street preacher

In response to Sunday's post, my friend Pat wrote in...

My wife and I walked home across the Plaza last night from dinner in Westport. There was a fellow with a similar shirt, standing on a small box with a portable megaphone and a bible shouting at the world going by about sinners, and salvation and Jesus. Mostly everyone who had to stop at the light was anxious for the light to change so they could get away from the din. Sort of like being stopped at a light next to a car with loud music going.

Shouting salvation never saved anyone, nor did it draw anyone near. The quiet voices draw our attention. And our actions do the most convincing.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Holy Land Trip leaving January 20, 2020 $2998 from New York
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/files/uploads/HL20A-2.pdf

Don't worry

Movies take us on an emotional journey.  The opening scene draws you in.  Then the drama unfolds and there is suspense, intrigue and wonder.  The hero or heroine often finds difficulty.  It is a nervous time.  What will  happen to the hero or heroine?  Usually, the movie resolves itself with the good guys winning.

So I have noticed that many times in the midst of the angst of a movie, I will start to worry about what is going to happen.  Is Rambo going to be able to get out of jail?  Will the kidnapped people be able to escape?  Will Private Ryan be saved?

Even though I have seen some of these movies over and over, during the crescendo, I am commonly nervous and worried.  But recently I am stopping my brain in these moments and reminding myself of the ending, or reminding myself that the good guys are going to win.

Stop yourself when you are worried in a movie and realize that the child is going to be saved and the war will be won.  The plane will land safely and everyone will get off the bus before it blows up.

Same is true now for real life.  We worry when we are in the midst of a trial or struggle.  We have forgotten that the story of our life has already been told.  No matter what happens along the way, we will arrive safely to our heavenly home.  In the midst of the difficulty, concern, or angst, remind yourself that it is all ok in the end.

God is with us, always.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -
I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Holy Land Trip leaving January 20, 2020  $2998 from New York

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/files/uploads/HL20A-2.pdf

Annoying

My friend Joe sent in this comic.  It is funny and it is sad, and it can be very true.

Sometimes we Christians can be so annoying that we drive away the very people that we are trying to win.  People out there don't need to be hounded or disturbed by arrogant Christians.  People out there need normal relevant people to love them.

We need to be ready to share our faith, but we need permission.  We can't just expect to push our way into someone's spiritual life.  Our first move should never be with our mouth, trying to convince someone.  Our first move should always be with our hearts, trying to love someone.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com




- - - - - - - - -
I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Holy Land Trip leaving January 20, 2020  $2998 from New York

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/files/uploads/HL20A-2.pdf

The Mayor

Jim Shaffer was the Mayor of Wyaconda, Missouri for 30 years from 1971-2002.  Wyaconda had a populations of 227 in 2010.  Wyaconda is an Indian word meaning Great Spirit.  Jim was father to Kim Letner.  Bruce and Kim have always been some of my best friends.  Born on February 13, 1938, he entered his rest on Sunday March 31, 2019.

I got to know "the Mayor" mostly on Christmas Eve.  At midnight when all of the church services were over, we would gather, a bunch of us for a Christmas nightcap at either our house or our neighbor Stu and Marsha's.

It was a long day of church, and by the time that it was over everyone was ready to unwind.    The pressure of Christmas Eve was over.  Now we were just people, enjoying the gifts of life and love.  We would often stay up until 3am, telling stories and jokes and laughing.  Then we would put bicycles together for our children.

The Mayor was funny.  He was ornery.  He drew me in.  My parents were gone, maybe he filled a bit of that role for me.

I loved him.  I still do.

Thank you Jim for your life.  Thanks for who you are and for the children that you raised.  You truly were a great spirit.

Friends, hold your loved one's close.  It won't be Christmas Eve forever.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -
I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Holy Land Trip leaving January 20, 2020  $2998 from New York
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/files/uploads/HL20A-2.pdf

Talents

My friend Pat wrote in...

Here’s another take on the parable of the talents. You know the story. One guy gets 10, uses them and makes another 10, and is praised. Another gets 5, uses them to make another 5, and is praised. The last gets 1, doesn’t do much with the little he has and gets punished. The message I usually hear is this... do something with your talents, no matter how meager.(Isn’t it something that “Talents” has a double meaning here?)

