Memorial Day

Today, the Lord willing, I will do what I do every year on Memorial Day. You probably know what I do because I write about it every year on Memorial Day.  The last couple of years since Cathy has been in Florida, my friend Tim has joined me for the trip.

So always in the past, when it is time to go, I get in the car and load up any kids that want to go with. The older they get, the less that they want to go. I don't blame them, I didn't want to go to the cemetery with my parents when I was young either.

Anyway, we load up and drive I-70 to Sterling. North on Sterling to Winner Road. Left on Winner, through the beautiful Englewood district. Turn left on Truman road. Up the hill, past the monument company, turning right into Mt. Washington Cemetery. I have gone there every year on Memorial Day since I can remember [except when we lived out of town.] My parents took me there as a boy and told me the stories of the people buried there.

Into Mt. Washington, take the first left, wind up the hill, keep left, then near the top, turn right. The road dead-ends in the Rosehill Gardens section. At the end of the cul-de-sac is the Toll plot. My Grandmother on my Dad's side was Mary Lee Toll until she married my Grandpa Brinkman. My two sisters and my 4 cousins and I are the remaining heirs to this burial site. There are about 8 grave sites left there, more if people choose to be cremated.  When I was younger I wanted to be buried there, now I want to be cremated and my ashed scattered in the redwoods.  I want to be useful in my death and help the trees keep growing.

When we get there, I will look around and remember. Remember being a boy. Remember my Mom and Dad. I will tell them about how the church is doing, and how the kids are doing.  I will tell them that I am moving to Florida. I will tell them everything is ok. But, they already know that. I will tell them that I love them and miss them. We will linger for a while, then drive the long way through the cemetery, past some of the more notable chapels and tombs. We will emerge on the north side on what I guess is 24 highway, but I am not sure. Come to think of it, I am not sure of the name of the road. All I know is that there used to be a Dairy Queen right there.  It closed.
:-(

Cemetery. Dairy Queen. Home. That is how it used to go.  I hope when my kids take their children to the cemetery to visit, that the DQ is open again.  If it is, they will stop at the Dairy Queen when they are done. It's a tradition.

All in all, Memorial Day is a time to be thankful for life. O dear Lord, we are so blessed. Thank you so very much for all of the wonder and glory and joy of life. And you, dear friends, thank you for the privilege of sharing this life with you. I am grateful for every single one of you.

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

Dances with Wolves

One of my favorite movies of all times is Dances with Wolves.

I have had to say goodbye to several dear friends lately and it has been very painful.  It reminded me of the final scene of the movie when Wind in his hair cries out from atop a bluff:

"Dances with Wolves

I am Wind in his Hair.

Do you see that I am your friend?

Can you see that I will always be your friend?"

Here is the video clip if you wish to watch it.  Love hurts sometimes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR4j8iWu-OI

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

The electrical outlet

I noticed that there was a broken electrical outlet in the house. I did not tell anyone about it. I just bought a new one and installed it. I thought, “someone might put this on facebook.” Oh, look, I changed an outlet! Oh, look , my grandkid changed an outlet!

I won’t post it. Sometimes you just do what is right without attracting attention to what you did. In fact, when we attract attention to some good thing that we did, it tends to take away from the joy and goodness of the action.

The right thing to do is just the right thing to do, whether anyone knows about it or not. The sense of having done the right things is a reward in itself.

Here is a side bar, and another problem with calling attention to yourself……. Sometimes we think we are on it, when we have missed it. So I replaced the outlet, but I did not notice that it was white and I replaced it with a beige one…. So there is nothing here to brag about. I will have to replace it again!!!!!!! Ha ha.

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

quote

Thomas a'Kempis was a 14th century German Catholic monk. He is best known for his book The Imitation of Christ which was one of John Wesley's favorite books.

I came across this quote by him the other day and I thought it was great:

"Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be."
Thomas a'Kempis

In other words, why should we be upset with others, when we can't even straighten ourselves out?

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

ignore me

Ignore me.  Sometimes my blog is good advice, and sometimes it is not.  Sometimes my words are helpful to you and sometimes they are not.

If I say "try harder in your marriage," this may not apply to someone who is being abused.  Remember that all advice is usually general in nature.

If it helps you, great.  If it does not, then put it on a shelf for some other day.

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

make amends

I have decided that I want to do everything that I can to make amends with a few people before I leave.

Oh, this is painful for me. I recognize that there are several friends and members that I have experienced fracture with over the last 22 years. Some of it I did not understand. I just did not get why that relationship became so broken. In other instances, I saw what happened, and in several cases, I saw my complicity, my participation in the brokenness.

But I am determined that I am going to do everything I can before I move to heal as many of the relationships as I can. I have already begun sending notes and texts. I have one more person to reach out to and then my heart will be clear. Unless of course that there are others out there that I have hurt that I am not thinking of.

Always do everything in your power to make amends. Life is too short to allow wounds to fester.

Sometimes the good comes to us, and sometimes we bring the good to others. Let’s fix everything that we can. Set aside your pride and apologize- you will be glad that you did.

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

make a conscious effort

I run into people who understand the concept of "seeing the good" but for some reason, their default is to complain.  Complain about work, when many are out of a job.  Complain about a spouse when many wish they had someone to spend their life with.  On and on it goes.

I think if we will see the good, we must make a conscious effort to look.   Yes, to look, to actually see what is around us.  To look past what comes into view at first glance, and look deeper.  Look past the clouds and see the sky.  There is always something to be thankful for if we work at it hard enough.

Life goes better with gratitude.  Why not make a conscious effort to see the good.

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

Thank You

Last night several hundred people came out to say goodbye.  I am not very good at good byes, but it was delightful to see so many friends.  I can't say thank you enough for all of the warm smiles and the kind words.

Please remember that I am not gone yet, my last Sunday in the pulpit is June 12, so I still have a few more weeks to torture you.

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

today's sermon

Today's sermon is on the 23rd Psalm -

3 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. ² He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. ³ He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. ⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. ⁵ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. ⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever

It speaks for itself in so many ways.  I hope that you can join us for worship at 8am, 905, 1010, or 1115.  The 1010 and 1115 services are available via livestream.

