The way the truth and the life, all for now

John 14:6  I am the way the truth and the life... no once comes to the Father, but through me.

Oh how we love to make things about us. Our brains are "me" centered, and our churches are usually wired for self preservation. That means that we have created doctrines and systems [formulas] that support "our way" as if it were the "only" way.

Let's look at the phrase, "the way, the truth and the life" found in John 14:6. The way that denominations use it makes it feels like this...

In the Baptist church, it sounds like, "I am Jesus, and I am the Baptist way, the Baptist truth and the Baptist life." In the Catholic church it sounds like, "I am Jesus, the Catholic way, truth and life." There are denominational Jesus' of every type. There is a Mormon Jesus. There is probably a Methodist Jesus. These are all created to support our denominational, our tribe's way of looking at theology and the world.

But, Jesus will not be defined or contained by any of them. He is bigger than our definitions of him. He is larger than our formulas.  Remember, he is from the beginning.  He was around before our Pastors and churches created their doctrines.  Remember that he brooded over creation.  Remember that he has the whole world in his hands.  He is bigger than our ideas...

What if, when he says, "I am the way, the truth and the life" he means this...

        Before the world was formed, I am. Before Pastors insisted that you believe it their way, I am.     

        Before the religions organized, I was.

Therefore, where ever you go in this world, you will find me. I am the way. If you find something that feels like the way, that is me. I am the truth. If you find truth, regardless of the label that man has put on it, that is me. And if you find freedom and life, regardless of the parameters, that is me.

I am Jesus. The Way, the Truth and the Life. I am the Cosmic Christ from the beginning. I will not be bound by denominational definitions. I am not contained by man's doctrine.

Find me. I am out there. I am out there in all kinds of places that might surprise you. I am Jesus. I am everywhere.

That works for me.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure

If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com  

Part 3 - the way, the truth and the life

Well meaning, conservative Christians often use this verse to shame others into believing that Jesus is the only way.  Believe this way or you are going to hell.  God loves you all, but if you don't do it our way, then you are lost.

Personally, I find this approach to Christianity to be very painful.  God loves you, but... God loves you but he is going to send Pygmies in Africa to hell.  God loves you, but if you don't believe it just right...

You will note that in Jesus’ encounters with people, he does not shame their religions. He simply teaches about the kingdom of God. He has many encounters with Romans, and does not tell them that they are going to hell because they worship a pantheon of Gods.  He does not tell the thief on the cross that he is going to hell because he has not confessed his sins.   He does not tell the Samaritans in his encounters with them that they have the wrong religion.  In fact, in the story of the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan is the hero.  Also please note that in the birth narrative in Matthew,  the three wise men are kings from the East, and they are celebrated as a part of the story. They would surely have been Zoroastrians, not Jews or Christians.

So Jesus has a habit of taking people in and welcoming them. He does not make a habit of excluding people because they didn’t have the correct religious formula down.

Most people that love Jesus, love him because of this very aspect… he welcomed everyone: the tired, the poor, the outcast, the ones who did not get it.

He did not create a formala to restrict entrance or shame people. The church would do that later.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure

If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com  

The way the truth and the life, Part 2

Way, truth, life, part 2

Today lets talk about what are authentic words of Jesus. Not everything attributed to Jesus in the Bible are his authentic words. How do we know this? Because there are some passages that were added later by scribes. Some were not happy with the ending of Mark, so they added the section of verses that talk about handling serpents and drinking deadly poison. This section is not in our original/oldest scriptures so they are not the words of Jesus.  See my blog post from Sept 9, 2022.

Likewise, in John 8, the woman caught in adultery is not an authentic Jesus story. Yes it makes all of the Jesus movies, but it also was a later addition. It is not a true Jesus story. If you don’t want to believe me, look in an NIV version bible and you can see the section is blocked off and noted with the phrase… “our oldest and most reliable manuscripts do not contain…”  See my blog post from Sept 8, 2022.

So there are some words of Jesus in the Bible that are not words of Jesus at all. Now my conservative friends may want to kill me for saying this, but many scholars suggest that this phrase, "the way, the truth and the life" attributed to Jesus is not authentic either.

Scholars note that this phrase is only found in the gospel of John.   John is the latest or newest gospel,  Matthew, mark and Luke were earlier.  None of the early three contain the “way, truth and life” statement.  Scholars would tell you that John was written to convert people, while the earlier three gospels were “just the facts only.”  They would point to the last phrase in the gospel of John, John 20:30-31

  30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe[b] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Scholars would tell you that the author/authors of John wrote with an intent to teach and evangelize, that you might believe, and potentially took liberties to do so.  The idea is that there is theology presented in John, that you do not find in Matthew, Mark and Luke.

So, is the way, the truth and the life an authentic Jesus statement, or was is added by later Christians to teach a particular understanding of the Christian faith?

Now if you want to kill me, please keep reading the upcoming posts. See you tomorrow.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure

If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com  

The way, the truth and the life

A friend asked a question: Do you consider John 14:6 to be a formula. John 14:6 says, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father, but by me."

A few weeks ago I had posted asking for questions, and this was sent in. I had also recently posted about how the church has created formulas that are not always helpful to our life as Christians.

And so here is this question about a passage that many Christians feel as fundamental to the faith. Way, truth and life... no one gets in except through me.

I am going to spend the next several days offering some thoughts about this passage. Many of you will not agree with me, but I encourage you to read all of the parts, until the end.

Part One... Is the way, the truth and the life a formula created by the church.

Oh, there is so much to talk about here… Please note as I begin this discussion, that there are words of Jesus that we cling to, and words of Jesus that we ignore and disobey. Some people love to cling to this passage, the way, the truth the life, but everyone ignores the passage: don’t lay up treasure in heaven.

So it is clear to me that the church has chosen to grasp onto certain phrases and ignore other ones outright.

Do I think it is a formula? Well it is almost certainly used as a formula by many denominations. They take the phrase and turn it into, “Jesus is the way the truth and the life. Anyone else is going to hell. And our denomination can tell you exactly what his way was, what his truth was, and then you can find the life.”

Friends, remember, Jesus words are always bigger that the local pastor’s understanding of them. Jesus' words are always bigger than a denominations formulaic use of them.

