The Bills Made the Playoffs

If you are not from Buffalo and its environs, it might be hard to understand the mentality of those of us from Western New York. So, I thought I might add some of my random thoughts to all the good-natured hysteria we are experiencing.

1. I believe the typical Bills fan does not expect that we will go far into the playoffs. We are just glad to get there, because like they say, "You never know."

2. The person I admire the most on this team is Kyle Williams. He has demonstrated a loyalty to the Buffalo area that is seldom experienced in professional sports, and since he is from Louisiana, it makes it all the more remarkable. He has been with us since 2006 and at the "old" age of 34, he started every game this year.

Thank you to the Buffalo Bills for putting his touchdown play in the playbook. No one...NO ONE...deserved it more. One unintelligent sports writer made a comment about the fat guy taking it into the end zone. I am going to say this as kindly as I can, "You are an idiot." There is not an ounce of fat on that man's body. He is 300 pounds of muscle.

No doubt he is my favorite because he expresses Christian values in his speech and in his walk. The way he talks about his faith, his wife, and his family is just too unusual in today's culture. He is definitely one of the good guys.

When I asked him once who he liked to "sack" the most, he said unequivocally "Tom Brady." It seems that Tom has a special place in his heart, because they seem to meet up at least once every time they play against each other.

3. No offense intended to Rex Ryan, who at the very least was entertaining, but this time we hired someone who knows how to coach a team. Sean McDermott has been better than expected. Unlike Rex, McDermott is judicious with his words and realizes that it is about the team, and not him. He also comes across as a humble man, which scores all kinds of points with me.

4. Contrary to what others think, I believe the benching of Tyrod Taylor was needed because he was not playing up to his potential. One thing is for sure, at the end of the season, we were seeing the same Tyrod we saw at the beginning of the season.

So kudos to Tyrod for responding positively to the benching and not being a jerk about it.

5. Thank you to the Cincinnati Bengals for playing football the way it is supposed to be played. Thank you for not laying down and settling for a better draft pick. Thank you for being a team one could respect on what could have been defined as a meaningless game.

Now, if you would just remove Vontaze Burfict from your team, who I think is a cancer on the league...

6. I keep hearing that the Bills are in the playoffs because of the Bengals. I beg to differ. We are in because of what we accomplished. We had the better record than the Ravens. Ravens could have pushed ahead of us. They did not. So we are in and they are not. There you go.

7. Finally, yes, we Bills fans are much aware of our Super Bowl record of losing four in a row during the 1990s. We still think it was an unbelievable accomplishment to get there four seasons in a row. When you laugh about it, we don't. We don't think it is funny at all.

It does remind me of the time when we were living in the Philadelphia area, that an Eagles fan from the church we served in wanted to remind me that we had just lost our fourth Super Bowl in a row. He thought it was so funny. The Bills were so incompetent. They were an embarrassment to the NFL.

I quietly responded, "Well, at least we have lost three more Super Bowls than you have."

He stood there for a moment with his mouth open, and then just walked away.

So, as my granddaughter says so earnestly, "Go Bills!"

I Don't Miss the Hymns

I don't miss the hymns.

And it is not the reason that you think.

They never left me.

As a former senior pastor, I can tell you that people complained to me a lot about the lack of hymns during the worship services. Honestly, it was tiring. It was wearing. It was annoying. I don't miss it at all.

I now attend a church that sings songs that are consistently more recent. I don't mind it at all. As many of you know, I have always been a "next generation" type of guy and I am always in favor in doing what attracts the unbelieving 20-something into the church.

Since music is consistently an attractive mechanism, I like hearing music that the 20-something connects with. It is not necessarily because I like the music (though more often than not, I do), but because I like watching young people worship God with everything they've got. To me, that is exciting!

Don't misunderstand me though. I love the hymns. I grew up with them. Some I like because they bring back memories of when my faith was new. Some I like because they are powerful communicators of truth.

But, I don't miss them. I still have them. And I sing them. A lot. They are a part of my personal worship every day. Every day! I sing them out loud and boldly. Ask Dondra. She will tell you. On any given morning, you might hear me belting A Mighty Fortress Is Our God or Holy! Holy! Holy! or Blessed Assurance.

I will always have them, because I have disciplined myself to memorize the words. As a result, they are saturating my soul. Interestingly, I find them more powerful than ever.

Remember, the church is not about you. It is about mission. In that sense, I think we should always be looking of how to effectively reach the next generation and not get stuck on how we used to do it, or even worse, on the way I like it.

