Sunrise on the Sea of Galilee - January, 2023

My friend Bruce sent this in...

"Every sunrise is an invitation for us to brighten someone's day."
                                                  Richelle E. Goodrich

So, if we wake up tomorrow, we have a choice to make.  Will I bring good and hope and joy and love and kindness to the world?  Or will I bring something else?

The invitation to us is open... if we wake up that is.

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

Nice

One of the things that I love about working out on construction jobs is that people are surprised when I am nice.

When I was a pastor, I was expected to be nice.  I was expected to be nice even when other people were ugly.  Nice wasn't anything special, it was just assumed.

On the job site, it is completely different.  Subcontractors expect the superintendent to be a jerk.  I have had several tell me that.  So when I am nice to them, it is a pleasant surprise.  Dale was running a piece of equipment the other day.  He called me over and asked why I was nice when most superintendents were not.  We had a nice discussion.

Well, whether it is expected or not, being nice is always good.  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

And if nice is not reciprocated, just remember, some things in life are their own reward.  Being nice is it's own reward.

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

What religion is God?

Quote from the movie 42: Yankee's GM Branch Rickey: [Referring to Jackie Robinson] "He's a Methodist, I'm a Methodist... And God's a Methodist; We can't go wrong!!!"

The problem is, God is not a Methodist. God is also not a Baptist. God is not Assembly of God. God is not Church of God. I think that most of us get that. But there is more.

Yes, there is more. Jesus was not a Christian, he was a Jew.  Abraham was not a Jew.  And God is not a Christian. Let me say it again, God is not a Christian.  God is the all knowing, all seeing, all powerful one. He was around long before the Christian faith. He was around long before the Jewish faith.  Unless he converted to Judaism or Christianity, he is neither.  He predates them, and is much bigger than they are.

Does that mess with your brain?  If God is not Jewish or Christian or Methodist or Baptist, what is he?

Well, he is bigger. Bigger than He/She, bigger than our denominations, and bigger than our religions.

Just getting my brain open to that thought changes the way that I think about many other things. God is bigger, much bigger than our notions of him.

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

my watch is broken

It is not really 2:10.  But that is what my watch says.  I don't know what happened, but sometime yesterday, I hit it on something and broken the winding mechanism off.  Sometime yesterday... well I guess it was at 2:10 pm yesterday.

That essentially ended the life of this watch.  But don't be sad.  It has had a good life.  It lived for about 6 years, which is 48 in watch years.

This watch brought me a lot of comfort and a lot of good times.  It kept me current and got me to the church on time.

So this morning I had to ask myself.  Do I put on my watch or not?  If it doesn't work, why wear it?  

I put it on.  Why wear it?  Because I am used to it hanging there.  I am used to the feel.  I am used to the sounds.  I would have felt funny all day without it.  Next week I will be home and I will pick up it's twin that still works.  Until then, I will wear this broken, but comforting friend.  Don't discount the familiar things.  They can bring us a lot of joy.

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

a beautiful moment

The air is cool and calm. I’m walking down the sidewalk back to the hotel because I forgot something in the room. I’m walking under a silver maple tree. The sun has just come up. In a few minutes I’ll be driving to the job.

The maple leaves were beautiful.  The sky was bright with the dawn.  

Walking down that sidewalk, I was struck with a thought... "I’m so happy to be alive!"

You know friends, it is the simple moments in life- if we pay attention to them, they can bring us a lot of joy. Thank you God for the ability to see, to walk and to work.

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

When is Cinco de Mayo???

Today is Cinco de Mayo.  Cinco = five. Mayo = May.  The fifth of May.  I love to ask people, "when is Cinco de Mayo this year?"  Many people recognize it as a holiday but do not understand that it is date specific.   Much like someone from another culture might hear that we celebrate a holiday called July 4th. If the words July and fourth don't translate well into their language, they might not know it was a specific day.

Did you know that Cinco de Mayo is not celebrated very much in Mexico?   It is also not the Mexican day of Independence.  That is September 16th.  Cinco de Mayo celebrates a Mexican victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla, May 5th 1862.

Anyway, today is Cinco de Mayo. When is it next year?

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

A New National Holiday...

My friend Shawn Fransensengens turned me on to this nice little joke.

Today is Star Wars day.

May the 4th be with you.
ha. ha.