Also please keep in mind that we have no way to redirect or ask Jesus for clarification… Jesus, when you say this, does it mean this, does it mean that, or something else?So the short answer is that many churches have chosen this passage while ignoring others. They have put it on a banner with their flavor of Jesus infused.

These denominations tend to be the more fundamental and the more heavy.  Many Christians today have been taught the heavy approach, but they don't find it fitting into their world view of today.

More on this tomorrow.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure

If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com  

Where I work

Sometimes, where I work can be dangerous.  Mostly because I am working around water.  And in Florida, if there is water, there might be gators.  Or gator, singular.  It would only take one to ruin your day.

So you can see from the pictures that I am repairing a wooden fence that is along a canal.  Anytime I am in these areas, I always keep something sharp with me.  Gators can pop out of the water and up an embankment pretty fast.   And, at 66, I could easily become dinner.

And so as I begin the job, I pray, "Lord, help me do this job well and please keep me safe."

My concern is that lurking beneath the water, there is a gator, and he is praying, "Lord I thank you for this meal that I am about to consume."

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure

If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com  

Question - what to say when a pet dies

A friend sent in this question...

When a Pet dies, what do you say to the owner?

Well, first of all, never say, "It was just a cat it was just a dog." To a real pet owner, the furry friends become companions and members of our family. When you think about it, it is kind of painful to think that in the life time of a human, we could have 4 dogs or cats living consecutive lives… we would watch them grow from pups to full grown, and then watch them die, and we lose them, over and over in this life. But we love our pets so that is what we do.

Never suggest that they get another cat or dog. They know that they can do that.

And so, I think that usually, just as in a human death, way too much is said. We really should say nothing more than this: "I love you, and I am sorry."

Now, if they invite you into the discussion, I think it is fine to say more:

• Rover was a great dog. I loved him.
• I know you loved him. I know it hurts.
• If the lion lays down with the lamb in heaven, then I know we will see our pets again.

But as a general rule, I love you and I am sorry, is a good start and it is probably enough.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure

If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com  

Not them

I pulled into the church and parked on the street.  I noticed that my buddy Dave was getting out of his car.  I noticed his license plate.  It said, "not them."  I was intrigued.  Not them.  What does that mean.

So when I got into the church, I said hello to him, complemented him on his car, and then I asked him, what is the meaning of your license plate?

Not them.

He said it is simply this... when I have a problem, I want to blame others.  I want to blame them.  But it is not them. It is me.  Not them, it is me.

I love it!!!

More of us should think this way.  I am responsible for my issues.  Not them.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure

If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com 

Trouble in the check out line

I received this story from a Kansas City friend...

This morning I stopped by Price Chopper on my way to the airport (going to Denver to cheer on the Chiefs!!!).  I picked up Zicam (to ensure that I don’t get sick and can cheer on our guys in red) and I grabbed a banana to ensure that I wouldn’t get hangry on the flight.  [I try to be a nice person, but when I am hungry, all bets are off.]

As I scoped out the check out lines, I realized that it is too early in the day for the self-checkout register to be open. There is only one cashier open and one customer has just started unloading her huge cart of groceries. 

Now I am in a hurry, and I think to myself this is going to take forever.  I knew that there was nothing that I could do, so I just tried to relax and I smiled at the lady putting her groceries on the belt. She promptly asked if all I had was the two items in my hand and I replied yes. She said, “here just add them to my order, I’ve got you covered.” 

What? You want to pay for my things???  Of course, I said to her that is a very sweet gesture but no I couldn’t do that especially since the Zicam was $13.00.  She insisted and looked me in the eyes and said, “consider this a pay it forward moment, take the money you would have used to pay for these items and find a good cause or a person in need to give it to.”  I tried to hand her a $20 but again she denied my money.  I realized that if I forced her to take the money, I would be denying her the gift of bringing some joy to me.

So, I gave this complete stranger who had a huge heart, a hug right there in the grocery store check out lane. She handed me my two items and I promised I would find a person or cause to pass it on to. This 3 minute exchange brought both her and me joy and I can’t wait to look for an opportunity to help someone else out.

Jeff comments:  What a lovely example of generosity!  Oh that we all would seek ways to be more kind, gracious and generous.  And an interesting thought... next time someone is behind me in line with almost nothing, instead of just letting them go before me, pay for their stuff.  I love it!!!

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure

If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com  

Discomfort and Ambiguity

I had breakfast last week with Courtney and Rhonda, two wonderful ladies that I used to work with.  We had a wonderful time and it was so good to see them.

We talked about many things, but one of the discussion pieces was on living with discomfort and ambiguity in this life. In a world filled with ambiguity, humans prefer certainty. We would prefer black and white but so often in life there are gray areas.

Ambiguity is that movement in life that causes us to feel like things are just a bit out of kilter. Change brings distress. Complicated, uncomfortable lives can rob us of peace.

We want things to go back to the way that they were. Remember when so and so was president? Remember when everyone went to church? Remember when the stock market was good? We wish for the old days, but I suggest to you that the old days had their moments as well.

Life is fluid. Life is moving. Our society is big, complicated, technical and mobile. Literally, before we can acclimate to one change, another is coming along. And so I keep reminding myself and others: we prefer certainty, but there is going to be ambiguity. Learn to be comfortable in a world that is not static. Learn to be comfortable with change. Learn to be comfortable with lose ends.  Learn to be comfortable with discomfort.

Our comfort in this life cannot be based on everything going and being just the way that we want it to go and be. The world refuses to align itself to make me or you happy.  Our comfort must be found in trusting in God.  Keep the big picture in mind.  Stay focused.  Stay on track.  Keep loving.  Everything is OK.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure

If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com  

More on the Book of Revelation

Here are some questions about our understanding of the book of Revelation

Is it possible that a person could be taught something [about the book of Revelation], but then realize later in life that what they learned was a misrepresentation?
[yes of course.]

Is it possible that if one generation of people is told that blue is yellow, and they tell their kids the same, that eventually the society will forget that blue is really blue, even defending the position that blue is yellow?
[yes, it happens all the time.]