I will offer one word of encouragement to pastors and worship leaders. Throw a hymn (or a Christmas Carol) in there once in a while. The reason why is not to appease us older folks, but because of the phenomena it creates. I have noticed that it brings the seasoned saints alive during the worship and they sing with gusto because it is something they recognize.

Literally, I have observed a spark that we older folks need from time to time. It is our testimony! And it is worth the younger folks hearing it. They may even discover why we love our old hymns. I believe that you will find it adds to the worship, not detract from it, and it will add to the participation of all involved.

Please feel free to respond!

Paul J. Decker


I love the old hymns.
Let the Spirit reveal the new song!
Don't be an old fogie.

Dear "Not My President" Protesters

Dear "Not My President" Protesters,

Welcome to the club. I understand what you are feeling. But as you come in to our organization, please note that I am resigning.

For your information, I have been saying the same thing about President Obama for the last 8 years as he has consistently pushed forward an agenda that did not represent all Americans. You are now discovering how the people of the United States handle this kind of situation. We call it voting.

Nevertheless, do note that I treat the office with respect and refer to our president as President Obama. I respect our country and our democratic process, even though it has tons of flaws.

For the protesters that are rioting...good luck with that. You should note that you show more about your own character than the person you are supposedly protesting. It is my hope that you will use your energy for something more useful and productive to make the country better. What you are doing now will accomplish very little and if you destroy property and hurt people, do note that jail cells are cold.

Sincerely,

Paul J. Decker

Not a rioter.
Not excited about President-Elect Trump.
Don't blame me. I wanted Ben Carson. It's not brain surgery.
Michael Pence for President!

My Vote Is for...

I have finally decided who to vote for in this election. It is just in time. We vote tomorrow as a nation.

I don't apologize for my political leanings. They make sense to me. I am a conservative, both socially and economically. Most of the time, I find myself falling in line with the Republican platform.

I don't believe in big government, and for the record, I don't trust big business  I trust big government even less.

I have toyed with the idea of not voting for either major candidate. I would go and vote, I just wouldn't vote for Clinton or Trump. It would be a vote of "no confidence" in this election.

I am not voting for HRC. I get as far as her abortion stance and I am done. Call me a one issue voter if you prefer, but it is such a fundamental issue. To call the result of conception anything less than a person defies science and common sense. Add to this, issues of integrity and an attitude of superiority that rivals Donald Trump, and there is just no way. If you think she is more qualified because of her experience, I laugh. Experience yes. Incompetence, a bigger yes.

I am not voting for any third party candidate. I've considered it. There is no candidate or platform that has caught my attention or interest.

So, now the reveal...

I am voting for Mike Pence. He is the only candidate that truly represents my values and has lived these same values. I recognize that Pence has some undesirable baggage. His connection to Trump is hugely unfortunate. You may mark my words. I believe Pence will be president if Trump is elected.

Trump is bound to implode. Though he has shown some discipline with his tongue lately, he will not be able to hold it together. His mouth will get him into trouble sooner or later, and he will not be able to talk his way out of it. It will be bad enough that impeachment proceedings will occur. Resignation will be inevitable.

You may think this is just hopeful thinking. I disagree. I believe the evidence points to it.

I don't look forward to the mess Trump will bring, but I do look forward to a president that will lead with integrity and courage.

Pence for President!

Dangerous Prayers

In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Susan asks Mr. Beaver an important question about Aslan the lion. Aslan is the God-like character in the stories. The conversation about Aslan goes like this.

Susan:  Is he – quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.
Mr. Beaver:  Safe? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.

We serve a King who isn’t safe, but He’s good. When we pray, our prayers shouldn’t be safe; they should be good, big, and dangerous like God. We tend to come to God with our dirty laundry, or our laundry list of what He can do for us. What if we came asking what we could do for Him? That’d be dangerous. And that’d take action on our part because it would push us out of our comfort zone. Maybe it is time to finally pray prayers that are dangerous!

Resource: YouVersion, “Dangerous Prayers”

Legacy - James Albert Decker (23)

Another one of my dad's favorite quotes that he was determined to live out among us:

Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it.  Autograph your work with excellence.

Legacy - James Albert Decker (22)

As I have been working to get the files organized in the new house, I came across a piece of paper with Dad's printing on it. It is one of his favorite quotes:

The Society which scorns excellence in plumbing as a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy. Neither ts pipes nor its theories will hold water.

John W. Gardner