when things are good but the first to degrade them when things are bad. 

All I could ask myself was ‘What if God was this way with us?’

Honestly, think about if God only loved us when things were good? Then imagine, when things were bad God said, “Look at how you messed up! See you later!” This is exactly what we do to people everyday. 

There is a letter in the New Testament that Paul writes to Christians in Rome.  In this letter he writes:

“Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good.  But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Romans 5:7-8, NLT. 

We treat people terrible when they make a mistake, but God doesn’t.  In fact, it was while we were at our worst that God did his greatest work: He sent Jesus to pay our debt by dying on a cross.  Though we wouldn’t be willing to do, Jesus was willing to love us regardless of what we had done or who we were.  To him, we are all dirty rotten sinners, but we are dirty rotten sinners that he loves.  It is this love that bought us freedom.  It’s this love that compels Jesus to die for sinners, undeserving of love. 

If Jesus didn’t hold our past or our mistakes against us, why do we continually do it to those around us? 

Simply,

Tex G.M. Rule

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Romans 5:8, NLT. 

iPods & Money Clips

To my readers,

Do you remember when the iPod first came out? I do. When I was in highs school, I was on a mission to find a way to earn the money to buy one. I had no idea how I would, but I prayed that I’d find a way or one would magically fall into my lap. Silly, I know!

One day I stayed late after school and as I was exiting I saw a strange brown piece of trash. My first reaction was one of pure boyhood genius; I kicked it. To my surprise, money popped out.  With no one around, I picked up the money and the old money clip and counted out $350.

Then I saw the license.  On it I saw the face of a substitute teacher I had earlier that day. Here I was with no one around, holding in one hand my favorite substitute teacher’s license and the money in the other. I had a decision to make. 

In the scriptures, Paul writes to the church in Corinth on temptation. He writes,

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience.  And God is faithful.  He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand.  When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” 1 Corinthians 10:13, NLT.

Paul understands that all of us will be tempted.  He doesn’t give us this idea that those who follow Jesus won’t encounter temptation, but rather that we will encounter temptation.  This is nothing new, we encountered temptation in the garden and we still face it today. There is no way around this.  However, the way we react to temptation is something we can control.

Drug dogs go through an incredible amount of training before they are allowed to work.  One of the last things that they go through is a training of the will.  The dog is taken into a room alone and told to sit. The dog’s favorite toy is then placed in front of them while their master stands farther off in front of them.  The dog would then sit still for a half hour. The dogs that would pass this temptation were the ones who kept their eyes on their master. 

I think we have focused too much on not giving into our temptations rather than focusing on Jesus. When we focus on not sinning and not focus on Christ, who has overcome and freed us from sin, we will lose. Paul reminds us that while we are unfaithful and wavering, God isn’t.  He is faithful. Even in the hardest of times, we can endure what he’s put before us because we can turn to him.  We can’t do it alone, but with Jesus and those he has put around us, we can endure. 

Some of you might be saying, “Well I’ve already messed up. Now what?” Jesus still wants your heart and is willing to use you, where you are right now.   He loves you and says that today is a new day. You are not damaged goods.

Don’t give in, stand your ground.  Focus on the Master who is faithful and loving.

Simply,
Tex G.M. Rule

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience.  And God is faithful.  He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand.  When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” 1 Corinthians 10:13, NLT.

P.S.) I gave the money clip to our principal, with all the money tucked inside.

Old Roommates & The "Surfdom"

To my readers,

We had no idea what we were getting into when we moved in together. Though this house was falling apart, we loved it.  It was perfect for three college students. This house was much more than a home to us. We called it the “Surfdom,” (misspelled originally by yours truly). Essentially, we were serfs, choosing to live a life in service to those around us. We lived by this verse:

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28, NLT.

The three of us each brought a unique aspect to the Surfdom. We were all similar to a character from Lord of the Rings. Marty Pike was our Gandalf.  He was older, wise, and yet had a fun loving heart. His wisdom and joy blessed me more than he ever would know.  There was me, the Gimli character- the comical relief. I was the little brother the other two picked on, though I deserved most of it.  I was young, physically and spiritually.  Simply put, I was a mess and they loved me anyway.

Then there was Eric Hicks.  He was our fearless leader, our Aragorn. There was no doubt that he was our leader physically and spiritually. One thing I’ll never forget about Eric is he was never scared to get his hands dirty.  He worked hard and passionately, putting a hundred and ten percent into everything he did. This same passion he had for work and life, he put into pursuing Jesus. 

At times, Eric was a father figure to me.  He held me to a high standard, even if it frustrated me to no end. He was hard on me, and today I’m thankful for it. He taught me to laugh while working hard. He also taught me to love the Lord with all I do. I remember Eric lived by a passage of scripture that was on his wall.  It read,

“May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14, NLT.

Through our many adventures, the three of us eventually become more than friends; we became brothers. Eventually we each went our own ways and moved out of the Surfdom.  Though we all keep in touch, today I woke to a text message from Eric that simply said this: “I am a daddy.” 

Sadly, I was asleep and groggy when I received it. I didn’t read it right away. I later woke up and when I realized what Eric had sent, I literally teared. 

