Welcome to Marwen

Welcome to Marwen is a 2018 film starring Steve Carell.  I had been wanting to watch it because I like war movies and it appeared to have some WW2 flavor in the previews.

Well, what I finally watched on Sunday night was not a war movie.  I don't know exactly how to explain what the movie is about.  Steve Carell has some tragic things happen to him and he spends the rest of the movie trying to come to grips with his wounds.  By the way, it is a true story.

Have you ever had tragic things happen to you and then spend years trying to come to grips with them???

At one point he realizes that what happened to him, what was done to him, was not his fault.  When he said that, I stopped the movie and cried.  What happened to him was not his fault...  And I thought about so many things that happened to me as a child.

Sure, much of my adult issues were, or are my own fault, but when I was a child, I was a child.  The wounds that were inflicted upon me were not my fault.

At one point Steve Carell tells the court, "the people that hurt me, they are gone.  They are gone for good.  They cannot hurt me anymore.  But I am still here.  And I have my friends. And I will be ok."

May all of you who were hurt as children know that you cannot be hurt by them anymore.  They are gone.  They are gone for good.  But we, we are still here.  And we have our friends, and we have those that love us, and we can still work with tools and play catch.  We can still help the needy and do what we were sent to this earth to do.  We can still love one another.

At some point in this life we have to overcome what happened to us as children.  It was not our fault.  They are gone, gone for good, and we, we live on.

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

Are we not over this kind of stuff yet?

 I received an email the other day from someone that I do not know.  They were insisting that if you are not baptized by immersion, then you are going to hell.  Are we not over this kind of stuff yet?

Jesus isn't keeping track of who is baptized and who is not.  He does not care what you believe about the second coming, baptism, or the bible.  

Jesus cares about us learning to love.  Love God, love others.  That is all there is.  All the law and the prophets hang on this.  Everything hangs on this.  Every doctrine, every opinion, every everything is measured by the practice of love.

No love, then we are a noise.  No love, then we are a clashing cymbal.  No love and we are missing it.  May we all spend more time, much more time working on being loving and less time, much less time worrying about doctrine.

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

Good News

 

I am so tired of bad news.  I am so tired of ABC, CBS, NBC and all the rest.  Shootings.  Murders.  Abuse of power.  Terrorists.  Bad Politicians.  Protests.  Looting.  Covid 19.  Is there only bad news?  Are our brains only to be filled with angst?

How about some good news.  It is all around us if we look.  

A new baby was born.  Friends got to have dinner together.  Someone loves someone.  Dick fed homeless people.  Someone was generous.  People were grateful.  Friends came over to visit.  Many people are not sick.  There is water at the sink.  The water is clean.  There is a roof over my head.  I have love in my heart.  Some people love me.  I get to go to the dentist.  I can see.  I can hear.  I own a car.  It starts and runs.  A woman saved her husband from a shark attack.  

I love you.

There is lots of good news in this world if we just focus on it.  It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Will we Christians ever learn?

I have featured this sign before in this blog.

Today we have the message, "Come as you are... you can change inside."  I have so many thoughts about this.  It reminds me of a story my dear friend Ken W told me about his former church.  They had a slogan that said, "first we catch them, then we clean them."  [as if people were fish.]

Here is the message... we accept you as you are, briefly.  Soon after you enter, we will begin to shape you and mold you and guilt you so that you sound and look like us, like we think Christians should look.

So let's be clear, I do believe that our faith should effect our behavior, it should change us.  It should make us more loving and gracious.  But that is up to God.  That is between you and God.  We should never try to make other people straighten out.  We are not the Holy Spirit.  We are here to love people.  If God wants someone to change, God can work on them.

Here is my real problem... do you think that this message on this sign makes people want to come to church there?  No.  Absolutely not.  In fact, anyone who does not go to church will be further repulsed by this message.  They won't want to go to any church.

End of tirade.

Now let's see the good.  You and I don't have to judge people as needing to change.  We can work to love them and understand them and welcome them.  That is what Jesus did.

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

The Rancher's Orange

 This story is not original to me.  I read it some years ago and have looked unsuccessfully for the source.  I have recreated it here to the best of my ability.

The wild west was pretty wild.  It was tough times in many ways.  Life expectancy was lower and farming life was very difficult.

The year was 1880.  A rancher in Montana lost his wife to pneumonia.  The pain the family felt was immense.  The death of the mother left the rancher to care for a 12 year old daughter and a 10 year old son.  Winter came early and the small family lived a meager lifestyle.  

With Christmas coming, the rancher wanted to do something nice for his children.  He wanted to do something that would help his children feel loved.  He wanted to bring a good moment to dispel some of the pain of the prior year.

