permission

I heard a very good sermon the other day by Rev. Daniel Hilty.  The core of his message was this... "we don't need the permission of others to love like Jesus loved."

I think that what he was driving at was the effects of peer pressure.  Maybe we have friends, family or coworkers that don't like a certain group of people.  In such a situation, there would be pressure on us to join in their distain of said group.  At least we would not feel comfortable to be nice to the folks that our friends, family or coworkers didn't like.

To this, the message was "rubbish."

We are people of love.  We know that we are to love.  We want to love.  There is no reason for us not to love.  We don't need anybody's permission to love others.

Just do it.

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

Ugly

Please don't be ugly. There is no reason for it. We can be upset with someone and still be civil. My mom was not always civil, but she tried really hard to teach us to be civil.  If I heard it once, I heard it 1,000 times... "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

One of Jesus' very important sayings, as far as I am concerned is this, from the sermon on the mount... "Do not render evil for evil but overcome evil with good."

Sure, things happen. We get hurt. We get upset. We get testy. We get on edge. But we can still resist the urge to dump on other people.

Whenever possible, identify what is happening in your brain and stop yourself from saying those words. Or from saying those words in a hurtful manner.

Yes they hurt you or me, but we are not here to hurt people. Just becuase someone does it to me does not give me the right to hurt them back...

Let us break the chain and so make it a beautiful day in God's world.

what one thing

If Jesus only asked us one thing, what would it be? If he only wanted one thing, what would that one thing be?

Would it be to join the church? No. I am in favor of joining the church, but this would not be the one thing
Say prayers for people? No. This is good, but this is not the one thing.
Attend church? No.
Wear a cross? No.
Share your faith? No.
Listen to Christian music? Go on mission trips? Donate money? Believe in the trinity? Believe this or that?

There are tons of things that the church asks us to do. Some of it is good and some of it is worth supporting. But most of it is not the main thing. In fact, without the main thing, none of it matters.
Too many "Christians" have all of the peripherals, but have left out the main thing.

If Jesus could ask us to do one thing, what would it be? Love one another. LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

No prayers prayed, no checks written, no perfect attendance, no mission trips, no perfect beliefs will suffice for Christianity if there be no love.  Without love, it is not the faith of Jesus.

The famous theologian John Sherley once said, "and for those of us who are slow, Jesus made it easy when he said, love one another."

One thing.
One thing. One thing. One thing that we are asked to do. One thing.

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

My opening statement...

They say that you only get one chance to make a first impression.

What is your first thought of the day?  What is the thought that rolls you out of bed and propels you throughout the day?

Some people get up in the morning and begin their whining about what is wrong.  My knees hurt.  I can't see like I used to.  Why can't I sleep better.  Why don't my kids call me.  On and one it goes.  Those who begin the day like this can count on a day that is measured by how things affect me.  The world revolves around me, and it better be good to me today or I am going to be upset.

There is another way to wake up in the morning...

What if we woke up and said, Good morning Lord!  Thanks for the opportunity to be alive.  Thank you for the wake up call.  Thank you for the ability to make a list for today.  May I show your kindness to every person that I encounter along the journey today.

How we begin the day will say so very much about how the rest of the day goes.  Our driving life principle can be one that is self centered or one that is self giving.

The choices that you make will drive the tenor of your life.

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

More on prayer

Too often our prayers are filled with self interest...

Lord, please don't let my adult children move across the country.  I know that they have their own lives and their own ideas, but I would miss them too much.  Do you see how that prayer is about me?

Lord please help me have an easy recovery from this knee surgery.  That is definitely about me.

Sure it is fine to pray for what we want, but we need to keep in mind that God is not Santa Clause and God's job is not to solve all of our problems.

One of my favorite old sermon illustrations goes like this...  A woman was testifying in church... I want to offer praise to the good Lord today... back during the war, we prayed for God to keep us safe.  And he did!  All of the bombs fell on the other side of the city.  😲😲😲

If you are looking for something to pray that is healthy, I suggest this... Lord, thank you for the gift of this day.  May I show your kindness and love to every person that I come into contact with today.  May your grace fill me for every moment, the challenging ones and the glorious ones.  Thank you for the opportunity to be alive in your world.