Eric, let me take a moment to say: Congratulations!  You found a woman willing to put up with you this long. I’m kidding, but honestly I’ve seen first hand how God has used you to shape and mold me. I know without a shadow of a doubt that you will be an amazing father and husband. I have already seen you be an amazing father figure and leader to me and countless others. I know that you will lead your family in a manner that pleases God.  I know that as your daughter grows up, she will date only quality guys.  I say this because she will have your character to see and know what a real Godly man looks like. Charity, thank you for putting up with Eric.  Thank you for being an amazing woman to him. I can physically hear in his voice the love he has for you every time he mentions you. Baby Abigail, you have an amazing daddy. Take care of him for me. Eric, may your words and meditations continue to please our Lord. 

Simply,

Tex G.M. Rule

“May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14, NLT.

P.S.) This photo is for you- 

Germs & Sports Trainers

To my reader, 

Once a week, I am going to mix things up by writing about the adventures/fun times of being a slave intern at Community Bible Church.  Let me know if you enjoy this idea by leaving me feedback in the comments section below! Hope you enjoy! -Tex

The day a church takes communion is an important day in the church. It is the reminder of what Christ did for us on the cross, paying in full the debt of our sin.  Its no wonder why Paul writes to the church in Corinth telling them not to take communion lightly. He writes,

“You should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup.” 1 Corinthians 11:28, NLT.

Not only does it require a lot of prep time, it requires the whole church staff to be ready, communion songs, small communion message, bread/wine slides, the works. For an intern, preparing for communion can be crazy. In fact the day before Two42, my boss states, “We haven’t done communion in a while.” Translated to the language of intern it means, “We need to do communion. Make it happen.”

Then it happened. We broke the rules.  This past week, Two42 changed how we served Communion. It was an interesting conversation trying to figure out how which method to decide.  What was the deciding factor you may ask?

Germs. 

Pure and simple. The nasty little buggers that keep many of us awake at night. I realize mentioning germs made some reader pull out their pocket hand sanitizer. To this person, the germaphobe, the idea of everyone dipping a piece of bread into the same cup makes then cringe. 

If we weren’t going to do communion by intintion, then what were we going to do? Luckily, our local HEB had French bread and grape juice. We also purchased one more set of items:

Yes, mustard and ketchup squirt bottles.  To eliminate the community cup of wine, we would need to fill 350 individual tiny cups. This was our solution.  It proved to be a great idea minus squirting it all over the tables, my shirt, and the floor. But since the 350 cups were full, I'd call this a win.

After cleaning this up, it hit me.  I had an idea on how to improve intintion for the germaphobe. Congregants would have two options: to dip their bread into the one community cup of grape juice; or they could have someone squirt the grape juice from the ketchup/mustard bottle.  Imagine a football trainer at the sideline of the game.  

Communion Trainers: the future of communion.  Brilliant isn’t it?

I tried to have Chris implement this, but all He simply said was, “Oh, Tex.” 


Simply,
Tex G.M. Rule
“You should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup.” 1 Corinthians 11:28, NLT.

Explosions & Slip-N-Slides

To my reader,

Here is a story from this past Wed:

This was not the best way to start my day. You see, I was covered in watermelon from head to toe.  A XXL watermelon had exploded in my garage and another was about to follow suit.  All I wanted to do was put my hands over my face and yell my boss's name in vain, however I refrained.   Let me take a step back to a few days before.

We had bought twenty-five XXL watermelon to cut up and give to over 1,300 people.  With us cutting large slices, we not only had hundreds of slices left over, but ten untouched watermelons.  I decided to take them home and store them in my garage for Two42, however I stacked them on top each other. This would later prove to be a bad decision on my part. 

I woke to my family in chaos the next morning.  Apparently two of the watermelons had small breaks in the rind. Between this and the weight of the watermelon on top of it, the watermelon had exploded, thus creating the world’s craziest watermelon slip-n-slide in my garage.  It was everywhere. By the time I had finished cleaning it up, I looked as though I had been swimming in a pool full of watermelon.  The metaphorical poop had hit the fan.

Honestly, I was furious that the watermelon has exploded.  This was terrible timing. Why now? I was angry that I had slipped, several times, face planting into the watermelon painted concrete below.  I had about a million thoughts running through my head, none that I’ll repeat, but eventually I had to stop and take a deep breath. 

While I’m on my hands and knees, I remembered this passage in the New Testament where Jesus is talking with his disciples not long before he is betrayed. He tells them of these terrible things that will happen, and go on to say this:

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me.  Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.  But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33, NLT.

I was upset because the timing was bad. I was upset that the watermelon has exploded. And if you really look at the situation, I was upset that something went wrong. It didn’t go as planed.  The truth is, Jesus doesn’t say there could be trouble one day. He assures them, you will have trials.  Essentially, the poop will hit the fan; watermelons will explode.

What separates this and a “get over it” talk, is what Jesus tells us to do when trials and sorrows comes.  Jesus tells us to take heart, to dig deep. Essentially Jesus is saying, “When (not if) trouble comes, don’t give up. Trust in me; I overcame this.” We can have peace in the junk in our lives; it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t affect us.  Injustice and sorrow should affect our emotions, but that doesn’t shake who Jesus is and his love for us.  Its in Jesus that we can have peace- not ourselves.  He overcame the world, and he reminds us that this should give us hope. If you need to mourn, mourn.  If you need to vent, vent. However, do it and let it go. Our God loves us enough he endured this world so we could have a relationship with Him and that we may overcome it.

Dig deep, keep moving forward.  Take heart, He overcame the world. 

How do you react when the troubles and sorrows come-when things don't go as planned?

Simply,

Tex G.M. Rule

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me.  Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.  But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33, NLT.