PARKS BROWN

The home stretch. The words bring to mind the final part of a journey, a race, or the last stage of a difficult activity. The home stretch is where effort and preparation meet. Going down the home stretch reveals character, discipline and intentionality…or not. The home stretch is not casual or passive. Look around the world in 2026, look in the mirror. We’re all heading down the home stretch.

The phrase ‘home stretch’ originated in horse racing where the horse makes the final turn and can see the finish line. Major league baseball teams are in the home stretch of their season to crown a champion. Students are in the home stretch of this semester. Politicians are eyeing the mid term elections and making final appeals to the voters. It looks like France is in the home stretch of civil society. The world is watching as French people, architecture and ideas burn to the ground. As a nation, France is going down the home stretch in a journey that started long ago.

You can easily make a case the world is in the home stretch. Jews, Muslims and Christians alike believe we are living in the home stretch before their Savior or last Imam takes center stage. Many nations and forms of government look like they are heading to a finish line. Republics and democratic nations are under attack. Is this the home stretch for democracy?

The largest city in America is now governed by the same belief system that attacked and tried to destroy her 25 years ago. To many, it looks like we’ve turned the last corner and the finish line is in sight. Aside from politics, look in the mirror and read the Bible to be reminded what the home stretch looks like.

The home stretch is where every ONE and every THING is tested and revealed for what they are made of. Football players hold up 4 fingers to remind each other 3/4ths of the competition is completed. The world wants you to believe the home stretch is called retirement. Retirement is more like a 7th inning stretch where you briefly stand up only to sit back down, get comfortable and be a spectator. The Bible teaches the home stretch is a time to stay focused on the finish line, not to quit.

The Bible is a guide and reminder for the home stretch. Horses only race a few years. Athletes compete in limited careers. Empires rise and fall. Look around at the scoreboard, the clock, the obstacles facing you AND the world in this home stretch….and have hope.

Don’t get discouraged, be quiet or sit down and put your feet up to rest. The Bible reminds us, ‘…we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.’ ……Run hard in the home stretch, but run smart, be wise. Learn what God teaches us in His Word.

Recognized as the most wealthy and wise man to have ever lived, Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes down the home stretch of his life. From a worldly perspective Solomon was successful beyond all imagination. Many would say Solomon is the role model because he lived for and obtained great knowledge, wealth, power and fame. Ecclesiastes is the opus of his most successful life and career. But it reads differently than you might think.

Read Ecclesiastes and you’ll hear bitterness and disappointment from a disillusioned man as he reflected going down the home stretch. Right before he crossed the finish line Solomon summed it up… “..The last and final word is this: Fear God. Do what he tells you. And that’s it. Eventually God will bring everything that we do out into the open and judge it according to it’s hidden intent, whether it’s good or evil.” Solomon learned everything in life apart from God is meaningless.

I have made the last turn in my life and I’m heading down the home stretch. I look around at the field and see those ahead of me, beside me and remember those in my past. I have tried to learn from those who have been and are in the home stretch with me. Everyone seems to be running their race in different ways towards different conclusions. I have decided, the finish line in my life is an ambition. A great ambition not defined by wealth or accomplishments but revealed to me in the Bible.

Another historical figure in the Bible speaks loudly to me. Peter was a man after my own heart. Peter lived passionately with zeal and fervor for God, succeeding one minute and failing miserably the next. Regretfully, I can relate. In the home stretch of Peter’s life he wrote about the finish line. “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’ ” That sounds like the finish line God desires for me.

For my home stretch I’ll focus on holiness. To keep such a bold finish line attainable, I’ll focus on becoming holy by trying to control my words and my mouth. Words can align me with God or throw me off course. My speech can help me stay focused down the home stretch. So far, the results are mixed but the race is marked out for me.

I want to encourage, not discourage. I want to build up not tear down. This doesn’t mean being nice, non-confrontational, weak or quiet when truth is given a back seat to evil, dishonesty and deceptive lies. Will I win this race? Time will tell and I’m sure others will judge me. But I WILL cross the finish line where the final judge is waiting.

