K.E. 2

More from the Kingdom Experiment....

From Mia Fulson:

I recently finished a bible study titled "The Kingdom Experiment".  This study was based on the Beatitudes.  I always expect to gain new insights and to be inspired after a study.  This study made me ask myself: "why did I wait so long?"

I had projects to doing over the 8 weeks.  Some were easy and some were "safe".  I wrote a letter to a hurting friend, I donated to a program in another country for a good cause, I simply noticed people more who tend to be invisible in my community, and baked cookies for nearby construction workers.  This was to make the kingdom a better place.  It did far more than that.

It changed me!!  I am learning to be kinder, more patient, more compassionate, less judgmental, and more interactive with strangers.  I am definitely more intentional and determined to brighten someone's day.

Why did I wait so long?  Why have I missed these opportunities before? Why wouldn't I want to be more kind?  Why can't I love others more?  There is no excuse, but I have been blessed with this NEW chance to do it NOW!!  It requires me to slow down, sometimes be inconvenienced and get uncomfortable.  It has been worth it. 

So readers, who or what needs your attention?  Have you waited too long?

Who needs your encouragement? Who in the world needs a hug or an act of kindness?  Who can you compliment and make feel special?

Go out and make this Kingdom a better place.  I promise - you will bring a smile upon our heavenly father's face.

The Kingdom Experiment

We are kingdom people, working to build God’s kingdom on earth.  Are we kingdom people only when we take a break from our normal lives to ‘do missions’?  Or are we kingdom people every day in every aspect of our lives?

This winter, a small group called ‘The Kingdom Experiment’ tackled these questions.  Over the course of two months, we conducted ‘experiments’ for the kingdom – things like writing a letter to someone who is mourning, providing a microloan through kiva.org, and sending care packages to families of children that have been murdered in our city recently.  Our eyes were opened to the hurting and poverty in our city and our world.  We prayed that God would help us to see the world the way he sees it, and to change our hearts to become more like his heart.  We prayed that God would use us to better his kingdom.

Over the next few days, we will share stories from members of our church that participated in The Kingdom Experiment this winter.  This group has an incredible energy and momentum right now, as they are on fire for serving God and working for his kingdom.  Be inspired by their stories, and then join us, beginning April 12 and for the next 7 weeks at 9:05, as we launch new small groups of The Kingdom Experiment at WCC.

From Jill Parsons:

For me, the Kingdom Experiment began as an eight-week Sunday school class. But it became much more. It became motivating, inspiring, heart wrenching and mindset changing.

Each Sunday we focused on one of the Beatitudes and discussed a number of ways in which we could experiment with it that week.  The options ranged from small behavior changes to taking action within our community and beyond.  The next Sunday we shared our experiences.

I loved listening to the amount of good being done by our class.  The Kingdom Experiment and my amazing classmates motivated me to serve in ways I hadn't before, inspired me to positively impact others on a daily basis, broke my heart by teaching me empathy for issues I had never before considered, and kept me focused on doing good in God’s Kingdom.

I am excited for the Kingdom Experiment to find its way into other classes, churches, and groups. Whether you’re currently active in missions or not, you’ll be glad to be a part of this movement!

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

happy with what you have

Someone found this phrase in their fortune cookie.  A dear friend shared it with me.  I love it.  If you don't enjoy what you have now, how could you be happier with more?

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

Prom boutique

How exciting it was to host another prom boutique this year.  Somehow, the ministry made the web page of the national UMC.  Here is an excerpt from the report.  You can read the entire article by clicking the link below.

In the 15 years she has coordinated the Prom Boutique at Woods Chapel United Methodist Church, Fern Truschke Stuart has had her heart warmed by the ways lives have been touched by this ministry.

• The dad who got tears in his eyes when he saw his daughter in her dress. He said, “We drove two hours to see this moment. Thank you.”
• The mom in the wheelchair who got special permission from hospice to come see her daughter try on dresses.
• The teary-eyed mom whose two daughters found dresses at our boutique. The mother said they never had to worry about money until her husband was injured on the job. There was no money for “extras” like prom dresses.
• A young man who received a tuxedo donated by a friend of one of our volunteers. Not only was it the exact size, but all the accessories to go with it were included.
• The young lady who was so thrilled with her new dress and wanted to make a donation. All she had was 41 cents, but she gave it to us!
• The social worker who said, “It’s so much more than a dress; it’s Christ’s love shown through your generous spirits. The seeds you planted through your service will make an eternal difference in some lives!”

http://www.umc.org/what-we-believe/churches-offer-free-formal-wear-and-Gods-love-to-teens

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

birds

Do you ever see something and just wonder, just pause and wonder?

I took these pictures along Lakewood Way over by the Conoco station.  Watching the birds come and go is amazing.  One lands, they all land.  One flies and they all take flight.

What can it possibly mean?

God's creation is amazing.  Who can understand the work of the Almighty?  He has set a code into this world that causes the mind of humans to wonder.

God is truly great.

