I am alone.
No. that is wrong. I feel alone.
I am not alone. I only feel as if I am alone.
There is a huge difference between feeling alone and being alone.
Many people in Ft. Pierce, many people in KC, and probably some others in other places love me.
Yet sometimes I feel alone.
We need to remind ourselves that we are not alone.
We need to remember that many people love us.
Heck, if you needed me, and I could get there, I would hug you.
I don't want anyone to feel alone.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Friday, July 31, 2020
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
On judging others
Oh my!!!
They are the wrong color. They are the wrong political party! They have pink hair! They speak a brogue that I don't care for. They are Irish. They are Welsh. They are not like me.
I judge them to be less than. I shame them. I send them away. I don't want them.
And God doesn't care. God doesn't care. God doesn't care if I like them or not. God doesn't care if I understand them or not. God doesn't care if I have an affinity with them.
God only wants me to love them. God wants me to see them as he sees me. God looks past my faults. God looks past my darkness. God reaches for my soul.
So we should look past the darkness of others. We should look past the strangeness of others. We should see them as people and only look for their souls.
And hear me, the ones that this is the hardest for you to do for... this is exactly who you should do it for. The ones that you want to throw away are exactly the ones that God wants to embrace. And if he wants to embrace them, how can we do otherwise???
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
They are the wrong color. They are the wrong political party! They have pink hair! They speak a brogue that I don't care for. They are Irish. They are Welsh. They are not like me.
I judge them to be less than. I shame them. I send them away. I don't want them.
And God doesn't care. God doesn't care. God doesn't care if I like them or not. God doesn't care if I understand them or not. God doesn't care if I have an affinity with them.
God only wants me to love them. God wants me to see them as he sees me. God looks past my faults. God looks past my darkness. God reaches for my soul.
So we should look past the darkness of others. We should look past the strangeness of others. We should see them as people and only look for their souls.
And hear me, the ones that this is the hardest for you to do for... this is exactly who you should do it for. The ones that you want to throw away are exactly the ones that God wants to embrace. And if he wants to embrace them, how can we do otherwise???
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
It was not Thanksgiving
So I was watching a movie the other night and this family was having dinner. The Grandma said, let's all say something that we are thankful for.
One of the kids said, "It's not Thanksgiving."
The Grandma just kept on with it...
sometimes, you have to just keep on going with a good thing.
Around the table they went.
One of the kids, referring to his Grandpa said, "I am glad, I am thankful for someone that understands me."
Wow. Stop the presses.
Me too!!!
I am glad for someone that understands me.
May we all have someone, maybe two or three friends, that understand us.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
One of the kids said, "It's not Thanksgiving."
The Grandma just kept on with it...
sometimes, you have to just keep on going with a good thing.
Around the table they went.
One of the kids, referring to his Grandpa said, "I am glad, I am thankful for someone that understands me."
Wow. Stop the presses.
Me too!!!
I am glad for someone that understands me.
May we all have someone, maybe two or three friends, that understand us.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Monday, July 27, 2020
Sermon audio and video from Sunday
The sermon Sunday was about thinking on the good things.
I thank Pastor Tim Willcox for asking me to preach once per month.
Here is the audio
https://clyp.it/i21j5wz5
Here is the video - sermon starts at 24:00 minutes in
https://www.facebook.com/
Have a great day!
I thank Pastor Tim Willcox for asking me to preach once per month.
Here is the audio
https://clyp.it/i21j5wz5
Here is the video - sermon starts at 24:00 minutes in
https://www.facebook.com/
Have a great day!
What did you do in the war Dad?
My Dad was 14 when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Like most of the country, he wanted revenge. He could not wait until he was old enough to fight.
His brother Phil was an artillery brigade commander with Patton's army in France, so Dad had something to live up to. His brother was a bit of a local war hero.
Dad wanted to get into the war. He wanted to be a pilot. He wanted to kill the enemy. His entire life, he referred to the opposing forces with words that we would find racist today.
The war was ending when Dad was finally old enough.
He worked in Washington DC in a photo lab, producing some of the first photocopies of the atomic bombs and their effects.
He worked in a camp that helped the returning soldiers disembark for a return to "their normal life."
Forever he was haunted by the fact that he had not made a difference. He had not defeated the enemy. He was in his own mind, a lesser than.
I guess we have all felt like "lesser than" at one time or another. And the fact is, depending on what we are comparing, we all may be in one way or another, lesser than.