Holiness is my great ambition and better use of my words is the mark set before me. I am promised a helper in this home stretch. My help will come from family and friends, strangers, Christ followers and agnostics, Democrats and Republicans, all nationalities and races, old friends and hopefully new friends as well….and the Holy Spirit.

Remembering that ‘God will bring every deed into judgement, including every hidden thing..’,…..I encourage YOU in your home stretch. Let’s cross the finish line not listening for applause or accolades in a lengthy obituary, but a still quiet voice saying… ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’

What does your home stretch look like? I’d love to know.

Time has an erosive quality causing many things to be left behind and forgotten. This erosion is an enemy that takes away what was and steals and destroys what isn’t purposefully secured. Over the span of a lifetime much is forsaken and abandoned in our past. Making a conscious decision, a choice of who and what to hold onto and what will be swept away with time is critical to life, happiness and contentment…here and in eternity.

Our pace of living is a major culprit in what we forsake and abandon from day to day. The speed and number of times you read this blog determine what you retain or leave behind. The lack of pausing, assimilating and meditating on what you think and hear each day contribute to what you forget and abandon. In 2026, abandonment is epidemic at home and abroad.

Some have abandoned biology and defining a woman in exchange for political gain. Others forsake common sense and allow men to compete against women in sport. Citizens across the pond forget the history of Nazi Germany to impose capital restrictions as their leaders prohibit them from having bank accounts outside defined borders. Others talk about the use of tactical nuclear weapons as safe ways to resolve regional conflict, forsaking alliances that draw others into the fray.

At home, Moms and Dads abandon parenting for jobs that offer advancement and greater provision. Discipline is abandoned to make children ‘happy’ with better self-esteem. Churches leave behind the full gospel and words in red that command how to live, define who God is and how we were created. The parts in scripture many churches forsake remind us we serve a God of love and mercy…but also a God of wrath. These words tell us not to forget or forsake the God of Creation.

We can leave behind what we love the MOST if we aren’t reminded.

If you look and listen, domestic and foreign political alliances are being forsaken and left behind. Domestic relationships are effectively abandoned as love grows cold between colleagues, friends and families. Leaving the past behind is spreading, gaining speed and traction. The Bible spells out the extent of what has been abandoned, what is forgotten and…what is about to be forsaken.

The Bible says it simply, IF we slow our pace to read and listen. God says NO one is exempt from abandoning what is important to them. In the last book in the Bible, God identifies HIS followers, the universal ‘catholic’ church, Protestants, Roman Catholics, you name it. In fact, when He gets ready to judge us all the FIRST group He speaks to is those who work hard, have good deeds and are diligent, productive and persevere for Him. In Revelation 2:2-5. “‘…You have forsaken your first love…repent and do the things you did at first…He who has an ear, let him hear.'”

When Jesus walked the earth He gave the cure for the pandemic we face in 2026. Don’t let this go in one ear and out the other. Don’t quickly pass this off, forget it and abandon it like common sense. Meditate and ruminate on……LOVE…..Whole hearted love. Love with ALL of your soul, strength, mind and body. Loving deeply, not casually. In modern parlance, holistic love.

Odds HIGHLY favor, we/you/me have forgotten what real love is AND can do. Jesus taught love was SO essential to human life that it was a command from our Creator. Not a suggestion or a good idea, a COMMAND; in fact,the greatest command. Meditate on that for 60 seconds if you can. When your boss, the Regional Manager or CEO commands something, your choice is do it or…suffer the consequences.

I won’t belabor the point because most of us are ready to pick up the pace and finish this blog. The erosive aspect of time and the ‘enemy’ are shouting in your ear right now, “I get it, I get it, I get, move on!!”

BUT…Jesus said God gave us COMMANDS… “‘The most important one is this…Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.'”

Lets face it, top of the love list is usually…me. My spouse, my kids, my family, my job, ambitions, my legacy, my ministry. Something that starts with me or mine, not God…or you, my neighbor, my brother.