I wonder about the guys in this story. Not Mr. Big Man on Campus No. 1(BMOC). He’s fine. I can’t help but identify with guy 2 and guy 3. I mean, think about it from their perspective.They probably both look at each other and think “He’s no different than me”.. So why does BMOC get twice as much as Guy 2 and 10 times as Guy 3? How could they not ask those questions? Hasn’t that been you and me all our lives?

Age hasn’t given me many answers, but I have learned that most “Why” questions never have satisfactory responses. And asking Why in the story of the talents is really distracting, because there is not a good answer. Why is Bill Gates smarter than me? Why is Tom Cruise better looking? Why is the only thing that Patrick Mahomes and I share is a first name? Because it is.

The lesson from the parable of the Talents is not to get distracted by what others have, even if its unfair in your mind. (though justice sometimes requires nothing but attention to disparities that occur, but that’s another article). Don’t compare(which is like saying don’t be human). Ok, don’t give in to comparison.

I didn’t get 10 talents: I’m lucky to have one and I consider that attitude a blessing.

Think about it.

Can you hear the birds sing? What are they telling you about the beauty of God? Sometimes, no words are needed.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -
I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Holy Land Trip leaving January 20, 2020  $2998 from New York
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/files/uploads/HL20A-2.pdf

More from Jane Fonda

"I spent my life trying to be perfect. I thought I had to be perfect in order to be loved by people. Somewhere along the line I finally learned that trying to be perfect makes for a toxic life. A person must see, welcome, understand and embrace their shadow. We are all broken. Healthy relationships begin with an honest assessment of who we are. Any pretending is just game playing and it’s not where real people live. Let them see who you are warts and all. You’re lovable. Just the way you are."

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -
I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Holy Land Trip leaving January 20, 2020  $2998 from New York
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/files/uploads/HL20A-2.pdf

The snow and ice isn't leaving

My friend Linda saw this somewhere and sent it in...

“if you can’t find joy in the beauty of the snow, you will have less joy in your life, but you will still have the same amount of snow!” 

I must admit I am heartily sick of the snow and ice this year, but that sign gave me a badly needed lesson in perspective. Love from beautiful Kansas City where it is cloudy and 26 degrees this morning!

Linda

Problems are going to come.  Suffering over them is optional.  Joy is there to be found for those who keep life in perspective.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -
I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....


Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Holy Land Trip leaving January 20, 2020 $2998 from New York
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/files/uploads/HL20A-2.pdf

a thought on love

I heard this from someone recently.  Probably one of you....

We are called to love people where they are at.  Not where we think they should be at.  Not where someone else thinks that they should be.  If we withheld love from every person who did or thought something that we disagreed with, we would love very few.

We care called to love people where they are at, not where we or others think that they should be.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -
I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Holy Land Trip leaving January 20, 2020  $2998 from New York
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/files/uploads/HL20A-2.pdf

Appreciate your friends

From my friend Pat....

We have days where reality smacks us from all sides. Yesterday it was pictures of friends long lost posted on the internet having a good time. Another old friend moved back to Missouri, unbeknownst to me. Still another is critically ill in the hospital, and another’s funeral is set for Saturday…all things that chip away at your peace, and yet,

I had an email from yet another friend who’d lost his wife several years ago but is finally moving on with life(you don’t get over it, you get used to it he says). And a call from a new friend who heard I was in town and wanted to catch up. And a really good nights sleep.

And really I have had all these friends in life, new and old, still close and gone away. They’ve all enriched my life and have been a blessing when we were fortunate to walk along side one another.

Hold your friends close. Be thankful for them, and those who have come and gone. And remember, there are more to come if you open your heart.

Be with one another. You hurt when they hurt. You laugh when they laugh. But most importantly, at the end of the day you did it together. And that is Christ’s message.

Thank you Pat for being my friend.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -
I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Holy Land Trip leaving January 20, 2020  $2998 from New York
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/files/uploads/HL20A-2.pdf

I broke the law

You all know the laws regarding driving.  Keep both hands on the wheel.  Look straight ahead.  Don't be distracted.