Is it possible that the loudest voice is not always the correct voice?
[yes.]

Have you as a Christian, ever considered other Christian life paradigms? In other words, what do Christians in Ethiopia believe? Is it the same as what we believe?
[Most of us don't, but we should. Not every Christian believes what you do.]

Who was Revelation written to? What was going on in their world? Does an understanding of the original setting impact my understanding of the book for today?
[Revelation was written to 7 churches. They were historical churches of the early New Testament times. The church was being persecuted by the Romans.] [To read a book without understanding the intent of the author is like us finding a letter from George to Martha Washington and asking what it means to us.]

The Bible contains many types of literature- History, wisdom, apocalyptic and letters among the list. Are all passages of Scripture to be read and understood in the same way?
[no]

Are there parts of parables that are just part of the story? For example in the parable of the house on the rock and the house on the sand, is it fair to ask- where is the house? Who is the owner?

What is apocalyptic literature? What is the general point of its writing- the normal nuances of this genre of literature?
[Apocalyptic writing usually insists on the demise of the present evil age and a promise of a victorious future with God. It is written about the writer's age, not ours.]

What is dispensationalism? Where did it come from? How long has it been around as a doctrine? Does this cause you to think differently about some of the associated doctrines?
[Dispensationalism has given rise to many false teachings in the church, including the notion of a rapture. Nothing like this was not taught prior to 1850]

Do the overarching themes of Scripture teach that we will be saved from difficulty, or does it teach that God is with us through the difficulty?
[We are sometimes saved, but not always saved and the point of faith is not that we should be saved from difficulty.]

Is solid doctrine built on a patch work quilt of chosen Scriptures, or on the overarching themes of Scripture?
[main themes of course.]

Americans are fixated with knowledge. Is the point of the Christian life to know everything or to live a life that is full of God's love
[love of course]

How many Bible teachers have been wrong about their interpretation of the scriptures regarding the end of time?
[all of them, but some of them made lots of money selling books.]

Where might all of these questions point us regarding our understanding of the book of Revelation and the Christian life? What is the purpose of the Christian life?
[The purpose of the Christian life is to love God and to love others. We may find difficulty in this life, but in the end, God is victorious.]

We live in God's world, and it is a beautiful, fear free day in God's world.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure


If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Question 3

A delightful man sent in a question about Biblical Prophecy.  His question was, in my opinion, has biblical prophecy been fulfilled in the past.

Here is my short answer:  Yes.  Everything except the return of Jesus has been fulfilled in the past.

Many readers will jump to "end of time prophecies."  And as you know, many preachers have made a living out of pulling scriptures out of context, combining them together in ways that are arbitrary, and coming up with maps of the end of time and dates for the end.  There is a great book called, "The Last Days are here Again" by Richard Kyle.  In the book he goes thru church history and outlines every group who made a calendar and set a date for Jesus return.   I guess that humans like to feel that they are special and living in special times.

In my opinion, this is a waste of time.  The rapture and attached teachings were not taught prior to the 1850's.  It is a new teaching in the timeline of Christianity.  If you don't believe me, read about it online, read about John Nelson Darby and how this teaching emerged.

A companion thought to this is that the book of Revelation is not about the future, it is about the past.  John wrote Revelation about what was happening in his day and he wrote it for the Christians being persecuted by Rome.  I am not a scholar, but this is the view of all Biblical scholars.

So, in my opinion, except for the return of Jesus, all "Biblical prophecy" has already taken place.

To me the good news about this is that we can stop worrying and stop speculating about the end of time, about Israel and the Middle East.  We don't have to worry about some tribulation time coming in the future.  Instead, we can relax and live and live and live lives of love.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure

If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com  

what problems?

So when I was in high school, I had a young life leader named Jim.

He was tall, good-looking, and played the guitar.  Was a big shot at a very big high school in California for all of the afore mentioned reasons.  His favorite scripture was Romans Eight, "I recognize that the present sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed." 

I can remember at 17 wondering and thinking, "He is 24. What does he know about suffering?" 

What did any of us know about suffering?  We lived in nice three-bedroom subdivision homes. Yes in the mid-70's there were gas lines at the local station, but it was a sign of the times.  Even with the gas crisis, America was booming. It was great times. What suffering could he have been talking about?

And then I stop and think... a person can get cleaned up.  They can put on nice clothes.  Then can even don a smile.  But still inside, they could be hurting.  Lots of happy, pretty, shiny people are hurting on the inside.

Jim, where ever you are, I hug you from afar.  I hope that you have found peace thru the years.

And if you are reading this blog today and your life is chocked full of pain and suffering... I care.  I hurt for you.  I hurt with you.  May you find grace and love and healing.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure

If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com  

Question 2

A dear friend sent in this question...

How do I adapt those difficult scriptures that forbid or condemn certain things to today's world without feeling guilty about changing the word of the Lord? How do I know that this is the right thing to do?


First of all, we need a view of scripture that understands that it is here for us, we are not here for it. It does not control us or dominate us, it is here for us to use to help us find God. We do not serve scripture, but it serves us.

Secondly, everyone picks and chooses. There are many scriptures that we ignore. We don't condone slavery. We don't eat our children during war time. We don't stone rebellious sons. It is ok to understand that there are some scriptures that we just do not follow. Again, referring to #1, scripture is here for us... it does not own us.

Thirdly... feeling guilty over scripture is a never ending disaster should we choose to go down that road. Imagine all of the passages that we cannot live up to: Not storing up treasure, withholding from the poor, not covering our heads, etc. If we want to feel guilty about scripture, then we can spend our lives doing so. Again, refer to #1. Scripture is given to us as a guide to help us find God. It does not own us and it is not God. Only God is God... the Bible is not God, only God is God.

In summary, I would say to you and to all that God has given us, you and me, the gift of this life. We can spend it feeling guilty, we can spend it being worried over little things, or we can wake to the day with joy in our hearts and give every moment to God and to his people.

Imagine that you wrote a list of thoughts and advice to your children. Would you want them to feel guilty if they didn't follow it exactly as you presented? No! We know that all of our children are different. We want them to live lives of joy, not worry.

