Harry Chapin

So I am driving down US one.  I’m hurdling down US one at 60 miles an hour.  5 miles over the speed limit.  A song comes on the radio by Harry Chapin.  I remember how he died tragically in a fiery car crash in the year 1981.  He was 39 years young.  

It occurs to me as I’m flying down the road that we are all very frail and that life can be dangerous and at any moment it could end.  No, I’m not expecting for it to end anytime soon, but I’m just hoping that this reminder will cause me and others to slow down and appreciate every moment.  Every waking hour is a gift from our Father.  It is not going to last for ever and it can end all too soon, so appreciate it all.

It’s a beautiful day in God’s world be sure to see the good.

Sermon video and such...

Here is the link from last Sunday's Sermon

click here

Someone was rude the other day.  Someone cut me off in traffic.  Someone is routinely nasty to me.

I want to fight back.  I want to get even.  I want to get revenge.

But if I do, I am giving in to a lesser life.  If I retaliate I put myself on their level.  If I allow my mind to linger on what has happened, it will poison my mood.

As they sang in the movie Frozen, "Let it go..."  Just let it go.  Release that person.  Refuse to relive the moment.  Lean away from the pain and towards the joy.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

The Rope Bridge

A few weeks ago I attended a meeting where our District Superintendent gave us a nice message.  She is a fine person for sure.

In her message she talked about life and leadership as walking across "a rope bridge."

She said that while you are walking on it, it is going to move.  Heck it is going to move when you aren't walking on it.  It will likely be scary and will test you in many ways.

But...

But, you must keep moving.

I loved the illustration.  This is what leadership is like.  This is what life is like.  Not as solid and steady as we like.  More moving to and fro... a bit unsettling.

But we must keep moving forward.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

worry gets in the way

 

We can only think about one thing at a time.  If you are worried, if you are focused on what is wrong, you are going to miss the good.

Set aside your worries.  See the good.  Most of what we worry about we won't even remember in two weeks.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Ignoring passages that hurt people

I often save things that I find inspirational to share later... I wish that all of my fundamentalist friends would read and digest this...

"Jesus consistently ignored or even denied exclusionary, punitive, and triumphalist texts in his own inspired Hebrew Bible in favor of passages that emphasized inclusion, mercy, and honesty. For example, referencing two passages from Exodus (21:24) and Leviticus (24:20), Jesus suggested the opposite: “You have heard it said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you . . . turn the other cheek” (see Matthew 5:38-39). He read the Scriptures in a spiritual, selective, and questioning way. Jesus had a deeper and wider eye that knew which passages were creating a path for God and which passages were merely cultural, self-serving, and legalistic additions."

Richard Rohr January 7, 2019

When people use scriptures to exclude or judge people, they are not following the way of Jesus. Just because something is in the Bible does not mean that it is helpful. Jesus ignored passages that hurt people. We should do the same.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

unexpected disappointment

Yesterday I posted about disappointment and I said that I did not have any at the present time.  Well, later yesterday, my right knee popped.

This is the knee that was replaced in June of 2023.  This is the knee that has been a miracle since the surgery.  It was so bad before the surgery and it has been so good.  Until yesterday.

Two years ago, before the surgery, I was on a trip to Israel and Egypt.  Some of my friends had to push me in a wheel chair.  The knee replacement fixed all of that.

As  I write this, the knee can barely bend and I am supposed to leave for Italy in 9 days with some of the same people.  I hope that they don't have to push me in a wheel chair again!

 In the picture I am using a walking stick that was loaned to me by Bill and Pam Carpenter.  They are not going on this trip so I will buy my own stick in a few days if the knee does not improve.

I was talking with a friend who felt bad for me.  I thought, well, this is not so bad, at least it is not lung cancer.

I think that it is important to put our disappointments in perspective.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

last Sunday's Sermon and disappointment

Here is the link to last Sunday's sermon

click here to watch or listen

I was thinking about recent disappointments that I have heard about.  Fortunately, I don't have any 
disappointments at present. But here are some that I have heard of...

• Someone spent too much money and now is stuck in between pay checks.
• Someone did not get the car that they wanted.
• Someone's child has yet another cavity.
• Someone did not get the job.
• Someone misses a friend...

Disappointment comes to all of us.  The question is not will it come, but what we will do with it when it does.

We can react to the thing or we can accept the thing.  We can have a bad attitude about it, or we can put the pain in perspective.  We can be in pain and choose to suffer or we can be in pain and choose not to suffer.

We have choices.  We can choose to be miserable, make ourselves miserable, and everyone else around us.  Or we can choose to put on a brave face.

