back to church

A few months ago I made a decision to make some better decisions in my life.  That is always a good idea for us.  We can always take a moment, regroup and restart.  Part of that reboot was a decision to get back into church.  I had not been attending for a while, for a number of reasons.  I realized that I missed being in church and I missed the people.

So I have been travelling a lot.  But if I am in town, I am going to church.  I love the songs, the ambiance, and the people there.

It is nice to be a part of something that is bigger than you are.

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

best guy

In July of last year, Woods Chapel UMC got a new pastor. Woods Chapel has had a number of good pastors over the years, but this guy is the best. I met Aaron Brown in 1991 when he and I were going thru the ordination process. I have loved him from the moment that I met him. We were both appointed to the North Central District, Then we were both in the Blue Springs, Lees Summit area. He served in Joplin for 26 years. Last year he was appointed to Woods Chapel. I was ecstatic!!!

A few weeks ago, I was privileged to play in the annual Woods Chapel gold tournament.  [I am a terrible golfer.]  Aaron and I rode together in the golf cart.  What a delightful day!

There are some people in life that just make you happy.  You think of them and you are happy.  Aaron is one of those.  He is the best.

I hope you have many friends, and people that you love.

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

Bread

Give us this day our daily bread.

We tend to worry about so much.  I have known people that were millionaires but were concerned that they still did not have enough.  If you are worried about having enough, will you ever have enough?

On one trip to Russia, I noticed that the members of the church would call around each morning to see what each one had to eat at their home.  Later that day, we all met for a "fellowship meal" which consisted of the meagre supplies that each brought to the table.  They had so little, but they were content.

What do we really need?  What do I really need in the next hour?  How about a cup of coffee?  Do I have $1 for that?  Yes.  Then let me get that coffee and sit and rest and reflect and give thanks.

Yes we must save for the future, but beware of greed.  A person can spend their entire life searching for more, only to die having missed the beauty of each day.  Life is not found in the getting of more, but in the savoring of each moment.

Give us this day what we need for today.

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

- - - - - - - - - - -

I am, along with Sherri Swanson and Aaron Brown, leading a trip to the Holy Land January 23-February 2, 2023.

For more information, click the link below.  And if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Click here for the brochure 

I am an ant

I saw a picture of a great city.  And I saw that I was one tiny spec in this giant metropolis.  One small spec in this world.  I am an ant.  In the grander scope of things I am totally insignificant.

That reminded me of the story of the boy who throws the starfish...

A man was walking along a deserted beach at sunset. As he walked he could see a young boy in the distance, and as he drew nearer he noticed that the boy kept bending down, picking something up and throwing it into the water. Time and again he kept hurling things into the ocean. As the man approached even closer, he was able to see that the boy was picking up starfish that had been washed up on the beach and, one at a time he was throwing them back into the water. The man asked the boy what he was doing, the boy replied," I am throwing these washed up starfish back into the ocean, or else they will die through lack of oxygen. "But", said the man, "You can't possibly save them all, there are thousands on this beach, and this must be happening on hundreds of beaches along the coast. You can't possibly make a difference." The boy smiled, bent down and picked up another starfish, and as he threw it back into the sea, he replied, "I made a difference to that one."

Yes, we are all small cogs in a very big machine, but we can make a difference. One person at a time, one moment at a time. One act of caring at a time, we can be the person who makes a difference in the life of another human being.

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

contentment

Godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.  1 Tim 6:6-10

I recently had lunch with my old friend Bob Fillmore.  It was awesome!!!  He told me a story about a man who left a high powered job and found meaning and contentment in a job putting felt on pool tables.

Sit under that for a few minutes.  Think about that.  From a high profile, high paying job, to installing felt on pool tables.

And he was happy.

That reminds me of this story...

The industrialist watched as the fisherman's boat pulled in at 11:45am.

“Why are you quitting so early? ” asked the industrialist.
“Because I have caught enough fish for the day.   I am going to go home and sit with the Mrs. take a siesta and drink a beer.”
“Why don ’t you catch some more fish? ”
“What would I do with it? ”

“Earn more money. Then you could have a motor fixed to your boat and go into
deeper waters and catch more fish. Then you could buy nylon nets, so
more fish, more money. Soon you would have enough to buy two boats... even a fleet of
boats. Then you could be rich like me.”