But then I think about my friends. My friends that love me. To them I am not lesser than, I am good. All good. To them I am hug-gable.
I think about my sisters and my children. I am not lesser than to them, I am lovable.
And I think about the God that I have come to know over the years. To Him, to God, I am the prodigal son waiting for a hug. I am the thief on the cross accepting forgiveness. I am the woman at the well, being told about the living water.
We are all much more than we thought we were.
We are all much more valuable than we thought we were.
Wake up to the day when you are just loved and accepted. Nothing to do. Nothing to prove.
You are loved. You are in. Nothing more to say.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
His brother Phil was an artillery brigade commander with Patton's army in France, so Dad had something to live up to. His brother was a bit of a local war hero.
Dad wanted to get into the war. He wanted to be a pilot. He wanted to kill the enemy. His entire life, he referred to the opposing forces with words that we would find racist today.
The war was ending when Dad was finally old enough.
He worked in Washington DC in a photo lab, producing some of the first photocopies of the atomic bombs and their effects.
He worked in a camp that helped the returning soldiers disembark for a return to "their normal life."
Forever he was haunted by the fact that he had not made a difference. He had not defeated the enemy. He was in his own mind, a lesser than.
I guess we have all felt like "lesser than" at one time or another. And the fact is, depending on what we are comparing, we all may be in one way or another, lesser than.
But then I think about my friends. My friends that love me. To them I am not lesser than, I am good. All good. To them I am hug-gable.
I think about my sisters and my children. I am not lesser than to them, I am lovable.
And I think about the God that I have come to know over the years. To Him, to God, I am the prodigal son waiting for a hug. I am the thief on the cross accepting forgiveness. I am the woman at the well, being told about the living water.
We are all much more than we thought we were.
We are all much more valuable than we thought we were.
Wake up to the day when you are just loved and accepted. Nothing to do. Nothing to prove.
You are loved. You are in. Nothing more to say.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
drowning
You drown because you stay submerged in the lake.
What is your problem? What is mine?
There is no fault in having a problem... but if we stay submerged in them, they will overtake us.
Find a way out. Don't give up. Never give up. There is no shame in having a problem, just don't let it overtake you.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Friday, July 17, 2020
thoughts on prayer
Prayer is not about us getting what we want. We must stop thinking of God as Santa Clause. We also need to get over the idea that if enough Facebook friends pray for a thing, then God is obligated to do it. Prayer is not about getting what we want.
Prayer is instead about eradicating selfishness. It is about us allowing God to find the depths of our heart and soul so that we can change. Prayer is about changing us. True prayer gets us off of our high horse and helps us to see the other side. The other side of politics, the other side of religion, the other side of everything. True prayer teaches us a sense of compassion for all people. But this can only happen when selfishness is diminished.
Dear God, how can I get myself out of the way so that I can have a heart of compassion for all? How can I get myself out of the way so that I can be your hands and feet?
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Prayer is instead about eradicating selfishness. It is about us allowing God to find the depths of our heart and soul so that we can change. Prayer is about changing us. True prayer gets us off of our high horse and helps us to see the other side. The other side of politics, the other side of religion, the other side of everything. True prayer teaches us a sense of compassion for all people. But this can only happen when selfishness is diminished.
Dear God, how can I get myself out of the way so that I can have a heart of compassion for all? How can I get myself out of the way so that I can be your hands and feet?
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Great birthday card
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
children's story
Each week I get a question to answer. Last week the question was, what was your favorite childhood story?
The only children's story that I remember being read to us was the story of Bad Mousie, by Martha Dudley. I made some copies and laminated them a few years ago so that my children could know the story. Looking back on that decision, I am thinking about finding the copies and throwing them away. No children should be told the story of mousie and I certainly do not want my grandchildren to have it read to them.