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

the lone cup

Yes, this is a lone cup, sitting lonely and alone outside of your church gym.  Someone abandoned it right here in our parking lot.

I have to tell you that I am seriously annoyed by people that litter.  Driving down the road and someone throws something out of the window.  Yikes.  I don't understand it.  Please don't throw your clippings on someone else's property.  Please don't throw your branches there.  Please don't throw things out of the window of your car, even on Phelps road.

It doesn't take anymore effort to throw something in the trash than it does to throw it on the ground.  Why not use your energy to make the world a better place?

Pick up your trash where ever it is. [there is a metaphor in that statement.]  Leave behind only that which makes the day and all of life, a better place.

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

Joke day

The day after Easter, in some cultures in considered "joke day."  It is a day that jokes are told in some cultures because Jesus has pulled the wool over Satan's eyes.  The gig is up.  He thought he was winning, but Jesus has the last say.

Now before I tell a couple of jokes, I want you to know that I reject the logic of Joke Day.  There was never any question of the outcome of the battle.  Jesus did not pull it out in the last minute of the game.  God has always been in control.

But, just for fun, here are some jokes.................

What does a dyslexic atheist say?
There is no dog.

Did you hear about the man who was in a car wreck and broke his forehead?
He's ok, it was just a hairline fracture.

What do you do when you stub your toe?
Call a tow truck.

What is green and goes 100 miles an hour?
A frog in a blender.

What is purple and conquers deserts?
Alexander the Grape.

What did they find when they opened Alexander the Grape's tomb?
Alexander the raisin.

Why are pirates cool?
They just rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

You only get one nose in life. 
Don't blow it.

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

Awake!

What a morning it must have been for the women who found the empty tomb!  What a morning, what a day for the disciples.  Their understanding of everything changed with one bit of news - He is no longer here, he is risen from the grave.

A day that began in worry and fear quickly gave way to joy and celebration.

Easter should still have this affect on us.  We may rise in the morning with despair and gloom, but the moment we think of Jesus, our outlook should change.  The bad news is not the last news.  The worry is temporary, the joy is eternal. 

Don't simply rise to the day.  Awaken to the day!  Jesus is alive, Jesus is with us!
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

the invisible fence

I was thinking the other day about an invisible fence.  The kind of fence that keeps a dog in the yard.  No one can see the fence, but it keeps the dog in.

So it is also true of the invisible fence that we use to keep God contained.  We can't see it.  It is so ingrained in our paradigm that we can't see how we hold him back, but we do.

The dog in the yard, dreams to run free.  God, held back within our invisible fences, yearns to run free.  He yearns to take our brains to places we have never gone before.  He yearns to free us from our insistence on being right and teach us to fall headlong into his love.

How do your ideas about God keep you from experiencing Him?

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

Good Friday

You are invited to our Good Friday services tonight at 7pm in the Worship Center. 

Good Friday. Good because why? Jesus suffers and dies. How is that good? Suffering and death do not sound very good to us.  The service is a painful recounting of the difficult sufferings of Jesus.   It is designed to bring people to a deep appreciation of what Jesus did for us.  While we are repulsed by selfishness, our souls are deeply touched by generous acts of grace.  He that has been given much, loves much.

Good Friday. It's good for us. Because in the death of Jesus, a relationship is made right. Our sins are forgiven and our relationship with God is restored, healed.

Pause sometime today and say "thank you." To say thank you to God is the beginning of living the Christian life.

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

Maundy Thursday

Today is Maundy Thursday.  Tonight we commemorate Jesus' last supper with his disciples.  The service is at 7pm in the sanctuary.  Every one is welcome.

I was reading a bit of Richard Rohr the other day.  He wrote, "Francis of Assisi must have known, at least intuitively, that there is only one enduring spiritual insight - and everything else follows from it:  The visible world is an active doorway to the invisible world, and the invisible world is much larger than the visible.  I call this the mystery of incarnation, the essential union of the material and the spiritual worlds.

What we understand of Jesus is so small. What we understand of spirituality is so small.  I thank God for the opportunities that we have for worship, whether in church or in creation.  There is so much more going on in this world that we are aware of.

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

true religion

I learned religion as a child.  I was taught that good Christians are the ones that believe the right things.  The Christian faith, I was taught, is a series of items that make up "right thinking."

Sometimes in order to learn, we must unlearn.  True spirituality isn't as much about acquiring more information as it is about losing some of what has been ingrained in us.  Our paradigm must change.

Today I would tell you that although beliefs are important, there is a relationship with God, and it is an experience that moves beyond belief.  It is grounded not in doctrines, but in awareness, in love, in joy, in hope.  Somewhere along the way, we can learn that God is bigger than our ideas about him, and when we do, we are finally free to dive into the waters of his immense love.

Are you sitting in the boat of doctrine or are you swimming in the ocean of God's amazingness?

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

conditions

We like to put conditions on our happiness. 

I will be happy when my kids are healthy.  I will be happy when I make more money.  By the way, Americans are the richest people in the world, but they report that they will be happy when they make 20% more than they do right now.  We have so much.............