Put the oxygen mask on first if you want to save others, right? Not according to the Bible. Gotta loose your life to find it. No greater love than giving of your own life for others. Peter even says ‘Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.’ The kind of love that is selfless, sacrificial, patient, unconditional. Read 1st Corinthians 13:5-9 AGAIN to be reminded what kinda love we’re talking about.

Next time you tell anyone you love them, ask yourself what kind of love you meant. Don’t forget to do this.

The Bible teaches repeatedly, God IS love. He so loved the world that He gave of Himself, His SON. At a time the world is encouraging us to ‘accept’ each other and all kind of other things, let’s not abandon the TRUTH and command to love and not forsake HIM, our Father…and our neighbor.

This IS God’s plan. Christ followers carry this message and power of Jesus in our common, vulnerable, broken and forgetful bodies.

Forsaking and leaving things behind is a given. Take the time each day to choose what you want to abandon and what you want to keep. Live with purpose and love.

Labor Day means something different to everyone. To some, it marks the end of summer. To others, it’s just a day off from work. In the late 1800’s President Grover Cleveland officially signed into law making the first Monday in September the day to ‘recognize and honor the achievements of workers.’ Labor Day has always been about the number of hours you spend working and the pace of your life. Labor Day is the opportunity to remember and adjust your struggle to balance work and a personal life.

In the 1800’s many Americans worked 70 plus hours a week and the length of the workweek became a political issue. From the 1850’s to about 1890, the average work week was 60-70 hours. The time was spent in manual labor not sitting at a desk on a telephone or on a computer. Whether you are a blue or white collar worker today, the amount of time you devote to work and the pace of your work are still the primary focus.

In July of this year, professional golf was upended by a 39 year old Kiwi winning the oldest golf tournament in the world, The Open. Ryan Fox was labeled the ‘fastest golfer in the world’ as his pace of play made the headlines amidst a bevy of younger players who are taking longer to complete a round of golf than ever. It wasn’t that Fox was rushing, he just didn’t waste time. How we manage our time is a witness to the world, even the staid world of the PGA.

Today people are spending more leisure time than ever and less time working. This is not leading to a healthier more robust populace, but just the opposite. The pace of our activities is more harried. We are cramming in more, trying to accomplish more tasks in the same time and have become more stressed. Hurry is a sickness. I know because I suffer with the disease.

The physical demands and exertion that led to Labor Day are a reminder to monitor your pace of play. White collar labor can deceive you into forgetting the pace is what is most important. Less physical labor or exercise results in higher stress, less sleep and higher incidences of stroke and heart disease. The further we get away from physical labor the more we view it as an activity or merely an expense on a ledger, a dollar cost.

Parents are training their children to live a faster pace of play by allowing them to participate in travel ball and cheer teams. The school system is giving more busy work they call homework. Churches get in on the hustle by offering more activities and service times. The faster we run, the more we get away from the natural pace of God and His creation.

God walks, He doesn’t run. During my busiest seasons I start the day praying and God reminds me that I have enough time to accomplish all HE has for me that day. The prophet Micah wrote, ‘He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’ My job, my selfish desires and my ‘to-do’ list may want me to run and get more done, but my God wants me to walk thru the day.

When I rush from one place or task to another, I don’t listen and hear as well…you don’t either. The Bible is FULL of reminders that our Creator speaks in a still quiet voice. Our pace will dictate our ability to listen. He doesn’t yell or bark reminders about our pace in life or the need to slow down to hear Him better. He often speaks to our pace in life through our health. Sickness, chronic health issues and suffering can speak when our pace drowns out His quiet whisper.

In Genesis we are told that Enoch walked with God…Noah walked with God. The Proverbs tell us we gain wisdom and understanding by walking, not accomplishing more. John says if we walk in the light…we have fellowship with one another. The Bible speaks to a slower pace of play that brings us closer to God…and each other.