In the story, Donica [a young girl] lives with her mother and a black mouse, Mousie. Mousie is bad because he has not been taught to be good. He tracks mud on the carpets. He throws her socks into the bathtub. Donica's mother throws Mousie out of the house. That night he snuck back in through a crack in the wall. But he was still bad. He spilled powder all over the floor. He tangled Donica's hair. He tipped over juice and lots of milk. The mommie gets mad again. She puts him in a shoe box and tries to drown him in her wash basin, but the wet box comes apart and he escapes. But he was still bad. He pulled the books off the shelves. He took Mommie's lipstick and wrote on the wall. Mommie is beside herself. She tied him with string to the fence in the backyard, hoping that the owl would eat him. He nibbles through the strings and sneaks back into the house. Donica is glad to see him. But, Mousie was still bad!!! He dumped the buttons out of the button box and he painted the floor with shoe polish. Mommie is gonna fix the mouse this time. She ties him onto an umbrella and lets the wind blow him away. Mousie lands on a cloud and is lonely. He wonders if he could possibly learn to be good. Eventually the cloud dissipates and Mousie falls to the earth and lands in a mud puddle. He makes his way back to Donica's house but before he goes in, he wipes his feet. Mousie asks Donica to teach him to be good, which she does. Mommie helps Mousie learn to be good too and the book ends with them all dancing round and round.
One funny note about this story, while my sister has the original book from our childhood, I bought a couple online. One of them has a stamp in it indicating that it was from the library of First Baptist Church in Belton, MO.
This book is a pretty good indicator of the atmosphere that we were raised in. Be bad, and you are out. Be good, or else. Note that on the cover, mousie is sitting in the corner with a tear running down his face.
Not my favorite story from childhood, but the only one that I remember being read to us. May we raise our children with grace, kindness and love. May we not feed them to owls.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com
Monday, July 13, 2020
This is the only thing
This is the only thing: Love God and love others.
Nothing more needs to be said.
Love God, love others.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com
Nothing more needs to be said.
Love God, love others.
Put it on a T-shirt.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com
Sunday, July 12, 2020
33,000
For many years he was an Anglican [an English Episcopalian] later in life, he converted to Catholicism. His reason for doing this was because all of the protestants left the Catholic church, claiming to have the truth. Today there are 33,000 protestant denominations all claiming to have the truth.
He was tired of the bickering. He said he was going home to the mother church.
I am not writing this to encourage you to go to the Catholic Church [though there would be nothing wrong with you doing so] I am writing this to make the point that all of our protestant churches act like they have the truth. Yet there are 33,000 different versions of the truth.
You have a right to question what your church teaches. You have a right to question what your pastor says.
Four blind men are leading an elephant. One has the trunk, one has the tail, one has an ear and one has the leg. Later they are asked what an elephant is like. The one who had the trunk says that an elephant is like the arm of a strong man. The one that has the tail says that an elephant is like a snake. The one who has the ear says that an elephant is like a piece of leather and the one who has the leg says that an elephant is like the trunk of a tree.
None of us has all of the truth. Most of us, myself included, have much less of the truth than we would like to believe. It is ok to have questions. It is ok to ask questions.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com
Saturday, July 11, 2020
believe or follow
A friend asked me a question... how can I believe that God had to kill Jesus to make himself happy?
I think that there are many things that we have believed because it is what we were taught as a child. We drank the kool-aid and have never had the guts to question what we were taught.
My friend and I got to talking about lots of random things that we may or may not believe.
A flood that covered the entire world?
Every species of animal on an ark? What about termites?
God's apparent need for blood.
Jonah and the whale.
You may or may not believe those or other things from the bible. But I have decided something for myself.
1. Question are allowed. Questions and doubts must be allowed. God would not make us drink the kool-aid. As a Christian, you don't have to check your brain at the door.
2. Believing everything that we were taught as children is not mandatory.
3. How we follow, in my opinion, is more important that how we believe.
At the Pearly Gates the question will not be... Did you believe the nature of Jesus just right? or Did you believe the second coming just right? Or any number of ridiculous things that religious people get stuck on.
At the Pearly Gates I think the questions will be about how we followed. Not was I a believer in Jesus, but was I a follower of Jesus. Did I show kindness. Did I strive to love others. Did I evaluate my thoughts and actions based on how Jesus lived?
Following well is more important than believing just right.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com
I think that there are many things that we have believed because it is what we were taught as a child. We drank the kool-aid and have never had the guts to question what we were taught.
My friend and I got to talking about lots of random things that we may or may not believe.
A flood that covered the entire world?
Every species of animal on an ark? What about termites?
God's apparent need for blood.
Jonah and the whale.
You may or may not believe those or other things from the bible. But I have decided something for myself.
1. Question are allowed. Questions and doubts must be allowed. God would not make us drink the kool-aid. As a Christian, you don't have to check your brain at the door.