I will be happy when I get a new car.  I will be happy when I get that new job.  I will be happy when.....

Do you sense the silliness of such thinking?  We have attached the joy in our life to things that are out of our control.  The fact of the matter is that the Kingdom is within you.  Happiness is within you.  If you are a child of God, and you are, the Spirit within you is begging to tell you that life is good and you are loved.

Are you looking to outside influences and circumstances for happiness or are you looking within your heart to the place where the Spirit dwells?

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

quote from a friend

To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable and wealthy, not rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious grow up through the common – this is my symphony.

William Henry Channing, clergyman, reformer, 1810-1884

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

think about it

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

how do you show your love for God?

How do you show your love for God?  By believing right?  By faith or actions?

One church has a slogan that says, "we show our love for God by how we treat others."

I love it!!  What a great way to show your love for God.  This is how it works in his kingdom.  In fact, it is the only way that things work in his kingdom. 

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

the things that we don't know

I was very surprised when in response to my posts about homeless people, one of our members sent this in:

You don’t know this but my family lost our house (foreclosure) when I was a senior in HS. My dad left home about the same time and we did not hear from him again until we were told he died. I’m not sure how my mom managed because it looked like we would be homeless back when no one used the term. At the last minute her parents agreed to take us in even though my grandfather did not like me or my brothers as we reminded him of our dad. As you know things have worked out very well for me in this life. Even at that time, two of my friends’ parents were willing to take me in if necessary. That time is a constant reminder to me that anyone can be homeless. For whatever reason I did not have to walk that path but I am certainly in no position to judge someone who does. If I see people holding the signs I give them money. It’s not a big question for me. I remember my mom who fought thru everything and my friends’ parents who reached out. I was put on this Earth to share what I have with others. It’s a privilege that I’m grateful for every day. Thanks for your blogs on the homeless. The WCC members help people every day. There is no greater way to practice God’s love as a church body.

You see, a person's experience so shapes how they respond to those in need.  Maybe if more of us had lived through having little or nothing, we would be more understanding of those who do have little or nothing.

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

jobs I have had

Someone asked me to post a listing of jobs that I have held in my life.
Here we go.........

In High School
Bicycle Repair man
McDonalds

In College
Gallenkamp shoes
McDonalds
Dishwasher at the School Cafeteria
Setting pins at the manual bowling lanes
Self Service Gas station

College summers
furniture mover

Post college
Asphalt company
youth director

Seminary
Kwik Kopy printing
deck builder
youth director
UPS delivery

Post seminary
bank teller
handiman
associate pastor
pastor

lots of excitement eh?  Let me just celebrate the joy of hard work.  I really believe that to work at a thing and to give it your best makes so much difference in this life.

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

to ponder

I read this in an article last week,“It’s often said that we Christians eat our own.” It went on to say, “For a people whose go-to ideas are love for God and love for others, we Christians can be pretty horrible toward one another”.  Well, people in general can be pretty horrible at times. I would hope that as seekers we would be more open, nurturing, forgiving, understanding, tolerant, accepting etc. This article was in reference to a person in the Christian community who broke script and began to ask questions. Thought provoking questions. He did not take a stance of what is true but hit the gray area that invites us to wonder, ask, listen and grow. He dared Christians to dig deeper, think, explore, have conversations and test everything….to take a level of responsibility for our own understanding so that we can move beyond the things and people that shape us in this world. Unfortunately, the things that shape us can bring us to do the very thing that we should not. So we hold up a guard and choose carefully what we say and do and that is a shame. How do we grow in that environment?

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

shift

For those of you hanging in there with me about this left, right and center thing I want to say thank you. I have been in a rut and I hate ruts. I have been in them enough times to form that opinion. Ruts are a bad place to be. Growth is stagnated. Ruts can cause separation. Even the simplest of things that seem harmless can put you there. Like consistently choosing the sanctuary vs. worship center, back left row vs.  first front right, this class or topic or author vs. that one and so on…. Each in their own way can be good and yet they place us here and never there or with them and not the others and only this type of thinking vs. that etc. I am guilty of this practice. I believe it provides comfort and comfort is where ruts thrive. Like the saying goes, “If you don’t think you have ever been there then more than likely you are there right now.”  Bottom line is I believe a broader base is a catalyst for change and growth. So I am working on that shift. I will be healthier for doing so.

Proverbs 12:15 The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.

Peace

Lion’s Den Man

center

Center, I believe, is where we are when we are born. God places us here without leanings. We are then shaped by life and those around us. Things and people encourage us to slide a direction that is away from center.  Sometimes we slide very far. Sometimes we slide back or even go as far as the opposite direction. Sometimes we get stuck in a place. Neither side is either all good or all bad. This is not a good versus evil thing it is a human perspective thing. However, it is a separation from the core of how God would like us to see him and see and treat others.

