Eldest son Matt wrote a well received article that I posted a few weeks ago at this site. Today I opened the cyber mailbox and found another effort from Matt. Today you get a father/son combo of Baylor University posts. Matt gets to tee off first.

 

My father, in his vernacular, is the writer of these “humble ramblings” that grace this blog daily.  Last Friday he wrote about Baylor Homecoming, an event my wife and I have been attending for the past 9 years.  Dad wrote about Baylor Homecoming,

 

“Why is this homecoming special for me despite my lack of a Baylor degree?

 

It is about relationships.

 

And memories.”

 

Samuel Palmer Brooks, one the most beloved of Baylor Presidents (1903-1931), said of Homecoming,

 

“Will you not, as a loyal student of dear old Baylor, lay aside for a few days the usual cares of life, come back to your alma mater, renew former associations and friendships, and catch the Baylor spirit again?” 

 

I love Homecoming.  It has become particularly sweet for my wife and me because we moved to Tennessee 5 years ago and rarely return to campus.  Homecoming is a time when we all come back to a place that is comfortable, loving, and full of memories.  We reconnect with great friends that know us well.  We swing by the offices of professors and administrators that shaped our perspectives, challenging us to become something greater than we could ever imagine.  We walk in buildings, sit on benches, and reminisce of significant moments that happened in these places with these people.  It is about relationships…and memories. 

 

I am renewed at Homecoming.  I get energy from having all of my friends, now scattered across the country, together to catch up, challenge, and encourage our journeys.  We get and give advice.  We hug a struggling friend and laugh with old ones.  This weekend feels good.  I feel the presence of Jesus with all the care and joy that surround the weekend (pending a Baylor football victory).  I wouldn’t miss it for anything. 

 

I am blessed.  This Sunday when I go to church…I will feel this way again.  I am renewed.  Friends are there to challenge, encourage, and walk alongside me in the journey.  Yet, I know this is not the case with everyone.  Shouldn’t church feel this way?  Church is a weekly Homecoming.  Can we imagine a church where we could lay aside the usual cares of life and return to a place where relationships, memories, and renewal all take place?  My Homecoming this weekend had very little to do with magnificent science buildings, new residence halls, or old student unions.  It was about relationships…and memories.  Renewal.  Comfort.  Being known, cared for, encouraged, and challenged.  This is what Homecoming is about, relationships…and memories. 

 

Thus, to paraphrase S.P. Brooks…Will you not, as followers of Jesus Christ, lay aside the daily cares of life, return to His church once again, renew former associations and friendships, and catch His spirit once again?  My hope for you is to experience it with me.  Blessings.