2. Believing everything that we were taught as children is not mandatory.
3. How we follow, in my opinion, is more important that how we believe.
At the Pearly Gates the question will not be... Did you believe the nature of Jesus just right? or Did you believe the second coming just right? Or any number of ridiculous things that religious people get stuck on.
At the Pearly Gates I think the questions will be about how we followed. Not was I a believer in Jesus, but was I a follower of Jesus. Did I show kindness. Did I strive to love others. Did I evaluate my thoughts and actions based on how Jesus lived?
Following well is more important than believing just right.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com
Friday, July 10, 2020
respect sandwich
I spent an hour the other night trying to help someone understand the importance of treating others with kindness. Although it is hard to believe, I made no progress. Some people just don't get it. They still think that life is all about them.
Now having said that, I must celebrate a story of kindness from my court reporter friend.
She wrote...
Thank you for sharing the story about feeding a one-armed homeless man a sandwich and preparing it for him in a communion-like manner.
This has reframed how I now perform my work duties. I used to serve stressed-out litigants cold water to drink and tissues if they needed a good cry before hearings. Now we are masked, so no drinking and no blowing noses! It is sometimes hard to understand masked people talking, so I am making sure my voice is courteous and warm when I ask them to please repeat their answer. When the proceedings are over and everybody is packing up, I thank them for helping me make a good courtroom record and we visit a little bit. I’m serving a respect sandwich to those who need uplifting as best I can.
A respect sandwich. I love it. Kindness is good for those we are kind to, and it is good for us to. Kindness makes the soul glad.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com
Now having said that, I must celebrate a story of kindness from my court reporter friend.
She wrote...
Thank you for sharing the story about feeding a one-armed homeless man a sandwich and preparing it for him in a communion-like manner.
This has reframed how I now perform my work duties. I used to serve stressed-out litigants cold water to drink and tissues if they needed a good cry before hearings. Now we are masked, so no drinking and no blowing noses! It is sometimes hard to understand masked people talking, so I am making sure my voice is courteous and warm when I ask them to please repeat their answer. When the proceedings are over and everybody is packing up, I thank them for helping me make a good courtroom record and we visit a little bit. I’m serving a respect sandwich to those who need uplifting as best I can.
A respect sandwich. I love it. Kindness is good for those we are kind to, and it is good for us to. Kindness makes the soul glad.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com
Thursday, July 9, 2020
loneliness is a terrible thing
Loneliness is a terrible thing.
Sometimes I get lonely. I'll bet that you do too, but I hope not.
Sometimes I miss my Kansas City friends. Sometimes I miss being young. Sometimes I miss my children. Sometimes I miss my parents. Sometimes I miss my sisters. Lately I miss seeing my church friends. And I really miss hugging everyone.
Isolation may be good for containing a virus, but it can be pretty tough on our sense of well being.
Chin up! All is well! One day soon we will all be back together, and the joy will be fantastic.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com
Sometimes I get lonely. I'll bet that you do too, but I hope not.
Sometimes I miss my Kansas City friends. Sometimes I miss being young. Sometimes I miss my children. Sometimes I miss my parents. Sometimes I miss my sisters. Lately I miss seeing my church friends. And I really miss hugging everyone.
Isolation may be good for containing a virus, but it can be pretty tough on our sense of well being.
Chin up! All is well! One day soon we will all be back together, and the joy will be fantastic.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com
Wednesday, July 8, 2020
looking for the soul
A few weeks ago I posted about making a sandwich for a one armed man. My friend Donna sent this in...
Beautiful..... I can relate to your feeling that this was a holy experience. When I volunteered at Research Hospital many years ago, I was occasionally asked to feed patients who were unable to manage feeding themselves. I loved doing it, and it always humbled me. One elderly lady looked at me with such love in her eyes. She was unable to speak, but she tenderly reached up and patted my cheeks with her hands. No words, just love and heartfelt appreciation. Beautiful. Sacred. Never to be forgotten moments in an otherwise ordinary day.....
Her story reminded me of how the eyes are or can be the window to the soul. Just take a little time and look into the eyes of another person. When we really do, we can read them. If you look into someone's eyes long enough, you can see what ever is there... fear, worry, joy or love. It is uncanny how this works.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com
Beautiful..... I can relate to your feeling that this was a holy experience. When I volunteered at Research Hospital many years ago, I was occasionally asked to feed patients who were unable to manage feeding themselves. I loved doing it, and it always humbled me. One elderly lady looked at me with such love in her eyes. She was unable to speak, but she tenderly reached up and patted my cheeks with her hands. No words, just love and heartfelt appreciation. Beautiful. Sacred. Never to be forgotten moments in an otherwise ordinary day.....