If you are like me and want to know where you are resting I suggest listening more. Listen to others. Listen to what you say. Reflect on your day. Test what it is you have said and done to those around you each day. When you find your justifications from learned leanings of left or right you can begin to work on the path towards center.

Center is where Love your God and Love others resides in its purist form.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

peace, love, harmony and truth

Where are they found? Left or Right? Maybe the closest we can come to experiencing all of them together is when we find middle ground…center.  I once read that Christ on the cross was reaching his arms to the left and right drawing all to center. Harmony requires love which leads to peace.  It is the place that enables us to learn and grow. If we hold so tightly to our belief of truth (left or right) our tongue gains power and our ears become deaf. There is no room for harmony, love or peace in that place.

Peace,
Lion’s Den Man

be - day 2 (awareness)

There’s no answer, no problem-solving, simply awareness. You cannot live in the presence of God. You are totally surrounded by God as you read this.

St. Patrick said,

God beneath you,
God in front of you,
God behind you,
God above you,
God within you.

You cannot earn this God. You cannot prove yourself worthy of God. Feeling God’s presence is simply a matter of awareness. Of enjoying the now. Deepening one’s presence. -Richard Rohr

It is a beautiful day to be Aware……

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

be

The other night I was at an event where a photojournalist was presenting her work and the story of the Aborigines. One of her goals was to capture the quintessential storytelling photograph. Although she had taken many great photos, the “one” had yet to be realized. In time she came to understand what she needed to do was simply get herself out the way. In doing so she knew she could then fully experience everything around her. Her sense of awareness was freed and she saw and felt everything much more clearly....

Which made me think of something I read recently.

Be still and know I am God.
Be still and know I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

a perfect world

Seeing the good challenges us to look past our difficulty and - see the good.  If there were no difficulties in life, all we would ever see would be the good.

Although we don't like difficulty, a reader reminded me last week that a perfect world isn't really so perfect after all, for there is nothing to accomplish, nothing to overcome, and no goals to attain.  In effect, we would be totally consumed with our pleasure.

Somehow the difficulties that we face bring us meaning and growth that we would otherwise never find in this life.

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

time

We have a limited amount of time.

Why waste it being angry at others or judging them?  I am not saying that there is no right and wrong.  Of course there is.  What I am saying is why waste your time focused on it all the time and being bothered by it all the time.  The time we waste on negative endeavors can never be recaptured.  May we spend our time loving, encouraging and showing kindness instead.

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

a simple question

Here is a simple question to ponder.  It can be applied to almost anything that we think or do.  Here it is, ready?

How much of this is about me?

To the extent that an idea or an action is about me and my self-interest, it is almost always going to get in the way of God's hopes for how I might otherwise live.

About me, or about God?  About me or about others?  The world is ruined by the selfish.  The world is changed by the selfless.

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

from a reader

I have been pondering your blog about the homeless and reading that one comment from the other day. I have a friend that feels the same way about giving to the street people, but I really think it has nothing to do with that. You respond to the Spirit's nudging or not. Will I follow my Jesus when He calls or do I let someone else receive the blessing? My Choice. And do they give to well dressed people vs homeless? Approval is also a from of judgement.

I have been using this 10-second rule for a while. My daughter in Cali had shared a sermon her pastor gave on learning how to answer God's call to action within 10 seconds. When a thought pops in your brain, you have 10 seconds to process the situation. Within that time frame you have already done a quick evaluation, decided to take action, talked yourself out of it or doubted your gut feeling, which results in no response at all.

I'm a pretty instantaneous decision maker and love checking things off my list as to move on to something else. I many times wonder if God is keeping up with me! I have been starting my day out lately in anticipation of how God might use me as a blessing to someone.

Intentional, missional living as Hebrew 10:24 says: And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. So Monday morning I'm at the QT filling up with gas when the nice, well-groomed, young man wearing a dress shirt and tie approaches me with reddened eyes and tears just about ready to spill out at any moment. He says "I have a job interview that I am going to be late to, I needed some gas and realize I forgot my wallet." He lowers his head and says, "I have never had to ask for money before, but do you perhaps have $5 so I cold put some gas in my car?"

And me who always say out loud what I am thinking blurts out with a big smile, "YOU are my mission blessing today!" I didn't even need ten seconds to think about it, I reached into my wallet and said, "I'm sorry I don't have $5, will you take $20?" He wants to go into QT and get me some change, I touch his arm and say, "No, please just fill your car with gas and go get that job." (one of my principles in De-meaning myself this Lenten season said: never expect paybacks ).

I am so glad I was wearing my sunglasses as I start to shed a few tears alongside him. I thought about that young man all day, praying for his job interview, praying that he saw a glimpse of Jesus in my act of kindness and he would someday pay it forward to someone else in a time of need.

I hope to always keep myself awake to the fact I am one of God's good news people in this mundane, routine everyday life. When I started up my car to leave QT, I hear these words from a song on the radio, I just want a heart like You.

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

two paths

In life there are two paths.  There is the natural human path.  It is the way of self.  Self protection, self centeredness, and self importance.  It ultimately is the way of complaint, retribution, anger and rage.