“What would I do then? ”
“Then you could work half a day, spend the afternoon in siesta with the Mrs and drink a beer. ”
“What do you think I am doing now? ” asked the fisherman.


Which would you rather have: a fortune or the ability to enjoy what you have?

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

thoughts and ideas

We all have thoughts and ideas.  Some people think harder about them and others just kind of let them slide in and slide out.  I wish more people would think harder about their living.  Evaluate, consider, and make course corrections as needed.

Unfortunately we too often welcome in thoughts that are like our thoughts and ignore or reject thoughts that challenge our ways of thinking.  Personally, I have learned more from those who disagree with me, than those who agree with me.

The opposition is not stupid.  There are some good people that think differently than you and I do.  To be open to their thoughts is to offer grace to them.

Jesus met with Nicodemus, a Pharisee.  Moses married a Midianite.  Joseph served in the courts of Pharaoh.  The disciples were a very divergent group of folks.

We can learn from each other.  We can become more rounded.  We can become enriched in heart and mind if we consider the thoughts and ideas of those who are not like us.

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

dying to self

Jesus talked about dying to self...

"Very truly I tell you, that unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."      Jn 12:24

Lately, I have been thinking about some of the parts of me that I do not like.  Maybe it is time for me to let some of those things die.  I believe that below the surface is a better me.  I believe that if I can let the bad, selfish parts go, that the better parts of me will rise.

Sometimes you just have to die a little inside in order to be reborn and rise again as a stronger and wiser version of yourself.

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

If I want

If I want something from you, it is not love.

Before we chase the whole setting, lets look at the first three words... "If I want."  If I want, I am setting expectations.  If I want, I am making it about me.  If I want, I am setting myself up for disappointment.

Now, here is the whole saying, "if I want something from you, it is not love."

I thought of this saying the other day.  It brought me so much peace.

We spend way too much time worried about what WE want.  Is it going MY way?  Is this making ME happy.  When we put expectations on others, all we do is hurt them.  When we love someone, we accept them as they are.

Love means enjoying people and enjoying the moment.  Things will not always go the way that we want them to go, but things can still be good.

Release others from your desires.  Release yourself from your desires.

If I want something from you, it is not love.

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

Very Well

Here is a story from Anthony DeMello that I love. I had not thought about it for a long time, but remembered it the other day...  It is a story that challenges me to release my worries...

VERY WELL, VERY WELL

A village girl became an unwed mother and, after several beatings, revealed to her parents who the
father was: the Zen Master living on the outskirts of the village.

The villagers trooped into the Master’s house, and rudely disturbed his meditation,
they denounced him as a hypocrite and told him to keep the baby.  All the Master said was,
“Very well. Very well. ”

He picked the baby up and made arrangements with the woman next door to look after
it at his expense.

His name, of course, was ruined, and his disciples all abandoned him.

When this had gone on for a year, the girl could bear it no longer and confessed that
she had lied. The father was the boy next door.

The villagers bowed profoundly to the Master to beg his pardon and ask to take the
baby back. And all the Master said as he handed back the child was, “Very well. Very
well. ”

What is going on in your life?

What is going on in my life?

Very well.  Very well.

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

More on greed

THE SEVEN JARS OF GOLD

A barber was passing under a haunted tree when he heard a voice say, “Would you
like to have the seven jars of gold?”  He looked around and saw no one. But his greed
was aroused, so he shouted eagerly, “Yes, I certainly would.”  “Then go home at once,”
said the voice. “You will find them there.”

The barber ran all the way home. Sure enough, there were the seven jars — all full of
gold, except for one that was only half-full. Now the barber could not bear the thought of
having a half-filled jar. He felt a violent urge to fill it or he simply would not be happy.

So he had all the jewelry of his family melted into coins and thrown info the half-
filled jar. But the jar remained as half-filled as before. This was exasperating! He saved
and skimped and starved himself and his family. To no avail. No matter how much gold
he put into the jar it always stayed half-filled.