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

Prayers

A friend recently asked me to pray for someone who is transitioning into the end of life. This is a situation that we do not like and are not comfortable with. We know that we all will die one day and that our loved ones will all die, but we don't like watching it happen.

The impending loss of someone that we love, can be terrifying to our own sense of well being. What will we do without them? We don't want them to suffer. We don't want to lose them.

Yet the fact of the matter is that sometimes people begin to fail healthwise. Sometimes they can’t live where they used to live. Sometimes they can’t take care of themselves. Sometimes their health takes a serious turn for the worse.  Modern medicine has the ability to prolong life far longer than in the past.  I’ve been asked many times over the years to pray for people whose health is in decline.

One day I will be one of those people and so will you. So it’s good that we pray for them. Sometimes the families want me to pray that their loved one will be healed and live forever. Once someone asked me to pray for their grandmother - for their grandmother to get well. I asked how old her grandmother was - the answer... 92 years old.  

I do pray for those who are aging, and who are in failing health. And I am very appreciative that I am in relatively good health for being almost 66. It’s something to be thankful for, grateful for.

So let’s pray for those whose health is failing: "Lord please bless them, touch them in their body and their mind. Strengthen their hearts and their knees - ease the pain of arthritis. Give them clarity of thought and sight. But mostly let them know that you are with them. Let them know that they are not alone. Let them know that the God of the universe stands by their side. We pray for their recovery, for this is what we desire. But we also put our faith and trust in you, no matter what. May we find comfort in knowing that you are present with them and with us in every stage of the journey of life, in Jesus name. Amen."

Life is beautiful, but it does come to and end. Prayer can help us along the way. Trusting in God, no matter what, is always the best policy. May we all be grateful for our lives and the lives of our loved ones.

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

Why we should listen to others

We should listen to other people because:

• they know things that we/I do not know.
• they know people that I do not know.
• they have connections that I do not have.
• they have ideas that I do not have.

Therefore, I can always be enriched if I spend some time listening to others.

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

I love this guy

I love this guy...

My friend John has been diagnosed with inclusion body myositis which is a neruo-muscular disease. He started a charitable organization to raise awareness regarding the disease. The web address is www.gettingup.org

He sends emails from time to time and I was so blessed by what he wrote one day last week... Here is his post:

I am so honored and so blessed to be given this opportunity to be on the scenic path of love. For many years, my ego and self righteousness drove my actions. If anyone contradicted me, I’d push back and fight harder. But, now I know that the tests and the struggles have all been blessings, especially now as I realize that I am not in control.

Love gives us the strength to endure the difficulties of life. This I say as a man with a disease that has no cure and no treatments.

God has not forsaken me but has blessed me more than ever. I look back over these 67 years and realize that we should all ride “gently down the stream, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream”. I trust all of us can find all the love that is around us, keep our eyes open and look for the love. Its there, it’s everywhere!

How ever much time each of us may have on this earth, and whether you’re a spiritual person or a secular person; it is love, love is all we need. Try it, what have we got to lose?  I'm on the scenic route to the end of this world and my eyes are open. I have many dear people in my life and each is a blessing. Thank you all!

I am not in control but I will do what I can to assist the best ways I can. This is just the beginning.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my lovely sister Julie!

First let me say a few words about the picture of her above.  This was taken in my room in 1973.  The poster on the right hand wall is a John Pitro "Overpopulation."  I still have a copy of it.  

For some reason, there is a small confederate flag on my bookshelf.  I guess back then, the confederate flag was acceptable in my home.  Not any more.  

The drapes... California - 1973.  

The yellow bird hanging on the spring on the left side of the picture is one of these:

Now back to my sister... Today is her birthday!

Julie is married to my brother in law Mark.  A great guy in his own right.  They have a lovely home in Vero Beach.  They live just down the road from us.

Family are those people whom you grew up with.  In our case, family are those people that you survived your family of origin with.

My sister is an animal lover.  She is a hard worker.  She is a cancer survivor.  She is fantastic.

Everyone deserves a day to be told that they are fantastic.  I hope that someone tells you today that you are fantastic!!!

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

The Trader

"The Trader" is the name of a documentary on Netflix.  It is only 30 minutes long.  It is English dubbed over Russian or Georgian.  It is about a trader or junk man who lives in the country of Georgia.