The other path is the way of grace.  It is the path of forgiveness.  It is the path of love.  It is the path that calls us to see life through the eyes of another.

Those who choose the way of grace are always glad that they did.

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

yesterday's post

Yesterday I posted this and then I had an interesting thought.  So please re-read this and then see where my brain went........

From yesterday:
They have a need.  They need food.  They need clothes.  They need a bath.  They need a home.  They need us to help them.  They need us.  Whether in Russia, Nicaragua, or Westport, they need us.

But, what we often overlook is this: we need them as well.

Imagine a world, a utopia, where everyone had everything that they needed.  We would never be able to help anyone because no one would need help.  No one would appreciate anything because no one would have ever have experienced want.  We would simply be consumers, blindly doing what ever we wanted with all of our abundance.  It would be the most self consumed of all possible lives.

Wait!  Wait!  hold the horses!  My brain says, "stop!" Isn't that how lots of people think anyway?  Isn't our country filled with people that are simply blind consumers doing what ever they want with their abundance?  Haven't I been that person before?

Lord, please don't let me be that person anymore.  Lord help me find the joy of living generously.

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

need

They have a need.  They need food.  They need clothes.  They need a bath.  They need a home.  They need us to help them.  They need us.  Whether in Russia, Nicaragua, or Westport, they need us.

But, what we often overlook is this: we need them as well.

Imagine a world, a utopia, where everyone had everything that they needed.  We would never be able to help anyone because no one would need help.  No one would appreciate anything because no one would have ever have experienced want.  We would simply be consumers, blindly doing what ever we wanted with all of our abundance.  It would be the most self consumed of all possible lives.

So, we need them.  We need them so that we can learn to be generous.  We need them so that we can learn to live outside of ourselves.   We need them so that we can learn to be grateful for what we have.  We need them to help us learn to be kind.

Need goes both ways.

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

homeless part 3

What if you helped a homeless person and were swindled?  Taken.  Taken advantage of.
It is going to happen if you help people enough.


Which would you prefer?  For your default to be to help so  many people that sometimes you got taken advantage of? Or would you prefer that your default was to scrutinize, question give very cautiously -  the result of which was that many truly needy did not get help because you just didn't feel right about it.


I want my default to be to give.  Yes we will be taken advantage of at times, and I don't want to openly give to someone who is a schemer, but I do believe it is better to give one time too many, than one time not enough.


Remember the Priest and the Levite in the Good Samaritan story?  I am sure that they did not help because they thought it was a trap, or that the person was in some way unworthy.


If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?  1 Jn 3:17


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

homeless part 2

We have heard it said, "don't give them any money, they are just going to buy alcohol."  Maybe you and I have said it ourselves.

Well, let's have an honest talk - Do you drink?  Have you ever felt stressed and were so glad to pop a beer, or a margarita or a scotch and water? 

These homeless  people are lonely and cold.  We would not trade our issues with them for anything in the world.  I gave the guy $5.  And he might buy a cheap bottle of wine with it?  So what is the problem?

Let me ask you a question.  And think before you answer.
Think.

If you had no family to care for you, no home, no job, no self respect, and you were going to have to sleep tonight in 15 degree weather under a bridge, wouldn't you want a bottle of cheap wine? 

I would thank God for the person who eased my pain.  I would thank God that I could go to sleep and forget my worries.  Maybe I would dream of having a shower, a job and a haircut.  Maybe I would dream of having a normal life.

In the kingdom,  the first shall be last and the last shall be first.  Never hold back from being generous.  God has blessed us so that we can help others.

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

helping the homeless

There are many reasons why people don't help the homeless.  Yes they may have brought this on themselves.  Yes they may drink too much.  Yes to an entire list of reasons to not help someone.

But- they are still people.  They are still cold, they are still hungry.  Our value judgment about why they are this way does not absolve us from the responsibility to help them.

Jesus did not say, I was hungry or thirsty for reasons beyond my control, and you fed me.  He doesn't qualify the worthiness of the person who receives the help.  He simply says, I was hungry and you fed me.

Part of the holiness of helping the homeless is in the helping them.  The other part of the holiness is not judging them for why they are the way that they are.

I refuse to get lost in why they are the way that they are.  That is not the point.  I am able to help, so I will.

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

truth part two

I posted one day last week about truth.  Jesus is the truth, I said, capital Truth, much bigger than our version or experience of the truth.  A reader commented and asked if I would say a few words on how people can discern when a truth is true.  Is there a way to know that something is true?

Lets begin by remembering that truth is going to rise to the top.  It can be ignored, but it will always come around.

I would also tell you that many people don't like the truth.  They would rather live a comfortable life that revolves around them, than consider the truth.

Many Christians point immediately to the Bible and you can read a lot of truth in the Bible, but there are also people that take verses out of context and use the Bible to hurt people. I think that behavior makes God angry.

