Mayan Temples

I could never understand how Mayan temples, in fact, entire villages could get covered up with vegetation in such a short time.  Being from Kansas City, things die off in the winter.  The growing season is shorter.

When we bought the house in Florida, I started having to trim plants and trees.  Oak trees, bird of paradise [12' tall], ginger, hedge, palm trees, viburnum and the list goes on.  Any time I am there, there is something to trim.  Nothing ever stops growing.  I am not at the house every week, but if I were, there would be a pile like this out at the street every week.  It is amazing how fast things just keep on growing here!

And so I think of how many people get stuck in life and stop growing.  How would our lives improve if we were all open and willing to keep stretching and growing!  We never arrive in this life, we should always be in growth mode, moving towards our God.

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

trunk or treat

On Monday night I witnessed the historic Cape Coral First UMC's trunk or treat.  I had heard all about it.  Popcorn, snow cones, hot dogs, [all free].  40 cars decorated, DJ, bubble machine, bouncy houses and thousands of people.  It did not disappoint.  It was everything that I had heard about.

What I was not prepared for was how the event made me feel.  Yes of course it was a good event for our members- getting together, dressing up, letting their hair down, having fun, fellowship, and enjoying the kids and their costumes.  But, the observation that so so many of the people there had come from the community was touching.  Unchurched, lower income folks whose kids probably didn't get candy like this very often.  It was a blessed gift to the wider Cape Coral community.  I thought of the story that Jesus told in Luke 14 about a great banquet.  The master of the house invites his friends to come for the feast and they all decline with lame excuses.  One just got married.  One bought a cow.  So the master sends the servant to the far side of town, to the other side of the tracks and the least of these are invited in.  Into the master's home where there was a great celebration of love and family.

What I saw on Monday night was a beautiful picture of kingdom living.  Everyone is welcome.  Everyone is celebrated.  Everyone is loved.  I was blessed.

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

All Saints Day

I love music.  I assume that most people do.  There is lots of music in the Bible- harps, tambourines,  lyres and such.  Today is All Saints Day - a day when we remember our loved ones.

And so I thought of this song.  Music reaches us.  It speaks into our souls.  I find songs all the time that make me stop and think.  I heard one the other day that I really like.  Mike and the Mechanics sing In the Living Years.  Here are the lyrics:

Every generation
Blames the one before
And all of their frustrations
Come beating on your door

I know that I'm a prisoner
To all my Father held so dear
I know that I'm a hostage
To all his hopes and fears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years

Oh, crumpled bits of paper
Filled with imperfect thought
Stilted conversations
I'm afraid that's all we've got

You say you just don't see it
He says it's perfect sense
You just can't get agreement
In this present tense
We all talk a different language
Talking in defence

Say it loud (say it loud), say it clear (oh say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear
It's too late (it's too late) when we die (oh when we die)
To admit we don't see eye to eye

So we open up a quarrel
Between the present and the past
We only sacrifice the future
It's the bitterness that lasts

So don't yield to the fortunes
You sometimes see as fate
It may have a new perspective
On a different day
And if you don't give up, and don't give in
You may just be okay

So say it loud, say it clear (oh say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear
Because it's too late, it's too late (it's too late) when we die (oh when we die)
To admit we don't see eye to eye

I wasn't there that morning
When my Father passed away
I didn't get to tell him
All the things I had to say

I think I caught his spirit
Later that same year
I'm sure I heard his echo
In my baby's new born tears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years

Say it loud, say it clear (oh say it clear)
You can listen as well as you hear
It's too late (it's too late) when we die (it's too late when we die)
To admit we don't see eye to eye

So say it, say it, say it loud (say it loud)
Say it clear (come on say it clear)

link to the song on youtube

The chorus has an interesting line - "say it loud, say it clear, you can listen as well as you hear."  I think it simply means that if you have the gift of hearing, then you can actually listen to someone if you choose to do so.

So here is this song about our parents and how we don't get them and we fight them, and then one day we become them.  Oh my, this is so my experience.  And how I wish I could say thank you to my Dad while he was still alive- in the living years.

My parents died fairly young.  Mom at 61, Dad at 72.  If your parents are living, call them and tell them that you love them.  Do it while you still can.

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

Halloween

Today is Halloween.

My mom had a big devil. She was always worried about him and always resisting him. People that believe in a big devil often spend lots of time talking about him. They are wasting time that could be directed toward our loving heavenly Father. For more on this topic see:

http://www.jeffbrinkman.com/TH_ChristianTheol.html

Anyway, all of this went out the window on Halloween. My mom loved Halloween! She would put on scary music, turn the lights down and wait for the kids. She had a sign with a witch on it that she put on the front door every year that read, "Welcome kiddies, put all your goodies in the box below. Go quietly and no one will get hurt."

I just want to weigh in on Halloween. It is not the devil's day. The devil does not get a day. he is a created being. he is not the opposite of God. he can't be everywhere at the same time any more than Gabriel or Michael, the other archangels. I am not even capitalizing the word he when I refer to him at the beginning of a sentence.

We should spend our days loving God, not fighting the devil.

Halloween is a great day for kids. Love them. Dress them up. Feed them candy. It makes for great memories.

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

quote

A dear friend of mine recently sent me a quote from the book  UNFINISHED by Richard Stearns.  That book is the follow up to one of my favorite books, The Hole in our Gospel.   I asked her how she got connected to the book.... I loved the answer... she sold her home and the person that moved out left the book there. So she picked it up and read it.   Here is the quote.

 "If we are not personally engaged in God's great mission in the world, then we have missed  the very thing He created us to do."

No commentary needed.

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

cars are evil

Give a 16 year old a car and their world changes.  It totally opens up.  Take away the keys from an aging parent, and their world closes in around them.  Give a Christian a car and you run the risk of total moral failure.

I am beginning to believe that a car is like a truth serum.  Give a person a car and who they really are comes out.

We all have streaks of selfishness, we all think what we are doing is so very important, and when we are in a car, it is on display for all to see.  People plaster their cars with crosses and such and then drive like they are possessed.

What if we all made the commitment to go the speed limit.  I think that would be the Christian thing to do.

What if instead of telling people that we were Christians, we drove like we were Christians?  Christian music playing from the radio and fish on the tailgate are no substitute for love, joy peace, and patience even when we are in a hurry.

Cars are evil.  They make good people do crazy things.

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

I'm right

I’m Right- aren't I????

We love to be right.  We hate to be wrong.  Why?