One day he got the King to double his salary. So the fight to fill the jar was on again.
He even took to begging. The jar devoured each piece of gold that was flung into it, but
stubbornly refused to fill.

The King now noticed how starved the barber looked. “What’s wrong with you?” he
asked. “You used to be so happy when your salary was smaller. Now it has been doubled
and you are worn out and dejected. Can it be that you have been given the seven jars of
gold?”

The barber was astonished. “Who told you this, Your Majesty?” he asked.
The King laughed. “But these are obviously the symptoms of the person to whom the
ghost has given the seven jars. He once offered them to me. But when I asked if the money
could be spent or was merely to be hoarded, he vanished without a word. That money
can ’t be spent. It only brings with it the compulsion to hoard. Go return it to the ghost
this minute and you will be a happy man again.”

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

A bad sign

This sign is in front of a church, just down the street from us in Florida.  I have posted complaints about this church sign in the past.  [see posts on Sept 14, 2017 and Sept 27, 2020]  The theology promoted on the sign is often bad.  This time, I have a complaint about the spelling.  Evidently the congregation, in addition to having poor, guilt laden theology, are also spelling challenged.  And the word "fathers" is misspelled on both sides of the sign.

Hope that gave you a laugh and that your Father's Day was happy!

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

Father's Day

 Today is Father's Day.  Not a big deal in terms of celebrations.  Not a big deal like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Mother's Day.  It falls behind St. Patrick's Day, Flag Day and Groundhog day.

But it is a happy day for me!!! It is a special day for me!!!  I am crying as I write this.  

I have, in this life, been privleged to be the Father to three wonderful children, Alli, Jenny and Scott.  Oh, I would have taken more, but Cathy said, no.  NO!  I said, come on, it we can make another piece of toast.  But no would be no and three was it.

But oh, how I love those three!!!  It makes me so happy to be a Dad!!!

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

- - - - - - - - - - -

I am, along with Sherri Swanson and Aaron Brown, leading a trip to the Holy Land January 23-February 2, 2023.

For more information, click the link below.  And if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Click here for the brochure 

Scars

Scars.  We all have them.

I have them on my knees from accidents and surgery.  I have a few more around my old carcass from surgeries.  I have them on my face from the removal of things that the dermatologist thought needed to go.  As we grow older, I think that we collect more scars.  Sometimes it feels like scars upon scars.

Stop.

Yes, I can acknowledge that line of thinking, but I don't want to let those thoughts dominate my world.  Yes there are wounds and scars, but there are also good and beautiful things in life.

Sure, a friend may have moved away. A loved one might have passed. Finances are tight. The news is worrisome.
But, we should remember...

I woke up today.
I can see
I can hear
I can walk
There are people that love me
I can still make friends
The sun has come up
There is still plenty of beautiful things in God's world, and that is what we need to focus on.

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

- - - - - - - - - - -

I am, along with Sherri Swanson and Aaron Brown, leading a trip to the Holy Land January 23-February 2, 2023.

For more information, click the link below.  And if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Click here for the brochure 

Death by papercuts

Death by papercuts.  It is a phrase used to describe the demise of a thing, a little bit at a time.  No major moment to pin it on, just one little hurt after another, until finally the pain is greater than the good.

Rob Bell used this phrase to describe how churches sometimes treat pastors.  Passive aggressive behavior, rude comments, failure to work with, can all take it's toll on a minister.

It is also true that churches can provide death by papercuts to members.  In an arena where an organization is nothing without it's constituents, the church is notorious for driving people away, one papercut at a time.

I know a lot of people who have given up on the church.  Most of them don't have one big story, just fifty little ones... 

• the church couldn't stop fighting about homosexuality
• changes were made without the congregation being included
• I'm expected to give but finances are a secret
• only the top leaders really knew what was going on
• the district treats us like we are cattle
• watching how some members treat the pastor
• denominations covering up abuse
• preaching love but delivering guilt
• promoting a completely ineffective person
• thinking that the pomp and circumstance and the vestments would cover the brokenness
• not admitting to any imperfections
• doing what was easy and convenient instead of what was good

On and on it goes.  Death by papercuts.  Most people don't leave the church for one reason, they leave for the cumulation of 50 little ones.