Well the other day I was on my way to meet my friends Chris and Denise Averil for breakfast at Dennys.  I was driving south on I-95 and I noticed the sun off to my left.  At first I probably noticed it because it was in my eyes and I instinctively wanted to put down my visor.  But as I looked at it, I noticed the pasture, the palm trees, the fog, the clouds.  I noticed the beauty.

I decided to break the law.  I picked up my phone and opened it.  I rolled down my window.  I held the steering wheel with my knees.  I took the picture below.  

WOW!!!

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -
I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Holy Land Trip leaving January 20, 2020  $2998 from New York
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/files/uploads/HL20A-2.pdf

no words

Our Western version of Christianity is full of words.  Yes what we practice is not the only version of Christianity, but one of several versions, and our version is full of words.  Preaching, teaching, and doctrine all pounded into our brains so that we can be close to God or right with God.

This is not the only way.

Once upon a time a teacher sat down with his students for the morning lesson.  To begin, they prayed

in silence as was their custom.  Generally the teacher would end the prayer time by saying Amen.  But today he said nothing.  The students became uncomfortable with the length of the prayer time [we have all been there] one by one the students lifted up their heads, and opened their eyes.  What they saw was the teacher, sitting quietly, holding a beautiful flower.  The teacher said nothing.  After a while the students became uncomfortable with the silence and began to complain that there was no lesson for today.  No words.  One student that did not complain, instead smiled and commented on the beauty of the flower.  The teacher finally spoke.  He handed the flower to the smiling student and told the rest of the group that there are some lessons that do not need words.  There are some lessons that are in fact, ruined by words.  Some times the lessons are simply to look and see what is.

What if we set 30 minutes aside for God.  No words, no reading, no listening to a preacher.  What if we just looked at the beauty around us and let it speak to us of the amazingness of God.  What do you see, what do you hear?

what do you see?  what do you hear?

what do you see?  what do you hear?

what do you see?  what do you hear?

Can you hear the birds sing?  What are they telling you about the beauty of God?  Sometimes, no words are needed.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -
I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Holy Land Trip leaving January 20, 2020  $2998 from New York
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/files/uploads/HL20A-2.pdf

beat up

Every church I have ever been a part of, had ministries to help the marginalized.  In the past, at each church, we would leave our comfortable part of town and go to where the marginalized lived.  The church I am working at in Ft. Pierce is in the old part of downtown.  The members decided years ago to stay and not flee to the suburbs. [good for them!!!]  Consequently, this is the first church that I have ever been a part of that is right in the middle of where homeless and marginalized people live.  We go to church service together and I have had the chance to get to know some of them a little bit.

Every Sunday I go into the fellowship hall where four or five of the guys are hanging out.  One just finished his shower, one was making a plate of food.  All glad to be inside a safe air conditioned place.

Last Sunday, I walked into the hall and shook their hands as always.  That is when I noticed... one of them had been beaten up.  I would guess this fellow to be about 50 years old, it is hard to tell.  Someone just beat him to a pulp.  Face swollen, bruised, and cut up.  I felt very very sad.

I wanted to say something, but I didn't want to embarrass him.  [the picture here is not him, but you get the idea.]

Here is the point of this blog...  what ever we think about marginalized people, it is not an easy life.  Showering once a week at church, scrounging through the church pantry for something to eat, and then just to add insult to injury, someone beats you up.

May we pray for those who are marginalized.  May we have compassion for the broken.  May we appreciate all that we have.  May we share more with those in need.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -
I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Close to God part 5

So for the past few days I have written about what being close to God is not.
to recap:

• Relationships change.  They ebb and flow.  They feel differently over time.
• It is not about being a sinner.  We are all sinners all the time.
• Reading the bible may or may not help.
• Ultimately it is not about how we feel.

If those are the things that are not what being close is about, what is being close to God?  How can a person know if they are on the right track?

Over and over again the bible tells us to love God and love others.  Jesus answers the question of the greatest commandment.... love God and love others.  On this hangs all the law and the prophets.  In other words, all of religion, all of our doctrine, everything, everything is subordinated to the love of God and the love of others.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

So don't be polluted by the world...  the world is arrogant, the world is self-righteous, the world is pompous.  Flee all of that.  Be normal, be loving, shun arrogance and selfishness.   Love God and love others.  The widows, the orphans, the broken.

