Today's post is from my best friend who has always been a true friend to me.  Jacob and I graduated from ACU together with ministry degrees.  Jacob ministers on the front lines in the school system and is a loving husband and involved, respectful father.  He knows who his God is and follows Him daily.  Please enjoy Jacob Smith's words below.



Maps, phones, ipads, internet, pad of paper, pens, compass and maybe a sexton tool were all used in the planning of the 2014 Smith Summer vacation.  It had to be awesome.  It had to be perfect.  It had to be done. All but one of us realizes what is coming in November and this was our way of saying “Goodbye” to our family as we know it.  (Quick background if you don’t know: my wife of 16 years is expecting our fourth child.  That brings the quiver of children to two girls Hannah, 9; Sadie, 7 and two boys: Israel, 2 and Ezra, TBB...to be born.)  This was to be the greatest and last trip as ‘this Smith Family.’

Once we decided it would be a short vacation to the DFW area, My wife and I conducted many conversations in preparations for this momentous occasion:  What is the proper placement of hotel?  Should the hotel pool be indoor or outdoor? Are those fancy Texas waffles there for the kids? What are the right enriching activities that we should do? Only fun or squeeze some learning activities in also?  Do we include the children in our decisions?   

The time came, the plans were made, and the fun began.  We found the hotel to be located the perfect distance away and, yes the Texas waffles were there.  Convincing the two year old that it was special to have his “own room” in the hotel was a stroke of genius by the wife.  The boy loved the closet floor.

Each and everyday was full of memories, surprises, and focused on letting the kids have one more memory before Ezra joins us.  A wonderful afternoon/evening at Six Flags Over Texas started the fun.  There was arcade time for the #1 offspring, a dinner in Rainforest Cafe for the #2, Build-A-Bear for #1 & #2, train ride for #3 and lots of swimming for #1, #2, & #3.  Even an exciting documentary about man eating crocidiles and snakes for #1.

The trip was  great success, measured by the fact #2, known lovingly as “The Question” among those who travel with her, was asleep ten minutes into the ride home.  Ah...the ride home.  

DFW to San Antonio. Four hours, five depending on the bladder and eating desires of my children.  As we are just leaving the back roads of getting from Mansfield to the I-35 conduit to our house, #3 asked the question all parents wait patiently to hear: “Are we there yet?” The answer is simple, Israel. “No we are not there.  Only four hours to go.”  

The question….”Are we there yet?”  There are different degrees of understanding time by each of my children.  For my oldest, four hours means the same distance to her grandmother’s house in Abilene; it means starting four to six books and finishing two to three of them.  For the second born, it means two “real” movies on the DVD player or a bunch of “little” movies.  For Israel, four hours means...well nothing.

After answering this question a couple of times during the first thirty minutes on the ride home, I vowed not to get frustrated by a two year old who has just been strapped to a chair like he is headed to the moon, desiring for the freedom he has had for the past five days.  Then on that super highway of people racing to and fro from North and South Texas it happened.  A theological adjustment by a simple thought place in my head by my Heavenly Father:  “How do you think I feel when you ask me?”

Time, experienced by all, viewed differently by wisdom.  The girls are developing a sense and understanding of time because of the life they have led.  Israel, who cannot count to ten, how could he understand time?  My wife and I have been around for closing in on four decades, so we get time.  Don’t we?   Time is how we judge the day, the birthdays, the time we are here.  

My repetitive questions to my Father about “How much longer?  What is taking so long?  Are we there yet?”  are a direct correlation to my son asking his father.  The one who lives in time asking the one who lives outside of time is as silly as trying to explain the trip home to Israel: After Hillsboro is Waco, then North Austin and hopefully only an hour later South Austin and then San Marcos, New Braunfels, and home.  

In a blink of an eye, it became clear.  Israel was asking because he wanted to  know and understand.  I ask because I want to know and understand.  Israel cannot understand everything right now.  I cannot understand the full answer right now.

So, what I am to do?  Follow the lead of my son.  Stay “strapped in” to the direction the Lord is taking me, be willing to continue to ask questions and accept the answers giving.  Keep moving down the road, knowing that one day the answer to “Are we there yet?” will “Yes”....the Ultimate Yes.