To make this practical, the speed most people walk at is 3 miles per hour. CDC guidelines define moderate-intensity physical activity as 3 mph. Numerous studies have shown the pace of your gait, the speed you walk is possibly the best vital sign for higher cardiovascular health. Better than age, sex, body mass index, blood pressure, chronic conditions or smoking history. The Bible makes this clear and science confirms it. Slow down your pace of play to live longer and have better health.

A slower pace of play allows us to hear God better, delivers better physical health and deepens all personal relationships. Possibly most important, our pace of play in life is a huge witness to everyone. Our pace of play speaks to what we think is important, to who we love and to what we value.

This Labor Day, let the holiday seep into your heart and change your pace of play. It will increase the quality of your life, bring you closer to God and be a witness to your friends and family. The future depends on it.

The gravity of events in everyday life is a reminder of the individual responsibilities and duties we share. Our families, society and culture evolve or devolve based on what current and previous generations have and have not done with what they have been given. Whether WE do greater or lesser things depends on if we act with a sense of duty and responsibility…or privilege.

Duty is defined as a responsibility to do what is right or required. The concept of a moral obligation can and should shape our behavior and conscience. Actions result when we believe our responsibilities outweigh risk, reward or even our ability to successfully accomplish the task at hand. Too often, duty and responsibilities are seen as a privilege. When this happens, people become tribal, put themselves before everyone else and don’t accomplish greater things.

Christians were PROMISED they would do greater things than Christ did Himself. Jesus said, “‘Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.'” It begs the question to everyone who calls themselves a Christian… ‘What are the GREATER things YOU are doing?!’

We know we are doing greater things when others are blessed (benefited) by us and what we do. We know this because ‘without a doubt the lesser is always blessed by the greater.’ Hebrews 7:7. Greater things are always blessings to others. Am I, are you, blessing others or promoting our own agenda? Do we think others will be blessed if we are blessed first? The trickle down blessing theory does not preempt sacrificial acts of blessing others first.

Do you want to bless others and do greater things? Do you believe you can? What is keeping us from doing greater things than Christ himself? Does your work or raising a family get in the way? Jesus addressed that head on. “‘Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow…'” In other words, “I’ve got that covered.”

Life isn’t Mission Impossible. Christians are not IMF members but we do have a choice of accepting the mission we have been given. We also have the ability to do greater things. Ephesians 3:20 reminds us that God’s Spirit and power gives us the ability. ‘Now to HIM who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work in us…’

Do we even know what greater things are? Do we ask the Holy Spirit?? Do we deny the power we’re given by seeing it as a privilege and not a duty?? Or, do we just not believe these particular words of Jesus?

Belief can accomplish greater things. Unbelief can keep them from happening. Too many people in 2026 don’t believe anything can be done to…change a family members depression, addiction or anger and hostility…save the decline of civility in our communities…alter the current devolution of our American culture and Christian heritage…the list is looong because we are apathetic AND don’t believe the Truth in the Bible.

Most everyone can see, feel, recognize and acknowledge the evil so prevalent across the spectrum of our institutions…and individual hearts. I don’t know the exact time but I do know regardless of the age or my age, Peter was right. ‘The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.’ He was saying be aware, don’t ignore what’s happening. And…DO what was possibly the greatest thing Christ himself did…PRAY.

I believe whether we do greater things than Jesus stems from our faith and belief. We hear what’s happening in Dallas, Dearborn, New York City, Little Rock. The changes in America and the world are brought to our eyes and ears through technology and communication. Fake news is a tool of the evil one. Apathy about what happens outside your bank account or your neighborhood is straight from hell as well. Instead of being apathetic or not believing we can effect change, we forget it’s not about OUR ability. It’s about HIS ability to do great things.

Do you WANT to do greater things? Do you have a duty and responsibility to do greater things? Do you BELIEVE you can do greater things? When Jesus walked the earth ‘He was amazed at their unbelief.’ He spoke bluntly to those who would listen… “‘You unbelieving generation, how long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you?'”