I was in California for Jr and Sr highschool and my first year of college. I moved away in 1976. I missed my friends, imagine that. So I drove back for a visit in 1977. I was visiting my friend Dan Denevue in San Jose California in 1977. The Star Wars movie came out in May, I was there in June or July. There were still long lines to watch the first Star Wars film. I was visiting Dan for 10 days. during that time we saw the movie 7 times. I loved it. Still do.

Happy Star Wars day.
May the 4th be with you.

😊

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

Who will be that baby's momma?

Our grandson now has a name... Cruz Aiden Lascon.

I was talking with a friend on Saturday about the effects of a new baby on a previously only child.  For example, my only grand child, Bella Lascon, was an only child until Cruz was born last week.  My friend and I were talking about what the older child thinks when a new one comes along.

Talk about a culture shock.  Now I have to share my mom???  What is that about???

My friend told me that her grandchild was sitting on her mother's lap.  The mom is nine months pregnant and the presently only child who will soon have a new brother, asked her mother, "who will be that baby's mother?"

Who will  be that baby's mother???

A three year old knows that mom will have another baby.  Fine.  But who will be it's mother, because you belong to me.  You are mine and mine alone.

Oh, what a perfect picture of the journey of life.  It is not about me.  We are constantly invited to find ways to share, to love, and to welcome others in.  It is not about you when you are three years old, and it is not about you when you are 30, 40, 50, 60 or 70.  Some adults still need to learn that.  They grow old, but never grow up.

It is not about you.  It is not about me.

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

Quote from Sunday's Sermon

Edit from yesterday... if you read yesterday's blog, you might have been perplexed by the phrase "anti-trip." The phrase should have been anti-Trump. I always read thru the blogs several times before I post them. But sometimes, my brain misses misspellings and such. Sorry. Hope this clarification helps.

Now on to today's post...

This was used in Sunday's sermon on April 23rd. A couple of people asked for me to post it.
If you are interested, here is the link to the sermon ... click on it, then scroll down to April 23
click here to listen


Here is the quote...

Guilt and shame. I was raised on it.

• In the system I was raised in, there was a clear definition between what was good and what was bad,
• and who was good and who was bad. It was personal. It was about you.
• If you did bad, then you were bad.
• Behavior was modified by confrontation, humiliation, spankings and belittling.
• It was a terrible way to be raised. You carry it with you into adulthood. You repeat it.
• It is all that you know.
• Until somewhere along the way, You begin to see the hurt that you are delivering to others and you stop.
• You begin the process of recovering from such a broken way of thinking and living.
• Hopefully, eventually you commit yourself to loving others, releasing them and never shaming again.

Jesus does not shame people. Neither should we.

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

Mutually Exclusive

Had a brainstorm. Funny, I should have thought of this my entire life. This should not be a new thought for me, or for any of us. Here Goes...

Love, and hate are mutually exclusive. Or at least they should be.

It doesn’t seem like that should be that hard of a conclusion to arrive at. I was driving down the road the other day and I saw a car that had a love Jesus bumper sticker and a "Let's Go Brandon" sticker. I’m not gonna explain what a let's go Brandon sticker means - you can look that up online. But loving Jesus and saying "let's go Brandon" are mutually exclusive statements because one is about love and one is about hate. And I would say that if it was an anti-Trump bumper sticker as well.

First Corinthians makes it clear that if you do all these things, but have not love you’ve missed the mark. Christians should not just strive to love. But in striving to love, they should strive to reject and move away from anything that smacks of hatred or anything that smacks of judgment. You can dislike a politician, and I dislike several. But when our language and our hearts are filled with hate and animosity toward Republicans or Democrats or CNN or Fox News, then we have forgotten that we are called to love. Jesus welcomed, everyone: Jews, Samaritans, the rich, the poor Romans, tax collectors, fisherman, really he welcomed everyone. Love doesn’t mean love the ones you like and be nasty to the ones you don’t. Love and hate are mutually exclusive.

1 John 4
19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

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

Alice

Her name is Alice.

I have been at this hotel for two weeks.  I have learned the names of, and got to know some of the employees.

The other day I was in the lobby getting coffee, and a man is checking out.  He is ugly about it.  He is not just ugly, he is ugly to Alice.  Alice is 72 years old.  Alice's husband died last year.  She is a human would rather be retired, but she is working to make ends meet.  She is a person.