Each person has a right to their spiritual journey. My hope and prayer is that we make our choices and live with joy. I think that this is more important to God than any of our common human worries. Find peace, find joy and live it out. Don't sweat the scripture stuff. Live and love.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Missional

I remember the first time I heard the word missional.  Someone said that it wasn't a word.  Well, that word, and that concept resonated with me.  And as we began to talk about it at church, it resonated with most of the congregation.

I remember one lady telling me that we needed more about the bible and less about missions.  I told her the bible was about missions.

Friends, if a church isn't in mission, if it isn't helping the poor, how is it the church?

For us to consider ourselves followers of Jesus, we need less doctrine, no judgment and lots more missions.  Christians should be engaged in missional living, finding ways to help the poor.  Churches should be talking about this, and members should be the foot soldiers in following Jesus in mission.

That is more "shoulds" than I like to have in a post, but you get the idea.  We are not here to believe the right things, we are here to love one another and to give our lives selflessly to the broken and to the least of these.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure

If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com  

Jesus did not start the church

When we think of today's church, what do we think of?

Bishops and Pastors.  Elders and deacons.  Buildings.  Service times.  Traditional vs contemporary.  The trinity.  The sinner's prayer.  Pot luck dinners.  Pews.  Choirs.

Jesus did not start any of that.  JESUS DID NOT START ANY OF THAT.

What Jesus did try to start was a way of living, a way of love.  Turning the other cheek.  Helping the poor.  Going the second mile.  

Friends, as Christ followers in 2023, we need less church stuff and more Jesus stuff.  They are not the same.   Insist that your church engage in more Jesus stuff.  Less doctrine and more love.  Less rules and more grace.  

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure

If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com  

Halloween

My mom was a pretty fundamental Christian. Everything was black and white. Lots of judgment. That was then, this is now. She is in heaven with Jesus now and I know that she is basking in his love and sharing it with others. She is whole.

So what does this have to do with Halloween? My mom, the fundamental Christian, loved Halloween. She set aside all of her dogmas and let the dogs out for Halloween. Demons that were feared and riled against during the rest of the year were amicably welcomed on Halloween. She had more Halloween decorations than Christmas ones.......

One of my favorites was a sign, which went up every year on the front door. The sign had an ugly witch on it and it said, "Welcome kiddies, put all your goodies in the box below... go quietly and no one will get hurt." Yes there was a box underneath the sign. No one ever left any candy, but I find the story to be so funny.

As a child we would run from house to house, covering many blocks.  When our pillow cases got full, we would go home and empty them out and go back for more.  Sometimes when we got home, we found that our Dad had raided our candy and pulled out the Hershey bars!!!

These days, things are different.  Children do not run unsupervised... they go out protected by parents.  It is a shame what our world has become.

But my family still loves Halloween.  Chili on the stove, scary movies on the TV.  Kids coming to the door... it is a great day that we look forward to each year.

Have a Happy Halloween. October 31 is the Lord's day too. This is our father's world.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure

If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com  

What you said

Someone emailed me and said, "thank you for what you said."

I have noticed in life that I really appreciate it when someone calls it out, when someone tells it like it is, when I feel like I am getting a straight perspective.

Sometimes I read people and I think, "thank you for saying that!  That is exactly what I was thinking.  Someone finally said what I was thinking!"

I want this blog to be that.  I want it to be a place where the writing and the ideas are actually saying what we are all thinking.  I want to be brave enough to challenge the status quo if need be.

Keep pushing on me.  Please ask me to write about the hard things.  I grow by my interaction with all of you.

And by the way, I think that the people around you will benefit hugely- from you being candid with them.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Old Friend

I ran into an old friend the other night.  We used to go to church together.  Times change, things change, marriages end, I moved to Florida.

This friend said to me, I have felt so bad about changing churches, about not staying up with you, about a few other things.

Hmmm.  Stop.

When you think of me, don't feel bad.  Ever.  You have not let me down.  I am not upset with you.  When you think of me - only feel good.  Let there be nothing between us except joy and happiness.  Let there be nothing between us except for kindness and peace.

Don't worry about anything, ever.  All is well.

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

- - - - - - - - - -

I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Question 1

A few weeks ago I asked for questions to be submitted.  I have received about five of them.  I am going to start working on answering them.  Here is the first one, and it come from one of my very favorite humans.

"Why don't we have communion every Sunday in our Church?"

Answer... many different denominations and churches within denominations have different practices regarding the frequency of communion.

All Catholic churches have it every Sunday.  Some other churches have it once a quarter.  I grew up in a church that had it 2x a month.  When I was at Woods Chapel in Lees Summit, as a general rule, we had it once a month, except we had it every Sunday at the 8am service.

This is one of those church items that people and pastors have differing ideas and preferences about.

But in my experience, in most protestant churches, I think you will find communion once a month, usually on the first Sunday.  Some pastors want to do it every week, and others will do it less often.

It can be unsettling when a new pastor comes in and changes the frequency of Communion, but ultimately the decision is up to them and the worship committee if the church has one.

I would encourage you to make it meaningful, whether you get to receive it weekly or once a month.

I hope that helps.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure

If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com  

Jesus and guns

Would Jesus own a gun?  I doubt it.  He said that he didn't have a place to lay his head.  So, no place to keep a gun.  After all, what would he do with it?  Shoot someone?

Now I am not anti-gun.  We own 2.  But I am not a fan of assault rifles.  I only see them used for one thing. 

And so I saw this lovely car in the parking lot of the Orthopedic doctor.  It had two, in my opinion, mutually exclusive stickers...

So I love Jesus, but I also have an assault weapon.  If you want it, try to come and take it because I will kill you.  Is this the message that Christians want to send?

We need to be a little more careful when sticking labels on our cars.  I don't think that these two go together.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

New Hymn

A new hymn

Last Sunday in church we sang a new hymn. I loved it! I thought that the message of the words was fantastic...

Pastor Tim told me after service that we did not know it because it came from the Baptists. When I looked it up, Google said that it was a Mormon hymn.

At any rate, the words were great!!!

Because I Have Been Given Much
Because I have been given much,
I too must give;
Because of thy great bounty Lord,
Each day I live;
I shall divide my gifts from thee
With every brother that I see
Who has the need of help from me.