So, on Christmas Eve he rode to town and was able to procure an orange from the grocer.  They were rare and expensive, but the rancher loved his children very much.  On Christmas morning, the children woke up and went to their chores as they would any other day.  There was no tree nor stockings.  No expectations.  The children knew that times were tough.

When they came back in the house, their Dad had breakfast ready.  When they finished their eggs and bread, the rancher asked if they had seen their present.

Present?  what present?  The children hopped up from their chairs and took a look around.  

There it was, on the mantle.  A single orange.  Their mouths hung open in amazement.  Their eyes were filled with joy.  Dad, this is for us?  "Yes," the rancher replied.  "Merry Christmas!"

The rancher was so moved by his children's response that he began to cry.  He slipped into the bedroom to let the tears fall.  Then hollering came from the kitchen,  "Dad come out."

He wiped the tears from his eyes and stepped out.  There to his surprise were his children, sitting at the table with the orange.

Then the unexpected.  The orange was cut, not for two children but cut into thirds.  The rancher began to cry again.   The gift that he had given to them, had turned out to be a gift to him too.

Dark times were made bright by the sacrificial gift of an orange.  Hearts were warmed as the orange was prepared not for two, but sliced for three.  The father was never so proud of his children.  It was a Christmas to remember.  Love, generosity and hope are beautiful things.

the tangerines

 Our Monday morning sandwich delivery to the marginalized now includes tangerines thanks to a lovely couple from church.  Let me tell you, if you thought a sandwich was welcomed, if you thought chips were welcomed, you should see the eyes pop when the tangerines come out.

We take so much for granted.  We have so much.  These folks sit down with their sandwich, their chips and their tangerine and the tangerine is the first thing opened.  The joy that the cool and fruity taste brings is something that they appreciate so much.

We have so much that we forget the value of many things.  We have forgotten to be amazed.  Oh that we would wake up and see the good.

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

The orange

When I was a kid we always got an orange in the toe of our Christmas stocking.  I never really appreciated the orange, but over the years I have learned the significance of this gift.

During the Great Depression, oranges were scarce, everything was scarce.  Kids did not get bags of candy like we did growing up in the 60's.  Without fanfare or explanation, my mother [a depression era child] would put an orange in the toe of our stockings year after year.  I know she was hoping that some day we would understand the significance.

As her parents went to great length to give this scarce treat to them on Christmas day, she was reminding us that there are precious things in life to be savored.  It has taken me years to understand the value of that orange.

This year, my kids are going to get an orange in their stockings.  I know that one day they will understand.

May we all find ways to give from the heart, scarce and precious things that will be a blessing to others.

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

another tipping story

A reader shared this in confidence. I love it when I see others experiencing the joy of living a generous life.

Not to “let the left hand know what the right hand is doing” but...
I, too, tip very generously at times. Beyond this though, there are times I am led to look around a restaurant.  The Spirit will take me back time and again to a certain table. It may be a family, it may be a couple...once it was a group of very young teenagers counting every penny they had to experience eating out without mom and dad around.
I pay for their meals. I do it anonymously, for I do not want the credit. It is all His. The glory, the praise, and the money in my pocket to give, it is all His.

Love you brother. Keep telling your stories, to prompt us to tell ours.
Generosity in money, friendship, and love...it’s a circle. As is life.


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

inclusion vs exclusion

Richard Rohr's devotion on Sunday was very good. He talked about the inclusive nature of Jesus.

He said that the cross is a sign of solidarity, not judgment. That we should look at the cross as something that brings people together, something that shows the great love of God. And as people are brought together in Jesus, we are reminded how "to imitate Jesus, the good Jewish man who saw and called forth the divine in Gentiles like the Syro-Phoenician woman and the Roman centurions who followed him; in Jewish tax collectors who collaborated with the Empire; in zealots who opposed the Empire; in sinners of all stripes; in eunuchs, pagan astrologers, and all those “outside the law.” Jesus had no trouble whatsoever with otherness."

"If we are ready to reclaim the true meaning of “catholic,” which is “universal,” we must concentrate on including—as Jesus clearly did—instead of excluding—which he never did. The only thing Jesus excluded was exclusion itself."

Some Christians exclude others in the name of Jesus. That is odd when Jesus included everyone. I hope that you can feel the holiness of including and welcoming people.  Something to think about.

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

watch for this sign that the pandemic is ending

 

I love tools.  I love Harbor Freight Tools.  Harbor Freight has provided 20% off coupons for years.  They come in the mail, you can tear them out of magazines, they come in the valpack, and many other places.  In the past it has not been uncommon for me to have a stack of these coupons in a pile based on expiration dates.  

Lately I have noticed that the coupons have dried up.  Why?  During the pandemic, people are spending time and money fixing up their homes.  Harbor Freight does not need to give coupons right now because business is booming.

So the other day I had to pay full price for the items that I bought because I have run out of coupons.  And it occurs to me... as the pandemic ends and things get back to normal, I think that we will see Harbor Freight tools coupons in the mail again.

Here is to the coupons coming back!

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

The tip

 Last week I had breakfast with a friend.  I picked up the bill of $13.  She left the tip, a cash tip.  I went to the cashier to pay with a credit card.  I wanted to leave a tip too, but for some reason no tips were allowed on credit cards.  So I finished at the cashier and walked back in to hand our server $3.  She had just picked up my friend's tip of $5.  

The server was so pleased!  $13 bill, $8 tip.  I was so pleased to see her joy.

This reminded me of a story.  [I know that this is not exactly right but you will get the idea.] I have a friend who eats once per month with 5 girl friends. They pick a restaurant and each of them pays for their own meal. They also have $20 each for the tip. So, once a month, a server at some random restaurant gets a $120 tip! I have heard many stories about how this has brought the servers to tears.

I love stories of generosity.  I think it is great when we can bless others.

I share this story with you because it is likely that there is money in my pocket and your pocket that might be better used to bless someone else.

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

Thank you

On Saturday my Pastor Tim Willcox was ordained.

There are many memorable moments in life.  Graduations.  Births.  Grandchildren.  If you are a Methodist Minister, the day that you are ordained is a big one for sure. 

Bishop W.T. Handy Jr.

It was round about June 7, 1991 when I was ordained.  We were in the Linn Memorial Chapel on the grounds of Central Methodist College.  The ordination class was called up one by one.  My parents were there.  My wife was there.  I made my way to the front and knelt down.  Two men, my mentors, David VanGiesen and Jim Bryan put their hands upon my shoulders.  Bishop W.T. Handy laid his hands upon my head and said, "take thou the authority to preach the word."  I am brought to tears as I write this.

Thirty years have gone by since that day.  Sure I had a few negative people and a few negative experiences along the way, but the overwhelming majority of it has been wonderful. 

I want to thank you all, The members of:
Cache UMC
Indiahoma UMC
St. John's UMC
Lebanon First UMC
Princeton UMC
Mercer UMC
Woods Chapel UMC
Cape Coral UMC
and finally
Ft. Pierce First UMC

Thank you all so much for the journey, for the love, for the friendship!!!  It has been awesome.

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

sermon audio from 9-6-2020

I had the pleasure to fill in for a friend while I was visiting in KC last Sunday.
Here is the sermon audio if you are inclined to listen.
The assigned topic was "the yeast of the Pharisees"

click here to listen

If Jesus came for a visit

I was thinking what would happen if Jesus came to visit America today.

The blue lives matter group would gather around him.
The black lives matter group would gather around him.
The all lives matter group would gather.
Trump supporters would be there.
Those against trump would be there.
Random protesters would be there.

Pretty soon everyone would be shouting at each other.
Threats would be made against each other.

But amid the noise and the din, from time to time various people would look over at Jesus and notice that he wasn't saying anything.

Little by little, more people noticed that although Jesus was there, he wasn't saying anything.  The noise began to die down.  Finally there was silence.

Jesus stepped forward.
[he has a way of speaking to us when we stop talking.]

One by one, he looks deeply into the eyes of each person there.   Every person on every side and he said to each of them over and over and over...

Love one another.
Love one another.
Love one another.
Love one another.
Love one another.
Love one another.
Love one another.
Love one another.
Love one another.
Love one another.
Love one another.
Love one another.
Love one another.
Love one another.

Everyone went home that day with a new reminder of what was important in life.  They took seriously his words and began treating each other differently.

It could happen.
It starts with you and it starts with me.

sandwiches

Yesterday was sandwich delivery day.  Every Monday morning my friend Dick and I make and deliver about 20 sandwiches to homeless men and women in Ft. Pierce.  Dick is really the boss and I am a tag along.

Originally the sandwiches were two slices of bread and a piece of cheese.  My wife loved that we were doing this, so she kicked in for baloney.  My daughter Jennifer and  her fiance David got wind of this and wanted  to help.  So thanks to them, we are now delivering baloney and cheese sandwiches with a bag of chips.

Yesterday after handing a man a sandwich, he said thank you.  I said God bless you.  Then as I started to walk away I heard him begin to pray, "dear Jesus I thank you for the gift of this food."

It brought me to tears.

This is such a simple thing, but it is so rewarding.  May we all find ways, many ways that we can see the needy and reach out.

That is why we are here, to care for one another.

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