change the world

The following story is found in many different sources of wisdom literature.

I was a revolutionary when I was young and my only prayer to God was "Lord, give me the energy to change the world."

As I approached middle age and realized that half of my life was gone without my changing a single soul, I changed my prayer to "Lord, give me the grace to change all those who come in contact with me.  Just my family and friends, and I shall be satisfied."

Now that I am an old man and my days are numbered, my one prayer is, "Lord, give me the grace to change myself."  If I had prayed for this right from the start I would not have wasted my life."

The moral of the story is that I am my biggest  issue.  I am my biggest challenge.  If I can make progress on me, the world will begin to look much brighter.

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

a knock at the door

A man is sitting at home reading the paper one night.  There is a knock at the door.  He goes to the door and opens it.  No one there.  Then he looks down and there is a snail on the mat.  He almost missed the little guy.  Annoyed, he picks him up and throws him out across the front yard.  He shuts the door and goes back to the newspaper.

Six months later there is another knock at the door.  The man opens the door.  It's the same snail.  The snail says to the man, "Hey! What was that for???"

I hadn't thought of that joke for a long time.  I love it.  Every now and then we just need a good laugh.

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

the easy way

Staples introduced the easy button.  I wish everything was easy.  Great things rarely come easy.
The line of least resistance is rarely the direction that leads to success.
The easy thing and the right thing are rarely the same thing.

People who live on farms know this.  If you always take the easy way, pretty soon you don't have a farm.  People who own businesses know this.... if you keep taking the easy way, pretty soon you are bankrupt.

Successful people make decisions in their life that is best for the overall mission, regardless of the amount of work that it places on themselves.  Successful people understand that the mission is always bigger than my preference.

That reminds me of one of my favorite old sayings.... Spiritually developed people are those who have learned to set aside their comfort and preference for the sake of the mission.

It is not an easy day, but it is a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

retirement thoughts part 2

So here is one thing I do not miss from my working days:  the pressure.  As a pastor there is a lot of pressure.

Parishioners have expectations......

• The sermon better be good.
• You better come see me in the hospital.
• You better make good decisions.
• You better not lose that family.
• you better get along with everyone
• don't lose that staff person
• don't upset that person

The Methodist bosses have expectations.....

• You better keep the church growing.
• You better pay your apportionments.
• You better come to all of the meetings.

I don't think most people realize the kind of pressure that is on a pastor.  You enter this job because you have a calling, and then suddenly people and systems are piling on the pressure.  Maybe there is nothing to do about that, but I have to tell you I do not miss the pressure of keeping it all going.

God bless and guide those who are still working to make the churches great.  It is hard work.

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

retirement thoughts part 1

So, on the one hand, this is a lot of fun.  I wake up in the morning when I want to.  No pressure.  I say to myself, "What will I do today?"  My self answers, "I don't know, what day is it?"  I talk to my kids and they can't wait for the weekend.  I ask myself.... what is a weekend?

My typical day consists of working around the house in the morning.  Painting something.  Building something.  Trimming palm trees.  If I have handyman work for someone else, of course that takes precedence.

In the afternoon I swim and read.  At night I watch movies.  Sometimes we go out for dinner.

Honestly I am having a blast but I feel kind of guilty.  Should I?

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

was it?

A friend sent this in about something that they learned in their home growing up.

Was it???

Many days I realize that I am just a composite of all that I’ve learned from other people (parents, teachers, pastors, friends, and of course from God.)   Here’s one on the long list of how others have influenced my life.   If your home is like ours, you say things among family members, that you wouldn’t say to others.  Sometimes unkind words, opinions of others, or judgement of others just kind of slips out.  You know how it goes.  Someone at church, at work, or in the neighborhood says or does something that irritates you, and your family finds out how you felt about it.

We learned something valuable, from a pastor’s sermon one time, that we still say in our family, to challenge each other to have good attitudes toward people.  The pastor gave an example of something someone said about another person, and then he said “was that true, necessary, or kind?”  That has become kind of a catch phrase in our home.  One family member will say to the other “was that true, necessary or kind?

Well, was it???

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

do it anyway

There is another wonderful song that came to my mind the other day. Cindy Harris used to sing it in church and oh my could she knock it out of the park. It is a Martina McBride song.