For some reason, I am interested in the living conditions of other people around the world.  Probably because I continue to be confounded by how nice things are for us here in the US.  

We have clean running water, full grocery stores, paved roads and most of all, we have opportunity.  The list could go on and on.  

The people in the documentary are very very poor.  The trader is poor.  He buys things cheap and then sells them in the towns.  The currency that the people use is potatoes.

Imagine that what we are using as currency is the ability to eat!!!

Two boys look wild eyed at the items in the
back of the trader's van.  What is this the boy asks.
It is a sponge.

boy reaches for sponge.

Tell your parents to bring potatoes so they can get you 
what you want.

Imagine a world where you have never seen a sponge.  Imagine a world where you look wild eyed at a van full of junk.  Imagine a world where you beg your parents for a potato so that you can buy something.

We have so much to be thankful for.  And friends, we should do everything that we can to help God's other needy children in this world.

who do we sound like?

In Jesus' ministry, the only people that he squared off with were the Pharisees.  The Pharisees were against people that did not see the world as they saw it.  They were against the different, the broken, and the outcast.  They were against the common people.  They used their power to "lord it over" those whom they perceived as sinners or as less than they.

Jesus was different.  And that is why he was loved.  Jesus broke down barriers of separation.  He welcomed the broken, the outcast and the least of these.  That is why they loved him and that is why we love Jesus.

So I have a question for you and for me.  In this life as we live day by day, who do we sound like?  Do I sound more like the Pharisees or Jesus?  Do you sound more like the Pharisees or like Jesus?

If you take an honest look at yourself and find yourself filled with judgment for those who are different than you are, then maybe it is time to take  a fresh look at which side of the field your are sitting on.

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

wrong with you, wrong with me...

 

My friend John sent this to me.

It reminds me of the old adage, when you point the finger at a person, you have three pointing back at yourself.

I guess I can say that we can disagree with someone and not hate them.  We can see people act out of their brokenness and feel sorry, feel pity, feel compassion for them.

When we react with judgment, it only reveals a brokenness inside of us.

Judgment comes from a broken heart.  Compassion comes from a heart that is whole.

May we all grow to be a part of the solution.  May we all grow in kindness and generosity.

Judgment will be pushed out of our lives if we can find enough compassion, understanding and love.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.  And be sure to be a part of the good and contribute to the good.

Tabloids in the U.S.

Please read til the end, this is more than a rant...

When I was a kid, the National Enquirer was a tabloid... a news source that wasn't really news.  They provided sensational headlines for purchase at the grocery checkout lines.  No one took them seriously.

Over the years I have watched our normal "news and weather."  I have watched them over predict weather and sensationalize headlines.  It used to be relegated to a snow storm that was supposedly going to bring a foot of snow but actually only brought 1/4 of an inch.  Living in Florida, the hurricane warnings and descriptions are always over blown.  No one on the news or weather ever apologizes for scaring people to death.

Recently we watched the "mainstream" news bring us warnings about a government default.  If the congress did not raise the debt ceiling, we would be in default and face an economic collapse.  It was on every channel.  Some people chose to be terrified.  Others realized that an agreement would of course be reached.  And sure enough, an agreement was reached.  Default averted.

Did the news outlets apologize for spending weeks trying to terrify people?  No.  They will put anything up there to gather headlines.

So what is the point of this rambling blog post???

Psalm 20:7-8 says, "some trust in horses, and some trust in chariots, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God."

We should all remember that no matter what the news says, no matter what actually happens to the value of our dollar, no matter what happens in our world, God is bigger.  God's ways will continue to be important.  Love and kindness will never be run off by scare tactics.

Love and kindness are important in the poorest countries, and in the richest.  Love and kindness are important for the educated and the illiterate.  No matter what our standing or situation in life, kindness should be a constant.

I am not sure that we can trust the news.  But we can always trust in, and lean on our God.

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

Wise as a serpent

 Mt. 10:16

"Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."

I thought of this passage the other day.  I ran into yet another oil change for the car that turned into an upsell opportunity for the mechanic.

They suggested that I needed a cabin air filter.  Their cost, installed, was $127.97

I can buy this cabin air filter online for my car for $9.83!!!  It takes 5 minutes to install, or less.  There is a video on youtube to show you how.  Heck, call me, I will install it for you!