Today is my Memaw's birthday.  I have been so blessed to have a close relationship with Memaw my entire life.  We would visit her often on weekends, every holiday, and stay with her and my pops for weeks during the summer.  I cannot remember a time where she wasn't the best grandmother anyone could ever ask for in life.  She stands 4 ft. 9 in. (5 ft. if  she is wearing her heels and has her big hair done), but she is a giant of a woman.  I won't forget the times when she went out of her way to keep one or more of her grandchildren at her house when they were down on their luck.  I cannot forget how she constantly would come to visit me in Houston before I was married and fill my fridge with "real" groceries.  She loved my pops, even though they showed it through passionate discussion that made the hard of hearing grateful.  She loves her children and doesn't wait for them to come to her as much as she runs after each one.  Her grands and great-grands have become a beacon of light to her soul and she delights in the Lord because of her 6 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.  I won't tell her age but Herbert Hoover was president when she was born.  She still drives, she still works, and lives on her own.  Nothing holds her back.

The one thing that I have learned from Memaw that I will be eternally grateful for is unconditional love.  Memaw may not like everything that her family has done, but that has never been a reason not to love them and shower them with that love.  In her eyes you are never far from her love.  It is the kind of love that Jesus gave and asks us to give.  I have met very few people who have this gift inside of them, but my Memaw is one.  She may not be perfect either, but I will never be able to see it, because when someone loves you unconditionally all you can do is love them back the same way.

Leah and I believe that our little blessing, Brynn Leigh, is Memaw all over again.  She has the small stature, she has the joy, she has the sass, she has the spunk, and she has the love.  I talked with Memaw yesterday and said, "If Brynn Leigh grows up to be half of the woman you are I will be blessed beyond mention."  

Memaw, Happy Birthday!  We love you and adore you!  Thanks for teaching us love!  Enjoy being 83..oops!

Last night I had a bad dream.  You might consider it a nightmare, but I'll just call it a bad dream.  It wasn't frightening as much as it was stressful and intense.

I somehow found myself in a house where some evil men were trying to spy on the owner of the house in order to do that owner harm.  I knew I wasn't the owner, but simply a visitor.  At the moment I spied these men and their hi-tech equipment I knew they were up to no good and I went to run them off from the house.  Instead of being fearful of my presence it became a confrontation.  I crashed the equipment they were using and they tried to injure me.  I ran but only to be confronted time after time around town.  Every time I grew more fearful and dreaded their presence.   Every time I tried calling for help, but my voice would only choke up and no sound would come out.  Every time I tried calling the police, but every phone I tried failed and there was even a time when I couldn't remember the number for 9-1-1.  By the the time I remembered the number they were there to stop me.  Every time I did my best to get away and running ended up being my best option.  Unfortunately, I was not overcome with an instant martial arts ability or a large gun (don't judge I'm from Texas and now live in Arkansas).  There were some encounters where I defended myself, but only long enough to get away and run.  I felt fear, paranoia, and helplessness.  No one could help.  Toward the end of the dream I had a final encounter (although I didn't know it would be the final encounter).  I fought hard during that encounter and even managed to break off a broom stick for my weapon.  One of my adversaries, jumped on my back with his arms around my neck and his feet around my waist, like a child taking a piggy-back ride.  The dream then fast-forwarded to several hours into that same day.  All of the other adversaries had given up chase once again, but there I was with this monkey on my back and a broom stick in my hand.  However the man on my back had become extremely calm almost asleep and the broom stick had lost its flavor as a weapon and become a help for walking upright.  The now walking stick had come in extremely handy with such a load on my back.  My mind shifted from fear to exhaustion and all of the sudden I had a great epiphany.  I had become extremely comfortable with this burden on my back and for unknown reasons I remained strong enough to carry it along my continued search for peace.