Jesus promised whoever believed in Him WOULD do greater things. He also said those greater things had NO limits. “‘Everything is possible for the one who believes.'”

For Christians, greater things are our duty. To learn what these greater things are for you, ask the Holy Spirit. Pray.

Pray for greater things.

Number Two. XO. VP. Hand of the King. Deputy. Assistant. You before me.

The chain of command is critical to accomplishing a goal. The support role not only serves the leader, he reflects the leader. The primary attribute of a second in command is to have a servant spirit and the ability to put others before themselves. Although the role of Number Two may garner some attention, second fiddle doesn’t get main billing.

I learned the value of a humble but strong second in command at an early age…by watching TV. On Star Trek, it was obvious Captain Kirk could have never survived going where no man had gone before, unless Spock was by his side. Years later, Game of Thrones reiterated the importance of the Hand of the King across the Seven Kingdoms. Everyone knows, The Yellowstone and John Dutton could not function more than a week without Rip.

Television characters are fictional but the example holds true in real life. Back in the day, we had a local Congressman who was well known across the state and nation. The fact was, he gathered the attention but it was his strong and humble wife that made the man. The running joke was, if his wife had married the gas station attendant, the guy who owned the gas station would be in Washington and the ‘Congressman’ would be pumping gas.

The power behind the throne always runs on humility and service. College doesn’t teach you to serve the needs of others and the title of ‘servant’ isn’t held in high esteem. Regardless, no one can deny the necessity and importance of putting others before yourself.

In real life, Jesus is the OG. Christ followers have confidence in an eternal life and destiny because ‘taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness…he humbled himself and became obedient to death.’ Number Two in the Godhead is the Number One reason for living (and dying) in the here and now of 2026.

There is a verse in the book of Philippians rarely spoken during the week and even less often preached on the weekends. ‘Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better
than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.’ Phil. 2:3-4. Do you know ANYONE claiming this as a life verse?

The old Latin expression, ‘Sic vos non vobis’ is translated, ‘not for ourselves but for others.’ As with many old expressions, this one is disappearing from our lexicon and regretfully our actions. It may be difficult to find anyone living out this mantra except on TV. But, the Bible reminds us the Creator of heaven and earth values and rewards this character quality. Because Jesus made himself a servant, ‘..God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name..’

At the core of being a humble servant of others, is forgiveness. I am FAR from divine and I do not live and work in a world surrounded by humble people who ‘consider others better than themselves.’ Therefore, I am constantly reminded of not only THEIR shortcomings but my own as well. The day to day of serving others can prick like a thorn. An apology starts the process of forgiving and is the key to healing a wound.

Forgiveness is exemplified with Christ’s actions on the cross but you don’t have to be divine to give it. As the line in the song goes, ‘Forgiveness, it’s the last thing on your mind today and the hardest thing to give away, it always goes to those who don’t deserve.’ Life is a two way street, but forgiveness is a freeway for moving on.

Not everyone is good at apologizing so it helps to listen well. Apologies may sound crude and not be how you want it said, but they are genuine and from the heart. Some of the best examples of a genuine apology may be on TV and in the movies. In Urban Cowboy, Bud apologized to Sissy ‘clear back to the first time I hit you.’ An apology can go a long way to giving and getting forgiveness. Apologies are known as repentance in the Bible and that’s the ticket to eternity.

In the book written to the Corinthians, Paul describes a thorn in his flesh that was such an irritant he ‘pleaded with the Lord to take it away.’ In context to our discussion, thorns can be people, relationships and the practice of putting others before yourself. The words in red are a reminder that God’s power is made perfect where the thorn of putting others first can make us feel weak. When we humble ourselves, when we are persecuted or misunderstood and when we flat out screw things up, is when the power of Christ CAN rest on us.

The point is, in everything, at all times, consider others before yourself. If you want a REAL challenge with REAL reward…in humility, consider others BETTER than yourself. Our service to others, reflects who we are as well as who we serve.

Strive to put others before yourself. Aim for second place. Embrace the thorns in your life.