Do you wish to be close to God?  Your feelings about this will come and go, but your actions can be consistent.  Love all.  Care for all.  Reach for all.  Those who live such a life are indeed the saints in this world, even thought they don't always feel it.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -
I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Close to God part 4

Feelings are fickle.  Feelings about God are fickle. 
How you feel about God, how you feel about anything will ebb and flow.  That's just how it is.
A person cannot judge their "closeness to God" by feelings.

I have known many people in my life who sing and praise God on Sunday morning and feel close to God.  Then they go out into the week and live a self centered life.  In my opinion, they may feel close to God, but that behavior is not close to God.

Mother Teresa once wrote about a time of doubt in her life....
"The silence and the emptiness is so great--that I look and do not see,--Listen and do not hear."

Even the saints have times when they do not feel it.
Barry Manilow was up, down, trying to get the feeling. 
We humans base way too much on feelings.

So what do we do if we are not feeling it?
Understand that this is normal.  But do something... Get out there and invest in others. Find ways to share the love whether you feel it or not.

The feelings will come back. And they will go, and they will come back.
Being close to God is much more than a feeling.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -
I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Close to God part 3

Get ready for this sentence....
Reading the bible may not make you feel closer to God.

I have a friend who told me some time back that they felt away from God so they needed to read their bible.  Now I am all for bible reading, but if you have ever tried to be close to God simply by reading the bible, you know that sometimes we read and read and nothing changes.  Then at the end of it all, we feel guilty for not reading and then guilty later for reading to no avail.

Here are some suggestions.
First if you want to read the bible, good.  Start with the words of Jesus.  Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Second, read strategically.  Stay away from books like Leviticus.  All books of the bible are not equal when it comes to providing inspiration.  Understand that much of what Paul  wrote in the new testament was written to a certain church for a certain purpose and cannot be drawn into our situation today.  For example, women should not speak in church, or the acceptance of slavery.
Third, don't just read by yourself.  You have a perspective, a world view, and if all you do is read the bible in your own brain, your perspective will never change.  Get an outside opinion on the bible.  Don't just read the bible, read what Richard Rohr writes about it.  Read Rob Bell's book The Velvet Elvis.  Read the book, Unexpected News: Reading the Bible through Third World eyes by Robert Brown.  Read some Anthony de Mello, my favorite is Walking on Water.  My point here is that you can grow in your faith and your walk with God as you take in info from other Christians, especially those who come at faith from another direction.

If you want to purchase any of the mentioned books, a good source that I use is Dealoz.com it is a great and affordable site for used books.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -
I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Closer to God part 2

Sometimes we feel far away from God because we feel guilty.  Guilty because we skipped church.  Guilty because we slept in church.  Guilty because of our sin.  Guilty because of we aren't reading the bible.

Please remember... Abraham was a sinner.  Abraham did not have a bible, he was most likely completely illiterate.  Abraham had no church, he had no pastor.  Yet he was known as a friend of God.    No church, no pastor, no bible, yet a friend of God.

Let me be clear... God does not deal in guilt.  Guilt is a function of our repressive upbringings.  If you want to make a change in your life and go to church or read the bible then do so, but not because of guilt.  Those who are stricken with guilt will still be stricken with guilt no matter what they are doing.  Believe me, I know the struggle.

Here is the point of this post... if you feel far from God because you feel guilty, then no matter what you do, you will likely feel guilt about something.  Learn to make choices based on what is good for you, not in response to guilt.  Work on releasing yourself from guilt by simply believing that God loves you.

He knows that you are a sinner.  He knows we are not perfect.  He still loves us.  Don't let your self, don't let the way that your brain works cause you to feel away from God.  He loves you.  Whether you believe it or not, God loves you, just the way you are.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -
I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Closer to God Part 1

Someone asked about being closer to God.  Maybe they are feeling farther away than they used to feel. 

There is an old saying, "If you are feeling farther away from God, guess who moved."  I categorically reject this old saying.  It does nothing but instill guilt in people.  The fact is, there are many reasons why a person might feel farther away from God.

Lets start with the fact that relationships change over time.  Consider dating.... oh, the initial excitement, oh the passion, oh the looking forward to being together.  Then little by little, over time, there is a getting used to, a normalization of, a savoring of.  Things change.  We probably won't always feel the ecstasy that we once did.  That is ok.