If you are a church leader, please reach for health.  Please think in terms of building relational consensus.  Everyone matters.

If you are a member, hang in there.  Until something else comes along, the church is all that we have.

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

- - - - - - - - - - -

I am, along with Sherri Swanson and Aaron Brown, leading a trip to the Holy Land January 23-February 2, 2023.

For more information, click the link below.  And if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Click here for the brochure 

using power

We all have power.  How we choose to use it says everything about whether we are leaving warm fuzzies in our wake or cold pricklies.

I was reminded recently of an incident from a few years ago where a person in authority hurt a bunch of my friends.  It still smarts.

Sometimes, people in authority have to hurt others.  There is no easy way to release someone from employment, and I had to do this a number of times during my career.  But it can be done with kindness and as much grace as possible.

The attitude you give to the server is an extension of your power.  How you respond to rude drivers is an extension of your power.  Do you choose to welcome that person or guilt them?  It is an extension of your power.  Do you exalt yourself or invest in others?  It is an extension of power.

We all have power in all kinds of ways.  Please do not use your power to hurt people

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

- - - - - - - - - - -

I am, along with Sherri Swanson and Aaron Brown, leading a trip to the Holy Land January 23-February 2, 2023.

For more information, click the link below.  And if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Click here for the brochure  

Transactional or relational

I posted about this a few years ago, but I keep hearing this theology over and over.  Friends, transactional theology is not good theology.

In transactional theology, You believe in Jesus, you accept him and you are in.  In for heaven.  Punch your ticket.

Keep in mind, there is nothing in the Bible about asking Jesus into your heart.  Yet we hear this theology over and over.  My biggest problem with it is that it lets us off the hook in terms of how we treat others.

This thinking leads to some tragic behavior where well meaning Christians tend to think in terms of trying to get others to make the same transaction. Believe like I do, they say, and you are in too. Forcing others to believe like me instead of loving them.

Worst of all, there is no practical application required. The rest of life does not matter in the big picture. Just believe the right things and you are in.

Whoa! Wait a minute!
What about how we live? What about how we treat each other?

There is another way to look at faith, not as a transaction, but as a relationship.

I see the love on the cross. I am filled with the love from the cross. And therefore, I want to, I must share it.

Those who see the love on the cross, want to spend their lives sharing it.

What do you think is more God like? Getting people to believe and say something about God killing Jesus instead of you? Or is it more God like to see the love on the cross and want to spend your life following this God of love and living a life of love.

Whatever we did to the least of these we did it unto him.

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

- - - - - - - - - - -

I am, along with Sherri Swanson and Aaron Brown, leading a trip to the Holy Land January 23-February 2, 2023.

For more information, click the link below.  And if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Click here for the brochure  

these words recently passed to lips of a Christian...

I heard someone say these words the other day, "live to be worthy of God's love."

Now on the front those words sound kind of sweet and positive, but think about it.  God won't love you unless you are worthy of it?  Jesus taught and practiced the exact opposite.

All were welcomed by Jesus, all were worthy to stand and sit with him. No one had to prove themselves worthy.

When will Christians get it right???

Instead of saying that we should live to be worthy of God's love, I suggest that we say this... "live as though you know that you are loved.  In all of your brokenness, in all of your hurts.  Our Father loves us and walks with us."

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

- - - - - - - - - - -

I am, along with Sherri Swanson and Aaron Brown, leading a trip to the Holy Land January 23-February 2, 2023.

For more information, click the link below.  And if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Click here for the brochure  

The Christian Recliner

Over in the corner, in the room of our life, is the Christian recliner.  We are all tempted to sit in it.  When we do, this is what happens.  We pull the lever and our head goes back and our feet go up.  We relax, and we take a nap.  We thank God for our blessings.  We ask God to give us more.  We remind him of his promises and request that he solve our problems.  We pray for our needs and expect a miracle.  We name it and claim it.  We stand on the promises [except that we are lying down.]  We create the notion of a Christian life that is centered around our comfort and peace of mind.  [God will not give us more than we can handle.]