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

love them

90% of success in this life is loving people.  Maybe 99%.

Loving people is more than a feeling inside your heart for someone.  It is more than a decision.  Here are some of the things that you learn to do that helps people know that you love them.  Although many of these things are simple, they are too often neglected.

Love begins by simply showing interest in another person.

• ask their name.
• use their name.
• look them in the eye.
• square your body up and face them.
• lean closer.
• take your time.  Don't be in a hurry.
• smile.
• say kind words.
• Ask them how they are doing.
• Ask them about their family.
• buy their lunch.
• leave the better parking spaces for them.
• tell them how much they mean to you.
• tell them what a good job they are doing.

Repeat this behavior over and over for weeks, months and years.  It is surprising how people respond so graciously to kindness.

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

one more time

Don't give up just yet.  Try one more time.  One more time with that boss, one more time with that child, one more time with that spouse.  We throw each other away way too easily.  Don't give up just yet.

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

self

Don’t make it about you. The paths back into selfishness are many.

We make life about us every time that we hurt others. Every time that we lord it over them. Every time that we use our power to attract attention to ourselves we have made it about us. When we insist upon our comfort and our service, we have made it about us.

What if we went out to eat and made the encounter about the server? What if we drove to work and made the drive about the others on the road? What if we went to the office and sought to engage and support and care about the others in our workplace?

The self will lead us straight to hell. The spirit leads us to a life of love, joy, peace and patience.
Fight off self every way and every time that you can. You will be glad that you did.

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

cup of coffee

I have no picture of this morning event, I wish I did, but we are not our best when we are drinking coffee.  No photos allowed.  But a few weeks ago, I was sitting at the kitchen table with my wife.  Each of us had our morning coffee. 

I felt a feeling and I spoke it to her:  “this is how life is supposed to be.”  That meant, me and her together, in the same house, living our lives together.  She smiled and replied, “yes, this is how life is supposed to be.”

As much as I feel badly for moving away from many many friends, I am so happy to be rejoining my dear wife.

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

Morning

The morning awakens!

Ahh. I am ever blessed by the views of the morning sky! Hello world! Another day is dawning! How sad that all human beings see the dawn, but not all of them celebrate it. God has set some amazing things for us to witness in this world. Choose to be a person who sees the beauty in every day. Life is too short to miss it.

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

Jobs that I have held

Someone asked the other day what jobs I have had prior to becoming a pastor.  I wondered later if they were thinking that I might need to prepare myself for another line of work.

As if anyone cared, here is the list of jobs I have held.

High School
Bicycle shop
Mcdonalds
Gallenkamp Shoes

College
Furniture mover in the summer
McDonalds
Gas Station Attendant
Dishwasher

Post College
I laid asphalt
youth director at a tiny church

Seminary
youth director at a Methodist church
deck builder
kwik copy printing
ups delivery

post seminary
pastor
bank teller
pastor
pastor
pastor
et cetera

because inquiring minds wanted to know.

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

conversion

Conversion is a word that used to bother me.  It has been hijacked by certain corners of Christianity and for me at least has had a good amount of guilt associated with it.  How many times in my life have I heard people say things that sounded like this......... "you better be converted and do Christianity just like we do it or we will make you feel guilty and you will go to hell."

Not helpful.  No wonder so many Christians are turned off by the word conversion and the phrase "born again."  They are not harmful in their true context but oh the pain that humans can attach to certain words.

Today the sermon is on conversion.  Not the guilt laden, manipulative variety, but the concept that if we would move towards God, we must make a choice to change our thinking, to open up our minds and to allow the spirit in.  That is not a bad thing.

I hope to see you at any of our services today: 8am, 905, 1010 or 1115.

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

Xifaxan

what is that funny noise?

We are all bombarded with commercials for various drugs.  The commercials are all filled with the warnings about possible side effects.

i guess he has some pain :)

I saw a commercial for the first time the other day for Xifaxan.  It is evidently a drug that helps people with intestinal problems, gas, bloating, abdominal pain and irregularity.  It's not a very funny topic, but I noticed their mascot and could not help but smile.

He is probably called the Xifaxan "Intestine Man."  What else, right?  If the Michelin man is made of tires, the Intestine man is made of........... you got it.... rolled up intestines.  A drug that helps calm the intestines must be sold by a happy intestinal man!

now he is happy :)

What a cute little super hero.  If there is a problem in the world, not to fear. If Superman or Spiderman are not available, maybe to our rescue will come "Intestine Man."

I just couldn't stop laughing about this little guy.

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

mad at God

I had a dream the other night about a friend who was mad at God.  It was about a real person that I know, but the circumstances of the dream were some of the crazy things that dreams are made of.

So in the dream, her husband insists that I come over to visit with he and his wife because she is mad at God.  It seems that she had a full ride to college on a soccer scholarship, but then the economy turned and the college cut sports in a cost saving measure.  Ha ha - you know that is a dream, a school cut sports??

Anyway, since she lost the opportunity to go to college, she was mad at God and had been embittered towards him for years.  How could I help?

First, let me say that it is ok to be angry at God.  When Scott was sick, I was pretty mad a God myself.  However, we must always remember that the basic nature of God is goodness- loving kindness and graciousness.  He does not make bad things happen to you or me.  In fact, in times of our pain, he walks along side us, he carries us.  In the valley of the shadow of death, we have a Shepherd.

See God for what he is, not the cause of your pain, but a Comforter in times of pain.

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

my burden

If you suffer with being a doormat, or if you suffer with too much guilt, ignore this post.  If you don't, then read on.....

In any difficult circumstance, we should always ask ourselves, what is my responsibility in this situation?  What is my burden?  What did I do to contribute to this mess?

Difficulty is rarely the result of one person's actions.  Years ago, my mother went shopping at a mall where a number of crimes had been reported on the news.  She parked at the far end of a remote parking garage [she wanted the exercise] and walked into the old mall.  On the way back to her car, she had her packages and her purse stolen.  You can totally blame the person who took her stuff, but she bears some burden in this story.  Needless to say, she parked closer after that, and chose her shopping venues more carefully.

In relational problems, it is rarely one person's fault.  We love to think that we are the victims, but we almost always play a role in the craziness.  If the suggestion of this makes you angry,

then you might want to take a hard look at how you see the world.

If something isn't going the way that you want it to in your life, don't focus on how the other person is doing you wrong.  Look for the ways that you might have contributed to the mess.  It may help you with your feelings about the others involved and the situation as a whole.

Life is good, and a little self-reflection from time to time is good.

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

plants in Florida

 I have noticed a couple of things about plants in Florida.  First of all, you cannot kill them.  I accidentally cut this little guy off in mid trunk, an act that would have been fatal to a plant in Missouri, but not in Florida.  Chop it, cut it, spray it, pull it out of the ground, it doesn't matter, the plants keep growing.

Secondly, where I come from, plants and trees usually keep to themselves.  In Florida, everything grows on top of everything else.  Ferns on oaks, Spanish Moss on trees, random things popping up everywhere so that the botanical eco-sphere is a giant exercise in mutual support.

Allow me to make a couple of observations from these plants regarding people and church.  First, lets encourage life.  Some Christians like to shoot the wounded.  Lets not do that.  Never give up on another person.  Water them and encourage them.  Lets do everything we can to help everyone heal and grow in this life.

Second, lets remember that we are all in this together.  We all need each other.  We are the body of Christ and the eyes need the brain, the hands need the skin etc.  Sometimes we have to be carried and sometimes we have to carry others.  Everyone matters and we are all in this together.

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

Birds

In response to a post last week about hearing the birds sing, a reader wrote in-

Maybe the reason the birds just keep singing is that they don't "toil or spin." We toil and spin around so much as humans, in this crazy world we live in.

What a great point. Maybe if we slowed down, maybe if we let go of some of the outcomes, we would sing a bit more as well.

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

the painful parts

There are painful parts of this journey.  Changes, heartache, fear of the unknown.  In this life each of us will find some moments of difficult passage.

We will most likely be uncomfortable during those times.  We may want to wish the discomfort away.  We may want to pray it away.  But there is another choice.

Painful times are not necessarily bad times.  Some of the most enriching memories from our past are the times that we went through stressful and challenging experiences.  It has been said by many wise teachers, "you can be in pain and suffer, or you can be in pain and not suffer."

In the midst of difficulty, may we all at least consider savoring the tough days.  When we feel things very strongly, we also feel  the most alive.  Instead of fighting every uncomfortable moment, we can choose to make friends with the pain.

God is good.  Life is good. God is still good.  Life is still good.  Into each life a little rain must fall.  Sometimes it is good to walk in the rain and thank God for the gifts of a rainy day.

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

Mother's Day

One of the most beneficial holidays in my opinion is Mothers Day.  I cannot think of any person or class of people that deserve to be honored more than our mothers.

First of all, if you are a guy, you have no idea, we have no idea what mom's go through.  The changes to their bodies.  Their hopes and dreams.  To carry a new life inside of you 24 hours a day for 9 months.  The travail of birth.  Yikes.........

Then the transition back to the work force or the transition back to life as it was before, if that were even possible.  A new life to juggle.  Now she must become a teacher.  Tie your shoes, brush your teeth.  Then comes the heartaches: the sassy mouth, the pulling away of the teenage years.  Finally this child that you brought into this world leaves for college.

I have had more people on my deck in tears over they years because their kid moved away than for any other reason.

Moms always love us.  They are always there for us.  We owe them more than one day.  We owe them a lifetime of gratitude.

Mom - Thank You!!!!  Thank You!!!

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

the sadness of life

I was listening to someone talk the other day about the sadness of life.  Not the sadness in their life, but the sadness of life in general- this idea that all of us from time to time have to face things that are difficult and we can easily become discouraged.

I understand this.  I resemble this.  Loneliness, sadness, sorrow, and loss are companions for most of us on this journey of life.  Without making light of such feelings, I want to suggest that we do have choices.  Yes, sad things happen, but we have a choice.  We can fall into depression and wallow in the feelings, or we can work to combat the feelings.

Life is too short to succumb to sorrow.  It is not glorifying to God if we are stuck in sadness for long periods of time.  So let's get to work.  Make new friends.  Read a good book.  Get some exercise.  Stay busy.

Mostly I would tell you that we fight such powerful feelings by seeing the good.  By finding one thing that is going right.  In a world where 99 things are wrong, find the one thing that is right and focus on that.  When we see something that is good, when we see something that is a blessing, it turns a person's attitude.  At least it turns mine.

I end each blog with a tag line.  It is the same every day.  I don't just write it for you.  I also  write it for me.  Sometimes we need it more than others.  Here it is, one more time-

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

Vero Beach and Cape Coral

Several people have asked me about the apparent challenge with owning a home on the Atlantic side in Vero Beach, and being appointed to a church on the gulf side in Cape Coral.

This is how we intend to handle this.

First of all, we will move into the parsonage in CC.  We want to be a part of the community and get to know the fine people of CC1.

My wife travels every week and will end up sleeping a night or two each week at our home in Vero because she will be on that side of the state.  Our daughter who lives in Vero will be by on a regular basis to try out the swimming pool.  I will treat it like a lake house and get there as I can.  [you know when you only work one day a week, you have a lot of free time.]

It is about 3 hours from Vero to Cape Coral.  The good news is for me, I will be seeing my lovely wife 5 days a week!  Hip hip hooray!!

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

holiday

There is a holiday coming up pretty soon.  It's a Latin holiday Cinco-de-mayo or something like that.  When is Cinco-de-mayo this year?

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

Hear the birds

thank God we are not electrocuted!!

I  received a note from a reader.  They wrote: "I am trying to handle great change. I pray for courage daily. I am awaiting the bird song. All is silent now."

We have all felt this feeling:  The heavens are brass.  If God is there I don't sense him at all.  I believe, Lord help my unbelief.  

I am supposed to hear the birds sing?  I don't hear anything- the pain of life is just pounding in my ears.

So dear reader, let me talk to you.  I am sobbing as I write this.  Hearing the birds sing is not about waiting for a day when the clouds part and the sun is shining.  If you have trouble, sometimes it does not go away.  Parents of troubled children still must listen for the birds to sing.  People with arthritis must still listen for the song of the bird.  Get it straight in your mind and heart that the birds sing every day, regardless of what is going on.

Keep asking, keep praying, keep seeking, keep knocking.  God is there.  God IS there and the birds are singing.  I am praying for you that you will find the joy, don't give up.

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

Tribes

I am going to rant a bit today.  I love the Royals, but I love baseball more, and I love people more than sports. We went to the games when the Royals were terrible because we loved baseball.  Just because we have won the world series and our team appears to be emerging from 30 years of funk does not give us the right to hurt others.

 Sometimes we get too hung up on “our team”or “our colors.”  I am fine with you rooting for whomever you want, but it is never appropriate to throw our colors into other people’s faces.  Some people think it’s funny to make fun of KU or the Mets or whomever.  It isn’t.  People are attached to their teams, just as we are.  Enjoy the game but never forget, it is only a game.   We should not be hurting each other by insisting that our tribe is better than their tribe, even if others have treated us that way.  If you are with a friend and they are watching their team, root for their team, even if it isn’t your team.  After all, your friend is on your team isn’t he or she?  Let’s learn to root for everybody.  I think that is what Jesus would do.

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

To Laugh

I have a friend that I like quite a bit.  I was thinking the other day of why I like him.  And it occurred to me, he makes me laugh.  He makes everyone laugh. 

Life can get serious- too serious.  My life can be real serious sometimes.  It is so nice to have people that have ornery left handed  ways of making us laugh.  Laughter is good for the soul.

Tell a joke.  Tell a funny story.  Look for the irony in a moment.  Bring a smile to someone’s face. We are all the better for it.

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

Crucify me

I visited with an old friend the other day.   I invited him back to church.  He said, “oh, those people would crucify me.”

I told him that it was a big church and there were plenty of places to hide if he needed to do that.  But how sad, to think that others would want to get even or exact revenge.  How sad that sometimes it is true that people do want to hurt back, and how sad it is to live in such fear of retaliation.  This person does not realize that he has been forgiven.

There are difficult things that happen in this life.  Life is messy.  Somehow we have to find the grace to move along.  If we believe that God can forgive all sins, then maybe someday we will learn to do so as well-  To forgive even our own sins, to finally believe that grace is bigger than whatever it is that I have done.

Blessed is the man or woman who does not hold a grudge. 

Blessed is the the man or woman who releases others from their sins.

Blessed are the persons who forgive themselves.

Life is short and life is good.  Let’s do everything that we can to live in the joy of the positive.

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

What we don't know

I was reading about this somewhere…..  We don’t need people that know everything.  Those are dangerous people indeed.  We need people who know that they don’t know everything.  We need people whose paradigm is open.  We need to be driven by our desire to be whole, not our insistence that know it all.  Healthy people listen to others and learn.  

I once asked a very knowledgeable friend of mine how he got so smart, how he learned all the things that he knows.  He said, “my dad always told me that you have two ears and one mouth, so listen more than you talk.”  This is hard for a preacher to admit, but sometimes we need to talk less and listen more.  If we don’t listen more, we will be doomed to a life that is limited by our confining paradigms.  I don’t know about you, but I want more from life than that.

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

Grace

Another airplane story.  Monday I flew to Vero Beach to spend the week with Cathy and visit with folks at the Cape Coral church.  I will be back on Sunday to preach.

As a general rule, I don't talk to people on airplanes.  I mean I am polite and helpful, but I don't strike up random conversations.  I figure that they bought their seat, not me, and their space and time is theirs, not mine to intrude into.  So I usually just put on my headphones, mind my own business and listen to music during the flight.

So on the leg to Atlanta on Monday, there were two big guys talking loudly across the isle.  My headphones are noise cancelling, so I could hear them, but I didn't know what they were talking about.  When we landed, the man closest to me said to the other man, "and that is why grace is so amazing."

I felt my heart strangely warmed.  I couldn't stop myself.  I reached across the isle, tapped him and we talked for 5 minutes about grace.  Oh, what a joyful talk!  What a joyful topic.  How thankful I am for grace!  How I wish I would have known more of it as a young man.  What a blessing to know that we are loved by God!

I had an odd thought- maybe I should get a small tattoo on my hand.  Just the word Grace.  Simple and readable.  Maybe someone would see it and want to talk about grace.  Would anyone mind if I got such a tattoo?

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

Can Jeff come back?

Several have asked me if I can return to do their family weddings or funerals. The United Methodist Church sets policy regarding such requests. In the Methodist brochure: Clergy on the Move we find these words:

A new pastor comes to an appointment with all the rights and responsibilities of the office. This means the pastor has left the previous appointment and turned that ministry over to a new pastor.

It is not ethical for a pastor to return to a previous appointment to conduct weddings or funerals or to take part in an ongoing function of the church or perform pastoral functions. A former pastor may participate in weddings or funerals ONLY at the initiation and direct invitation of the pastor in charge.

It is helpful for the laity to assist in the adjustment of the new pastor by not asking the former pastor to return, except as a friend or visitor.

There are two main reasons for this policy. First, if a former pastor returns, it interferes with the new pastor's ability to get to know the congregation and be seen as their pastor. Secondly, if pastors return to previous appointments for such things, it takes away from their ability to be effective in their new setting. When I moved to Woods Chapel I was asked several times to go back to Princeton for funerals and weddings. I never did. I wanted to be fully present for my new Woods Chapel friends.

There may be a time in the future when a return would be permissible, but only at the direct invitation of the current pastor. For the foreseeable future, I can't see myself coming back. I hope you understand. Its not what everyone prefers, but it is the right thing for both churches. And as my Daddy always said, the right thing to do is the right thing to do.

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

live it

“We don't think ourselves into a new way of living; we live ourselves into a new way of thinking." – Richard Rohr

It can be tough to change. It is hard to break free of familiar. I think it is important to go after the things (thinking and doing) outside of what is easy and comfortable.  Being around those who have dared to do so already is a step in that direction. There are people who challenge us without saying a word - all they do is live it.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

a word - #2

Another word shared in the same talk I spoke of yesterday was awakening.  In this discussion, awakening referred to a time when things changed, a paradigm shift occurred and things were seen in a different light. Often many things lead us to this moment but I feel clarity comes once we open ourselves to listen and not just to respond. Listen to those around us who care. Listen to your heart. Listen to God. Just Listen.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

a word

Interesting how sometimes when a word or phrase is heard it plunges you into a deep thought. It can be a distraction but maybe that distraction is where you needed to head. I followed a distraction like this last week after listening to a talk at the Tuesday morning men’s group. The word was “Pensive”. The word itself speaks to what I am talking about. I had not heard or read that word in a long time and it got me thinking. Everything seems to move fast anymore. I’m sure my dad and grandfather said the same thing when they were my age. I suppose life is always moving quickly and we can travel at its speed or carve from it the time necessary to think and reflect and grow.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

Garrison Keillor on Methodists

Garrison Keillor from the Prairie Home Companion Show is reported to have described Methodists like this:

GARRISON KEILLOR ON "METHODISTS"
We make fun of Methodists for their blandness, their excessive calm, their fear of giving offense, their lack of speed, and also for their secret fondness for macaroni and cheese.

But nobody sings like them. If you were to ask an audience in New York City, a relatively Methodist-less place, to sing along on the chorus of "Michael Row the Boat Ashore," they will look daggers at you as if you had asked them to strip to their underwear. But if you do this among Methodists, they'd smile and row that boat ashore and up on the beach! And down the road!

Many Methodists are bred from childhood to sing in four-part harmony, a talent that comes from sitting on the lap of someone singing alto or tenor or bass and hearing the harmonic intervals by putting your little head against that person's rib cage.

It's natural for Methodists to sing in harmony. They are too modest to be soloists, too worldly to sing in unison. When you're singing in the key of C and you slide into the A7th and D7th chords, all two hundred of you, it's an emotionally fulfilling moment. By joining in harmony, they somehow promise that they will not forsake each other.

I do believe this: People, these Methodists, who love to sing in four-part harmony are the sort of people you can call up when you're in deep distress.

*If you're dying, they will comfort you.

*If you are lonely, they'll talk to you.

*And if you are hungry, they'll give you tuna salad.

*Methodists believe in prayer, but would practically die if asked to pray out loud.

*Methodists like to sing, except when confronted with a new hymn or a hymn with more than four stanzas.

*Methodists believe their pastors will visit them in the hospital, even if they don't notify them that they are there.

*Methodists usually follow the official liturgy and will feel it is their way of suffering for their sins.

*Methodists believe in miracles and even expect miracles, especially during their stewardship visitation programs or when passing the plate.

Methodists think that the Bible forbids them from crossing the aisle while passing the peace.

*Methodists drink coffee as if it were the Third Sacrament.

*Methodists feel guilty for not staying to clean up after their own wedding reception in the Fellowship Hall.

*Methodists are willing to pay up to one dollar for a meal at the church.

*Methodists still serve Jell-O in the proper liturgical color of the season and think that peas in a tuna casserole adds too much color.

*Methodists believe that it is OK to poke fun at themselves and never take themselves too seriously.

And finally, You know you are a Methodist when:
It's 100 degrees, with 90% humidity, and you still have coffee after the service.

You hear something funny during the sermon and smile as loudly as you can.

Donuts are a line item in the church budget, just like coffee.

When you watch a Star Wars movie and they say, "May the Force be with you," you respond, "and also with you."

And lastly, it takes ten minutes to say good - bye !



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

one day I will be shaking hands

Some of you have promised to come visit me.  That is super!  I foresee the day, that I will be shaking hands on Sunday morning before worship at Cape Coral, and one of my old friends will walk in the back door of the sanctuary.

I will say to the person whose hand I am shaking, "forgive me, I will be right back."  Then I will walk toward the back door and I will start to cry, I will start to sob.  I will hug you my old friend and I will be so glad to see you.  I will smile at you and I will introduce you to my new friends.

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

hugs

Someone complained the other day that I did not hug them.  I hugged someone else, but not them.

So here is the rule - it's almost an official Methodist preacher rule.  I can hug anyone, but they must initiate the hug.  That is all, it is that simple.

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

a long time ago

A college friend was telling me about something that they did way back then that they still feel badly about.

Friends, if you did things in high school or college that you still feel badly about, isn't it about time that we move on?  That was a long time ago.  A really long time ago.  We were children..... it is OK.

If we think that God is going to hold those things against us, than we are all in real trouble.  Free yourself from past guilt, and in so doing, free yourself to live today.

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

my wife

May God make us all sweeter.  If my wife and kids won't tell you that I am a fine Christian man, then what will it matter what I tell you?  The people that are closest to you, they know your best and your worst.  May we all be so gracious that our family will truly, legitimately grieve our passing.

In one of the Superman movies, a young Clark Kent stands at his father's graveside and says to his dad, "you will be grieved."  Years ago when I told my father this, he said it was the best compliment that he had ever received.  May we all live in such a way that we all be grieved.

If you want to know what kind of a person someone is, ask those that live close.  Look into their eyes when they are answering.  My spouse, your spouse, my kids, your kids will all give a much truer indication of our character and testify or not to our Christianity or lack thereof.

May God make all of us a little sweeter every day.

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

a windfall

Last week I won the lottery.  Almost.

I stopped at Taco Bell [I know its not good for you but whatever....]  I ordered 6 tacos and a large drink [sharing w my wife 3x2=6].

The cashier had just started her shift.  She rang up my total $9.57 and I gave her a $20 bill.  When the drawer opened, there was no money in it.  She started to go get the manager, and handed me back my $20 for safekeeping [now you see where this is going.]

The manager came over with a drawer full of money.  The cashier handed me my change of $10.43, six tacos and a large cup.

Now these are the moments when we have to sleep with our conscience at night.  I could have walked with my $20, the food and $10.43 in change.  I really wasn't event tempted to do that though.

I had to call the cashier off to the side, so the manager did not see, and then I gave her the $20.  Oh, the smile on her face.  She was so grateful!  And I slept well that night.

I am always surprised when people intentionally do the wrong thing and think that they are getting away with something.  We have to live with ourselves don't we?  Always make it right if they give you the wrong change.  Its the only right thing to do.

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

Jeff says

For years we have battled the temptation of some staff and members to say, "Jeff says."  Or "that is the way that Jeff wants it done."  I have fought against this kind of talk because we should never do anything just because Jeff says.  What we do, we need to do because of our mission.  Our decisions should be based on our mission.

If Jeff is off mission, then we need to straighten him out.  If Jeff is on mission, then what we do we are doing because of our mission.  I have always said, Jeff won't be here forever, but our mission of connecting people to Jesus Christ goes on.

We do what we do because of our mission.  Not because of what Jeff says.  Now that Jeff is leaving, that should be abundantly clear.

Do you know your church's mission statement?  Are you living out your life based on a mission?

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

Pastoral Appointment

The long wait is finally over.  Today I can tell you that Bishop Ken Carter is announcing my appointment to the Cape Coral First United Methodist Church in Cape Coral, Florida effective July 1st.  If you have any friends or relatives that are down there, ask  them to come visit me.  If you are ever on a trip in the Ft. Myers/Cape Coral area, stop by and give me a hug.

I know that this has been a difficult transition for some of you and I appreciate your thoughts, your support and your prayers during the transition.  Just keep praying for peace in a time of change.

Someone asked if I was excited about this.  Well, yes, but there is a great sorrow in saying Goodbye to so many wonderful friends.  One chapter ends, another begins, it is never easy, but the love that we have shared together goes on.  Love never ends.

God has blessed Woods Chapel and will continue to do so into the future.

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

prayer requests

I am routinely asked for prayer requests.  Jeff what do you want us to pray for?  How can we pray for you?

I am going to harp on prayer for a moment.  I don't like what some American Christians do with prayer.

• Prayer is not the magic by which we get what we want from God.
• We do not cajole him to change his ways to our liking.
• We do not harp on him until grandma gets well.

Do you want to pray for me?  Don't pray that my car will run or that I won't be lonely.  I have a lot of control over many such things myself.

Don't pray that I will live a long healthy life.  I hope to, but I find it presumptuous to pray in this manner.  "God, it may be ok for others to be sick, but not Jeff.  Amen."

Do you wish to pray for me?  Pray that I give myself more completely to him.  That is all.  May God make me more kind, more sweet, more thoughtful and more gracious.  May God help me to be patient in transition, accepting of change.

If I have that, everything else will be fine.

Now, What can I pray for, for you???

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

thoughts

Doctrines were never meant to be enough. That is why we feel so hollow when our Christianity is only about believing a list of the right things. What we believe must not simply reside in our heads, but must fall down into our hearts. Love your neighbor is not just an idea. It is a way of life. Turn the other cheek, go the second mile and offering grace are not just things to believe in, they are things to live out. The moment that we let those ideas fall into our souls, our faith becomes alive!

May prayer become the thing that draws our Christian thoughts into daily actions.

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

plodding

Would it be good if we always knew exactly what was going to happen?  Sometimes we don't know everything.  Most of the time we don't.  Sometimes we struggle with how to feel about what is happening.  Change is difficult.

So we plod along.  We get up.  We keep going.  And we trust in God.  Ahh, God.  When we remember that he is with us, life no longer feels like plodding.  When we remember that he is with us, joy returns!  It is ok that we don't know everything, because the One who is bigger than circumstance is with us.  That is good news.

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

The 33

I watched the movie The 33 with my wife and daughter.  It is about the 33 miners from Chile who were trapped in a mine for 60 days in 2010.  It is a very good show.

I don't remember the context, but there was a line in the move that stuck in my head immediately.  Someone was dogging on someone else and a third party said this:  "hatred is for children."

I love it.  Hatred is for children.  Stop it.  Stop the hate.  Life is too short.  Hate has no place in the life of a Christ-follower.  If you have any, let it go.

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

growth

We just had our 40 year anniversary as a church.  1976-2016.  Oh how fortunate we have been.  God has blessed our church and we have been used to reach others for Him.

Someone asked why have we grown.
Let me offer some thoughts..........

1. For a church to grow they must have good worship and programs.  Mission opportunities, Sunday School, Bible study and the like.  There must be things at the church that people like.

2. People must invite their friends.  If you like what you have, but keep it a secret, a secret it shall be.

3. You must remove barriers to growth.  If there are great programs and people invite their friends, but there is not enough parking, then the church will not grow.  If there are not enough desirable seats in the pews, no one else will be won to Jesus.  On and on the list goes.  There are a legion of ways that our systems hold us back from reaching others, but when a church is brave and willing to stretch, amazing things can happen.

Thanks for all that you have done over the years to win people to Jesus Christ.

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

dying to self

Jesus asked us repeatedly to "die to self."  Die to your self to find your self.

We take this to mean that we should try really hard to be good.  We take it to mean that we should work really hard to be a certain way.  Stop being selfish.  Force yourself.

What if dying to self means that we must change our central view of ourselves- from separated to reconciled, from rejected to loved, from sinner to saint.

It is hard to stop yourself from being selfish when your core sense of who you are is broken and thrown away.  When we come to believe that we are loved and forgiven, a new self emerges.

Richard Rohr says that this is the point of daily prayer.  We have to keep reminding ourselves of who we are in Christ.

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

2650 part 2

People are funny.

During the flight emergency [see yesterday's post] people on the plane were pretty calm.  The crew did a great job of keeping things chill.  There was relief that we were safe.  I was glad to be walking up that jet-way.  I didn't care if I got to Florida that night or not.  I was just glad to be back on terra-firma.

Once we got back into the airport, everything changed.

We were met with a box dinner and a promise that our flight would leave on a different plane in an hour.  Two hours later, our Delta phone apps tell us that the flight won't leave until the next morning.  Someone brings this to the gate agent's attention.  He can't say anything until his supervisor shows up.  A short time later, the supervisor informs us that everyone will get their flight cost refunded.  Unfortunately the flight is not going out tonight.  Also, there are no hotels available.  Find a place to crash, see you in the morning.  :-)

Now the complaining starts.  I heard things like, "what?  No hotel?  You could have told us this two hours ago!  This is ridiculous.  You have to be kidding!"

I thought, oh my, a short time ago, everyone was praying for a safe landing, and now we have made it all about us again.  My how quickly selfishness can return!

I talked to several of the flight attendants that had been with us.  They were shaken.  They had never been in a situation like this.  They were not complaining.  They were heading off to their break room to sleep.

So where do you sleep in the Atlanta Airport?  The chairs in B terminal all have arms so you can't lay down on them, so I tried the floor in gate 24, but there was a woman who decided to talk on the phone at 2am.  She had a really big, loud voice......... grr.  I walked down to the food court.  I pulled some stools together in the Samuel Adams Brewery.  I actually slept there for an hour.  I woke at 3am.  Someone told me that E terminal had chairs without arms so you could lay down.  I head out for E terminal.  The train is not running, so you get to walk.  Well I didn't have anything else to do, so off I went.  Gate 12 in E terminal proved to be pretty sweet.  A somewhat comfy place to lay down, and no one talking.  Just the TV talking politics and some pretty bright overhead lights.  But I don't care, I am so ready for sleep.

As I lay down across those chairs and put my head on that backpack, I remembered this story from the life of John Wesley:

During John Wesley’s student days, a poor porter, whose job it was to carry people’s luggage, knocked on Wesley’s door one evening and asked to speak with him.
During their conversation, Wesley observed the man’s thin coat. It was a cold night, and Wesley suggested that he had better get another coat.
“This is the only coat I have,” the man replied, “and I thank God for it.”
Wesley asked the man if he had eaten and the man answered, “I have had nothing today but water to drink, but I thank God for that.”
Wesley, growing uneasy in the man’s presence, reminded him that he would have to leave soon or be locked out. “Then what would you thank God for?” Wesley asked.
“I will thank God,” replied the man, “that I have dry stones to lie upon.”
Wesley was deeply moved by the man’s sincerity and he said to him, “You thank God when you have nothing to wear, nothing to eat, and no bed to lie on. What else do you thank God for?”
The simple man replied, “I thank God that he has given me life, a heart to love him, and a desire to serve him.”
After the man had left with a coat from Wesley’s closet, some money for food, and words of appreciation for the witness he had made, Wesley wrote in his journal, “I shall never forget that porter. He convinced me there is something in religion to which I am a stranger.”

I woke up two hours later and felt much better.  I called my dear wife.  I was glad to be alive.  We all have so much to be thankful for.  Life is too short to waste time complaining.

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

Delta Flight 2650

Monday this week I hopped a plane that left Kansas City for Atlanta at 5:30 pm.  My connecting flight in Atlanta was to leave at 9:30 and arrive and 11:15 pm.  That was flight 2650.

There were problems with this flight from the beginning.  First we were delayed 20 minutes.  The old "no explanation delay."  They are common, so no one was concerned.  Once boarded, the plane is backing out and the flight attendants are doing their security demonstration.  The pilot interrupts and we have to return to the gate.  There is a mechanical issue.  One of the generators is acting up and it must be repaired.  [A generator provides power to the plane.]  I have actually had this happen before, so I was not concerned.

After about 30 minutes, we started the process all over again.  Pull out from the gate, wait in line it Atlanta for your turn to take off, and then off we go.  I noticed that on take off we seemed to have trouble getting off the ground.  The pilot pulled up sharply at the end, and we were airborne.  All seemed fine.  We reached 10,000 feet and the chairs laid back.  Nap time.  We had reached our cruising altitude of 25,000 feet or so.  The flight attendants were starting beverage service.  Then it happened.

The lights went out inside the plane.  The plane began to act funny.  Now I have been in turbulence before.  Once on a flight to Paris, the turbulence was so bad that people were crying.  The French grandmother next to me took my hand.  So I have been through some turbulence.  This was different.

Beverage service was stopped.  The flight attendants took their seats.  Nothing was said.  But nothing had to be said.  Everyone on the plane knew that this was not normal.  The MD-88 hopped up and down, it bounced, it floated up, and then rapidly downward.  It rolled left and right, so sharply that you thought we were turning, but it was just the plane swaying back and forth like a drunk dancer.

Then the rapid decent.  We probably dropped 10,000 feet.  There was a serious problem.  There was tension in the cabin.  The door to the cockpit is open now and the flight attendant is talking to the pilot through the open door.

Finally the pilot comes on and tells us that the generator is out and we are returning to Atlanta.  Actually we have lost the left engine but he does not tell us that.  The next 15 minutes are some of the most chilling that I have ever experienced in my life.  More rapid descent.  More hopping and swaying.

As I consider the seriousness of this situation I write a few texts on my i-pad to my wife.  A few words about love and peace.   I know that they will not send because it is airplane mode, but maybe someday she will read them and know that I was OK.  I look for Fernando Ortega music on my i-pad, but I never loaded him.  So I go for the next peaceful thing and I turn on Peter Paul and Mary.  I am determined that no matter what, I am going to lean into my faith and rest in God.  Peace, peace, peace I tell myself.

This plane is sick, very sick.  And we are very very low.  We are low like you are on the last approach to the runway........ we are low like this for ten minutes.  Several times you can hear the plane screaming, trying to accelerate to gain altitude.  We are approaching for landing, but the plane is pitched up, trying to climb.  I was concerned that we were going to stall.

Finally, I can see the airport.  The pilot comes on, "brace for landing."  We hit hard.  Much harder than I have ever landed before.  The plane tries to slow, but we have lost much of the ability to slow down.  The pilot is riding the brakes hard.  The plane is shuddering.  Emergency vehicles are now to be seen racing along side 2650.  It takes a long time, but finally we stop.

The pilot comes on and tells us that everything is OK. We will be towed into the gate.  Disaster diverted.  Life given back.  This cat only has 8 lives left.

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

falling into love

I was reading more Richard Rohr the other day.  He was talking about how Christianity ought to be an exercise of "falling into the love of God."  Instead we have turned it into a contest of our worthiness or morality that no one can win, and many don't even try.

By leaving the core message of love, and turning the faith instead into a one up man-ship of who is good and who is bad, we have crushed many people and turned away many people from the faith.

It is not too late to learn new ways.  Sometimes Christians never change their ways until they see how much their judgment is hurting other people.  May we all shuck the judgment, like a butterfly leaves its cocoon.  May we all take flight into that life of love that God intended for us.  That is the life of love, joy and peace.  That is the abundant life.  This is where we find the peace that passes understanding.

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

Facing Pain

We humans often shrink back from pain.
Imagine a woman who does not want the pain of child birth. She will never know the joy of a child.

Imagine a woman who is pregnant, but fears the pain and keeps the child in the womb forever. The child will never know life and she will live with a sense of loss at what could have been……

Then there the brave person who faces their fears head on.
I see you coming Mr. Pain. No problem. Come on, lets go. Lets go live this thru and get to the other side.
These are those who face difficulty, birth babies and bring new life to the world.

Their bodies will never quite be the same. At times they will wax nostalgic and remember when they were young and in really good shape and had not lived thru the pangs of childbirth, but they would not go back. They recognize that they are the better for it, and the world is a better place because they lived thru their pain to achieve a greater vision.

What are you facing this day? This week? What pain lies on the horizon? What good? What greater good? Never let fear hold you back from bigger dreams.  Pain is inevitable- suffering is optional.

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

the self

I think pretty regularly about the personal battle we all face with selfishness. Although I realize that much is yet to be eradicated from my life, the fact that I think about the battle regularly, gives me hope.

I read this Demello quote:

"You are so proud of your intelligence”, said the master. “You are like a condemned man proud of the vastness of his prison cell.”

And so when we are smug in our knowledge and full of our selves, we can't even see what is going on around us.  I wonder how our lives would change if when walking into a particular situation, instead of thinking, "I GOT THIS.  I KNOW WHAT TO DO,"  instead of thinking that, we walked into situations and said, "what is here for me to learn?"

Let's pray-

Dear Father, what can I learn today?  Help me to put my ego in check so that I can love you and love others.  Amen.

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

Cherish

Kool and the Gang did a song called Cherish. It came out in 1985.  I have always like the song, it has a sweet and catchy tune.  Just in this last year, after listening to it for 30 years, did the lyrics strike me.  Here they are:

Let's take a walk together near the ocean shore
Hand in hand you and I
Let's cherish every moment we have been given
The time is passing by

I often pray before I lay down
By your side
If you receive your calling before I awake
Could I make it through the night

Cherish the love we have, we should cherish the life we live
Cherish the love, cherish the life, cherish the love
Cherish the love we have, for as long as we both shall live
Cherish the love, cherish the life, cherish the love

The world is always changing, nothing stays the same
But love will stand the test of time
The next life that we live in remains to be seen
Will you be by my side

I often pray before I lay down
By your side
And if you receive your calling before I awake
Could I make it through the night

Cherish the love we have, we should cherish the life we live
Cherish the love, cherish the life, cherish the love
Cherish the love we have, for as long as we both shall live
Cherish the love, cherish the life, cherish the love

Cherish the love
Cherish the life

Cherish the love we have, we should cherish the life we live
Cherish the love, cherish the life, cherish the love
Cherish the love we have, for as long as we both shall live
Cherish the love, cherish the life, cherish the love

What more can I say?  Here is the link if you want to hear the song:

Cherish by Kool and the Gang on Youtube

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

Airline Points

I keep running into people that need help flying to a city or staying in a city where their family is in the hospital.  Often the monetary needs of such folks is beyond the ability of the church to help.

So I had this idea.... I wonder if there are people in our congregation or in reach of this blog that have an abundance of airline or hotel points.  I wonder if those people would be willing to spend some of those points to help someone go visit a family member who was in the hospital a long way away.

If your heart would be moved by such a request, please give me a call and I am glad to tell you about some of the needs that we have from time to time.

Thanks for considering this.

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

worship

Worship- to get our eyes off of ourselves and onto God.  To stand in awe.  To lose myself in Him.

When our eyes are on ourselves we cannot forgive ourselves.  When our eyes are on Jesus we see that we are already forgiven.

Join us for worship at 8am, 9:05, 10:10 or 11:15am
or watch online at:

Woods Chapel Livestream

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

Unlearning

We are so full of ourselves.

Sometimes, often, for many of us, maybe for most of us, spirituality begins with unlearning what we think we know.  That which we insist we are right about must be released if our minds will be open to something new.

Jesus' teachings are completely counter-intuitive to the natural human mind.  How we live and what we think must be set aside if we would become followers of Jesus.  Spirituality is often subtraction before it is adding a new idea.

We think that we gain by adding more.  Jesus tells us to give ourselves away.
We by nature tend to judge others.  Jesus teaches us to love.
We insist that our doctrine is right.  Jesus laughs at our efforts to put God in a box.
We hold up the Bible, yet ignore much of its teaching.
We want enough religion to make us comfortable, Jesus wants us to leave our comfort zone.
We justify our lives. Jesus challenges our lives.

Lose your life to find your life.
Lose your insistence on being right to find peace with God.

Stop trusting in your mind and fall into the grace of God.

Sometimes old ideas, even cherished ideas must leave our minds to make room for the teachings of Jesus.

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

waiting

I would like to write something funny for April Fools Day, but I am thinking about something else.  I am thinking about waiting.  This is the time of the year when churches are waiting, and some pastors are waiting.

Who will our new pastor be?  Will we like them?  What church will they assign me to?  Will they like me?  Can I make new friends?  Will life feel normal again?

We are not very good at waiting.  Impatience and worry both are based in a lack of trust.  If we really believe that God has this moment and this situation in hand, then we have nothing to worry about.  All will be well.

It takes a good deal of practice to get good at this.  I hope that you play a good joke on someone today.  Get your mind off of your worries.  God is still Lord of the universe.  As my friend Lynn says, "everything will be alright in the end, if everything is not alright, then it is not yet the end."

Worry saps your soul energy, but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.
Isaiah 40:31

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