I woke up!  I woke up in a cold sweat and once I realized it had all been a dream I began to breathe extremely heavily.  I got up out of bed, walked around, and got a drink of water and as I laid down again, I fell asleep pondering the meaning of it all.  I'm not sure what it all means, but my takeaway from the dream was that sometimes a burden that has caused great anxiety and fear becomes a friend on our journey.  I'm not sure that is what God wants for our burdens.  What was remarkable in this dream is that God or any other source ever saved me from the attack or vanquished my burden.  What God did do was give me the strength to carry it. In the midst of that journey he made the burden impotent.  God turned my broom stick intended for violence and battle into a staff for my journey.

God never promises peace or perfection in this life.  In fact, He actually promises the opposite.  

"16 I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Fatherspeaking through you.  21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parentsand have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved." -Matthew 10:16-22


He does promise that He will be with us to the very end.

"18 Then Jesus came to them and said,“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” -Matthew 28:18-20


I'm still a little troubled with the comfort I felt with my burden at the end of my dream.  Was that because I trust in the Lord to give me what I need?  or Was I comfortable because I have grown attached to my burden and quit fighting to be rid of it?  I'll keep pondering that, but one thing I know is that I love the fact that while I carry my burdens and while I minister to others carrying burdens, Jesus has took care of all those things on the cross and chooses continually to be with us all to the very end.  It doesn't mean every burden will go away, but it does mean that those burdens do not have to keep us from His kingdom work and His final glory.

Is there a burden you need to bring to the cross?
Have you become too comfortable with a burden that is separating you from God's blessings?
How has God carried you along in desperate times?

Message me and I will commit to praying for you and the burden you carry every day for a week or longer if you want: mercerprays@gmail.com (***ALL PRAYER REQUEST KEPT CONFIDENTIAL***)

That title may sound a bit more dramatic than I intend to go.  This is the Monday Car Ride and this happens to be my boys favorite game we play on the way to school.  Brody will ask every morning, "Dad, can we play that God game?"  So I look out the window and pick some object and their job is to say whether it is from God or People.  Typically we are talking about who created it.  "Stop sign!"  and they answer, "People."  I'll say "clouds" and they answer, "God."  You get the idea.  This isn't rocket science, but who says it needs to be with 1st graders.  There are times when I will throw them a curve ball.  One time that got me into near hot water.  

I really wanted to stump the boys on the game and after saying several objects, where the answer was, "people", I said, "people!"  Now remember their job is to say whether or not this was created by God or people.  They were stumped for a second or two and then one boy answered, "God" while the other boy at the exact time said, "people." I said you are both right.  Then the boys started talking about how mommy had Brynn Leigh in her tummy and I said, "yes and mommy was helped by..."  Now just so you know my answer to that sentence was God.  But in the nanoseconds that it took them to answer that question, i was desperately trying to stuff those words back into my mouth, because the last thing I wanted to talk about on the way to school in the morning was where babies come from.  Luckily, although God was chuckling at me he let me off the hook and the boys answered, "...God."  Whew!  Then in a strange turn of events Dylan talked the rest of  the ride about them and sister being in mommy's belly and how the babies came out one day and now they are kids.  Mind you I'm up in the front seat sweating and not because it's hot.  Finally, my dear son Brody with blushed face shouts, "Can we please stop talking about babies in mommies and get back to the game!!!!"  "THE LAKE!!!" I shouted!  They both say in unison, "God!" and then it was time to let them out of the car.  Crisis averted...mostly.  The moral of the story is be careful what games you play.  Needless to say that stumping them is not my primary goal any longer.

I will say that I love this simple game, because as my boys get out of the car to start their school day they first have thought about all the things that God has made.  What a great thought to be in their heads as they begin a new day at school.

One of my favorite times of the year is almost here.  I love the fall season.  There is a certain crispness to the air.  I grew up on the coast of Texas and so the break in humidity with a wonderful refreshing cool front was always a welcomed change.  I now live in Arkansas and as this time of year comes the leaves begin to change, the air is cooler and life seems to be much lighter and refreshing.  Of course my other favorite time of the year is spring, when the cold breaks and again the weather seems perfect as creation seems to renew itself.