You can spend your whole life building something from nothing
One storm can come and blow it all away ... build it anyway
You can chase a dream that seems so out of reach
And you know it might not ever come your way ... dream it anyway

God is great, but sometimes life ain't good
And when I pray it doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway ... I do it anyway

This worlds gone crazy and it's hard to believe,
That tomorrow will be better than today ... believe it anyway
You can love someone with all your heart, for all the right reasons
And in a moment they can choose to walk away ... love em anyway

God is great, but sometimes life ain't good
And when I pray it doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway ... yeah, I do it anyway

You can pour your soul out singing a song you believe in
That tomorrow they'll forget you ever sang
Sing it anyway ... yeah, sing it anyway yeah, yeah

I sing ... I dream ... I love ... Anyway

Here is a link to the song

click here to listen

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

That's the way I feel about you

Early in 2004 I got an anonymous hate letter from a member of the congregation.  One of the lines in it said, "if your preaching ever had any significance, it is totally gone now."  Church folks can be so nice sometimes.  Receiving that letter crushed me.  I remember sobbing and sobbing.  I looked for a counselor.

I was fortunate to find a wonderful counselor who I went to see for the next few years.   A year after Katrina hit, she left KC and moved to New Orleans to help people there.  Losing her as a support piece in my life was pretty tough, but she helped me so very much.  We never had lunch or anything, but we had become friends.

At our last meeting, she gave me a copy of this song.  It brought me to tears.  From time to time I think of those whom I love that I don't get to see very often.  I think of people who I looked out and saw in the pews every Sunday.

I think of how much I love you and miss you.

Here is the link to the song.
That's the way I feel about you by Jana Stanfield

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

Democrats and Republicans

Are you a Democrat? Congratulations.
Are you a Republican? Congratulations.

As a Christian, we are called to love one another. Do you shame the opposition party on social media? Is this what Jesus would do?  Do you have ill will towards the other candidate? The other party? Do you pull up behind a car with a bumper sticker for the other side and feel ill will?  Is this what Jesus would do?

What ever happened to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, meekness and self-control?

Jesus calls us to something higher.
We are called to love each other.
Even those of the other party.  Especially those of the other party.  Love your enemies.

It is time for Christian people, for Methodist Christian people to stop posting hateful things about the other party.

20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.  

     1 John 4:20-21

This is God's world, and he cares little for our petty differences. He calls us to love all. Period. Let's do it.

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

faith and knowing

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  Faith is believing and holding to something, precisely when you don't know.

Too many Christians have turned this upside down.  To some, their faith has made them "know it alls."  Attacking others with doctrine and beliefs, they have become those who "know."  The problem with this is that true spiritual knowledge comes not when we know, but when we realize how much we do not know.  Spirituality is emptying myself of the notion that I know it all or I have it all together.  Spirituality is not about knowing, it is about loving and trusting.

And so we have faith in a God that is bigger than us.  A God who loves us and forgives us.  A God that does not need us to have all the answers.  Faith - it's not about what you know or what I think I know.  It is about leaning on the God whose ways are higher than our ways and whose thoughts are higher than our thoughts.

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

failure to thrive

I was raised in a home where there was no joy, no hugs, no kisses, and no I love you's.  Maybe that is why I have been wanting to write about the concept "failure to thrive."  Although it can refer to many different circumstances, I read about it somewhere and it was described like this..... a lack of growth or development, a decline in health in a child or adult, for no presenting reason.  In other words, someone is clearly not doing well, and there appears to be no medical reason why.

One study suggested that failure to thrive comes from a lack of physical touch.  Babies not being held.  Older adults losing loved ones and living alone.

The point of this post is this:  pet the cat, scratch the dog's belly, hold your children, your spouse and those you love.  The warm fuzzies that come from your kindness may just drive away the blues and fill a person's day with joy.

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

Sunday's Sermon

Rembrandt's Prodigal Son
[smug Elder son to the right]

I think that this is going to make Sunday's sermon.  We shall see.

It is a thought about the Prodigal Sons.  I am pretty sure Richard Rohr is the source for this thought.  Prodigal sons, not son, but sons.

When we hear the story of the Prodigal, our brain tends to think that he is the bad one in the story and the Elder son is the good guy.  But they both have it wrong.  The Prodigal thinks that he is too bad to be loved by the Father.  The Elder insists that he is good enough to be loved by the Father.  Both wrong.