Because I have been sheltered, fed
By thy good care;
I cannot see another’s lack and I not share;
My glowing fire, my loaf of bread,
my roof's safe shelter overhead
That he too may be comforted.

Because I have been blessed by
thy great love dear Lord;
I’ll share thy love again
According to thy word;
I shall give love to those in need,
I’ll show that love by word and deed;
Thus shall my thanks be thanks in deed.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

compassion fatigue

I feel it sometimes.  It is this feeling that I just can't take any more bad news.  So I turn the TV off.  I don't read that article on the internet.  My heart just cannot take anymore.

Sometimes I think that this is ok.  I would rather see my friends and hug them.  I would rather hang with people that I can just enjoy life with.  Sometimes I can't take any more.

The problem with this is that such an attitude can empower the very evil that we are against.  Evil triumphs when good men do nothing.

So, take a break if you must.  But after your heart has some time to heal, reengage the world.  Work for good.  Use the power that God has given you to be the Good Samaritan.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

70,000 posts

I saw a commercial on TV the other morning.  The commercial was against hate.  I don't know if it is true, but the commercial indicated that the following quote was posted online 70,000 times last year.  Here is the quote:  "Hitler was right."

WHAT??? Are you kidding me?  What is wrong with people?  He produced a killing machine that killed 6 million Jews.  Who in the world could think that this is a good thing.  Well, I actually went online into some of these websites and read some of the hatred.  It made me sick to my stomach.  What is wrong with people?

I guess that it is easier for some to hate, than it is to love.  I don't know why.  Personally I find that loving is much easier than hating.

They say that when you get old, you get bitter or you get better.  May we all, as we age, think harder, be more reflective, show compassion and follow the way of love.   Please choose to love.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

religious or decent

If given the choice between being a religious person or a decent person, which would you choose?

My friend Arlene sent me an article about Americans losing their religion. There was this quote that I found to be interesting. One person that was interviewed said,

click here to read the entire article

"I'm not involved in any kind of religious group whatsoever," he said. "I'm involved in being a decent human being to the people I meet."

When I was a kid, I was taught that being good or decent did not get you into heaven. You had to follow the formulas of the church.

These days, I am more convinced that being a person of love is the only thing that matters and that the formulas of the church were largely developed to maintain power over followers.

Probably the best example that supports this way of thinking is the story of the Good Samaritan. In that story that Jesus tells, the religious people pass by on the other side. The hero of the story is the broken, hated, outcast Samaritan who stops to help.

No wonder that so many people are leaving organized religion.

Having said this... there are some examples of churches that I know of that are worth joining and worth supporting. One of them is Ft. Pierce First UMC, the other is Woods Chapel UMC. I am sure there are others, but if you are looking for a church, look for one that is missional. Missional churches focus on sharing God's love, and that is what it is all about.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

The Bad Boy File

So I have been cleaning out boxes in the garage.  When I left Woods Chapel, I probably had 30 boxes of books and sermons.  By the time I left Cape Coral, I had ten boxes.  When I was done with the interim work at Ft. Pierce First UMC, I was down to 4 boxes.

The other day I got it down to two boxes.  One of the things that I came across in the purge was the "bad boy file" and the "good boy file."

The good boy file is a file, actually a series of files in which I saved hundreds of nice notes received over the years.

The bad boy file is a very small file, but it is filled with the most painful, hurtful notes that I received in 30 years as a pastor.  As I read thru the bad boy file, I remembered every single incident and every single person who delivered the pain.  It was really nice that I could just see them and read them and remember, and not feel the pain.  Because at the time that they were delivered, they were very painful.

Anyway, I am keeping the good boy file.  The bad boy file is going away.  As an interesting point of irony, as I take the file into the garage for disposal, I have a choice of where to put it... in the recycle bin [it is after all only paper] or I can put it in the trash.  I chose the trash.  As some point in our lives, we need to release ourselves and move on from the memories of hurt and disappointment from the past.

No more bad boy file!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

The mills of the Gods

There is an old saying, "the mills of the gods grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine."  My Dad said it all the time, and when he said it, he would laugh.  Ugh!

So mills grind grain.  They break it down to make it useful.

According to the saying, the most powerful mills belong to God, to the gods or to the powers that be.  They take their time in grinding us.  But they grind well, and they grind fine.  They eventually break us down so that we "get it."

This is another approach to the concept of Karma.  All in good time.  What goes around comes around.

So I thought of this saying after visiting my daughter and her family in Chicago.  Now with a couple of children, the mills of the Gods are catching up with my daughter.  Life has a way of breaking us down and helping us realize that maybe our parents were not as dumb as we thought.

I remember a family at church that left us in a very hateful, scathing manner.  We were not promoting the values that they thought we should.  Some years later, their children grew up and chose values that they did not agree with.  And the pain comes home.  The mills of the gods break us down slowly.

The moral of this story is that we need to show as much grace as we can to everyone.  The mills just may be working on us.

The mills of the gods grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

kind and gracious

Overheard somewhere, read somewhere, not original to me....

If your religion isn't making you more kind, more sweet and more gracious, it is time to change.

If you are Hindu, Baptist, Moslem, Presbyterian, Methodist, Buddhist, Assembly of God or whatever flavor you may wave the flag for... if it is not making you sweeter, more kind and more gracious, then it is time to change to a flavor that does.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Faith part 2

I posted last Sunday about faith.  One of the things that I said was that "God does not exist to solve our problems."

One of my readers wanted clarification.... if God is not in the business of solving our problems, then why do we pray?

Great question.  Here is how I would answer:  God might solve our problem, might intervene to fix a situation, but lets face reality.  People with lots of prayers going on, still lose loved ones.  Just because prayer is not a guarantee of an outcome does not mean that we should not pray.  We can certainly pray for what we want, but we should always include the phrase, "not my will but thine be done."

The other comment that I would make is a thought about the purpose of prayer.  In my opinion, prayer does not exist for us to change God's mind or control him.  Prayer is there to make us sweeter.  Prayer should make us more kind.  Prayer should help us to find peace as we fall into the workings of God in this world.