Every time there is a shift in seasons I am reminded how it is not just the weather that has its seasons, but life as well.  I don't tend to be someone who runs away from trouble or conflict.  I will say that sometimes my downfall could be trying too hard to find the solution or overcome it, when maybe the right thing to do is give up and let God take his rightful place.  That will be a life-long struggle that I accept and am happy to have such an understanding, compassionate, and patient God who walks with me.

However, when I feel the weather take its shift and change to a new season, I give thanks to God for how he remains the same, even though my life is ever-evolving and shifting with culture, changes, children growing, marriage enriching, and my relationship with God growing.  I have no idea what may be on the horizon of my life, but I can tell you that as I have pondered the change of this weather season, there is a deep longing to be a better husband, a more patient father, and one who longs and thrives from his relationship with God.  The Spirit is working in me and allowing me to see God's mighty hand, compassionate heart, and Jesus' sacrifice in a refreshed light.  Lately, I have felt the cool breeze of the Holy Spirit renewing my spirit and drawing me closer to the things that really matter.  This doesn't mean that I don't have my constant struggles, but it does mean that the lens in which I see those is becoming  more focused on God and His love for ALL people rather than on the things that are beyond my control.

I am looking forward to the Fall Season.  I'm looking forward to a renewed, refreshed spirit inside me.  God is ready to do some amazing things and I am praying that he will find me open and ready as I continue to journey.

This past Sunday I began a sermon series on the book of Daniel.  I hope to blog about the entire series when I finish it in October.  However, I had a conversation with one of our members about how The Old Testament is not something we talk about a lot or have really been excited about in our past.  I then made the statement that I think of myself as a "New Testament Guy" and yet since I have been preaching I am continually drawn to the Old Testament.  Maybe it is the stories.  Maybe its the foundations.  Maybe it is the unfolding of God's heart. Or maybe I find that the church has much to gain through the study, preaching, and practices of the Old Testament.  I'm not exactly sure why I have been drawn to it these past few years.  I try to balance my year of sermons equally between Old Testament, New Testament, and topical sermons.  And I have done that pretty well.  

I grew up in a tradition that treated the Old Testament as a great piece of historical reading with little to no context for our lives.  We based our practices in the New Testament and held it as the only part of the Bible that should give us spiritual direction.  What I continue to preach today is that God has not changed from the beginning.  His methods may have changed along with our culture and therefore our interpretations, but God's heart is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. 

The Old Testament isn't simply a document to make sense of the New Testament so we can live under the New Testamental code.  The Old Testament is the story of the Trinity and their relationship with humankind and the New Testament is the continuation of that story and our lives today are the next story of the same.  I like the way that Scot McKnight puts it in his book The King Jesus Gospel:   “the gospel” is the story of Jesus of Nazareth told as the climax of the long story of Israel, which in turn is the story of how the one true God is rescuing the world. (12)  "The King Jesus Gospel."  Mcknight says, "Let's make this point clear: the gospel is the Story of Jesus as the completing Story of Israel." (p.85) "Did Jesus preach the gospel? Yes, he preached the gospel because the gospel is the saving Story of Jesus completing Israel's Story, and Jesus clearly sets himself at the center of God's saving plan for Israel." (p.111) "...Jesus preached Jesus, Paul preached Jesus and Peter preached Jesus.  Preaching Jesus is preaching the gospel." (p. 111)  


These quotes and this idea can give a person who cannot understand or get excited about the Old Testament see it with new eyes and fresh perspective.  The Old Testament has much more to offer than just grand-fun-to-tell-epic stories.  It unfolds the heart of God that begins with a retelling of creation, deals with present-day struggles and issues, while ending with the voice of prophets proclaiming God's continuing love and purpose for his people.  The New Testament is more than just grand-miraculous-Jesus-grace stories.  It is compelling the reader to God's true heart while laying the groundwork for what the Holy Spirit will do for people following Jesus' ascension and the church's birth.

These are exciting documents that bring life to death, inspiration to religion, and a future from the ancient.  Read from Genesis to Revelation and find the thread that holds the entire story together.  Promise me though that you won't forget that God, Jesus, Spirit aren't done when you finish, but continually live within you and go before you till the end of time.