We are loved.  Period.  I love my kids so much.  I welcome them, I hug them, whether they are being good or not.  SO DOES GOD.  There is no losing his love, and there is no earning his love.  You are simply loved.

That my friend, is Good News!

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

the boulder

In Pastor Tim's sermon on Sunday he mentioned the Albert Camus story about the man who is pushing a boulder up a hill.

Camus believed that life was void of meaning.  He said it was like the character Sisyphus from Greek mythology who spent his life pushing a boulder up a mountain only to see it roll down again.

Pastor Tim said that this is what life is like for those who are trying to earn their standing with God.  Those who are trying hard to be good enough.... it's like rolling a boulder up a high hill, when you get to the top you lean on it to rest for a moment, and the boulder rolls down the other side.  No matter how hard you work at trying to be good enough, it never works.

This is not bad news.  This is good news.  Really good news.  We cannot earn the love of God.  We have it already.  Stop the mental and doctrinal gymnastics of trying to be perfect.  Just enjoy life.  Celebrate it!  Live it!  God loves you.  Stop pushing the boulder.

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

jokes

I love jokes and I have a million of them.  Most are clean, except the ones that I learned from Ben.  Anyway, I love jokes.  I always have.  Since yesterday's date prompted a joke, I thought I would post a few today, just for fun.

What do you name a dog with 3 legs?
tripod.

What do you name a dog with 3 legs, and one eye?
lucky.

Where do you find a dog with no legs?
right were you left him.

What do you call a cat with no legs?
dog food.

So the library here in Vero Beach was having a contest to see who could come up with the best pun.  There was $100 prize to the winner.  Since I don't have a job I thought I would enter the contest.  You were allowed to offer up to ten puns.  Weeks went by and I finally got a letter.  It said that all though we know you made your 10 submissions hoping to win the prize, unfortunately, no pun in ten did.

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

damage

Damage.  I was talking to a friend about writing some stuff for this blog.  He mentioned that he could not imagine anything damaging our relationship.  I think what he meant was that if I didn't use everything that he sent me, he would be ok with that.

I love this guy.  When the phrase "damage our relationship" came up, it brought me to tears.  Not just for him, but for any of you.  Whether I have met you or not, I don't ever want our relationship to be damaged.  For any reason.  Life is too short, life is too good.  We have all had enough fracture in our lives.

No worries ever.  No damage ever, only healing.  We are good.  Always.  Now on to some Jeff Brinkman humor.....

The owner of Quick Trip hates today.

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

[The owner of QT hates today because it is free advertising for his competitor.]

Fast Forward

One of my friends sent this in.  I thought it was excellent!!!

When I was in elementary school, I attended an after-school program at the church. I would count down the minutes until 5 p.m. when my mother would pick me up. I’d rush to the car, toss in my bag, put on the seatbelt, and dig through the plastic container in front of me.

In it were tons of cassette tapes. Okay, maybe not tons. But at 10 years old, it seemed as if there was every tape imaginable at my fingertips.

I had a couple favorites—Matchbox Twenty’s Yourself or Someone Like You, Eve 6’s self-titled first release. But my favorite tape to pop in on the ride home was U2’s The Joshua Tree. I’d remove it from its case, flip to side B, and push the fast forward button as quickly as possible.

I’d stop and start until I got to that familiar intro I knew all too well…drums and harmonica.
When the song was over, I’d push the rewind button and play it again. And again. And again.

My mother was probably sick of that song. But she let me do this five days a week for as long as I could remember.

Now we all know The Joshua Tree is one of the greatest albums of all time. And after the recent announcement of U2’s return to Kansas City almost 16 years after their last visit, how appropriate it was for me to play the album on repeat on Spotify.

I double-clicked on track 8, and that familiar intro began. But then I did something different. I scrolled up and double-clicked “Where the Streets Have No Name,” the first song on the album.

And listed to the album straight through. Eight times in a row.

In life, we are constantly pushing the fast-forward button. When you're in high school, you can't wait until college. And in college, you can't wait to start your career. If you're single, you can't wait to be in a relationship. If you're dating, you can't wait to get engaged. And the list goes on and on.

So slow down and enjoy the life God has given you. Don't skip ahead to the “good parts.” You never know what gem you might find on that album if you listen from start to finish.