So, no, God does not exist to solve our problems.  He cares about our problems, but our primary engagement with God should not be to insist that he play Santa Claus, but rather our primary engagement with God should be for us to get lost in his love.  

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

The Doors

So I’m driving to the job site.  The sun is not up - it is a dark drive to work. Then, on the radio comes the Doors song "Light My Fire."  My brain is transported back in time, to another day when I was driving to work in the dark. It was 1975 and I was 18 years old. I was the “maintenance man" at McDonald’s.  That shift started at 5am. Back then I made $2.05 an hour. On the way to work that morning I ran out of gas. Well, I was always running on empty, so I kept a gallon of gas in the back of the car. 

That morning in the dark in 1975 as I was pouring gas into my '73 Chevy Vega, the song playing on the radio was The Doors "light my fire."

I don’t know why I remember that morning, that experience.  Our brains are amazing for what they remember and what they forget.  But now, every time the Doors, light, my fire comes on, I remember that day running out of gas in 1975. 

 Maybe in the future I’ll remember driving to that store in Rochester, New York as well.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

making room for others

Manager parks by front door.

So I’ve been working out of town all week at this retail store. We have 1/4 of the parking lot completely blocked off and another quarter impaired. I guess you could park there but it’s not as easy. 

And I’ve noticed every day that the staff has come to work at the store and they all park in the very best places closest to the front door. It’s like they have no regard at all for their customers, many of whom are elderly. 

This reminds me of a story the bishop once told, he said that he could tell everything about a church simply by where the pastor parked. 

What do you take for yourself? Do you take the best for yourself? Even if other people would need it? What do I take to myself? I should think about this more.

Over the years, I had to ask people to change service times, go to a different service, scoot into the middle of the pew, and park further away, all to accommodate others. Some pushed back and complained, but most got it. Most people understood the principal of displacing myself so that others can be included.

The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12 "Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves."

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Rude

I remember some years ago I was eating at the First Watch on 40 highway - the one across from Lowe’s. Todd was telling me, Todd the server was telling me about one of the members of our 50-50 group being rude to him. 

I knew exactly who it was. I was absolutely mortified.  I was so upset that members of our church would go out to eat with the church group and be rude to one of the servers. 

The following Sunday I brought it up.  I didn’t name the group and I didn’t name the people, but I did name the restaurant and the server.

I can only hope that the couple that was rude got the message.  I hope that many people heard the message:  We have no right to be rude to anyone.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Faith

Faith is not magic.  Faith does not promise the desired outcome.  You can stand on all the promises that you want and still sometimes not get what you want.  God does not exist to solve our problems.

What faith does though, is this, it gives us the gumption to get up and go.  And if we get up and go, maybe something good will come.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Why?

Russia invades Ukraine.

Someone, Russia?  Blows up one of Finland's gas supply lines at the beginning of winter.

Hamas does what it did.

I am sick of it.  I am heart sick of it.  Why can't we just get along?  Where in the world is basic kindness?  What ever happened to do unto others as you would have them do unto you?  Why can't we just get along?

Unfortunately, at the end of the day, the only person that I can control is me.  And so may we all do that.  May we fill the world with charity and kindness every day in every way.  May we go overboard with kindness.

Here are some specific ideas:

• Ask the server their name.
• Tip. Tip big.
• Be generous. Live a generous life.
• Speak kindly, even to mean people.
• Drive with compassion for the other drivers.
• Say thank you.

And on it goes.  I can't do anything about Putin or Hamas, but I can do something about me, and you can do something about you.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

More on Israel

Let me begin with an update on our tour guide Avi Ben Joseph.  Several who have travelled with me to Israel have asked how he is doing.  He is ok.  He is heartbroken, but he is ok.  He is posting on Facebook and you can keep up with him there.

As more information about the attack on Israel comes out, I am shocked and angered by the behavior of Hamas.  I watched some videos about the rapes that took place.  And the murder of innocent civilians, including babies.

I am crying as I write this.  To me, this is not an issue to take sides on.  Democrats, Republicans and Independents should unite as human beings just as we did after 9-11.

There comes a time in life when we have to stop making excuses for evil.  We have to stop bargaining with it.   The mask is off of the Hamas terrorists.   They have to be dealt with.  Evil has to be eradicated, no matter what that means.  It is unfortunate that more civilians will suffer in Gaza because of Israel's response but this group can no longer be harbored.   Events like this cannot be allowed to happen again.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  Pray that hearts that hate can learn to forgive and love.

 

questions

I listened to three sermons the other day from my Pastor friends at Woods Chapel Church. Evidently they had solicited questions from the congregation and answered them on Sunday morning during the sermon.It was spontaneous and funny.  It was great.

I got to thinking... maybe my blog readers would want to submit questions for me to answer?  If you do, please just send them by email to jsbrink57@gmail.com

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Tailgating

Tailgating or, thoughts on following too close.

One of the things that annoys me the most in life is riding in a car with a driver who follows too closely.  I used to do this until I ran into the back of a jeep.  That was 1997.  My kids think that I drive like a grandpa, but I don't care.  I am not going to run into another car again.

I am not sure why people tailgate.  It is after all, against the law.  It is also dangerous.  I just assume that everyone was taught the "one car length rule."  The one car length rule teaches us that for every 10 miles per hour, you leave one car length between you and the car in front of you.  But you might say, then someone will jump in front of me... yes, they might, but then you back off to the correct and safe following distance.  Just because someone else is driving like a maniac, does not mean that you should.

When I was learning to drive, my father told me, "son, you have the basics down, now you just need to work on driving so that others in the car are comfortable."

Please have mercy on those who are travelling with you.  Don't go more than 5mph over the speed limit and keep a safe and legal following distance.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Israel

My heart goes out to Israel.  Ugg - there is a gut punch in my stomach.  Imagine how they must feel.  

When the planes struck on 9-11 I called my dad and asked him if this was like Pearl Harbor.  He told me that it was worse.  I asked him why.  He told me, "On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor, a military installation was attacked.  Military property and soldiers were targeted."

On 9-11, civilians were attacked.  That is why it is worse than Pearl Harbor.

Now we have civilians targeted, murdered, and over 100 taken hostage.  I cannot imagine.  I cannot imagine what the response of our government would be if Canada launched 5,000 missiles into our country, attacked 20 towns and took civilians hostage.

There must be a terrible outrage in Israel.

My heart is sick.

I pray for Israel, I pray for my friend and tour guide Avi Ben Joseph.

Not sure where any of this is going, but the door to a very dark time may have just opened.

It is hard to say that it is a beautiful day.  But I will continue to believe that this is our Father's world.  

How they think

Why did they do this? Why don't they do that? I don't understand their actions. I don't understand their behavior.

Ever feel that way?

Remember: Everyone's behavior makes sense if you have enough information.

I don't/you don't understand how they think because they don’t think how you think. I know you think the way that you think is right. I think the way that I think it’s right. But they don’t think the way you think and they don’t think the way that I think They have a right to think the way that they think. So leave them alone, give them some grace and understand that not everybody thinks the way that Jeff does.

Whatever they are doing, it makes sense to them. I cannot control the world. They have a right to their actions and choices whether I understand them or not.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.- - - - - - - - - -

I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

how much time

Let's say that you are only going to live for the next hour.  How much of that hour do you want to devote to feeling guilty or bad about yourself?  How many minutes will you allocate to anxiety and worry.

None.  Because I only have one hour left to live.

What if I have 24 hours.  Same question:  How much time will I allocate to worry, guilt and anxiety?

Answer is the same.  None.  Because I only have 24 hours.

What about a year.  Let's say that you have a year?  You will spent a certain amount of that year eating, sleeping, going to the bathroom, etc.  How much of this coming up year [your last one] do you want to spend engaged in worry, guilt and anxiety?

NONE!!!  I only have one year left.  I want to fill it with good.  With love, joy, peace and kindness!!!

Ok, so friends.  We do not know how much time we actually have left.  Why in the world would you allow worry or anxiety or guilt to flood your heart and mind?  Every moment that you spend feeling bad, is a moment gone forever.  It is a moment wasted.

Friend......... God loves you... YOU!  He does not want your life to be filled with guilt, anxiety or worry.  Accept the love.  Accept the grace.  Don't waste another moment of another day of another year on the bad stuff.

We just don't know how much time we have left.  Use every minute for good.

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

- - - - - - - - - -

I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

save someone else

So you see something that is not right.  You can say, "not my problem."  You can leave the broken thing for the next person to find.

Or, you can take the time and make the effort to help the next person down the line.

I was working at my daughter's house in Chicago.  I noticed this nail in the driveway.  I pick it up so that it does not end up in one of their tires.  I did not do this because it was my daughter's house, I do this all the time.  I have had enough nails and screws in my tires over the years, that if I ever see one in a parking lot or such, I pick it up.  Save the next person the headache.

There have to be many such ways that this can apply to the rest of life:  pick up the banana peel, remove the poison ivy, let someone know that your rental car has a tire with a slow leak... take the trash out so the next person does not have to... and on and on it can go.

Don't leave a problem for the next person.  If you can fix it, go for it.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Glad to see you

Recently I have run into some people who are glad to see me.  How shocking!!! Glad to see me???

Well, every encounter that we have with another human has the potential to be a cold prickly or a warm fuzzy.  We all much more prefer the meetings that are filled with warmth.

When you meet someone with joy, when you light up when you see them, when you rush in to give them a warm hug, you are making their day.

You may not think of your actions as powerful, but simply being glad to see someone can brighten up their insides.

Be glad to see someone.  It just may make them glad to see you!

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Veto Power

I have started giving other people veto power.  I have an idea, but I want to make sure that you know that you have veto power.

I think this is important when you are introducing an idea into the equation that might be challenging to the other person.  I want them to be at ease.  I want them to be able to consider the idea that I am presenting without worry or pressure.

I have an idea to share with you, but I want you to know that you have full veto power.

It is kind of a fun thing to inject into a conversation.  It is a nice reminder to me and to them that this is not about me.  Yes, I have an idea, but you have veto power.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

We are in our 60's

Ok folks.  It's time for a reality check.

We are in our 60's.  We are in the 4th quarter of the game.  We are nearing the two minute warning.

It is time to focus our life, our time, our minds, and our energy on good things.

No more time for guilt.  No more time for resentment.  No more time for hurt feelings.  No more time for blaming others.  No more time for smallness.

We have the experience and the wisdom to live better lives.  Apologize if you need to.  Get over hurt feelings.  Let go of resentment.  Flee from guilt and remorse.

We are nearing the end of the journey.  Let's fill our lives with good.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Quote

First of all, Happy Birthday to my Dad. Paul Brinkman died in 2002 at the age of 75. If he were still alive today he would be turning 96 today. I miss him still.

My friend Bruce sent in this quote...

"Perhaps the most important thing we bring to another person is the silence in us, not the sort of silence that is filled with unspoken criticism or hard withdrawal. The sort of silence that is a place of refuge, of rest, of acceptance of someone as they are. We are all hungry for this other silence."
                                      RACHEL NAOMI REMEN

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

My job

I remembered this story from when I was working in the church fulltime.

Sometimes it feels like you have to do everything. Well, this certain thing was my job. It was my responsibility. I have always done this thing. Hundreds of times I have done this. Now, without so much as saying anything to me, someone else wants to take it over. Wait, you can't do it, I am supposed to do it.

I didn't get anywhere. I tried again. I started feeling tension with that person.  Only I can do this!!!  Then I made a strategic decision.

Even though this is my job and I have always done it, and I am supposed to do it now, I am going to step back and watch. I am going to let this other person do it. I am just going to go with the flow. What is the worst that could happen?

And, I learned something. They did it. They did it well. Maybe even a better job than I would have done. I was worrying for nothing and I learned much about the capabilities of another.

What are you worried about today? Are there others that can help and would help if you would give them a chance?  How big of a deal is this task really?  The world can continue to exist without me having to do everything that I think that I need to do.

Sometimes I think we miss enjoying life because we are way too busy.  Jesus said, don't worry. Seek the kingdom. Maybe if I relax a little more and let go of some things, I will find the peace of the kingdom a little more often.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

I don't read your blog

A friend wrote to me and told me that they had stopped reading my blog.  Then they told me that they had been feeling guilty about not reading the blog.