I believe that good people know intrinsically know, inside their hearts, what is good and true and right.  You know when you hurt someone.  You know when you do wrong.  When you tell the truth and act in ways that are true, you don't have to cover your footprints later.

Many people never open their eyes or their mind to see how their actions hurt others.  This is a grievous sin.  The entire nature of spirituality revolves around waking up and seeing what is out there in the world and what is going on inside of me.  We must get off of auto-pilot and see how our words and actions hurt others.

Truth brings love, joy and hope.  It may also sting a bit when we are confronted by it, but it is never condemning, God's truths always point us toward hope.

The reader asked a good question.  I am not sure I have addressed it.  But I do believe that we know inside what is good and true and beautiful.  May our lives gravitate more toward those things.

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

a gift

I shared a meal the other day with a friend.  It is someone that I have known for a long time.  I told them how much I appreciated them and what a fine person I thought they are.  Sometimes it is hard to articulate why you like someone.  There is an intrinsic goodness  about this person.



Later I thought more on the topic of why I like this person.  He always makes you feel special.  When I was new to town, he made me feel special.  When I had very few friends, he made me feel special.  Whether I see him a lot or a little, he has a way of making me feel valued.  He inspires me to be friendly and caring.



This is a gift.  This is a gift that I wish more people had.  This is a gift that all of us can exercise.  Who can you care about today?  Who can you cause to feel special today?  Invest yourself in another and bring them joy.



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

Server

I swear this young woman was the most unhappy restaurant worker I had met in a long time.  She was so sour that I thought about talking with the manager.

Then I decided to try another tactic. One day, before Christmas I gave her a $20 tip for an $8 meal.  Then from then on, I just made a point to talk with her and act like everything was fine.  I would like to tell you that a change happened overnight - it didn't.  But slowly, gradually, this person has come around.  Now they smile when they see me, and a person that I thought was not a nice person has emerged from her cocoon to find a joyful life.

It can happen.  The lover creates the love.  Try it.  The best advice, the most important advice that every pastor  needs to hear about relating to the congregation is this, "love the people."  When people know that you love them, they will go to the ends of the earth for you.

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

be nice

Every now and then I just want to say it.  "Just be nice."  Stop the hatefulness.  Stop the demeaning looks.  Stop the anger.  Stop the condescension.  Just be nice.

Our mom's said it, "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

Don't spoil this beautiful day or any other beautiful day by being mean or sour.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, stop making yourself and everyone else miserable.  Just learn to see the good!

dreams

What are your dreams?

"A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral."  Antoine de Saint-Exupery

What challenges do you face today?  How will you approach them?  What do you see in the future?  A pile of rocks or a cathedral?

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

Parade Day

It is parade day again.  Are you going?


What parade you say?  Today is the day when all of the high school bands line up downtown and march fourth.


[this was my grandmother's joke, passed down to my mother, and then to me, and now to you.]


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

truth

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.  Let me say a word about truth:  Jesus is the truth.  No longer a man in a human body, Jesus is Spirit, he is God, he is truth.


So, if I find a truth in my denomination, Jesus is there.  If I find a truth in your denomination, Jesus is there.  If I find a truth in creation, Jesus is there.  If I find a truth in a denomination that I don't particularly like, then Jesus is there too.  Where ever truth is, Jesus is, because he is the truth.


"A person who is a good and true Christian should realize that truth belongs to his Lord, wherever it is found, gathering and acknowledging it even in pagan literature."  St.  Augustine


Paul the Apostle read secular books and acknowledged the truth in them.  He was familiar with Greek poets and philosophers and quoted them in Acts 17 in his speech on Mars Hill.


Jesus is the truth.  Where ever you find it.  He is there.  He is bigger than my brain, bigger than our church and bigger than our ideas about him.


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

suffering

I read somewhere that most American Christians want to pray away the difficulty in our lives.  As if life should have no difficulty.

If life is 20% difficult, and we choose to hate that part, then we are opting out of 20% of life.  If life is 40% difficult, and we choose to hate that portion, then we are giving up on 40% of life.

The Apostle Paul suggested that he could do all things through Christ who strengthened him.  Life is wonderful, even with its difficulties.  To bear up under them and still see the good, this is living.  Don't give up on any part of your life.  Don't throw out any part of your life.

It may be difficult, but count it all joy, and live.

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

conversion

Some Christians are converted to religion.  Some are converted to Christ.  What is the difference?

Those converted to religion are filled with judgment.  They are concerned about doctrine.  They are always saying who is in and who is out.  They insist that their denomination, their church is right and yours is wrong.

Those who are converted to Jesus Christ do none of the above.  They focus their lives on love.  They work on allowing the Holy Spirit inside to grow the fruit of the spirit within them.  They are kind and forgiving.  They understand that we do not know it all.  They trust in the mystery of almighty God and simply love all.

What are you converted to?

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

heyday

Are your best days before you or behind you?  Do you remember the great days as the years that pastor so and so was at the church?  Or, are your best days now, or are your best days just around the corner.

