They're Back!

The fall season means several things around the Brewster house. It means that the Pittsburgh Steelers are back in action. It means that college football has returned. Most importantly, it signals the arrival of soccer and football season for Hannah and Drew.

Both Hannah and Drew kicked off their seasons this past Saturday. Drew's team, the Cowboys (ugh), won in decisive fashion 28-6. Drew is the center and loves it. He especially loves the trick plays when he pretends to handoff to the quarterback only to hand the ball off to another player. He is blocking well, and after making an initial block, runs down the field to block someone else until the play is over.

Hannah is still playing with the Bulldogs' soccer team and loves it. She is our number one goalie, and at times also plays mid-field and forward. Her team had games Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon.

In the first contest, the Bulldogs unleashed a devastating offensive attack, winning by a score of 12-1. Madi Walter led all scorers with 4 goals, followed by Mandy Sparkman with 3 goals, Hannah Brewster with 2 goals, and Katie McKay, Breanna Black and Rebecca Shumate each contributed 1 goal.

In Sunday's game, the Bulldogs faced a formidable opponent in a team comprised of 6th graders (the Bulldogs are mostly 5th graders). The contest proved to be a defensive struggle and ended in a 1-1 tie. Mandy Sparkman provided the sole goal for the Bulldogs, while Hannah Brewster protected the Bulldogs' goal despite the strong offensive attack of the opponent.

All in all, the first sports weekend of the fall for Hannah and Drew was an exciting time, which was made even better by the success that each one of them experienced.

Go, Bulldogs, and go (oh this is hard to say) Cowboys!

Ministry Reality

Having survived a trip to the Abilene Christian University Lectureship with much older traveling companions, I think that I am ready to try out for Survivor.

Then again, ministry prepared me for Survivor before the recent trip to ACU.

Ministry is something of a "Catch-22." On one hand, people expect their ministers to be "real" people. They expect them, because of their humanity, to struggle, and at times to fail. At least, that is the sentiment expressed.

But there is another sentiment lurking below the surface. People don't want their ministers to be "real." To have a "real" minister means having a minister who struggles with sin, and who fails at times.

People would rather not have such a minister.

If confession is good for the soul, it is suicide for the minister. What we say we want and what we really want are two very different things.

Listening to an old preacher named Landon Saunders recently reminded me of these things. Saunders talked about "getting people right," from the pulpit to the back row. We get people right, and then we can get Scripture right, Saunders said.

Unfortunately, ministers are supposed to be "right" all the time. This leads me to sit and wonder about some of my friends in ministry.

One of my closest friends experienced a divorce a few years ago. He did not want a divorce. He fought against it. But it happened. The congregation where he was ministering suddenly came to the conclusion that they wanted to go in a new direction. So my friend lost his marriage, then his job. Today (thankfully) he is still involved with a church, but it is a church that looks much different than the one we both grew up in.

I have another friend who had big dreams for ministry. Upon finishing graduate school, he even ministered for a period of time in a small town. His struggles, though, soon turned into a devastating monster called drug addiction. Those who listened to him preach and were impacted by his ministry decided that he was no longer qualified. His sin led to his dismissal.

Confess your sins, the Bible tells us. Maybe we should put in parenthesis (unless you are employed by the church. In that case, we'd rather not know).

There are others in ministry (including many at the ACU lectures) who are crumbling under the unrealistic expectations placed on them.

No wonder ministers stay guarded. No wonder ministers stay stressed. No wonder the average life span of ministers is below most professions.

Thankfully, there are those (usually former ministers) who have put together support networks for ministers. Thankfully, there are those who realize that ministers are still "members of the flock" and need their souls shepherded as well.

For them, the deepest longing is for unconditional love and support.

Sadly, the reality they experience is far different.

Patriot Games

Anyone else have questions about the New England Patriots spying on the New York Jets' sideline this past Sunday?

Here are a few of mine:

1)Is this a regular practice of the Patriots?
2)If so, then for how many years have they engaged in "spying"?