In my experience, most disappointments come and go.  Don't let whatever it is ruin your day or your week.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Thursday's blog

Here we go.  I feel like I am running in 5 different directions at the same time.  I am doing well.  I am enjoying life.  I am in Chicago with my grandchildren.  

It is hard to find time to post something.  So I thank God for all of you who send good ideas in.

Joyce sent me a note about Steve Hartman with CBS who's children join him online for a feature called Kindness 101.

His daughter Meryl ends the segment by saying, "remember to stay kind."

I love that.  and I love that someone is teaching their children that from their youth.

Remember to stay kind.  All day.  In every way.  Remember to stay kind.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

from my friend Bruce

 "More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness"

                                                            Charlie Chaplin

nothing to say

Sometimes I have nothing to say.

I have one reader who swears that they can tell when I am passionately writing something and when I am just simply putting something out there because I have nothing else to say.

hmm...

Well, no one is, no one feels inspired every day.  Sometimes we struggle to articulate good things about life.

But for me, I am 68 years old and I woke up today.  So I am happy.  Life is good.  Many other people did not get the wake up call for today.

And did I tell you that today I am flying to Chicago to see my grandchildren???

That makes it a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good!!!

my Dad said...

My Dad said, "son, there will always be people who have more than you, and people who have less.  Work hard and be content with what you have."

So Mark Wahlberg just bought a $30 million dollar place in Delray Beach.  I love Mark.  I love his movies.  I love eating at his restaurants.

Ok, he has more than we do.  No worries.  We need to be positive.  We cannot focus on not having enough.  We all just need to do what John Wesley said, "Make all you can, save all you can, and give all you can."

Life is good.  Be thankful for what ye have.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Despicable Me

So, one day last week I had a bad day.  I had a very tough meeting.  I cried that day.  Several times.  Disappointment can be a very powerful thing.

All day long I suffered with discouragement.

I met some friends for the Italy trip in Ft. Pierce.  That was good.

My wife and I ate dinner at Chili's.  That was good.

I got home and I needed to change my mood.  I searched on Netflix for the movie Despicable Me.  It is a movie for children, [or adults...]  I needed to laugh.  I laughed and laughed and I cried.

It was a totally awesome mood breaker.

If you need a lift, watch Despicable Me on Netflix.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

great question

A few weeks ago my friend Tim C asked me a fantastic question.  "What is the best part of being Jeff Brinkman right now???"

I immediately started thinking of, and naming off every thing that was going wrong in my life.

Then I realized, that is not the question.  He didn't ask me what was wrong... so I got to thinking about what was going right.

Instead of seeing the good, my brain went to my complaints and ailments.  How sad.

What is the best thing about being me right now?  I am in relatively good health.  I have a ton of friends and people that love me.  I am enjoying being the pastor at Oceanview UMC.  I have a great family.

There is plenty for me to appreciate and be thankful for.

What is the best part about being you right now?

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Shame

Shame leaves marks that last for a long time.  Sometimes they never go away.  99 people say that they love you.  1 person says something bad to you and we are thrown into a downward spiral.

Why do we allow the words of the 1 to impact us so much?  For me, it takes me back to my childhood.  There was so much guilt and shame.  It was the major way that we were raised, disciplined and controlled.

By the age of 68 I should be over feeling bad when someone says something bad... maybe I can move past it before I turn 69.

Work on resisting shame.  Jesus never shamed anyone.  You are a wonderful, amazing human.  Let yourself feel like that!!!

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

who we listen to

I think that we should listen to others.  I try to do so.  I get smarter when I listen to others.  And Lord, I need to get smarter.

Someone out there thinks that I am listening to the wrong person.  I think about that and I talk to the person that I am listening to about that.  We do need to self-evaluate from time to time.

Most of us think we are right.  If we thought we were wrong, wouldn't we change?

Who do you listen to?  Are they helping you build a positive future?  Are they reinforcing kindness?

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

mean people

Why do people have to be mean?

Why do they have to be unkind?

Being nice is not that hard.

I am repulsed by selfishness... but I am also aware that I am not that good at seeing selfishness within me.

Lord please help me to be more kind.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

sermon from Sunday and a shameless appeal

Here is the link to Sunday's sermon/message...

click here to watch or listen

Here is my shameless appeal... In my life I have collected coins, Sunday school pins and hot wheel cars.  A few years ago I started collecting license plates.  I have about 1/2 of the states.

If you have an extra plate laying around I will trade you a Missouri, Florida or California as I have several of those.  Or I will just buy one from you.

Do you collect things?  What do you collect?  Why?

I collect things because it makes me feel good to have a random sampling of certain things.