I believe it was William Bridges that wrote about an organizations heyday.  A heyday is defined a s the period of one's greatest popularity, vigor, or prosperity.  The author made an interesting statement, something along the lines of this:  The heyday of an organization is not the time when it is thriving and the motor is running on all cylinders.  The heyday really is the time when difficult decisions were made that set up the organization, staff or family to thrive.

So its not the joy of greatness that is truly great, but the joy of the hard work and the fortitude shown along the way that are the times to be celebrated.  Those difficult moments are the real heyday.

A couple has saved enough to retire comfortably.  Is the heyday now, or when they made tough decisions along the way to be frugal?  A baseball team is in the playoffs.  Is the heyday now, or when the decisions were made to cut players and practice hard?

What you do today matters.  Your hard decisions today can set up your future.  Don't pine for the heyday to come.  Reach down inside of yourself and make the difficult decisions that shape tomorrow's greatness.

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

tortise and the hare

The tortoise and the hare is a story of long term goals vs. short term gratification.  I remember the first time I heard the phrase "delayed gratification."

When our life is based on what is easy, what comes quick and what works for me now, we can end up making decisions that are very detrimental in the long haul.  If a two year old gets everything that they want, whoa - watch out for the adult that they will become.

Nothing in life is easy or free.  Great moments come from hard work.  Work first, play second.  The hare ran ahead and then took a nap.  He stopped along the road to play.  The tortoise just kept going.  Hour after hour, day after day, he pursued his goal and came out on top.

How will my actions today effect the outcomes of tomorrow?

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

to agree or not

I have an opinion.  You have an opinion.  If we only talk to people that agree with us, then we never grow, we never learn and we never change.  If I only surround myself with those who agree with me, then I am shaping a cocoon of comfort for my opinion.

The problem with that, is that sometimes I am wrong.  Sometimes I am wrong and I don't know that I am wrong. 

The most valuable people to have in our lives sometimes are those who do not agree with us.  Those who see the world differently than we do can play a very important role in helping us to live a healthy life.

When I listen to those who don't agree with me, even if they are shouting at me, when I really listen to them, I can find out why they hold the position that they do.  I can begin to understand the other side.  Usually when we understand both sides of a situation, we make better decisions.  And we understand people as people instead of measuring them as for or against me.

Don't worry that someone disagrees with you.  Different religion?  Different politics?  No problem.  They are still people.  Don't take it personally that they disagree with you.  Don't lean away from what they say, lean in to what they say.  We learn so much more from those who see the world differently than we do.

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

Greatness

To achieve something great in this life, a person must have drive.  They must have a goal.  They must see what they hope to become and go after it.  There is no substitute for vision and determination.

"Great minds have purposes, others have wishes."  Washington Irving

What do you hope to accomplish in this life?  How will you get there?  Never give up.  Pursue your goal with gusto!  Work as if working for the Lord.

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

Richard Rohr

Some of you know that Richard Rohr is one of my favorite authors.  This is from one of his recent devotionals:

The biblical tradition hopes to reveal that whenever the prophetic function is lacking in any group or religion, such a group will very soon be self-serving, self-maintaining, self-perpetuating, and self- promoting. When the prophets are kicked out of any group, it's a very short time until that group is circling the wagons around itself, and all sense of mission and message is lost. I am afraid this is the natural movement of any institution. Establishments of any kind usually move toward their own self-perpetuation, rather than "What are we doing for others?" In fact, the question is not even asked because self-perpetuation is presumed to be a high level necessity. Thus the prophetic and Pauline words for institutions were "thrones or dominions or principalities or powers" (Colossians 1:16). They consider themselves "too big to fail," usually because they are protecting their own privilege--which is too important to question.

......Prophets step in to disrupt the usual social consensus--"How wonderful our group is!"--and say, "It's just not entirely true!" So you see why the prophets are all killed (Matthew 23:29-39). Prophets expose and topple each group's idols and blind spots, very often showing that we make things into absolutes that are not absolutes in God's eyes, and we relativize what in fact is central and important. As Jesus so cleverly puts it, "You strain out gnats and you swallow camels" (Matthew 23:24).

  This tendency in religion to "absolutize" things comes from a deep psychological need for some solid ground to stand on, and I understand that. But what the prophets keep saying is, "God is the only absolute!" Don't make the fingers pointing to the moon into the moon itself, as it were. Jeremiah said, "The Temple, the Temple, the Temple of Yahweh! Don't you recognize it has become a robber's den?" (7:1-11) and this is the very line that Jesus quotes (Mark 11:17). But of course he was talking about Jerusalem, and surely not our parish church, Salt Lake City, [Lee's Summit,] Washington, DC, or much less, St. Peter's in Rome.

With that, perhaps we are ready to begin Lent.

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

 

Dad

I was working in the garage and I opened a little box of sockets that had been my fathers.  Tucked away in a corner of the box was a small plastic bag.  It was discolored from years of laying around oily tools, so I could not see the contents.  It felt like washers, or parts, or coins.  Definitely metallic.