Let me ask you this... do you believe in God?  Are you sincere?  Then maybe things are ok after all.  Wake up and thank God for the day.  Live a life of love.  You are not always going to feel the way you felt in the beginning.  It's ok to be in a normal, ongoing, common friendship with God.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -
I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Jen Hatmaker

Several of us know Jen Hatmaker from her book Interrupted - When Jesus wrecks your comfortable Christianity. My friend Michael Scott posted to his facebook account a quote from Jen Hatmaker's new book. I asked him where he found the quote, he said, "on her facebook account!" I am silly. Anyway I loved the quote. Here it is...

"My beliefs were challenged because they were the byproduct of an obviously corrupt system, historically dead last to the table of confession and repentance. My beliefs were challenged because the same people were always in charge and they hung pictures of White Jesus in my Sunday School rooms. My beliefs were challenged because while promising life abundant, they broke hearts and trust and bodies and families with a clear conscience. My beliefs were challenged because, had I held to them as dictated, I would have no ministry, no authority, no agency over my own God-given gifts. My beliefs were challenged because the missionary culture I grew up in turned out to be colonization. My beliefs were challenged because they shamed girls and victims but protected men and abusers. My beliefs were challenged because they sentenced LGBTQ people to traumatic conversion therapy, forced celibacy, public humiliation, and ultimately suicide at seven times the normal rate. My beliefs were challenged because they weren’t producing many disciples, mostly just gatekeepers and defectors."

And so I ask... what has our faith journey produced?  Maybe it is time to change some of our beliefs.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -
I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Lost and needing direction

From my friend Pat.....

Years ago a good friend and I hiked a portion of the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania. After the first day, we made a wrong turn in the woods and found ourselves running out of trail, which clearly meant we’d gone astray. As we turned and retraced our steps, we found even more options: one bad decision had given us the opportunity to make more of them. The wrong trail had many side trails.

After several hours of bumbling around, cussing one another as friends do(guys get this), a complete stranger who looked the part of the consummate outdoor guy crossed our path. You know the guy: worn backpack, gnarly three week beard, wiry build, and all kinds of stuff hanging from his backpack. Most importantly, he had the look of knowing exactly where he was, and more importantly to us, where we were.

Now we were both tempted to act like we knew what we were doing but we only had food for a week and neither of us cared to start digging up roots to eat. After some casual conversation, we grudgingly admitted our confusion about where we were and how to get back on the trail. He pointed us the right way, took a minute to pull out a pad and paper(who knows what else he was carrying in that backpack) and drew a simple map. After appropriate thanks, we quickly moved on as we had demonstrated our ineptitude at hiking, and he clearly had it all together, and we really didn’t deserve his company.

Suffice to say we made it out of the woods and home safely. But it could have been otherwise had we not stumbled on him and gotten some corrective direction. I’ve often wondered since what he was doing out there, off the trail. We were clearly lost. He however knew right where he was. And we were either lucky or blessed, depending on your perspective.

It’s a true story, but it’s a metaphor for anyone’s religious journey. Think about it.

My comments.... I think that most of us have felt lost on the road of life. I hope that you have found someone to help you along the way. We all need help from time to time. Never be afraid to ask for pointers along the way. 

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -
I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

God is lying in the streets

There is a man lying on the side of the road.  Is he drunk?  Is he hurt?  There is something about this man, this person.... this is different.... I can't walk away.... I am compelled to help.

I step forward.  I kneel down.  I talk to the person.  He is wounded.  And OH MY!  It is God.

God.  Wounded alongside of the road.

In the story of the Good Samaritan we never find out who the person on the side of the road is.  The religious people walk by.  A Samaritan, an outcast, stops to help.

Let's say for conversation's sake that the person on the side of the road is God.  Broken, beaten, bleeding.

Will we walk by?  Will we stop and help?

Remember Jesus words in Mt. 25 "whatever you did to the least of these, you did it unto me."

The next time someone is in need of forgiveness, the next time someone needs a hand, the next time someone needs...... something, anything.....


Think, it is God himself, in the ditch.  What will we do?


It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -
I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs