Miracle

There are many miracles in this daily journey of life.

On Wednesday I woke up at 2:30 am.  We drove to the airport and flew to California as I had work to do for my sister.  I slept a bit on the plane, but I was exhausted...  It felt like I was having a near death experience.

I went to bed on Wednesday night at 6:30 which was 9:30 Florida time.  Then the miracle happened.  The miracle of sleep.  The miracle of rejuvenation.  The miracle of waking up refreshed.  Thursday morning I woke at 4:30am, ready to tackle the day.

After how I felt the night before, that was truly a miracle.

We have much to be thankful for.

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

making it work

Recently heard: "we can make it work, we can always make it work."

This is a very constructive attitude to bring to the table.  It reminds me of this:  "blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape."

What ever you or your organization may be facing, you are probably able to adjust and change much more than you think.  

Once you get past your reservations, step into the new and it will be fine.

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

Change

The one thing that is constant is change.  The only thing that cannot be changed is change.

We humans are fine with change as long as it doesn't affect me.  But in this life, we must grow accustomed to the fact that nothing stays the same.

They tore down my grade school.  South City View...

They closed the church that I was baptized in:  Zion Lutheran Church...

I am still here.  We survived.  Everything is still ok.

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

Birthday Cards and scam

Let's start w the scam... some people have received a facebook friend invite from me.  It is not me.

the account is @jeff.brinkman.586674  This is not me.  Do not accept.  Do not click.  Delete it.

Now on to today's post...

Sometimes people tell me that I am too serious.  So here is a light post that features two cards that I received for my birthday last month.

Made me smile.  Hope it made you smile too!!!

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

living scared

Living your life scared of going to hell will cause you to miss a life of love.

Decide which God you believe in:  the God who judges or the God who loves.  That choice will say everything about how you feel about day to day living.

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

If you want to listen to last Sunday's sermon, here is the link...

click here for the sermon

story

I heard a story the other day about a man who was burned out.  He was exhausted.  He had lost the joy of living.  He decided to take a retreat to spend time with Tibetan Monks.

When he got to Tibet, he complained about the altitude, the amount of hiking and the food.

He had left his surroundings of home, but brought himself along on the journey.

Moral of that story is this:  if we are going to find renewal in this life, we need to do more than change our surroundings.  We need to change our attitudes.

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

when someone passes

When someone passes that we care about, it hurts.  The greater the hurt, the greater was the love.

Many random emotions come to us when someone dies...

Shock.  Grief.  Anger. Disbelief. Repeat...

Then I hope that we can come to an appreciation.  I hope that we can think of the person and savor the blessing of knowing them.

As I work thru my recent loss, I am able to celebrate the wonderful life of my friend.  We have so much to be thankful for.

Enjoy your friends.  Love your peeps.  Nothing lasts forever.

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

Kathy Rice

Last Sunday... It was a nice day. I got up and had a cuppa coffee. Feeling good. Got dressed for church. Had a nice drive to Juno Beach.  I led the Service and preached the sermon thought everything went fine.  It’s a good day.  I’m in a meeting after church with a joint discernment team.  Meetings going great really good people.

My phone starts to buzz. It’s on silent, but it’s buzzing. I picked it up and looked at it.

Kathy Rice died.
What?  WHAT???

I exclaimed out loud and interrupted the meeting. I didn’t mean to. I apologized.

It’s a complete shock. One year older than me- young- nice- friendly, kind, and an important piece of the Fort Pierce First United Methodist Church.

Kathy Rice died.  What a loss.  She greeted me and others every Sunday.  She was quick with a smile and a hug.  She was a unique, warm amazing peron.

The quote at the top of this blog came from her.

She was a fantastic human and she will be dearly missed.

Also from her facebook page...

I join the many who will miss her...

30 years ago

Thirty years ago I wore this tie on Sunday morning...

This was the Sunday when we had outdoor worship.
Bill Hampton presented Woods Chapel with the first
grant check to build a new building. 
I would say this is August 1996.

I still have the tie... since I have started preaching in Juno Beach at Ocean View, some of my ties are coming out of mothballs.

hanging in the closet...

Doesn't hardly even look like the same person... 30 years... where did the time go?  Heck, where did the hair go???

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

spirituality

Spirituality is an interesting topic.  What makes someone spiritual?  You have, and I have heard it all.

Learn the Bible to be spiritual.  Go to church to be spiritual.  Attend Sunday School class or Bible Study to be spiritual.

The problem with all of those ideas is that we all know people who know the Bible, attend all the classes and never miss church, but are mean and selfish.  There is nothing spiritual about them.

I read this somewhere and it made the sermon las Sunday...

"Spiritually developed people are those who have learned to set aside their comfort and personal preference for the sake of the mission."

I love that.

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

to break the will

In my family, my mother was my primary abuser. She felt it was her job to break the will of the child. She worked hard at her task. We were to tow the line and if we ever embarrassed her, there would be hell to pay. She wanted us to be acceptable in society and acceptable to God. And so we were shamed, guilted, beaten and ignored - repeat.

It has been said that you can learn something from everyone. From some people you learn the right way to do things. From other people you learn the wrong things to do.

I am so glad that we did not raise our children the way that my mother raised us.

May every pain of the past be a launching pad for love, today and in the future. May we who were hurt as children rise up and proclaim to our families and the world that God loves us just the way we are.

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

If you want to listen to last Sunday's sermon, here is the link...

click here to watch worship 7-27-25

when grace has a but...

When grace has a but, it is a sign that we still don't get it.

When our brain says, God loves us as long as we do such and such, we still don't get it.  When we think that we understand grace but it is conditional, we have not yet found grace.

Chuck the but.  Get rid of the conditions.

God loves you.  Just as you are.

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

grace or guilt

In high demand religious systems critical thinking is turned against yourself and you begin to cannibalize your self-esteem. Your self-esteem becomes dependent upon your following the rules and being good. The system has so infiltrated your heart and mind that eventually they don't need to guilt you any more because you just do it to yourself.

How sad.  And what a painful way to live.

It takes hard work to get to the other side, but it can be done. The first step is to recognize that what you were taught is not helpful. The second step is to retrain your brain. God loves me, God loves me, God loves me... over and over and over again until that becomes the main theme that your thought system is organized around.

God does love you - no matter what.  Mercy rejoices over judgment. Free yourself from the past and accept God's amazing love.

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

From Kim

My friend Kim saw this recently at an establishment...

I will choose love until it becomes who I am!!!  I love that!!!

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

Smack!

From time to time people will ask me a question when I have food in my mouth.  I am unable to answer at that time.  I might want to, but I just can't.

Here is why... when I was growing up, one of the many rules was that you do not talk with food in your mouth.  If you did, my mother would pop up out of her seat, she was lightening quick, and smack you across the mouth.

While I didn't like it when it happened to me, I loved it when it happened to my sisters because food would go flying out of their mouth.

Such treatment leaves a mark on you.  I just can't talk with my mouth full.  Let me chew it up and swallow it and then we can talk.

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

Posted on the wall

I have always said that I would rather have 10 people who were totally biblically illiterate and loved others, than 1,000 who could quote scripture and pronounce Mesopotamia but had no heart for the poor.

Posted on a wall at the Ocean View UMC in Juno Beach Florida:

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

stability

I was hanging out with my friend Bruce.  We got to talking about how good life has been.  About how many things that we have to be thankful for.

I mentioned that I was thankful that my children got to live in the same town and go to grade school, junior high and high school in the same system. I doubt that they realize what a blessing this is when your dad is a Methodist preacher. Usually you move every 3-4 years and your kids are pulled away from their friends and their schools several times along the way.

Bruce said, "you should have them talk to me."  This is his life experience...

My dad was a school teacher and coach. He was demanding and had high expectations for his students and athletes as well as his family. Because of his need to help others excel along with his need to be wanted and feel significant he would decide that he needed to find a new place to start over and we as a family began the cycle over at each stop along this journey.

Here is my journey through the school years:

    Kindergarten through 2nd grade - Cumberland, IA

    3rd grade through 8th grade - Marcus, IA

    9th grade - Chico, CA

    10th grade - Live Oak, CA

    11th grade through High School graduation - Alturas, CA

The story didn't end there. After my graduation, my family moved to Missouri where two out three of my younger siblings graduated high school and the youngest had three stops in Kansas before graduating.  

. . . 

You can imagine the disruption to the family and individual lives such a journey make.

I am going to send this blog to my children so I am sure that they read it.  We all have so much to be thankful for.

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

Sheep and Goats

In Mt 25 we have the Parable of the Sheep and Goats... In the parable, the master explains who is in and who is out.  Who makes it into the kingdom and who does not.

The church would tell you that to be in the in group you must do the following:

• believe the right formula
• be baptized
• go to church
• read the bible
• pray
• oh yes and give 10%

According to the church, these are the things that make good Christians.

Put the master in the parable has a completely different criteria.  None of the above items are mentioned as leading to righteousness.

The righteous, those who are welcomed into the kingdom, simply reached for the least of these.

They fed the hungry.  They brought water to the thirsty.  They visited those in prison.  They welcomed in the stranger.

That is all.  They showed kindness.  No other religious behavior was required.

How are you spending your time and efforts?  Are you following a religious prescription that you received from your church or upbringing?  Or are you reaching for the least of these?