Jacob’s Ladder

sermon preparation

A pastor friend wrote in and asked me some questions about sermon preparation.  Since I am filling in next Sunday for a pastor that is on vacation, this is a good time to share this process.

Here are the questions that he sent in-
     What is your process for sermon development and writing?
    What are your rituals/routines/habits for sermon development and writing?
    What is your process for feedback following your sermon delivery?

Sermon Preparation
1.  Pray.  I don't mean pray for a good sermon or pray for good ideas, I mean stay in touch with God on a regular basis.  Keep the lines of communication open.  A prayer for inspiration for a sermon is fine, but it should be a regular part of the flow of dialogue between God and human.
2.  Look constantly for ideas.  Read the Bible, read everything you can get your hands on.  Find a speaker that speaks to you and devour their material.  Anyone that talks for a living needs to keep their eyes open for thoughts, stories and illustrations.

3.  Organize thoughts.  I like to think of a four burner stove.  The closest burner is for this Sunday.  The burners farther back have pots that are simmering with ideas for the coming weeks.  I usually collect about four weeks ahead so that hopefully by the time that Sunday arrives, we have a pot full of good stuff.
4.  Make sure that you can relate to it.  Make sure that it strikes your heart.  If the content does not strike your heart, if you don't have a heartfelt affinity with the material, neither will anyone else.  Without that heart connection, a sermon becomes a nice talk or speech.
5.  Write it out, move it around, massage it.  Take all of those thoughts out of the pot and line them up in a way that makes sense.
6.  Practice delivering it.  Actually stand up in front of a counter, set your notes down and go through it audibly.  Often, things that looked good on paper, do not sound as good when delivered live.  Often something that looks like a good transition does not work at all.  A person can learn a lot about practicing their sermon live.  [the first sermon I gave in 1977 I had set up chairs and was practicing for the sermon in the basement and the family cat came down, curled up on a chair and went to sleep!]
7.  After you have made all of the adjustments and you think you have it ready, don't be afraid to change it again.  You know when something feels right, and you know when something feels forced.  When you stand up to talk to the folks, it should feel as comfortable as possible.
8.  Love the people.  A successful sermon will only fall onto the ears of people that you love.  If they don't like you, if they can't relate to you, they won't listen to your stuff.  Spend the time to build relationships with the people in your audience.  We listen to people that we like and we also give them a pass when a weak sermon gets through.  Love the people.

My friend also asked about how do you get feedback.  Well I never had an organized group that had the job of advising or critiquing a sermon after the fact.  There were always plenty of folks that would chime in with their opinion.  I always welcomed the feedback because constructive criticism can improve our efforts.  In every church I was at, I had a couple of close friends that I would routinely ask for feedback.

So I am working on a sermon for next Sunday.  I am filling in for a friend at the Ft. Pierce UMC on July 16th.  If you are in the area, you are invited to stop by.  Service starts at 9:30.

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

why

Why??? We like to ask why.

Why is my face getting wrinkled? Why do I have car trouble? Why do I have to wait so long in the doctor's office? Why did my kid move away?  Why does so and so hate me? Why did I not get that promotion? Why did God let this happen to me? Why do I have this chronic disease? Why? Why? Why?

One of my favorite movies is the 1990 Robin Williams film Awakenings. If you have not seen it, please go watch it. It is a great movie about seeing the good in life. Anyway, in the movie, Leonard Lowe comes down with a disease that leaves him in a catatonic state for 25 years. When the doctor, played by Robin Williams goes to visit with his mother, this is what she says:

"When my son was born healthy, I never asked why. Why was I so lucky? What did I do to deserve this perfect child, this perfect life? But when he got sick, you can bet I asked why! I demanded to know why! Why was this happening?"

                  Ruth Nelson as Mrs. Lowe, Leonard's mother

Yes we do ask why. Why is this bad thing happening to me? Now without denigrating the problems that people have, [and let me be clear, my life has had and does have it's share of problems] without denigrating the problems that people have, what would happen in our world if we started asking these questions......

Why was I born in America?
Why do I have people that love me?
Why did I get to live this long? [the average life span in Mozambique is 42]
Why can I see when others are blind?

Why do I own a car?

Why do I get these blessings?

Why do I get all of these things that so many in the world will never have?

Dear friends, sometimes the ability to see the good is simply the choice to change our focus from what we don't have, and see instead what we do have.