I hope you get joy out of whatever you collect.  And what a nice first world problem to have.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

everyone is dealing with something

My friend Donna shared this with me...


"This morning on my way to work, I followed a car with a sign in the back window that said:

“Learning stick. Sorry for any delay.”

Knowing that, I stayed patient through the slow shifts and jerky starts — and honestly, they were doing pretty well for someone still learning.

But then I caught myself wondering:
Would I have been just as patient if I hadn’t seen that sign?
Probably not.

And that thought hit me hard.

Because the truth is, most people don’t wear signs that explain what they’re going through. You won’t see:

“Going through a divorce.”
“Lost a child.”
“Feeling depressed.”
“Just diagnosed with cancer.”

If we could see people’s struggles written out, we’d treat each other so much more gently.

But we shouldn’t need a sign to show kindness.

Everyone you meet is carrying something you can’t see. So let’s choose patience. Let’s choose grace. Let’s choose love — even when there’s no sign telling us to."

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

quote

My friend Bruce sent this in...

"The smallest deed is better than the grandest intention."

I would add, if you have a desire to do good, but do not act on it, your desire is futile.

Compassion is not delivered through intentions, but actual actions.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

it doesn't matter

Who is annoying you lately???

It doesn't matter how they act, they still deserve to be treated with compassion.

• An old person becomes bitter.
• A child is spoiled.
• A teenager says hateful things.
• Someone robs a store.
• A spouse says something hurtful.

On and on it goes.

Our default is to be nice to those who are nice to us but not to those who aren't. Jesus taught the opposite.

Mt 5

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?

Even though someone is crabby or mean, we can still issue them kindness. Don't be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

None needed

 

No explanation needed.  None.

I saw this fellow wearing this shirt at the Atlanta airport last week.  We had a nice visit.  The message of his shirt is simple.  "Let God sort them out."  "LET GOD SORT EM OUT."

Yes we can stop the judgment.  Yes we can stop the hatred.  We can stop pointing out who we think the sinners are.

All we need to do is come to believe that we are not in charge.  God is.  And God will sort them out. Or maybe God will embrace them all.  

When our brain finally arrives at this thought, our lives become happier because we are no longer worried about who is good or bad, and who is in or out.  We are finally free from the pressure to be right and we can simply love people and let God sort them out.

It's a beautiful day in god's world, be sure to see the good.

The other person

The other person.  They are not you.  They are other.  Or are they?

It is way too easy in this life to live inside of the cocoon of our life.  Our thinking, our ideas, our ways.  We so easily make it about us.  I make it about me.

This way of living turns life into a me vs them.  I am me, you are you, they are they.  Sometimes we feel that we must protect ourselves from others.  From their ways, their ideas, and their beliefs.  After all, we don't know them do we?

What if we stopped looking at them as "other?"  Am I  really that different than you?  Are we really that separated?  Or is it possible that we have much more in common than we thought.

Tragic moments cause us to pull together.  Complete strangers come together in random moments for survival.

Why can't we act this way all the time?  We don't have to see people as a stranger or different or other.  We can see them as fellow humans.  Fellow travelers on this journey of life.

They are not other.  We are all flowing together in the same stream of life, moving towards a common end.  A little awareness and kindness along the path will go a long way.

We can start today.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

The difference

Some random moments of life...

• I order food at the taco bell counter.
• I walk past the administrator's desk on the way into work.
• I see the mail man pull up to the box.
• The Amazon driver brings something to the door.
• The server comes up to my table at IHOP.
• I see someone walk in the door at church.

You get the idea.

Normal moments like these can become holy moments simply because of how we choose to treat that human that we are seeing.  We can stay stuck in our world, our issues, and our worries, or we can see them, smile at them and say hello.

You can, I can make a difference in every and any moment in this life.  It begins with a choice to "see" the other person.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Only Love

Heard somewhere recently... "only love gives meaning to the world."  

I think that there is a lot of truth to this.  And so it begs a question.... how much time during any given day or any given week, how much time am I, are you engaged in the practice of multiplying love?

How do we get it out there?  How do we deliver it?  Who do we deliver it to?

I begins with believing that love is important.  It finds legs when we identify a person to share that love with.  It doesn't have to be complicated... just be nice.  Show kindness.  Ask their name.

Only love gives meaning to the moments of our lives.  Treat every person as if they matter.  Because they do.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

circumstances

Terry M is a wise friend of mine. From time to time he sends me things that make me think. Recently he sent this note:

"So often we pray for our circumstances to change, but as we change, our circumstances change."