I tried to open the self seal but the bag was so old that the top ripped off.  I had to cut it open with scissors.  I poured out the contents and to my surprise the bag held quarters.  $2 worth.  They fell into my hand and I had the most interesting and wonderful sensation - the last person to touch these would have been my father.

My did he save them?  Why $2?  Why were they in his sockets?  I will never know.  But for a moment, I touched my father again.  My dad was always thinking, always planning, always ready for what ever life would bring.

I still love him and miss him.  Hug those you love while you can.  Nothing lasts forever but the memories.

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

skipping church

Do you ever want to skip church?  Ha ha.  Its human nature.  Even preachers want to skip church sometimes.

Here is the problem with skipping- What ever happened that morning at church, you have missed it forever.  A joyful moment, a learning point in Sunday School, the hug of a friend, a song that was a blessing, those moments for that day, are gone forever.  We traded them for more sleep, some TV, a project, or who knows what else.

I think all of us have forced ourselves to go to church when we didn't want to, and then we were glad later that we had gone.  Sometimes all we need to do to find a blessing, is to put ourselves in the path of the Holy Spirit.

I do a lot of things that I don't feel like doing.  Usually I am better off in the end because I did.  If you don't feel like going to church, that's ok.  Go anyway.  I bet you will be glad that you did.

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

Cathy's Dad

Yesterday we witnessed the passing of Cathy's Dad, Bill Belcher.  He was a loving father to three daughters and a dedicated husband.  He checked out, scrutinized, then approved and loved the three men that would become his sons in law.

20 years ago he had a debilitating stroke.  He struggled with the effects of that for the rest of his life, yet he never complained.

He was a strong believer in Jesus and a student of the Bible.  He will be missed.

Visitation is Wednesday Feb 25 from 9-11 at Penwell Gable Funeral home in Olathe. Service to follow at 11am.

He is no longer in pain.  To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

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

work

I thought of a friend who works like a dog.  I admire people who work hard.  Nothing worthwhile in this life is accomplished without hard work.

I have watched people work at their job 50-60 hours per week,  take kids to baseball practice, take their wife to dinner, mow the grass, change the brakes on their car, balance the checkbook, help someone move, and show up at the car wash to help kids make money for their mission trip - all in the same week.

My dad had an old saying, which I now have officially adopted.  "Work first- play second."  Akin to this is a bit of advice that I love.  "Don't let your problems get in the way of success in life.  Get a job and hold a job.  Make a living and pay your bills.  You can then work on solving your problems on the nights and weekends."

To work and bring home a paycheck provides a person with a sense of accomplishment.  So, here's a toast to those who work.  To those who work hard.  You made us sweat and you made us sore, but we sure feel good at the end of the day.  Thanks for the meaning that you taught us.

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

packing

"We ain't going anywhere!"

We are downsizing as you may know.  Our house is going on the market in two weeks.  There is so much to do!  And where did all of this stuff come from?  Painting, fixing, packing, taking stuff to storage, donating things to Hillcrest.  It is a crazy time.

Oh, and did I mention that the cats do not want to move?  They are regularly holding sit ins on the pile of packing paper.

Everyone has lots of friends until it is time to move.  Do you want to help me move?  Ha ha.  Do you want a couple of cats?

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

Ash Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday.  It is the first day of Lent.  Lent is 40 days before Easter, set aside to consider the sufferings of Jesus Christ.  I guess the early church felt that Good Friday alone was not enough time to think of Jesus' suffering, so we have the season of Lent.

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.  The palms from last year's Palm Sunday are burned.  The ashes are placed on the foreheads of the faithful in the shape of a cross.  Palms to ashes.  Joy to mourning.  Lent is here.

Today is a most significant day to me.  I think it all centers around the question that is asked when the ashes are put on my forehead:
      Are you willing to repent of your sin and follow the way of the cross?
     [yes]
      Then the sign of the cross upon your forehead marks you as a disciple of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The significance of this question to me is not based so much on the fact that I will ask it of many worshippers tonight, but that someone will ask it of me.

If you are not doing anything tonight, drop by the church between 6 and 730 for the soup supper and a time of prayer, ashes and Holy Communion.

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

Who gets in?

Who gets in?

People ask me all the time, “who gets into heaven?”  The idea is if someone doesn’t believe it just like we do, will God let them into heaven?

Well, who has it just right?  Orthodox Christians do not believe the trinity as we do.  They believe that the Son and the Spirit proceed from the father.  Do they get to go to heaven? 

I have heard people say that Jews don’t get in because they do not believe in Jesus, yet Jesus referred to several of the patriarchs as being in heaven.

James indicates that belief is not enough, that one must live in a way that shows their faith.

In the sermon on the mount, Jesus said that not everyone who says to me “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom.

I tend to think that those who act like they know the most about who is getting in, actually know the least.  I think many will be surprised about who has joined them at the banquet table in heaven.

Anyway, I am glad that I am not in charge of who gets in.  Only God will say to a person, “well done, good and faithful  servant.”

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