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

used to

I used to have this.  I used to have that.
You used to have this.  You used to have that.

Hypothetically....

Maybe you used to have a better house but now you don't.
Maybe I used to have a cooler car, but now I don't.
Maybe you used to have a better job, but now you don't.
Maybe your new boss will never measure up to the old boss in your mind.
Maybe you look back at a former relationship as the be all to end all.
Maybe I used to have a better figure.
Maybe you used to have more friends.

Maybe I used to.... Maybe you used to....

Let me make a few observations.
1.  We tend to romanticize things.  Over time, we forget the struggles and remember the good old days.  Sometimes it is only fair to remember that the thing in that past wasn't as perfect as we have made it in our minds.
2.  It is no disrespect to our old friends, our old job, or our old anything, to try and appreciate what we have now.  If we try to make the future work, it does not denigrate the past.
3.  Maybe today is a struggle compared to yesterday, but there is still good to be found in today.
4.  It is totally unfair to hate today's car, today's spouse, today's boss, today's income simply because it is not "yesterday's."

5.  If we are stuck in yesterday, we cannot celebrate today.  Today will never return to us.  It is our responsibility to give our lives to God, day by day.
6.  Maybe that car will come back, maybe your friends will come to visit.  Maybe that new person will respond to new kindness from you.  But no matter, we must live in today.  We must love today.

Our old life would want us to enjoy today.  God wants us to enjoy this day.  Live in the present- it isn't the past, but the present is a gift.

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

common sense

My friend Susan shared a comment with me recently. It is a helpful thought to put in play when people annoy you. Here is the quote-

"Common sense doesn't grow in everyone's garden"

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

July 5

Today I am 60 years old.

On January 24th, 1982 on the occasion of his 50th birthday, Henri Nouwen, wrote, "Within a few years [5, 10, 20 or 30] I will no longer be on this earth.  The thought of this does not frighten me but fills me with a quiet peace.  I am a small part of life, a human being in the midst of thousands of other human beings.  It is good to be young, and to grow old and die.  It is good to live with others and to die with others.  God became flesh to share with us in this simple living and dying and thus [his presence] made it good.  I can feel today that it is good to be, and especially to be one of many.  What counts are not the special and unique accomplishments in life that make me different from others, but the basic experiences of sadness and joy, pain and healing, which make me part of humanity.  The time is indeed growing short for me, but that knowledge sets me free to prevent mourning from depressing me and joy from exciting me.  Mourning and joy can now both deepen my quiet desire for the day when I realize that the many kisses and embraces that I received today were simple incarnations of the eternal embrace of the Lord himself."

Henri Nouwen died on September 21, 1996 at the age of 64.

Today I am 60 years old.  I would like to write something profound....  ha ha ha.....

I look back on every day that I have lived and they are all a treasure.  I remember running track in high school.  In my mind, in my soul, and in my dreams, I still run with the track team, but the body has moved on.  So I am the same as I used to be, but also very different.

I think of every person that I have loved, and oh I am so blessed.  I cherish every hug that I received from you and I hope to receive many more.  I think of the friends that we have made, the broken relationships that have been healed, and the amazing power of love.  I don't know how many days that I have left but I am going to take the advice of Ruth Gordon from the movie Harold and Maude.  She told Harold, live, LIVE, L.I.V.E. LIVE!!!

What a joy.  What a miracle life is.  Thank you all for being a part of mine.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Die a happy man

Thomas Rhett sings a song, Die a Happy Man. It's a popular love song on the country circuit.

Here are some of the words.............

If I never get to see the Northern lights
Or if I never get to see the Eiffel Tower at night...
if I never get to build my mansion in Georgia
Or drive a sports car up the coast of California
Oh, if all I got is your hand in my hand
Baby, I could die a happy man

So on the eve of my 60th birthday, I want to let you know that I can die a happy man. [not that I plan to die soon]

I have done so many things in this life. I have seen so much.

I have been to every National Park west of the Mississippi.

I have stood by the ocean and listened to the waves.... in fact I can do that any day now.

I have owned beautiful homes.

I have birthed and raised wonderful children.

I have snow skied at 20 different resorts.

I have made the beer circuit at Epcot Center.

I got to be a part of some great churches.

I played softball with great guys for 15 years.

I ran, I jumped, I caught, I dropped, and we all laughed.