We all think that we are right.  If we thought we held the wrong view we would change our minds.  We think we are right.  We hate to be wrong.

Well, sometimes we are wrong.  I am wrong.  You are wrong.   Be open to being wrong.  It is going to happen.  We just don’t see things as clearly as we like to think that we do.

I may be right, I may be wrong, I may be crazy.  Our life meaning, our value is not defined by how right we are.  It is hard to enjoy life when we always have to be right.

It’s a beautiful day in God’s world.  I am totally right about that.

better

It is better to suffer for doing right, than to suffer for doing wrong.
And a person can always choose to do right.
what are the choices that you face today?

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

made me cry

I was in Nicaragua a few weeks ago and I was given a packet of cards to read on the trip.  One friend wrote something that touched me very deeply.  He wrote, “I wish I was in Nicaragua with you.  Heck, I wish I was anywhere with you.”  It made me cry when I read it.  It is making me cry now as I write about it.  I am going to steal that line and use it.  

I wish I was there with you.  Heck I wish I was anywhere with you.

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

friend

A friend sent me this quote.............

I would rather walk through darkness with a friend, then walk in the light alone.
Helen Keller

Interesting quote when you consider it comes from a blind person. I want to ask her to clarify...... are you saying that I am ok, content as a blind person because I have friends walking with me?

Certainly friends make the difficult times more bearable and are of the most precious commodities in this life.

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

spiritual help

 Someone asked, what will we do of a spiritual nature for the people of Nicaragua?

We can pray for them.  We can probably take them Bibles.  We can encourage them.

But let us remember that they are already Christians that deeply love and trust God.

How about we fly them here and let them give a sermon series to us on how to trust god when you have nothing.

4 weeks on…………

• How to trust God and not complain when you have substandard health care
• How to trust god when you live on $150 per month
• How to trust God when you don’t have running water, a shower, or air conditioning
• How to trust God when other Christians make excuses as to why they are not helping you.
• How to trust god when you never get a vacation from your life

How can we help them develop spiritually?

I don’t know.  Maybe they are the ones that need to help us.

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

Song

When I was a teenager I used to have a cassette tape of Bill Gaither music.  I thought of one of those songs the other day.  Here are the lyrics:

Something beautiful, something good.  All my confusion, He understood.  All I had to offer him was brokenness and strife, but he made something beautiful of my life.

 here is the link to the song on youtube

God can make something beautiful of your life.

Maybe you feel like you are on the wrong path.  Maybe you are lost in a maze.  Maybe you made the mess and maybe it just happened to you.  While I don’t believe that God fixes everything [I don’t believe that it is God’s purpose to fix things for us.] I do believe that when we allow God to come alongside of us, life gets better.

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

My friend

My friend is hurting.  They are tired.  They are pressed.  They are nearing burn out.  I wish I could help my friend, but I am powerless to change their situation.  All I can do it tell them that I’m sorry.  I understand.  I feel for you.  I love you.

My friend hurts.  I hurt for my friend.

I guess that there is something good, something beautiful about loving others and caring for them.  Who hurts in your life?  Do you hurt for them?  May we always be those who bear one another's burdens.

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

bad taste

Siphoning gas

Talk about something that will leave a bad taste in your mouth.  When we lost power during the hurricane, I fired up the generator to run the refrigerator.  30 hours later when the power came back on, the generator had 5 gallons of gas in it. 

You can’t leave gas in engines that don’t run very often or the fuel will break down and the varnish will plug up the jets.  So you have to put in stabilizer and run the engine out of gas.

This begins with the process of siphoning out all of the gas that I can.  So I purchase a tube for this purpose.  The tube is clear so I can at least see the gas coming, but some of it gets in my mouth.  I have a bottle of water handy to wash my mouth out.  I gargle it, I spit it, I pour the water into my mouth and spew it out.  Now the gassy water is on my face too.  Oh boy I hope no one lights a match.

I did get the gas out of the generator, but oh that experience leaves a taste in your mouth that does not quickly go away.

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

Rejoice with me!!

So my daughter and her long time boy friend, Bobby are on a two week vacation in Italy.
I am jealous, just saying.

And after waiting and wondering, hoping and praying, he popped the question.... in Italy!!
And, she said, YES!!

Alli, my oldest daughter, is engaged!
So, exciting!!
Rejoice with me!!

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

warm fuzzies

We love people that make us feel good.

I have noticed something about how we interact with others. We tend to love people who make us feel good and lean away from those who don’t. We can take or leave those who give us no vibes, but oh, find someone that makes us feel valued, and we love them.

This tells me that we have great power to bless others. When we see people as special and treat them as such, we can help their hearts be full. Life is too short to give off bad vibes. Become a person that is deeply appreciated by others. Do your best to make them feel valued. You will be glad that you did.

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

Leaders

Leaders empower others.  They help others get it and they turn them loose in the organization.

Leaders do not inflict pain, they absorb it.

Leaders don’t just solve problems, they prevent them.

Leaders are not afraid to make tough decisions.

We are all leaders.  You and I are either leading people into success or into the abyss.

Leaders are not about gaining power or attention for themselves.  They sacrifice their time, their money and their life for their cause.

Where are you going?  Where am I going? What are we about?

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

judging part 2

In response to my post on judging from Wednesday, October 12...................

Someone wrote in that I should never serve on a jury.  Ahh.  Good point.

It is hard to cover every angle of every topic.........

Let me clarify.  If I served on a jury I could listen to the evidence and decide with the other jurors if a person committed the crime or not.  They can be found guilty and sentenced to jail, and I still don’t have to judge them.  I can vote that they are guilty without looking at them as a loser, or a bad person.

That is what I mean. 

Sure.  Make decisions.  That person is a wreckless driver, but don’t punch them.  That person roots for the wrong team.  Maybe so, but there is no reason to hate them.

We can make decisions about what people do without hating them or judging them as somehone substandard.

This is a gift of God.  To be able to live without demanding that those who are not like me are the “bad”ones.

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

honor

It is better to shy away from honor than to need it, or seek it or worse yet demand it.

Honor cannot be taken from others- they must give it to you freely or it isn't honor.

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

thinking of suicide?

My favorite fireman shared a thought with me the other day, "suicide does not put an end to the pain, it just transfers the pain to those around you."

Life is good.  Life is beautiful.
The pain will get better.  Don't pass it on to others.
God can help you deal with it.

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

friendship

My friend Carol asked me to write something about friendship.