Her story reminded me of how the eyes are or can be the window to the soul. Just take a little time and look into the eyes of another person. When we really do, we can read them. If you look into someone's eyes long enough, you can see what ever is there... fear, worry, joy or love. It is uncanny how this works.
It is not that we have a soul, we are a soul. Here's to looking for the soul in others.
May we all live more soulful lives.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com
Tuesday, July 7, 2020
worship or follow
Jesus rarely asked to be worshiped. He asked repeatedly to be followed.
Many Christians prefer to worship and praise God, than to follow. You can sing, feel warm things in your heart, tell God how great he is, and then go back to your life. It is a one hour on Sunday morning faith.
To be a follower is something different. It is a path that consumes your every day, your every waking moment. It is not satisfied with warm thoughts towards God, followers insist on warm thoughts towards everyone. Those that choose the path of follower are always asking themselves how they can love more.
It is easier to worship than to follow. But it is much more fun, much more fulfilling to follow Jesus' life of love.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com
Many Christians prefer to worship and praise God, than to follow. You can sing, feel warm things in your heart, tell God how great he is, and then go back to your life. It is a one hour on Sunday morning faith.
To be a follower is something different. It is a path that consumes your every day, your every waking moment. It is not satisfied with warm thoughts towards God, followers insist on warm thoughts towards everyone. Those that choose the path of follower are always asking themselves how they can love more.
It is easier to worship than to follow. But it is much more fun, much more fulfilling to follow Jesus' life of love.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com
Monday, July 6, 2020
Again, it all boils down to love and only love
From my friend Pat...
Did you ever read anything by the prophet Amos? He was the first prophet to emphasize social justice and compassion. He wrote in an era shortly before Israel, the northern kingdom of Jews, was destroyed by the Assyrians: punishment for their refusal to listen to Amos’s message.
Prior Jewish religious emphasis was on privilege to be in a relationship with Yahweh. Amos taught that it was a responsibility. The Jewish covenant with God meant all Jews had to be treated well, not just some. Not surprisingly, most Jews declined to follow Amos, opting instead for a ritual, a routine praise of God. Ritual is a less demanding form of religious observance than integrating the message into your daily existence. The religion of compassion is still followed only by a minority; most religious people are content with decorous worship of their weekly service.
“What God wants is love, not sacrifice. Love may require sacrifice, but the goal is love, not deprivation.“
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com
Did you ever read anything by the prophet Amos? He was the first prophet to emphasize social justice and compassion. He wrote in an era shortly before Israel, the northern kingdom of Jews, was destroyed by the Assyrians: punishment for their refusal to listen to Amos’s message.
Prior Jewish religious emphasis was on privilege to be in a relationship with Yahweh. Amos taught that it was a responsibility. The Jewish covenant with God meant all Jews had to be treated well, not just some. Not surprisingly, most Jews declined to follow Amos, opting instead for a ritual, a routine praise of God. Ritual is a less demanding form of religious observance than integrating the message into your daily existence. The religion of compassion is still followed only by a minority; most religious people are content with decorous worship of their weekly service.
“What God wants is love, not sacrifice. Love may require sacrifice, but the goal is love, not deprivation.“
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
a milestone
My sisters and I watch this milestone.
My mother died two days before her 63rd birthday.
My sister Julie passed that age two years ago.
If I am alive on Friday, July 3rd at 8am, I will have outlived my mother.
My younger sister Amy has three years to wait.
I can't tell you how odd it seems that Mom died this young. I don't feel old. I feel badly for her. She had such a short time here on this earth and barely got to see her grandchildren.
I savor every day, and hopefully I will enjoy many more after Friday July 3rd.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com
My mother died two days before her 63rd birthday.
My sister Julie passed that age two years ago.
If I am alive on Friday, July 3rd at 8am, I will have outlived my mother.
My younger sister Amy has three years to wait.
I can't tell you how odd it seems that Mom died this young. I don't feel old. I feel badly for her. She had such a short time here on this earth and barely got to see her grandchildren.
I savor every day, and hopefully I will enjoy many more after Friday July 3rd.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com
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