I have learned some jokes.  lots of really good jokes!!!

I have enjoyed working.  

I have made homes more beautiful.  I have painted, tiled, and fixed them.

I have been to Canada, Mexico, Israel, Turkey, Greece and Aruba.

I have driven a sports car on the coast of California.

I have basked in the Redwood forest.

I have had the best friends that anyone could ask for.

But most of all I can say this to you.... I can die a happy man, because in this life, I have loved and been loved.  It doesn't get any better than that.

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

OK

I have friends that worry if I am ok.  So they text, email or call to ask if I am ok.  I am also concerned about folks, if they are ok.

I am ok.  But I am more ok if I know that you are ok.  I can deal with me and my life much better as long as I know that you are ok.

I am much more ok when I know that you are ok.  OK?

If you are concerned about someone, check in with them.

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

The Miracle of Pain

That is an odd title to a blog post.  The miracle of pain.  We generally don't consider pain to be desirable much less a miracle.  We Americans particularly do everything that we can to avoid pain.  We even act like it is our God given right to be pain free and we can end up mad at God when life gets too painful.

But what if [as Laura Story suggests] our blessings come through raindrops?

Think of it.  When we have no troubles, we tend to go on about our lives.  We don't talk to God so much during good times because we don't feel the need.  Oh, but bring on a little difficulty and here comes the prayers.  As if prayers were in existence only to remove our pain.

Think of some of the most spiritual people that you know.  Don't they face pain and deal with it gracefully?  Don't they let pain teach them?  For me, it is in times of loneliness and pain that I am closest to God.  It is because of times of difficulty that I have learned some of life's lessons.

A life without pain would be much like being raised with a silver spoon in your mouth.  Although I have every empathy for your pain, may we all recognize that pain plays a role in getting our attention.  And when life has our complete attention, we tend to see more of the miracle of God.

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

One of these days

I heard a song the other day by Neil Young called One of these days. I was not familiar with it, but some of the lyrics stuck with me.  Here are the lyrics:

One of these days
I'm gonna sit down and write a long letter
To all the good friends I've known

And I'm gonna try
To thank them all for the good times together
Though so apart we've grown

One of these days
I'm gonna sit down and write a long letter
To all the good friends I've known

One of these days
One of these days
One of these days
And it won't be long, it won't be long

And I'm gonna thank
That old country fiddler
And all those rough boys who play that rock 'n' roll

I never tried
To burn any bridges
Though I know I let some good things go

One of these days
I'm gonna sit down and write a long letter
To all the good friends I've known

One of these days
One of these days
One of these days
And it won't be long, it won't be long

From down in L.A.
All the way to Nashville
New York City to my Canadian prairie home

My friends are scattered
Like leaves from an old maple
Some are weak, some are strong

One of these days
I'm gonna sit down and write a long letter
To all the good friends I've known

One of these days
One of these days
One of these days
And it won't be long, it won't be long

So if you are reading this, you are probably my friend. I want to write to you today and thank you for the time, the relationship, the love. There is a house for sale across the street from us. Do you want to come look at it? I miss you and I love you.

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

That Lemon Tree

My wife wanted a lemon tree.  So we bought this little guy and planted it in the corner.  For two years it produced no lemons.  Finally in the last month, it is producing it's crop.

One lemon.

It is funny, but we find it kind of exciting that the little tree is making a lemon.  Like Kevin Costner in Waterworld, we are pretty possessive of our lemons.

Some people are like our lemon tree.... not quite meeting our expectations.  And yet then we see an occasional glimmer of hope.  One lemon.  One fruit.  One act of kindness.  Maybe with a little fertilizer our lemon tree will do better.  Maybe with a little more love, the people in our lives that are under producing will begin to bear more fruit.

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

Animals are funny

So this is Tyler the cat who is out on the screened in back porch.  He and his "sister" Kiki love to go outside and hunt for lizards.  The other day he caught one, brought it inside and put it inside my shoe!

Anyway, outside, resting underneath the little lemon tree [my brain just switched to Peter Paul and Mary, Lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat.]  Anyway, resting underneath the lemon tree is a concrete squirrel.  We had it in my back yard growing up, so it is probably 40 years old.

Sometimes Tyler the cat will go out and sit next to the squirrel as if waiting for it to wake up and play with him.  I watch him sit there by that squirrel and wonder what he is thinking.