Jeff adds... so if we pray that God will make us sweeter and more gracious, we may come to see our circumstances a little differently.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Happy Birthday Woods Chapel UMC!!!

Today is the 50th anniversary celebration of the Woods Chapel United Methodist Church. It was my deep deep pleasure to be the pastor there for 22 years, from 1994-2016.   From the age of 37-59.  I long time!!!

I met so many wonderful people along the way and worked with some amazing staff people. Looking back, I am thankful for so many things. Here is a small list…

1. We created a church that was good for men. Not just women and children, but families came to our church. One of the best compliments I ever received was when a wife would come to me and say, “my husband has become a better man because of this church.”

2. I will be ever thankful to what we created in terms of worship space. The sanctuary, built in 1999 with it’s beautiful windows, and the worship center, added in 2009. Both have provided so many opportunities for hearts to be warmed.

3. I am so proud of the church grounds. So much work went into them by so many people. The walking trails, the stations of the cross, the many many trees. The pavilion, the labrynth, the columbarium and the many gardens all make the church grounds a truly holy place.

4. Finally, I am the most happy about the fact that we became a missional church. It took time but we were finally able to move away from the old church model where worship and Christian education were the most important and discover the joy of an outward focus. I will always remember fondly what we did for 3 years after Hurricane Katrina. I will remember our building of over 100 homes in Nicaragua. I will remember all of the many missions that sprang from the hearts of the members who were feeling God’s call to share the love.

Happy days! Happy Anniversary Woods Chapel! I love you all!!!

South Sanctuary Window - Old Testament

Columbarium Area with bridge in background

Entrance to the Stations of the cross and walking trails

Chime Chapel

Bridge over the small creek on the walking trail

Walking trail

Pear trees in April

Connecting People to Jesus Christ

Lovely peaceful place...

Pastor's view on Sunday Morning

We planted many many trees

Worship Center - opened 2009

Prayer wall - fantastic!!!

Coffee Bar

New foyer... completed in 2009

Sanctuary built 1999

Jonnie Wells lining out the troops at a landscape work day.

Message on the way off the property...

What a great place.  So glad to have been a part of the journey.

Leaders que others

Leaders que others.  They tip off other people about what behavior is appropriate.

If you are a leader and you think that screaming is good, then you can be assured that your followers will scream as well.

If you are a leader and you are into yoga and meditation and you express the value of such practice, then those who listen to you will likely follow suit.

Others watch what we do.

If it is ok for me to complain about things, then my children will probably learn that complaining is normal.

So the moral of this story is this... we are all leaders in one way or another.  Someone is watching each of us.  What will we model for them?  What will be increased in this world because of our behavior?

Friends, we are here only to love one another.  Check all behavior by that standard.  Model nothing less than love and kindness.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.

Rapture - ugh!

I am writing this on Tuesday September 23rd.  I hopped on a 5:50 am flight to Kansas City.  I was watching the news at 3am.  

Evidently some preacher and some fundamentalist Christians are saying that the rapture is today... or tomorrow.  Well it is 7:45am, I am in the Atlanta airport and nothing has happened yet.

I do not believe in the rapture.  It is a doctrine that was created in the 1850's by John Nelson Darby.  If you don't believe me, look it up.

Yet, the myth persists.  Some people would rather live in the world of speculative theology than live in the world of love.  If I have something crazy to think about and to scare others with, then I don't have to think about how I treat others.

Please do not drink the rapture kool-aid.  Instead, drink the love potion.  Don't worry about speculative theology.  Give yourself to living a life of love.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Update... those who predicted the rapture last week have now set a new date for 2026.  

Surprise!!!

Proverbs 16:7

"When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him."

Prov 16:7 KJV

Do you have enemies?  Can you make peace with them?  Have you tried?  When we lead with kindness, we have many fewer enemies... Many fewer people who are against us.

When we apply ourselves to reconciliation, when we allow the other drivers to merge into traffic in front of us, we have fewer enemies.

Take a step back.  Rest.  Give up on winning.  It's ok.  It is ok to let others have the place of honor.  It is ok to allow others to shine.  It is ok to have other people move into your space.

When we stop fighting the war, we make our enemies and potential enemies to be at peace with us.

Stop.  Breathe.  Live.  Live in peace.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

questions

Life has it's questions.  Some people get nervous and want all of the answers.  Others go with the flow.

Recently someone asked a few questions about where the church was going.  I thought the answer was appropriate... "we are unable to remove the unknown from the journey upon which we are embarking."

Surely in your life there are questions.  Do you insist on trying to direct and control things?  Or can you trust in God and go with the flow.

It is impossible to remove the unknown from the journey that we all are on.

It's still a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.