I am forever amazed at how some businesses will systematically try to take advantage of people that are not paying attention.

If a mechanic tells you that you need something, simply tell them thank you.  Then get a second opinion.  Talk to someone who knows about cars.

Be wise as serpents.  Use your head.  Don't take what they say as the gospel.  Some folks are just looking for ways to help you part with money that you don't need to part with.

Pay attention.

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

persecution

"They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God." John 16:2

People will put you out of the church, they will set you aside, they will shame you and speak in terrible ways to you. They will do this because you represent something that is threatening to their view of, and their ideas about God.

It is a terrible shame. In the name of religion, people persecute and pummel each other.

Please remember this: God does not need to be defended. God can handle different ideas that people may have. Love should rule in the local church. And if love rules in the local church, then we are kind and gracious to everyone, even and especially to those with whom we disagree.

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

Grateful living

Before we have today's post, I wanted to give an update on my knee surgery...  It was originally scheduled for April 10.  Then moved to June 26th.  Now scheduled for June 28th Wednesday.  Several people have asked and I am sorry for the confusing information, but it is now June 28th.  Thanks for your care and concern!!!

Now for today's post...

From the website www.grateful.org as shared by my friend Bruce M...

Death can come at any minute, in any way. We do not know what is in store tomorrow, or, whether there is a tomorrow, or even a tonight! But still, we have the golden present. Now we are alive and kicking. What should we do now???   Love all, and serve all.

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

Why the bride and groom face the altar

Over the years I would hear complaints about people not being able to see the bride and groom during the entire wedding because they were facing the front of the church.  I guess they wanted the bride and groom to face the audience.

Evidently there is a new push for this on social media.  The officiant stands in the aisle and the bride and groom face the guests.

Officiant - Pastor?  in the aisle.

bride and groom facing the guests.

Now if you want to get married and face the guests, I am glad to do that for you, if that is what you prefer, but here is my challenge with it...

You don't get married before the guests.  You get married before God.  It is a commitment between two people and God.  It is not a commitment involving the guests.  The guests simply witness the couple's commitment before God.

This is why the bride and groom face the minister.  It is why they face the altar.  It is why in some churches, they kneel before the altar.

A wedding with the bride and groom facing the crowd may work in a random wedding venue, but the visual in a church would be devastating.  Image that for the entire ceremony, the bride and groom have their backs to the altar, the candles and the Bible.

Again, people have their own opinions on this and I am glad to accommodate what ever the bride and groom want, but I want people to understand that the facing of the bride and groom towards the altar is for a particular reason.

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

temporary worries

I am fortunate to know a lot of smart people. I think I collect them because I need them. They pull me up along the grading curve of life.

My friend Grace L. sent this in:
"shadows cast by candlelight always fade with the dawn."

I had to ask her to explain... it just means that what you are so worried about tonight won't even be there when the sun comes up.

And again I am reminded of the scripture in Psalm 30, "weeping lasts for a night, but joy comes in the morning."   This too shall pass.

Don't ruin today with worry. You will get thru whatever you are facing. Tomorrow is another day and the sun will come up. The shadows of this night are temporary.

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

To improve our friendship

So I have been thinking about friendship.  What can I do, what can we do to make it all better?

Well for me, it starts with, I need to be in town more.  I need to be around and available to spend time with you in order to enjoy our friendship.

I think our friendships need:

• more time
• more breakfasts
• more lunches
• more Royals baseball games
• more Sunday mornings in church
• more stories
• more jokes
• more hugs
• more smiles

Time is short.  Let's keep working on it!!!

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

What can I do to be a better friend???

I was in the car with a friend.  He was taking me to the airport.  Our visit was over.  He asked me something that I found to be both unusual and profound.  He said, "what can I do to be a better friend?" 

Is there anything that I need to do to be a better friend?

I was surprised by it, but I loved it.  I thought of my friends.  I thought of my church friends.  I thought of my KC friends.  What can I do to be a better friend?

It is a great question.  It is a question that is only asked by those brave enough to potentially hear a painful answer.   I want to be a good friend to you.  

Let me know if there is anything that I can do to be a better friend to you.  And let us all work harder on being the best of friends to those whom we call our friends.

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