Oh my, where does one begin?
A friend thinks of you often.  A friend offers grace.  A friend listens.  A friend offers advice, sometimes painful advice, but a friend offers advice.  A friend loves.  A friend laughs at your jokes even when they don't get them.  A friend holds you up.  A friend sticks closer than a brother.  A friend gives you space when you need it.  A friend doesn't always need to make it about them.  A friend joins you in a life mission.  A friend can just sit with you in silence.

I hope that you have a friend.  I hope that you have many friends.  No amount of money can replace the value of a friend.  If you are short on friends, look for some folks to invest in and invite them to lunch.  Start the process of making a new friend.

Life is better with friends.

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

it is good

In the beginning God created, and when he was done, he said "it was good."  God created men and women and said, it was good.

Somehow over the centuries we have forgotten this.  How sad is that.  The church has tried to control people for years by telling them that they are bad.  But on the contrary, when we remind people of their original state of creation, it frees them to live.

You are good.  You are created in the image of God.  Bad choices, sin and all, you are loved by God.  God made you and he loves you and you are good.  He wants to spend your life with you.  You are loved.  It is the first message of the Bible.

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

if I judge you

If I judge you, I am as bad as you are. If you judge me, you are as bad as I am. Scripture is clear- we are not to judge others.  We can and should hold our values, but we do not judge or shame others.

"But, but, but, but.......... they are so bad" we think.

And the scripture is clear. We are not to judge others.

John 8:7 - you that are without sin, cast the first stone............

Mt 7:1-5  "Do not judge so that you will not be judged. "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?"

Romans 2:1  Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.

Romans 14  Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him.

James 4 11-12 Do not speak against one another, brethren He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?

I don't understand everything that everyone else does.  I don't agree with what everyone else does.  I don't condone everything that everyone else does.  But our job is to love others and let God take it from there.  Life is too short for our hearts to be filled with hatred for anyone.

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

two word prayer

I know that we are not supposed to pray with vain repetitions, but this did not feel vain.  The other night at Celebrate Recovery [a Monday night worship service at our church for those who are looking to recover from a hang up, a habit or anything..... we all should go right?]  anyway, I was there and I found myself praying this two word prayer over and over.  From the bottom of my heart, like I just wanted to make sure that God was hearing me.  My soul was begging for him to hear me.

What if you found a two word prayer.  What would it be?  And what if you repeated it over and over until  you felt like God heard you.....

Help me.  Help me.  Help me.
or
Heal him.  Heal him.  Heal him.
or
Forgive me.  Forgive me.  Forgive me......
or
I'm sorry.  I'm sorry.  I'm sorry..........
or
I'm lost.  I'm lost.  I'm lost...........
or
Find me.  Find me.  Find me.......
or

Maybe one of those would be yours.  Maybe none, but maybe you have your own.
Take a few moments now and ask yourself what is really going on deep in your heart.  Boil it down to two words and pray them, over and over until you feel that God has heard you.

It seemed to work for me.

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

power

We give other people too much power.  When you give people power over you, they can hurt you.  Some people will steal your joy if you let them.

So don't let them.  Does your mom have power over you?  If you are 9 years old, yes.  But not if you are 39, unless you give it to her.  Does your boss have power over you?  Only if you need the job.  Imagine a world where we can submit to authorities, without allowing their rejection of us to cut so deeply.

I am ok.  You are ok.  When we are set aside by those who seem more powerful than we are, we can still choose to see the good.  We can accept that we did not get the promotion, did not get the trophy, did not win Star Search, and did not get the nice compliment.  We can accept that we drew the short straw and still love life.

You don't diminish Niagara Falls by spitting into it.
You are Niagara Falls.

Don't give people power over you.  Lean into God.  He loves you very much.

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

at my table

At my table there is no judgment.  I welcome you.

I may not agree with everything that you have done, but you will never be turned away.  You may have killed someone.  You may have 101 terrible problems.  You may be in trouble with the law.  I may not understand your actions, but my table is open to you.  Come.  Sit.  Have a cup of coffee.

Do you remember the story of the great banquet in Luke 14?  The friends were too busy to attend.  One got married, one bought a cow.  The master sent the servant to the highways and the byways and invited the poor, the lame, and the outcast.  It is a great story of how the kingdom works.

Everyone has done something that they think they should be thrown away for.  Yet we all need a place where we are welcomed and accepted with no judgment.  No matter what you ever do, I will welcome you.

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

Sing out

One of my favorite movies of all time is Harold and Maude.  The musical score is all Cat Stevens songs.  One of my favorite songs has always been If you want to sing out, sing out.  I have left my family notes about my funeral, and I would like the service to open with that song.  It is a movie about living with joy.  A bit dark, a bit of odd humor, but a movie about living with joy.  The song is a song about living with joy.  Since I first saw the movie in the theaters in 1971, I have always loved the song.

Here are the words.

Well if you want to sing out, sing out
And if you want to be free, be free
'Cause there's a million things to be
You know that there are

And if you want to live high, live high
And if you want to live low, live low
'Cause there's a million ways to go
You know that there are

You can do what you want
The opportunity's on
And if you find a new way
Well you can do it today

Well you can make it all true
And you can make it undo
You see, ah ah ah, it's easy ah ah ah
You only need to know

Well if you want to say yes, say, "Yes"
And if you want to say no, say, "No"
'Cause there's a million ways to go
You know that there are

And if you want to be me, be me
And if you want to be you, be you
'Cause there's a million things to do
You know that there are

You can do what you want
The opportunity's on
And if you find a new way
Well you can do it today

Well you can make it all true
And you can make it undo
You see, ah ah ah, it's easy, ah ah ah
You only need to know

Well if you want to sing out, sing out
And if you want to be free, be free
'Cause there's a million things to be
You know that there are

You know that there are

Here is a link to the song.
youtube If you want to sing out

Dear friends-  live.  L I V E live.  Sing.  Sing out.

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

Hurricane Matthew - Final

Well,  the wind finally died down enough so that I could climb up on the roof and see it's condition up close.  And, good news............. the roof is in perfect shape.  It is amazing, considering the winds that we experienced.   There was however, about half of an oak tree on the roof.  10,000 lbs of branches, acorns, sticks and leaves - all on the roof.

Several have asked about power.  We have been without power since 2 am this morning.  Considering our damage situation, it is a small price to pay.

We are very grateful for every thought and every prayer sent this way.  And for the record, I don't know that I want to do another night like last night.  Next time we will evacuate.  Unless my wife and daughters tell me different.

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

Hurricane Matthew 2

It is daylight here.  Really windy and lots of rain still.  I made my first foray outside to check out the storm damage.