Since we were not created to live lives focused on our comfort, after a while we experience a crisis of meaning.  And so we double down.  We go to a Christian counselor who lays us down on a couch and listens to our problems.  We are encouraged to believe in a God who only wants the best for us.  We remind ourselves that God has a plan and a purpose for our lives.  And we enjoy laying in the Christian recliner where we are comfortable and where we are served.  [I love God, I got saved, so my life should be easy, right?]

Then one day we wake up.  Sleep is over.  We realize that there is more.  There is a life and a purpose outside of the comfortable chair.  We get up and look around.  We start to become aware of the needs of others.  We begin to realize that our blessings are given to us to help others.  We put on shoes and think of those who have none.  We eat a meal and think of those who are hungry.  We become generous.  We become kind.  We begin to wake to the day and look for those that we can love.

We wonder why we laid in that recliner for so long.  Why we expected God to act, when God was all the time expecting us to act.  We start to be grateful in new ways.  We are thankful for the opportunities to love.  We are thankful for daily breath because in each day are the kernels of life giving love.  Springs of living water begin to pour fourth from our souls.

We are alive as never before, and we are alive to others.  Thank God that we finally got out of that chair!!!

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

- - - - - - - - - - -

I am, along with Sherri Swanson and Aaron Brown, leading a trip to the Holy Land January 23-February 2, 2023.

For more information, click the link below.  And if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Click here for the brochure   

Systematic Theology

One of the classes that I took in seminary was called "systematic theology."  This is the notion that our beliefs can be listed, organized and explained in a systematic way.  Now if that sounds easy, then just consider how you explain in one book or one series of books: where angels come from, the nature of God, creation, the end of time, the fruit of the spirit, the organization of the church and Jonah and the whale.

Crazy right?  That is a big bite to take on.

Our faith has some very complex ideas that really stretch the mind, and frankly cannot be known.  Many Christians get lost in the details.  They spend their lives straining gnats but swallowing camels.  This is the phrase that Jesus used in Mt 23 when he was railing against the Pharisees.  They made all of their rules and heaped loads on the backs of others, but forgot about the more important issues of justice, mercy and faithfulness.

If you ever start to get lost in what to believe and how to believe it, relax, you are not alone.  In my old age I would tell you this:  God doesn't care what you believe about those things.  Most of what we believe is wrong anyway.  There are 33,000 Protestant denominations with 33,000 different approaches to faith.  Don't get lost in the things that we cannot know.

Instead, focus on the greater issues of love, mercy and justice.  That is a system that is simple, easy to understand, easy to do, and brings great meaning and purpose to those who choose to live such lives.

Apply the rule of love to everything that you do.

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

- - - - - - - - - - -

I am, along with Sherri Swanson and Aaron Brown, leading a trip to the Holy Land January 23-February 2, 2023.

For more information, click the link below.  And if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Click here for the brochure  

I am nobody

I have a friend who told me that they were a nobody.  They were comparing themselves to others.  To people with great careers.  To people who served on civic committees.  To people who had a lot of money.  Comparing themselves to people who were involved in everything.  And compared to them, they felt like a nothing, a nobody.

I agreed with this person that they were not doing any of those things, but that did not make them a nobody.  If they were a nobody, why were they loved by so many folks?

It's because being a person of significance has little to do with your occupation, your civic involvement, your wealth and such.  We have all known church leaders who were not nice people.  We have all known Doctors who were not kind.  We have all known rich people who were mean.

There is something more important than involvement, status, wealth and a job title.  That something is kindness.  My friend is loved because they are kind.  They are somebody, because they are good to people.  They are significant to many many people because they are always reaching out with grace.

Do you want to live a significant life?  Maybe it is time to pursue the simple things of love, kindness and grace.

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

- - - - - - - - - - -

I am, along with Sherri Swanson and Aaron Brown, leading a trip to the Holy Land January 23-February 2, 2023.

For more information, click the link below.  And if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Click here for the brochure