Winning is really not that big of a deal if you know exactly what the defense is planning.

Hmm ... I think I'll wait to see just exactly what the NFL Commissioner says about all this mess.

From the ESPN website:

Roger Goodell [NFL Commish] has determined that the New England Patriots violated league rules Sunday when they videotaped defensive signals by the New York Jets' coaches, league sources told Mortensen.

NFL security officials confiscated a camera and videotape from Patriots video assistant Matt Estrella on the New England sidelines when it was suspected he was recording the Jets' defensive signals. Sources say the visual evidence confirmed the suspicion.

Always Remember

September 11, 2001

Always remember.

Innocent people massacred.

Religion perverted.

Unlawful killings advocated.

The voices of the dead still cry from the grave.

Dear God, how long?

How much longer?

Seasons Change?

A "cold" front blew through yesterday lowering the temps from the mid-90s to the mid-80s. That might not sound like much, but for those of us languishing in the relentless heat and humidity of a Louisiana September, we are very grateful.

The mornings (at least for the rest of this week) should see temps around the mid-to-upper 60s. This is good news. The cool weather feels good.

I knew that the season was changing when my son asked me before going to school this morning, "Daddy, can I wear my school sweatshirt today?"

When temps reached the mid-to-upper-60s after a long, harsh Northern winter, we were ready to jump into our swimming suits and take a dip in the pool. When temps reached the 70s and even the 80s we proclaimed that we were caught in the midst of a heat wave.

But not so with Drew.

We moved to Louisiana when Drew was 7-weeks old. He has never experienced a long harsh Northern winter. When it gets below 80 degrees Drew pulls out his sweatshirts and has his coats all lined up to wear.

So when Drew mentioned wearing his sweatshirt this morning I smiled and said, "Of course."

He did not bat an eye as we walked to the bus stop wearing his sweatshirt with shorts. It did not faze him that the other kids at the bus stop were all in short sleeve shirts and shorts.

One reason I admire Drew (and my daughter Hannah) is that they are comfortable being themselves. They are not going to ride the unpredictable wave of popularity and become slaves to fickle opinions and fads which burn out almost as quickly as they arrive.

I hope they will continue to think enough of themselves to do their own thing, regardless of others.

Thanks, Drew, for reminding me that fall has arrived.

The Pretender

Dave Grohl and company are back with a new song that shines well in the Foo Fighters tradition. It is called The Pretender. Great tune. Here are the lyrics:


Keep you in the dark
You know they all pretend
Keep you in the dark
And so it all began

Send in your skeletons
Sing as their bones go marching in... again
They need you buried deep
The secrets that you keep are ever ready
Are you ready?

I'm finished making sense
Done pleading ignorance
That whole defense

Spinning infinity, boy
The wheel is spinning me
It's never-ending, never-ending
Same old story

What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one in your place?
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?

What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays?
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?

In time our soul untold
I'm just another soul for sale... hh, well
The page is out of print
We are not permanent
We're temporary, temporary
Same old story

What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays?
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?

What if I say I'm not like the others?
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays?
You're the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?

I'm the voice inside your head
You refuse to hear
I'm the face that you have to face
Mirrored in your stare
I'm what's left, I'm what's right
I'm the enemy
I'm the hand that will take you down
Bring you to your knees

So who are you?
Yeah, who are you?
Yeah, who are you?
Yeah, who are you?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKhnmUdmz74 (hope the link works)

Where the Spirit Leads?

Finished Anne Lamott's new book and I'll write more about it later.

For now, here is a quote I found on another blog that I wanted to share:

"STOP asking God to bless what you are doing, and get involved in what God is doing, because it is already blessed!"

It seems that a lot of times we determine what we want and expect God to bless it (oh, we still ask Him to bless it, but we assume He'll reach the same conclusion we have).

Instead of choosing your own course, try following the leading of God's Spirit. Let the Spirit lead you to what God is ALREADY doing and get involved with it.

Give it a shot.

Letting God lead is a good thing.

After all, God does not make a good co-pilot.