Back to the man... Seems the hotel quoted him one rate, but his bill shows a higher rate.

He is ugly to Alice.  He is treating her as if she personally did this to him.  I went over and stood close to the counter.  I thought the presence of another human might cause the man to act a bit more humanely.  It did not.

I wanted to address him, but I did not.  But if I had, I would have said the following:

Sir, Alice did not do this to you personally.  Sir, you can be upset without being ugly.  Please do not hurt her because you are angry.  Life is short, kindness is always better than ugly.  Why don't you leave the lobby, regroup, get ahold of your mouth, and come back in and start over.

The next time you are upset, remember, you can get a problem addressed without hurting others.

She has a name.  Her name is Alice.

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

The non-anxious presence

The non-anxious presence. This describes someone who:

• is calm in the face of trouble
• doesn't do anything to add to the current craziness
• speaks peace to nervous and upset people

A non-anxious presence is:

• welcome in almost any situation
• may have an opinion, but does not need to express it.
• can bring needed change to the culture
• a very very valuable part of the team

To me, one of the great things about being a non-anxious presence is that anyone can do it.  You can do it.  I can do it.  Even if you were crazy about a thing the other day, you can, I can choose to act and respond differently. 

We can choose to bring healing and wholeness to the organization.

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

A man called Otto

I just finished the movie, A man called Otto. I loved it.

I loved how the pains of life were on full display, for they are very real.  I loved how a normal person worked hard to acclimate to a changing world. His cat reminded me of my favorite cat.

And there was this quote..."I would like a funeral. Nothing overblown. Just a remembrance of some sort for those people who thought I pulled my weight (in this life)"

I hope that at the end of the day, someone feels that I have pulled my weight.

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

Reflections on my life

I posted this the other day, but I did so after the deadline, so it did not go out by email.  So, here it is again.

When I am gone, tell them these things:
Tell them that the house was decorated with blue and green outdoor lights at Christmas, with one red bulb near the top. Just because life is like that.  And I am a little bit strange!!!

Tell them that I was the pied piper of animals. When I went to the basement they would all follow me and pile on in hopes of a good nap. I could scratch a cat and send it to heaven. I will be a cat masseuse in my next life.

Speaking of cats, tell them we had a cat named "the fat one."

Tell them that I loved Anthony Demello stories. In fact tell them one, tell them the one about the ghosts and the medals or the one about the sheeply lion.

Tell them that I loved people. I wanted to love them as God loves them and help them see the joy of being alive.

Tell them I loved softball. Have one of the Armadillos tell about the time I was bracing for a collision at the plate and the runner jumped completely over me and landed with both feet on home plate.

Tell them that I loved afternoon games at Royals stadium with friends.

Tell them I was a tool guy. I had eight hammers and every variety of tool that God had ever invented.

Tell them that Bruce Letner taught me how to replace disc brake pads on cars and that I got pretty good at it, especially after I bought the special tools.

Tell them that I loved jokes. Bad jokes. Me and Gayle Kelley. Tell them about Paddy O'Furniture and Napoleon's thanksgiving.

Tell them that I loved to paint houses.

Tell them that I loved Kansas City. St. Louis. Chicago. Ft. Lauderdale. San Francisco.

Tell them that I loved the mountains, the beach, palm trees. Swimming pools with fountains. Hot tubs.  Tell them that I loved the redwoods.

Tell them that I loved Rob Bell and Hubert Neth. Tell them that they made me a better man.

Tell them that I loved to help big tough men learn to show the warmth within their hearts.

Tell them that I love a pickup truck and all of the things that you can do with one.

I loved cars. It was a sickness. I would buy an old car and spend a year fixing it up and then would not know what to do with it. I love mustangs and motors and brakes and tires. Body work, oil changes, brake jobs and wiring.

Tell them that I loved music. The Messiah. Fernando Ortega. Old time rock and roll. Bob Seeger, ELO, REO Speedwagon, Pink Floyd, CCR and one we go.

My first album.  I still have it!!!

Tell them that I loved trees. Oak, maple, red bud, weeping cherry, Japanese maple, ash, aspen, pine and more. I love them all.

I love redwood trees.   Did I say that???  Yosemite. John Muir woods. Henry Cowell Redwoods state park. My soul comes out of my body when I walk among these giants. Scatter my ashes there, I want to be apart of helping these beautiful specimens of the greatness of God grow even taller.