Tyler of course does not realize that the squirrel is stuck in a world that is not live.  He will never be animated.  Now my next statement is not to encourage anyone to leave their family, but sometimes in life we get stuck with people that are about as helpful as that squirrel.  We hang around and hope that they will come to life and celebrate with us, but they just can't seem to break out of their funk.

Tyler the cat needs a new friend.  Sometimes we need to make new friends too, friends that will inspire and encourage us.

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

favorites

Ahh, the development of sound devices.....  I remember that I had a small cassette player in 1969.  I bought my first music on LP albums.  I recorded some of the songs onto cassettes and played them in my car in 1974.  My car only had an AM radio, so the cassette player sat on the seat next to me.  My parents let me and a friend drive to Disneyland, over 400 miles, when I was 16.  We played that cassette player the entire way there and back.  The Beatles, Beach Boys and BTO.

Anyway, after cassettes came Compact Discs.  CD's.  We bought music on CD's through the mail in clubs.  You remember?  Buy 3 get 6 free.

Then came personal computers and digital music.  Then we started recording our own music from our CD's to our computer and onto printable CDroms.  So instead of just listening to what the record label printed on the CD, we could make our own favorites.

So I was rooting through my car the other day and I found an old CD that I had printed in 2006.  This was prior to jump drives or satellite radio, so a CD marked "favorites" held- well, some of my favorites.

I had no idea what was on it, but I put it in the player and listened.  I may have had 100 favorite songs, but only 17 would fit on that CD.  I was interested to see what I had recorded as my favorites in 2006.  This is what is on that CD, in order:

1.  Van Morrison- Into the Mystic
2.  Leah Kunkel [Momma Cass Elliott's sister]- I've Got to get a Message to You
3.  Paul Simon- Went to my Doctor
4.  Storyville- Good day for the blues.  [A favorite song of my friend Chuck McClamrock, who by the way is a great guy]
5.  Dave Loggins - Please come to Boston
6.  BTO  - Hold back the water
7.  Lynard Skynard - Freebird
8.  Billy Vera -At this moment
9.  Crosby Stills Nash and Young- Find the cost of freedom [anti war song]
10.  Jackson Browne - Load out/stay
11.  Eagles - Hotel California
12.  Lou Bega - Mambo #5
13.  ZZ Top - La Grange
l4.  Cat Stevens- If you want to sing out
15.  Don Henley - end of the innocence
16.  Orleans- Dance with me
17.  Pink Floyd- Wish you were here

I wish I had time to put all the youtube links here, but I don't.  If you don't know any of these songs, listen to them on youtube.  You might just find a new favorite.

What are some of your favorites?  I might want to find some new songs as well.

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

Palm Trees

Canary Island date palm

spindle palm

I have always loved trees.  We planted about 50 of them on the Woods Chapel Campus.  By the way, do you know the best day to plant a tree?

areka palm

50 years ago.

triangle palm

Do you know the second best day to plant a tree?

Today.

I love trees.  After missing my annual redwoods trip for the last two years, I am going to make the pilgrimage this year in late August.  I am so looking forward to the trip.

pygmie date palm

I love trees, and since I moved to Florida, I realize that I also love palm trees.  Before I lived there I thought that there was only one kind.  I thought that a palm tree was a palm tree.  But there are gazillions of different ones.   The differences between them speak to me about the great mind of God.  God is an amazing creator, and his creation speaks to us of his glory.

christmas palm

All of these pictures come from our house or our next door neighbor's homes.  What seemingly common things are happening around you?  Can you see the beauty and the good in them?

sable or cabbage palm

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

queen palm

Florida

What I like and don't like about Florida.

What I don't like.....
Most of my friends live in Kansas City.
The friends that I made in Cape Coral are 3 hours away.
I'm not working much.... hard to find handyman gigs.
In some places the traffic is really bad [not in Vero Beach]

What I do like about Florida...
It is almost always sunny, which makes me feel warm and happy.
I love the palm trees.
I love the swimming pool.
I love my work space in the garage.
I love the retired life.  {what day is it?}
It's a great flat place to bike ride.
My friends can come visit.
We are 8 minutes from the beach.
The wind from the ocean travels in to us and it is wonderful.
There is a lot of live music.
My family is here.

Pretty good stuff over all.  Life is good.

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