Now that is the last thing that I want anybody to do... to feel guilty about anything related to me.  Read it or not, that is up to you.  Live your life and be filled with joy!!!

Anyway, they said that when they started reading it again, they came across a post that suggested that we should not feel guilty for anything.  So they stopped reading.

I love that!  We accomplished something!

The world needs fewer worriers and more people who just live and love.  Please be freed to live.

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

Rules for life

Not sure what the source is on this, but someone sent it to me the other day and it continues to be good, common sense advice.

Bill Gates rules for life-
RULE 1-Life is not fair - get used to it.

RULE 2-The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

RULE 3-You will NOT make $50,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice president with a car and phone, until you earn all three.

RULE 4-If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

RULE 5-Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a
different word for burger flipping - they called it opportunity.

RULE 6-If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your
mistakes, learn from them.

RULE 7-Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you are.

RULE 8-Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as many times you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

RULE 9-Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.

RULE 10-Television and video gaming is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to work.

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

Inner Voice

I have to tell you about last Thursday morning.

I woke up late at 8:20 AM. I slept for over 10 hours. I didn’t even set an alarm because my first appointment wasn't until 9 AM. I never sleep that long. Cathy had to wake me up. What a great start it was to get that much sleep!

So breakfast with my sister and her husband was the first order of the day. We had a lovely time catching up. My sister is recovering from lung surgery and it was great to see them.

As I drove around that morning, I was listening to a podcast about how we think, and they were talking about intuition, about listening to your inner voice. The podcaster said that the correct inner voice is the one that’s always positive, always loving and is always expansive. I love that thought. We don't have to listen to negative internal voices.

So I took a good look inside my heart and asked myself what I should do... I stopped by the dollar tree to buy some chocolate for my plane flight next week. I always give it to the flight attendants - but you know that. I was near the Veterans thrift store. The inner voice suggested I go there, so I did. I have a friend that volunteers there. Well, she wasn’t there, but I had a wonderful look about the thrift store. I live in Vero Beach where a lot of retired folks go and pass on into eternity. Consequently a lot of their very nice stuff is ending up in thrift stores. If you are ever in Florida where a lot of well-to-do retired people live [I’m not one of them] Be sure to visit the thrift stores. I saw some really cool stuff there.

Then I listened to the inner voice and it suggested that I go by to visit Bob Tuttle. Bob was a seminary professor of mine. He is now experiencing some dementia. I had stopped by on Sunday and no one was there. I thought, "oh I could see him another time." But the truth is, we never know if you’re gonna be able to see that person another time or not. So I was determined to stop and see him. He was home and his sister was visiting. There was a caretaker there and the four of us had an absolutely marvelous visit. I walked away from that visit so happy and so filled.

Then I called my friend Bruce. I needed some advice on buying a Mustang from my sister in California. I have to figure out how to get it from California to Florida. I priced the transport trucks and they were much more expensive than I thought. I talked to Bruce about maybe flying out with me and driving it back. I was in a quandary about what to do. He told me that he was looking forward to, and excited about spending the time together those days. So now I have a cross country trip planned and it’s giving me something to look forward to.

This is a random story about a random day. I don’t know if these stories means anything to anyone but I would say this... listen to your inner voice. You may not always get another chance to visit that old friend. Listen for the love, listen for the kindness, listen for the positivity in the true inner voice.

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

civil

I watched the movie "The Mule" with Clint Eastwood.  I watched it for probably the third time the other day.  I caught a quote that I had not grasped before.

Regarding his estranged former wife, he said, "we had ten good years together, at least we could be civil."

Actually I think that this is a good point.  Sometimes people need to throw other people away when they get hurt.  Sometimes people need to hurt back when they get hurt.

Let me say this about that...  It is usually not necessary to throw another person away.  It is never necessary to hurt back.  

Resist the urge to hurt others.  It is not necessary.  Get ahold of yourself and bring your best self to the table.  You will be glad that you did.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

anxiety

I hear from many people who experience anxiety, fear and anger.  

Someone pulled out in front of me in traffic.  Someone brought more than 10 things to the express line.  I need to pray to be a better person.  I am worried about _____.  [fill in the blank]

We all know and we all feel anxiety.  What if every time we felt anxiety we recognized it instead as a moment that we could show grace? 

Instead of wanting to correct or punch that person, I could consider their situation in life.  I could offer them grace.  I could relax and make room for others.  I could expand my heart.  I could find some more joy.

I think that when we respond to anxiety with anxiety, well then things just get worse.  But when we can bring grace to the party, things always get better.

Do unto others as you would have them to do unto you...

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Identity Collapse

I was listening to a podcast the other day and the author used the phrase "identity collapse."  They were using it in reference to leaving a cult.  Once you are out of the group, you no longer know who you are.  You have an identity collapse and must remake yourself.

I think that this also happens when we lose a job that is important to us.  Or if we lose a relationship that is important to us.  Or if we change our beliefs.  Sometimes, we have to face the fear of identity collapse and figure out how to remake ourselves.  This can be a dark time when a person feels very alone.  Who am I now?  What is my life about?

Stay with it.  Keep plugging along.

Whatever change you are facing, there is life on the other side.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Stealth

The F-35 went missing.  Last week, a fighter pilot bailed out of his F-35.  There was some sort of issue, obviously.  The pilot parachuted to safety.  The plane continued to fly.  The plane was an F-35, America's most stealthy new fighter.  They say that it's radar signal is about the size of a golf ball.

Guess what?  They lost track of the plane.  Military radar, which is much better than most, could not find the plane.  The Military asked civilians to be on the look out and help them find the plane.

Now that is stealth.

This reminds me of another story, a true story indeed.  I am not very connected, but I do know a few people.  I have a friend who was talking to someone very high up in the Navy.  The story trickles down to me that our submarines have never been detected.  Not even once.

Now that is stealth.

I guess I am writing this to offer thanks to God for living in a country where I don't have to fear the Russians, the Chinese or whoever the "other" country may be.  I give thanks to live in such a blessed place.  

May we Americans always appreciate our blessings and always use them for good.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com