Tell them that I loved to plant stuff. Sedem, tulips, ajuga, english ivy, indian grass, mums, tomato plants, and the list goes on. Tell them that when you plant things and watch things grow, you are participating in the work of God.

Tell them that I loved cable cars, morning fog, highway 1, the old time amusement museum, Scoma's, the golden gate bridge, Alcatraz, Pier 39 and watching the boats on the bay.

Tell them that I loved the wine country, and I didn't even drink the wine. Well I did one time, when I was 17, but that is another story. I love the rolling hills, the beautiful vineyards. The smell of the air in the morning, and being there with Cathy.

Tell them that it was a privilege to be a pastor. To love people and to try to help them come to believe that God loved them.  Tell them that my greatest joy was to see the lights come on in their souls.

Tell them that I learned. I grew. I changed. I wanted to be all that God had called me to be.

Tell them that I had a growing desire to help the poor. To go to the places where people had nothing, and give them food and water. Tell them that God increased the compassion in my heart for those who are the "least of these."

Tell them that I would rather give away that junk than have a garage sale. The joy of giving is worth more than the small amount of money we would make.

Tell them that I so valued my friends. In my early years, friends did not come easily, so I deeply valued each of my friends.

Tell them thank you.

Tell them that no man was ever more proud of his children.

Tell them that I am not afraid to go to the next life. It is already here, now, all around us. Eternity is just into the next dimension. We will all go there sometime, and I have been privileged to see enough of it in this life, that it is just going to feel like going home, and I assure you, I will be there, waiting for you.

When I am gone, tell them these things.

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

Grandpa Pooh x 2

My oldest daughter Allison and her husband Bobby have made me a grandpa x 2.  Boy baby born by caesarian 8am yesterday.  7lbs, 7ozs.  No name as of yet.  

No name for the baby yet, but my grandpa name is Pooh.  Pooh could not be more proud!!!  Rejoice with me!

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

Reflections on my life

When I am gone, tell them these things.
Tell them that the house was decorated with blue and green outdoor lights at Christmas, with one red bulb near the top. Just because life is like that.

Tell them that I was the pied piper of animals. When I went to the basement they would all follow me and pile on in hopes of a good nap. I could scratch a cat and send it to heaven. I will be a cat masseuse in my next life.

Speaking of cats, tell them we had a cat named "the fat one."

Tell them that I loved Anthony Demello stories. In fact tell them one, tell them the one about the ghosts and the medals or the one about the sheeply lion.

Tell them that I loved people. I wanted to love them as God loves them and help them see the joy of being alive.

Tell them I loved softball. Have one of the Armadillos tell about the time I was bracing for a collision at the plate and the runner jumped completely over me and landed with both feet on home plate.

Tell them that I loved afternoon games at Royals stadium with friends.

Tell them I was a tool guy. I had eight hammers and every variety of tool that God had ever invented.

Tell them that Bruce Letner taught me how to replace disc brake pads on cars and that I got pretty good at it, especially after I bought the special tools.

Tell them that I loved jokes. Bad jokes. Me and Gayle Kelley. Tell them about Paddy O'Furniture and Napoleon's thanksgiving.

Tell them that I loved to paint houses.

Tell them that I loved Kansas City. St. Louis. Chicago. Ft. Lauderdale. San Francisco.

Tell them that I loved the mountains, the beach, palm trees. Swimming pools with fountains. Hot tubs.  Tell them that I loved the redwoods.

Tell them that I loved Rob Bell and Hubert Neth. Tell them that they made me a better man.

Tell them that I loved to help big tough men learn to show the warmth within their hearts.

Tell them that I love a pickup truck and all of the things that you can do with one.

I loved cars. It was a sickness. I would buy an old car and spend a year fixing it up and then would not know what to do with it. I love mustangs and motors and brakes and tires. Body work, oil changes, brake jobs and wiring.

Tell them that I loved music. The Messiah. Fernando Ortega. Old time rock and roll. Bob Seeger, ELO, REO Speedwagon, Pink Floyd, CCR and one we go.

Tell them that I loved trees. Oak, maple, red bud, weeping cherry, Japanese maple, ash, aspen, pine and more. I love them all.