Thank God!  It appears at first look that the roof is completely intact.  There are lots and lots of tree limbs down but structurally we appear to be fine.  I have heard that pool screen enclosures do not fare well in hurricanes.  Ours appears to have made it thru fine.  When things die down  I will get up on the roof and make a more thorough inspection.

I don't see anything major at my neighbors homes either.  Let us offer thanks and remember that there are many that were much less fortunate that we have been.

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

Hurricane Matthew

So it is 5:10 am.  We have been up most of the night.  The eye of Matthew passed 30 miles east of Vero Beach.  The worst is passed now but it is still way too windy to go outside.

I left Cape Coral on Wednesday at 10am to go to Vero Beach.  My wife and daughters had made the decision that they were going to hold up in the Vero Beach house and ride the storm out.  That is one wife, two daughters, one boyfriend, one girlfriend, three cats, a dog and me.  Lots of excitement!

We bought a generator, lots of water and stocked up on supplies.  We put up the hurricane shutters and hunkered down.  By 9pm last night it was getting bad.  The worst of the storm hit at 2am.  The wind noise is beyond description unless you have been through it.  We listened to various items hit the roof and the house.  Now the storm is moving off to the north.  Winds are still high and it is still raining.  In a few hours I will go outside and see what damage there is and post an update.

I can see out the front door that there is debris everywhere.  I plan to be in church to preach on Sunday.  Keep us in your prayers.

Thank you all for the prayers, calls, texts and emails.  I am sorry that I cannot write back.  I will post again in a few hours.

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

The Giving Group

In Kansas City I recruited a group that I called "The Giving Group."  These were folks that were not offended if I from time to time sent them an email about something that I needed help raising money for.  Over the years, they provided scholarships for pastors to go on mission trips, helped with sound system issues, and donated for children's wing upgrades.

I find it odd that Christians should feel funny about being asked to give.  But I guess sometimes churches ask too much.  But there is a joy in living the generous life.  There is a joy in participating in those special needs.

Cape Coral First has some issues that at some point we will need to raise some funds to address.  If you are interested in being a part of a group that I can explain these things to via email, if you are not offended by an occasional opportunity to go the second mile, please let me know and I will add you to the Cape Coral giving club.  I would send an email about a need no more than 4x per year. Everyone is welcome, regardless of the size or ability of a gift. Let me know if you want to be on the team.

Thanks for your heart of generosity for the work of the Lord.

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

The eye exam chart

Can you read this chart?  One of my Cape Coral friends noticed this at their place of work.  I love it!

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

one of my favorite quotes

In the movie The Replacements Keanu Reaves plays a quarterback that had choked in the Sugar Bowl.  Because of his failure, he lost the chance to play professional football and his confidence was broken.  In this movie, he gets a second chance.  When faced with a similar situation as the one he failed at in the Sugar Bowl, Reaves chickens out again.  In response to this, his coach, Gene Hackman gets in his face and makes the statement, "Winners always want the ball when the game is on the line."

The first time I heard these words, I stopped in my tracks.  I paused the movie.  I thought of the many times that I was fearful and wanted to pull back.  I thought of the times in softball when my team needed me to get a hit and I was nervous.  I thought of all the challenges in church and how easy it is sometimes to curl up into a ball and go and hide.

For years I have been saying to myself.  Winners always want the ball when the game is on the line.  Sometimes in the midst of pain and struggle, you have to get up and get after a thing.  You can always quit another time, but not today.  The world is changed by those who step up, get in the game and give life their very best.

The game may be on the line.  Winners want the ball, they want a chance.  Step up.  Get in the game.  You will be glad that you did.

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

My Dad

On October 3rd 1927, Paul Parmalee Brinkman Jr. was born. I didn't know him when he was young, but I learned later than he grew up poor. He used to take the streetcar out to Waldo, which at the time was the end of the universe. He graduated from SW High in Kansas City. He served in the Navy during WW2, developing pictures of the first atomic bomb. After the war, he attended Drury college, graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering and a young wife named Mary.

Dad was a loner. His nickname growing up was "Pooh" like Winnie the Pooh. As a father, he was pretty distant. He worked long hours and I didn't see him much.

But, somehow, he delivered the goods to his son. He taught me how to work. He helped shape my faith. He taught me a myriad of old sayings and wise thoughts about life.

I got to know Dad a lot better after mom died in 1995. We had seven years together after that. From 1995 until he died in 2002, Dad was a member of the Woods Chapel UMC. He led the first 8:30 singing group, and he had a lot of ideas for his son about what makes a good sermon.

In February of 2002 I was on the church ski trip with the kids. They were 10, 12 and 14. At about 11pm on Saturday night, Cathy called to say that Dad was in the hospital. Heart attack or stroke, he was on life support at Research. Doug H and another young man drove me from Glenwood Springs to Denver. We arrived at the airport at 2am. When the kids woke up, Doug was there in the room to tell them what happened and to take care of them. I will never be able to repay him what he did for my kids that day. I sat in the terminal until 5:30 and left on the first flight to KC. Cathy picked me up at the airport. We went to the hospital and said goodbye to Dad.

Tons of friends from Woods Chapel attended his funeral. Dad is buried next to Mom in Mt. Washington Cemetery in Independence. I miss him.

But, I thank God for every day that I had with him, and all of the good that he brought to my life. Be sure to appreciate your loved ones everyday that God gives you with them.

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

how much do we really suffer?

I had lunch with one of my favorite theologians, Brian Flower. He provides me with much food for thought. This hit the lunch table last week and I thought it was worth sharing.......

We are called to believe and to the suffer for his sake. [Phil 1:29] But how much suffering do we actually do? Not much.  Being in mission, living a missional life is an opportunity for us to discomfort ourselves for the sake of Christ. 

Something to think about.

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

Sing Out

Too many people do not sing because they do not have the voice of Frank Sinatra or Peggy Lee. Too many people do not play baseball because they cannot hit like Babe Ruth or field like Frank White. Too many Christians hold back from what they could be because they are not big famous souls like Billy Graham or because the are not Mother Teresa.

Dear friends, we as the church will never be what God calls us to be until every single one of us jumps in with both feet. Head over heels, committed to the mission. No holds barred, no excuses, lets just go pursue our potential in Christ.

"Use what talents you possess. The woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best. "
                         Henry van dyke

God can use you to make a difference in the world.  If you are watching from the sidelines, get up and get in the game.  That is where the true joy is found.