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

more Jesus, less Paul

If you are like me, the faith that you were taught was based more on the teachings of Paul than Jesus. Why would that be? Why would the church lift up things Paul said more often that what Jesus said?

One reason is because Paul is more legalistic and the church could use that heaviness and guilt to keep people in line.

Another reason is because Paul is more black and white and Jesus often speaks in parables which have several possible interpretations. The church has never been high on open minded thinking.

Here is a list of Jesus' parables. How many of them do you know?

38 Parables of Jesus Overview Chart

1 New Cloth and New Wineskins Matthew 9:16–17 Mark 2:21–22 Luke 5:36–39
2 The Lamp On a Stand Matthew 5:14–16 Mark 4:21–25 Luke 8:16–18
3 The Wise and the Foolish Builders Matthew 7:24–27 Luke 6:47–49
4 The Two Debtors Luke 7:41–43
5 The Rich Fool Luke 12:16–21
6 The Watchful Servants Mark 13:34–37 Luke 12:35–40
7 The Faithful Servant Matthew 24:45-51 Luke 12:42–48
8 The Barren Fig Tree Luke 13:6–9
9 The Sower Matthew 13:3–23 Mark 4:3–20 Luke 8:5–15
10 The Weeds Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43
11 The Growing Seed Mark 4:26–29
12 The Mustard Seed Matthew 13:31–32 Mark 4:30–32 Luke 13:18–19
13 The Yeast Matthew 13:33 Luke 13:20–21
14 The Hidden Treasure and the Pearl Matthew 13:44–46
15 The Net Matthew 13:47–50
16 The Householder Matthew 13:52
17 The Lost Sheep Matthew 18:12–14 Luke 15:3–7
18 The Master and Servant Luke 17:7–10
19 The Unforgiving Servant Matthew 18:23–35
20 The Good Samaritan Luke 10:30–37
21 The Friend at Night Luke 11:5–13
22 The Wedding Feast Luke 14:7–14
23 The Great Banquet Luke 14:16–24
24 The Tower Luke 14:28–33
25 The Lost Coin Luke 15:8–10
26 The Prodigal Son Luke 15:11–32
27 The Unjust Steward Luke 16:1–13
28 The Rich Man and Lazarus Luke 16:19–31
29 The Workers In the Vineyard Matthew 20:1–16
30 The Persistent Widow Luke 18:1–8
31 The Pharisee and the Tax Collector Luke 18:9–14
32 The Two Sons Matthew 21:28–32
33 The Tenants Matthew 21:33–44 Mark 12:1–11 Luke 20:9–18
34 The Wedding Banquet Matthew 22:1–14
35 The Fig Tree Matthew 24:32–35 Mark 13:28–31 Luke 21:29–33
36 The Ten Virgins Matthew 25:1–13
37 The Talents Matthew 25:14–30 Luke 19:12–27
38 The Sheep and Goats Matthew 25:31–46

May you find a revitalization of grace in your life through the stories of Jesus.

And while you are at it, let Paul go.

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

the frailty of life

The scripture says that we humans are like grass.  Here briefly and then vanishing.

Last week when I was sick, I actually wondered if I was dying.  I did not know what was wrong and it was scary.  

Writing at this point, I am glad that I was not dying, but it does remind me that one day I will.  One day we all will.

How important it is to appreciate every day, every moment, because each moment along the way, we get one day closer to our last.

I hope that yours and mine are not for quite some time.

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

July 4 revisited

On July 4th  I posted about how fortunate we are to have been born in America. I mentioned that we have won the lottery...

Food for thought... my friend Terry the Painter wrote in to say, "Amen brother, we have won the lottery. I understand that statistics show that most lottery winners squander their good fortune."

May we work hard and stay committed so that we do not squander our blessings.

Deconstruction

Deconstruction is a term that many in the church world use to describe the process of a person replacing the faith of their youth with something that is more loving.

So many of us were taught who the good ones and the bad ones were.  So many of us grew up in the fear of God.

It is hard to deconstruct the faith of our youth.  But, it can be done.  It takes openness, reading, and practice.  It takes becoming comfortable with questions.  Things that we could not question when we were young, we must learn to question if we would have a love based faith.

I want to put the judgmental God behind me.  I want to live for the God of love.  Deconstruction.  It is a very good thing.

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

Yes I did not post yesterday

Nothing is wrong with your computer.  Wednesday afternoon I got sick.  As sick as I have been in a long time.  I think that it was food poisoning from lunch.

Anyway, I am feeling better now.

Here's to feeling better!!!  Sometimes we don't appreciate health until it is compromised.

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

A new commandment

On the night that Jesus was betrayed, he gave a new commandment...

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Besides asking his followers to love, he made it pretty clear that them showing love would be the sign of his followers.