I love redwood trees.   Did I say that???  Yosemite. John Muir woods. Henry Cowell Redwoods state park. My soul comes out of my body when I walk among these giants. Scatter my ashes there, I want to be apart of helping these beautiful specimens of the greatness of God grow even taller.

Tell them that I loved to plant stuff. Sedem, tulips, ajuga, english ivy, indian grass, mums, tomato plants, and the list goes on. Tell them that when you plant things and watch things grow, you are participating in the work of God.

Tell them that I loved cable cars, morning fog, highway 1, the old time amusement museum, Scoma's, the golden gate bridge, Alcatraz, Pier 39 and watching the boats on the bay.

Tell them that I loved the wine country, and I didn't even drink the wine. Well I did one time, when I was 17, but that is another story. I love the rolling hills, the beautiful vineyards. The smell of the air in the morning, and being there with Cathy.

Tell them that it was a privilege to be a pastor. To love people and to try to help them come to believe that God loved them.  Tell them that my greatest joy was to see the lights come on in their souls.

Tell them that I learned. I grew. I changed. I wanted to be all that God had called me to be.

Tell them that I had a growing desire to help the poor. To go to the places where people had nothing, and give them food and water. Tell them that God increased the compassion in my heart for those who are the "least of these."

Tell them that I would rather give away that junk than have a garage sale. The joy of giving is worth more than the small amount of money we would make.

Tell them that I so valued my friends. In my early years, friends did not come easily, so I deeply valued each of my friends.

Tell them thank you.

Tell them that no man was ever more proud of his children.

Tell them that I am not afraid to go to the next life. It is already here, now, all around us. Eternity is just into the next dimension. We will all go there sometime, and I have been privileged to see enough of it in this life, that it is just going to feel like going home, and I assure you, I will be there, waiting for you.

When I am gone, tell them these things.

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

A New Beginning

So the last few years that I was appointed to Woods Chapel... we had stagnated. Things have gone well for many many years, but by year 22 we were slowing down... I was slowing down.

Although I always believed that the church had good bones, it did concern me when things slowed.

Organizationally, churches need to find moments of renaissance. Moments to start again- moments to re-create. 

I’m pleased to celebrate that yesterday morning, the new remodeled children’s wing opened, and there are lots of new families that have started back to the church. Whatever my vision was, it had stopped working.

But I’m so thrilled. New leaders and new people came with new visions and new ideas, and the life of the congregation is thriving again!

Pastor Aaron Brown.  One of my favorite humans!!!

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

New Favorites

I came home from my work trip and had a package waiting.  Seems a friend had sent me some gifts!!!

I have some new favorite gear.  And a big smile on my face!!! Kindness is always a blessing.  A big thank you to my friend!!!

It's a beautiful day in God's world, and Life is Good!

A soft answer

More on yesterday's post.

I chose to be nice back to the person who was ugly to me.  I always try to be nice, but I am not always successful.  Yesterday, I was nice.

Today, they called back to apologize.  Well they didn't really say, "I'm sorry," but they called to make sure that everything was ok.  That we were ok.  They did that without really saying anything... no direct communication about it, just general conversation to let me know that they were back in.

And I thought of the scripture from Proverbs 15:1 "A soft answer turns away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger."

I cannot tell you that when you are kind you will always be rewarded with a good outcome.  But I can promise you that when you return evil for evil, you will most assuredly end up with a painful outcome.

Kindness is always the best choice, even when you want to hurt back.

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

Absorbing Pain

I had something happen to me the other day.  Someone delivered pain.  Right to my doorstep.  I did not see it coming.  I got no notifications.

I wondered if I had hurt someone and they were retaliating.  The answer ultimately was yes.  I had hurt someone and someone else responded on their behalf... Wow... I did not mean to, and I had no idea.

For what I delivered to them, the response seemed much more intense than it needed to be.  

I thought about the situation quite a bit.  I felt badly.  I felt wounded.   I am sure that this was their intention.  I thought about ways that I could explain to them or get back at them, but I stopped my self from doing so.

Sometimes, we have to just absorb the pain.  That is what Jesus did for sure.  I am not saying that I am Jesus, of course not.   Sometimes, it may seem unjust, and you may not understand, but absorbing the pain is the healthiest thing to do.

I am not suggesting that you become a door mat... but too many humans respond too strongly and too quickly.  We need to at least consider the option of just absorbing the pain and letting the thing dissipate.

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

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