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

quote

One of my friends ends her emails with this phrase:

"Be the reason that someone smiles today."

I love it.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be the reason that someone smiles today.

unintentional hurts

I am coming to believe that life is full of unintentional hurts.  Sure there are intentional hurts:  someone robs you, someone is bullied, someone does not take responsibility for their actions.  But even in many of these situations, the people that are causing the hurting are acting out of their own brokenness or fear.

I think of the wounds inflicted by my parents.  I know that they would not intend to hurt their children, they were doing what they knew to do, they were doing what the culture at the time told them was ok, they were acting out of their own brokenness.

And I wonder if I have hurt my children- unintentionally.  I called one of my kids the other day and I told them that I loved them and that I never want them to think of me as I think of my parents [sometimes.]  There are many unintentional hurts that show up in this life.  Everyone delivers them.  If you don't think that you do, I would encourage you to think again.

The beginning of ending unintentional hurts is to think and pray about what we are doing and why.  Why am I driving like this?  Why am I talking like this?  Why do I feel the need to say this to someone?  When we stop and think about what we are doing and how it might affect others, we have a good chance to reduce unintentional hurts, and that can only be a good thing.

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

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my first born.  Happy Birthday to a beautiful person on the inside and out.  Happy Birthday to a kid who has grown up and gets it.  Happy birthday to one of my favorite people.  I will never forget your words to me that night at the Ocean Grill.

Allison, you are the best!  How proud your parents are of you.  Bless you.

Happy Birthday.

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

tipping point

Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book called the Tipping Point.

One of the official descriptions of the book says this, "The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. Just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a small but precisely targeted push cause a fashion trend, the popularity of a new product, or a drop in the crime rate. "

Imagine the tipping point in your church.  It could be good or bad.  Bad = Imagine so many negative people that the good people get tired of the fight and leave.  Pretty soon, the momentum is all going south.

But on the other hand, imagine a different scenario where more and more people are jumping onto the bandwagon of loving God and loving others.  Imagine more and more people finding the joy of living their lives in mission and ministry.  Pretty soon there is a buzz created where people know that something good is going on.  They begin to talk about it themselves and work towards creating a world where we are discovering and living out the joy of the Christian faith.

Remember what happened in the movie Sister Act?  Once a tipping point was reached, the roof was repaired, the nuns were allowed out to actually care for the needy, and the pews began to fill up.

Every church has a tipping point.  How can each of us be used to bring about the Kingdom in our own setting?

Prayer:  "Oh God, help me to be a part of the solution.  A part of your vision.  A part of your dream.  Teach me to invest, to lean in, to give myself - my voice, my time, my all, with reckless abandon for your purpose."

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

chaos

We don't like chaos.  We like control.

But let me ask you a question.  What do you think happens when the Holy Spirit really takes over a place?  If your church is 100 people on Sunday, what would happen if 60% felt the call of God to live out in mission and ministry?  There would be so many things going on that there would not be time to report them all  to the board.  Members would no longer be able to know about everything in their church.  In fact, they would be engaged in ministry themselves, and would probably no longer be insisting that they know everything that is going on.

Tom Bandy wrote a book called Christian Chaos.  It is about what happens to a church when the Holy Spirit takes over.  So many things would be percolating up from the hearts of people that we could no longer draw an organizational chart of it.  We could no longer control it.

Control it.  Can we control the Holy Spirit anyway?  Imagine a church that was beyond human management.  The Holy Spirit just sending people out in every direction.  Oh what joy!  Oh what fulfillment.  Oh what Chaos.

Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine by his power at work within us. Ephesians 3:20

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

three questions

For 17 years at Woods Chapel UMC, we ran what we called a "permission giving structure."  It radically changed the profile and the personality of our church.  The concept is based on the idea that everyone is called to ministry and that programs, missions and ministries should percolate up from the grass roots up.  In most systems, programs, missions and ministries are prescribed by the church board or the pastor and staff.

It is my belief that the church was founded without top down direction and without prescribed actions.  It is my belief that the Holy Spirit did then, and still can today, speak into the hearts of  regular people and cause them to live out their lives in mission and ministry.

These ideas are ingrained into my brain, into my being and they won't go away.  I hope that all Christians in all churches will ask God what they can do for him.  When we begin to do that, no surprise, God actually fills people's hearts with ideas.  When people come forward with ideas, my brain goes to the three questions that we ask in a permission giving setting.

1.  Does this idea fit our mission?  
Does it in some way show a love for God or a love for others.  Does it in some way connect people with the journey of life and love.  Almost every idea that was presented over the years did so.  We had a few ideas presented that were about the person's personal business venture, but for the most part, ideas presented fit our mission.

2.  Who is going to do it? 
If God is calling you, then you need to take responsibility for the thing.  It cannot be dumped on staff.  We can't present your idea and then press members to join you.  If you want to start a support group for left handed people, then build a team before your launch.  If you want to go on mission to Transylvania, then assemble folks of a like mind.  Who is going to do this?

3.  How will it be paid for?  
Especially in this economy, nothing gets dumped on the church budget.  If God is calling you then He can show you a way to fund the thing.  Most ministry ideas cost nothing, were self funded or were paid for by user fees.  Of course not everyone can afford an international mission trip and we try to shy away from fundraisers.  But if God is calling you to a thing, God can help you figure out the funding.

New idea?  God speaking to you?
Does it fit our mission?  Who will do it?  How will it be funded?
If you have the answer to these questions, then I say - go.  GO.  GO!!  Fly!! Live out your calling for the ministry of Jesus.

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

Grace and Truth

From time to time I get questions about the relationship between grace and truth. This is something that I wrote a few years ago that I feel compelled to share again.

Any time I talk about grace and love, I run into someone who wants to talk about truth. To them, the idea is this: truth trumps grace. Grace is only good in their mind when someone abides in the truth. But I ask, whose truth? They will insist that their interpretation of the Bible is true. But what some people call truth becomes a hammer to hurt people. This is exactly what Jesus fought against. Real truth draws people toward our Father.

I am all in favor of truth, but I think we need to be very careful. Most people understand grace. You can feel it and it feels good. It is rooted in love. It is unchanging. Grace and love are universally identified by humans.

Truth is a little different. Some of what I thought was true when I was 18, I no longer believe to be true. Truth can also be a matter of opinion. Even on biblical passages, people have so many opinions on the truth. Truth was never meant to be a hammer. If Jesus is the truth, then somehow truth is connected to love because Jesus is the man of love.

I believe in truth, but I think the list is much smaller than we think. To me it boils down to something like this:
God loves you.
He sent Jesus.
Receive that.
Love back.
find the joy.
Share the joy.
live the joy.

Gosh that sounds a lot like grace. I am not going to spend much time arguing with people about grace and truth. At one time in the past I spent a lot of time arguing with people. I have lived the life where I thought I knew the truth and I would push it on others. All I did was hurt people. Today, I choose the life of grace. It feels much more like the life for which humans were created.

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

love

God loves people but does God love me?  I believe that this is a common feeling for many Christians.  God loves everyone, but somehow I can't get it in my head that God loves me.

I struggled with this for years.

The thing that finally helped me understand God's love was opening my eyes to grace.   If you read the Bible looking for a mad god, you can find one.  But if you read the stories and look for grace, well, our perspective of God changes.  The Bible is God's love story for you.  Think of all the people that received grace in the Bible:

Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Joseph's brothers, the woman at the well, Nicodemus, Zacchaeus, Saul, Peter, on and on the list could go on and on.  Everyone that comes into contact with Jesus finds grace.

May your heart and mind be so filled with the concept of grace, may your picture of God be so grace filled that you are bowled over by his love.  May your mind think so much upon grace that your ponderings reach the tipping point and you fall over, head long into grace and love.

When you pray, pray for a revelation of grace.  "Dear God, let me see and feel your grace and love."  Pray that over and over.

When this happens to us, we begin to know and actually feel that God loves us.  And the day that we get that, we roll out of bed as a completely new person.

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

dark night

St. John of the Cross 1542-1591 is credited with being the primary source of the concept that we today call "the dark night of the soul."  Although many monastic types have written about it, the formula for the dark night usually runs something like this.  The steps involve the common experience of the believer in his or her journey towards God.

1. Awakening - the human wakes up to God and becomes a believer.  They begin the journey towards God.
2. Purgation - a time of cleansing when the Holy Spirit begins to steer the believer away from self.  This can be very painful.
3. Dark night - a common experience where the believer feels that God has withdrawn.  Often the person's thoughts get stuck in their own unworthiness.  There is often depression, a plodding along in life.  The dry soul searching for God.
4. Enlightenment- on the back side of the dark night comes enlightenment.  The clouds part, the mist lifts and the believer finds union with God.

Mother Teresa is said to have lived much of her life in a dark night, only to find the joy of union with God in her later years.

I think that most people, especially those who are serious about their spiritual journey will experience a dark night at some time.  They are painful and can last weeks or even years.

I have had my dark nights.  One of the blessings of a dark night is that it causes you to seek God even harder.  It's like we are lazy when things are going well, but in the dark valleys we cry out to God with a fervor that we might otherwise not.  If you are in the middle of a dark time, hold on.  There is hope on the other side.  Although we may not see that God is with us, he is!  He never leaves us.

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

spirituality

I was listening to Garrison Keillor a few years ago and he was talking about someone from Lake Wobegon who was a good Christian, but had a clumsy spirituality.  I love the phrase "clumsy spirituality."

There are too many people in the world that think that spirituality is just so. Just so.  Dress just right.  Always be neat.  Overdress.  Act like you have it all together.  Don't let anyone see your warts.  Cover up any unsightly things in your life.  If it looks good, then it is good.

Might I remind us that Jesus did not pretend.

I have different ideas about spirituality.  I think it comes in many forms and many sizes.  Short, tall, fat, thin, black, white, pimply, wrinkly, cut, bruised, scarred over, and more.  Spirituality is letting people see who you are, it is letting people in, it is allowing others to join you fully on your journey of pursuing God in this life.  We are all  real people with real issues.  The journey towards God in this life time is a road filled with many ruts and turns.

Never feel like you have to be perfect.  You aren't going to be.  Spirituality is clumsy.  Normal people who are looking for faith will only relate to you if you are like them.  We are never better than.  Clumsy is ok.

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

absorbing pain

When you love someone you absorb pain.
Paul said that we should "in honor prefer one another." Romans 12:10

When we hurt, we do not act out of our hurt, but we choose to love instead.

And so we take care of an ailing spouse.
We give an adult child space that wants it.
We park farther away so that visitors can park close.
We give money for the needy.
We change our habits to make the life of another more comfortable.

We do this because we love.
Love means absorbing pain.
It is what Jesus did on the cross.
Leaders do not inflict pain, they absorb pain.

I am sorry about this post.   It will not be popular.
But who do you love?  How can you absorb pain for them?

There is a holy thing about changing so that another can be blessed.
There is a joy in giving- that one never finds in taking.
Prefer another over yourself.  Take up your cross.  Lose your life to find it.

Give yourself away in love.  You will be glad that you did.

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

Talk like a Pirate

Today is one of my favorite holidays, it is national talk like a pirate day. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Here are some terms to help you make it through today as a joyful participant.

Avast ye=Pay attention
Hornswaggle=To cheat
Shiver me timbers=An expression used to show shock or disbelief
Head=Toilet on board the ship
Poop deck=Deck that is the highest and farthest back
Landlubber=A person who is not incredibly skilled at sea
Davy Jones' Locker=Refers to death
Ahoy, matey=Hello, friend
Batten down the hatches=A signal to prepare the ship for an upcoming storm
Blimey!=Something said when one is in a state of surprise
Booty=Treasure
Crow's nest=The place on the ship where the lookout stand is built
Heave ho=Instruction to put some strength into whatever one is doing
Old salt=A sailor that has a great deal of experience on the seas
Scallywag=A name that is used as an insult to someone
Seadog=An old sailor or pirate
Thar she blows!=An expression used when a whale is spotted from the ship
Three sheets to the wind=Someone who is quite drunk
Walk the plank=A punishment which entails someone who walks over the side of the ship off of the plank. Their hands are often tied so that they cannot swim and they drowned.
Yo Ho Ho=There is often used to express some sort of cheer but also can be used to call attention to the speaker.

Be sure to tell a joke or two.  

Where do pirates buy their music?

Aye - tunes

Why are pirates cool?

They just rrrrrrrrrrrr.

Rrrrrrr. It's a beautiful day in God's world, be surrrrrre to sea the good.

prayer meeting

I have been to prayer meetings.  I have listened to prayer requests.  Lots of them.  We used to have joys and concerns in worship service where people could verbalize their requests.

Typically our requests are for people who are sick, people who have lost jobs, people who are lonely, people who are sick and people who are sick.  These are all fine.  These are all fine.  But they do carry a common theme which sounds a bit like - "God please make the world comfortable for us humans so that we can be happy."  While such prayer requests are fine, and the Bible teaches us to ask, I don't know that God's main purpose is to make our lives comfortable.

What if, instead of prayers asking God to make life better for us, our prayer requests were about making us better.  Sweeter.  Imagine 15 people are sharing prayer requests and this is what we hear:
"Pray that God will use me.  Pray that I can be more kind.  Help me to forgive that person.  Pray that I can be more generous.  Pray that I can be more loving.  Pray that I can find more ways to serve God."

My guess is that when our prayers begin to focus on how we are giving ourselves to God for his purposes, the sick will be visited, the lonely comforted and the lost, found.  I think my friend Terry McCarty used to say something like, "be the answer to someone's prayer."

Just a thought.  Probably not a very popular one.

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

active listening

We are not very good at listening.  Someone else is talking, and we are usually thinking about what we are going to say when they stop talking.  Or we are daydreaming or thinking about where we are going later in the day.

If we expect to have real and valuable relationships with people, we must listen to them.  We must focus on what they are saying with a heart of understanding.  How does this make them feel? What are they experiencing.  Not what am I experiencing, but what are  they experiencing?  Listening is setting aside my life for a moment and leaning into the life of another.

How good are you at really listening?  I believe this is something that all of us can work on.  The world is a better place when we are hearing others.

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

the Titanic

A pastor friend was commenting on the condition of our denomination. He said that our leaders keep finding ways to "rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic."  Ignoring the deeper issues, we often try to solve problems with new systems. Sometimes systems are a problem and need to be reworked, but the real issue in most situations is heart.

I thought of this famous quote. Notice the date of it.

    “What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men and women whom the Holy Spirit can use…for the Holy Spirit does not flow through methods but through men and women. He does not come upon machinery but upon men and women. He does not anoint plans but men and women. Natural ability and educational advantages do not figure as factors in this matter,but the capacity for faith, the ability to pray, the power of thorough consecration, the ability of self-littleness, and the absolute losing of one’s self in God’s glory and an ever-present and insatiable yearning and seeking after all the fullness of God. Men and women who can set the church ablaze for God; not in a noisy showy way, but with an intense and quiet heat that melts and moves everything for God. God can work wonders if He can get suitable men and women.”
                  E.M. Bounds
                 Methodist Preacher 1835-1913

Rather than more programs, I suggest more passion- for God, for life and for people.  When Christians find passion for life, churches take flight.

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

My Father's World

One of my favorite songs is This is My Father's World.

1. This is my Father's world,
and to my listening ears
all nature sings, and round me rings
the music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
his hand the wonders wrought.

2. This is my Father's world,
the birds their carols raise, [can you hear the birds sing?]
the morning light, the lily white,
declare their maker's praise.
This is my Father's world:
he shines in all that's fair;
in the rustling grass I hear him pass;
he speaks to me everywhere.

3. This is my Father's world.
O let me ne'er forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father's world:
why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King; let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let the earth be glad!

I would like to comment on this thought for a moment today.  Yes.  This is my Father's world.  This world does not belong to the devil.  [he is a finite, created, not all knowing, not all present being.]  This world does not belong to the Americans, the Chinese or the Russians.  It does not belong to our bosses.  It does not belong to Donald Trump or Hilary Clinton.

This is my Father's world.  He gives humans a lot of freedom, and I know that he does not like everything that they do, but this is still his world.  This is my Father's world.

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

the neutral zone

Are you in between two places?  Are you in between what was and what will be?  William Bridges calls  this the neutral zone.  It is a place where we can feel lost - like the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years.  No longer in Egypt, but not yet to the promised land.

A couple of notable quotes from Bridges' book:

It's not so much that we're afraid of change or so in love with the old ways, but it's that place in between that we fear... its like being between trapezes.  It's Linus when his blanket is in the dryer.  There's nothing to hold on to.
Marilyn Ferguson

One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.
Andre Gide

If you are in between two places, two jobs, or two lives then you know this feeling.  Please remember- everything is ok.  The Israelites had a pillar of cloud to guide them by day and a pillar of fire at night.  We may not have any pillars that we can see but God is still with us.  Everything is ok.

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

I have trouble with this idea

My mom used to say, "no one makes you mad, you choose to be mad."  Another way of saying this comes from my favorite author, Anthony deMello.  He likes to say, "if you have a problem with someone, then you have a problem."

This concept makes my grey matter arc.  It makes me shake my head.  It challenges me.  It is a reminder that we give people too much power over us in this life.  If I'm OK, then I'm OK.  If my neighbor does not like me, if my cousin does not like me, if a friend does something that I find hurtful, I have a choice.  I can take it in and wallow in the pain, blaming them and focusing on them, or I can learn to let the painful things bounce off.

This is a really big challenge in life- to learn to let the painful things bounce off.  We all need to work on this- the art of learning to listen to the hurtful messages without allowing them to destroy our confidence.  No one makes us mad, we choose to be mad.  I would rather choose to be happy.  Let's keep working on that.

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

painting

One of these days my children are going to learn how to paint.  I know that I did not have children simply so that I could paint for them.

I remember when Jenny was in middle school she wanted her room to be painted pink and hot blue.  Oh my!  But I did it.  When she was in high school, of course she wanted the pink gone.  I think it took 18 coats of antique white to cover up the pink and blue.

After college, I painted her apartment, and then when she moved out, I painted it back the way it had been before.  Last weekend, I got to do something that was really rewarding.  On Saturday, I got to paint in her home.  Yes, in her very own home.  The old guy on the ladder may look old, but he is happy that he is painting something that his kid owns instead of another apartment.

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

change your perspective

My friend Bruce came to town a few weeks ago.  We drove to Miami on Thursday  afternoon to catch the Royals-Marlins game.  We stopped in Napes at a gas station that also had a Subway in it.  We sat outside at this picnic table.  I was sitting across from him, near the tire on the truck.

While we were there, an ice truck pulled up right behind me.  I'll bet that the hot exhaust was about 4 feet from my back.  The driver got out and opened the side door and began throwing ice into the ice freezer.  [look closely and you can see him behind the freezer door] My back was to the truck.  All that I experienced was the hot exhaust blowing on me.  Bruce had a different perspective.  He saw both the exhaust on my back and the frosty air pouring out of the ice truck.

I complained about the truck being so close and the heat on my back.  He said, well you know Jeff if you just move over to the right a little bit, your perspective will totally change.  From hot to cool simply by moving about ten feet.