If we don't love, then everyone has a right to question if we are followers. And those who claim to follow, but do not show love, can probably claim allegiance to another teacher.

Love.  It's not just the main thing, it's the only thing.

If you want to watch or listen to Sunday's sermon, click on the link below...

if you want to watch or listen to last weeks sermon, click on this link

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

make people happy

My friend Joyce sent me a note about a person in her church that has a very positive outlook on life.  If you ask this person "what do you do?" "can you tell me about yourself?" "what do you like to do?"

They respond with this:  "I just like to see if I can make people happy."

I love that.  What a fantastic way for a person to spend their time.

Let's see if we can make someone happy today!!!

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

culture vs strategy

I am pretty sure that enculturating is not a word. I am going to use it anyway.
Enculturating is the process of building the culture of your organization, business or church. Or it is the process of changing the culture.   It is done one person at a time.

Many cultures are broken.   Themes of power and control can quickly harm a culture.  Big ideas without legs can harm a culture.  Anything that is not relevant or normal can harm a culture.   A lack of joy, a lack of hard work, and any number of things can create a negative culture.

That is where you and I come in.  You can affect the culture of your organization.   Even if you are not in charge, you can effect positive change.  You can be the one server at the restaurant that everyone wants.  You can be the one cashier at the grocery store that people wait in line for.   You can be the one friendly person at your church.

Here are the steps to build a positive culture.
1. Love one another. Love everyone. See people as valuable. Invest in them.
2. Maintain an outward focus. It is not about me, it is about our mission.
3. Reduce organization and meetings. Keep it simple. Don't torture people by talking things to death.
4. live each day with Joy, authenticity and excellence.
5. And finally, love one another.

You can make a difference in your world.  You are already leaving a trail, either positive or negative.  We are not here forever.  Why not join the positive voices and bring love and joy to your organization or church.  You can make a difference in your cubicle, your pew, your community.

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

owning something

I was watching a TV show about people that live in old historic homes.  One of them said, "We don't actually own a home, we are just taking care of it for the next person that comes along."

I find that statement to be interesting, especially because they do legally own the home.  So I got to thinking.

I am taking care of our home for three reasons...  

1.  Because I like to fix things.  

2.  Because I want our home to be nice.

3.  Because if I die before my wife [and I probably will] I don't want her to have to deal with a 20 year old roof or a hot water heater that is on it's last legs.

But expanding on the idea... this home will outlive the Brinkmans.  We used to live in the Oaks Ridge house in Lees Summit.  Those who live their now are benefiting from the Iris that I planted, the crank out windows that I fixed, and the new roof that we put on.

We have taught for years that we are not owners, we are stewards.  It's not my money, it is God's.  What we have or what we think we own, are all actually gifts from God.  Let's take care of the things that we have and use them for the kingdom as we are able.

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

my first flight

It was bound to happen.  I got on the airplane and went to my seat, 20D.  There was a young man sitting in my seat.

Before I could react negatively, he engaged me and asked if I could sit in 20C which was the other aisle seat.  This will allow him to sit with his wife and young son.  It was the baby's first flight.

Ok.  No worries.

Then he handed me this.  He handed everyone around us this little package.

The note says, "It's my first flight!  I made a deal to be on my best behavior, but I can't make any guarantees.  I might cry if I get scared or if my ears won't pop.  Here are some treats and ear plugs to make your flight more enjoyable.  Thank you for being patient with us!"

I loved this.  What an amazing show of kindness.  Someone thinking about others.

Well, I enjoyed visiting with the couple and their baby was great on the flight.  I am inspired by the creative kindness that this young couple showed.

It's just not that hard to be nice is it?

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

the result of love

My friend Jeff from Ocean View sent this in...

"Public discussion has become angry and cruel,"  says Layton Friesen in the Evangelical Mennonite Conference Messenger. We try to defend it: “My speech may have the delicacy of a chainsaw doing brain surgery, but I can always justify the damage with the claim that this is what ‘tough love’ looks like.” Not so fast, he says: I can’t judge whether I am loving. “Loving is like leadership: I am not a leader if people don’t follow. If I truly love, the other person will feel beloved.”

(page 5 Anabaptist World, June 2025 issue)

My comments.... I love it.  If you are going to love someone, they should feel loved.  If they are not feeling the love, then what I am doing may be more based on controlling someone than loving them.  Even in a hard discussion, we can carry ourselves with grace.

True love leaves the other person feeling loved.

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

For the beauty of the earth

 And so I was driving home from Ocean View UMC in Juno Beach, FL and I saw this.

Sometimes, we just need to take a deep breath and say "wow!!!"

Look for the beauty.  See the good.  It is there is we are paying attention.

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