There is of course a cute little moral to this story.  Are you feeling the heat of life?  Are you focused on what is wrong?  Change your perspective.  Move over.  Look at the thing a different way.  A better way to experience this thing is just a few feet away.

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

wait

Wait.  Don't say anything just yet.  Don't act just yet.  Wait.  Cool down.  Our actions and our words are always more pointed and difficult when we are upset.

It you talk to your children when you are angry about what they did, all they will remember is your anger.  Wait.  Cool off.  Let the pain subside.  Then you can talk to someone out of the best of your heart instead of the worst.

We all want to be heard.  We want others to "get" us.  We think our message is important.  Doesn't it just make sense to wait until the tension is eased so that our message can get through?  Cool off before you talk or act.  Wait.  It won't hurt, it will only help.

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

the goal of love

Richard Rohr recently wrote, "if your only goal is to love, then there is no such thing as failure."

Sometimes we make mistakes.  We all do.  But if you were trying to do what you thought was beneficial, if you thought you were acting in love, it may not have turned out the way that you wanted it to, but at least you began with the best of intentions.

Methodists talk about "being made perfect in love."  This is the idea that although we will still get it wrong from time to time, we choose to rise every day with the intent of loving others and reaching out to them.

I don't always get it right.  None of us do.  But there is no greater gauge, no better life program than to choose to be a person of love.

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

words

Words can hurt.  We should be very careful about what we allow to pass our lips.

Psalm 19 says, "may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you."  Had paper, pen, twitter, blogging, texting and email been available to the psalmist, he may have written this:

Lord, may the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, may my tweets be sweet, may my blogs be wholesome, may my facebook be uplifting, may my texts always include a smiling emoji, and may my emails always be kind.  May all of it be pleasing to you.

When I have to send an email that I know is not going to be popular, I always have my wife or a coworker read it before it goes.  Sometimes we don't realize how we are coming across and their advice can help us see what we otherwise would not.

Wesley's first rule is "do no harm."  May we work more diligently at communicating in ways that show love, even when, especially when we are annoyed about something.  After all, God loves and deeply values everyone, even the ones with which we are unhappy.

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

free hugs

One of my favorite sermons of all time was the one about free hugs.

When I was a young pastor, you could hug anyone.  Then came boundaries training and you had to be careful.  Now hugs must be initiated by others.  I can still hug you, but you have to tell me that you desire that.

Hugs are wonderful  Hugs are healing.  But remember that you must let me know if you want a hug.  There are many people in this life that are looking for a bit of warmth.  hug them.

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

a typo story

Well if you have read my post before you have probably noticed a typo here and there. I apologize. I should do a better job proofing. I doubt I will catch them all though. I will fail again. It is inevitable, so I ask for Grace in advance.

All that being said a while back a friend of mine shared with me a difficult time he was going through. He mentioned how something I shared with him lifted him up at the right time. It was not planned on my part. I had shared this thought with him many weeks prior and he had stored it away. Then it came in handy at the right moment. I love when stuff like that happens. As we shared this story by email I “typo’ed” the word carrying for caring. Hmm…. When you care you carry. Maybe that typo had a purpose to it as well.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

grow

I went to concert this summer. It was better than I expected, it was awesome. I first heard this artist’s music 30 years ago.  I have a few of his CD’s but I had not kept up with him in a while even though he had continued to make new music. After the show I went on-line to read more about his career. I read stories and listened to interviews from his contemporaries. The theme was consistent.…”He kept growing while we stayed comfortable”…. “He always was stretching himself”….. “He never let himself be put in a box”…. “He saw no limits”…. “He followed the path less taken” ……etc.

Growth. It’s visible. It’s limitless. Seek it.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

It doesn't count

My good friend Pat Stark said a few years ago in a sermon, if you think you are grateful, but do not express it, it does not count.  I am sure that I have written about this before, but it is on my mind again.

If you love someone but don't tell them, does that count?  If you are thankful, but do not say thank you, does that count?

Think of the power that is unleashed when we don't just think about how we love our kids, but we actually tell them.  Think about the joy that is released to a person when we smile, look them in the eye and say thank you.

My entire life growing up my parents loved me, but for some reason, could not say it.  I am glad that they loved me, but oh, it would have been nice to know it at the time.  I do not want my children to ever doubt that I love them.

If you love someone, tell them.  If you are thankful, say thank you. You will be glad that you did.

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

I love you

What if you came to this blog every day and read the same words.  "I love you."  Those words and no others for an entire year.  Would you keep coming back?

We don't tell each other enough that we love each other.  I love you.

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

An old friend

Greg played softball with us for a couple of years. Greg gave a pair of really cool cleats to my son. Greg is a good man.

Greg met Annie and they fell in love. Love is a great thing. Annie attended another church, so like what happens so often, Greg left us and went to church with Annie. This is ok. This is good. Married folks need to work their lives out and sometimes they go to the other church. It happens.

So I had not heard from Greg for a while, but the other day he sent me the lyrics to a song and some well wishes. The title is I thought about you Lord.

I thought about trees
And how much I'd like to climb one
I thought about friends
And how rare it is to find one

I thought about You
The most gentle, sweet and kind one
I thought about You, Lord
I thought about You

I thought about life
And the way that things are goin'
I thought about love
And the pain there is in growin'

And I thought about You
The one who is all knowin'
I thought about You, Lord
I thought about You

I thought about You
And the songs that I keep singin'
I thought about You
And the joy that they keep bringin'

I thought about life
And a love that has no endin'
I thought about You, Lord
I thought about You

You can listen to the song here:

I thought about you Lord

Greg- thank you for the song!  Thanks for writing to me!  I remember you and Annie with such joy!  God bless you my friend.

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

Edison

We usually think of Thomas Edison as the guy who invented the light bulb, which is true. But Edison was so much more than this.  He was a true genius.

In his life he secured over 1,000 patents for things such as the phonograph, the movie camera and a battery.  His inventions launched major industries.  Think of where we would be today with out recorded music, batteries or motion picture cameras.

Much of what he accomplished, he did with a team of his choosing, some really great minds that collaborated on the concept of invention.  He is credited with the creation of the first research laboratory- a group of people working together to accomplish a goal and to see what their minds could do together.

A few weeks ago I spent some time at the Edison house in Ft. Myers.  It is a beautiful place with lots of amazing plants and flowers.  I hope to go back when I have more time.  My friend Tim C sent me this quote of Edison.  It is just a simple reminder that most things of value in this life do not come easy, but include persistent hard work.

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