thou shall not steal

Do you recognize this man?  He was caught on surveillance cameras at the church.  On Memorial Day at about 9:20am he broke into a trailer in broad daylight.  The trailer was loaded with supplies bound for tornado victims in Moore, Oklahoma.

I don't know that he was able to take much, but the audacity of stealing from a church or stealing from the needy is a sad thing indeed.

Unfortunately for the man, we have a good picture of him.  His truck too, is a bit unique.  Although it is a white Chevy pickup, it is a regular cab as opposed to an extended cab.  You will also notice a dent on the passenger side right behind the rear wheel.  If you recognize this man, please call the Lee's Summit police department.

As discouraging as the behavior of some can be at times, it is still a beautiful day in
God's world, be sure to see the good.

from our recent week in California

I lived in San Jose, California for 7 years.  I went to Jr and Sr high there and started college at San Jose State.  So I have grown to love the bay area.  As the song goes, I left my heart.........

The weather is amazing and so are the sights.  Here are a few pics from our recent trip.

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

from our garden

Some of my favorite moments of the year are when the flowers start to bloom.  It is so wonderful and amazing.  God has blessed the world with such beauty.

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

i can't find my phone

It is morning.  I roll out of bed, shower and dress.  I carry all of my things into the living room.  I sit down with my cup of coffee.  The cat comes and camps next to me so that I can scratch her head for the first time in the day.  She thinks that is why I live, so I can scratch her head and back.  So I scratch her head and I watch the morning news.  I finish getting ready for work.  Then I am collecting my stuff.  I can't find my phone.  I look around for it for about ten minutes.  Then I finally decide to call it from the home phone.  It is on vibrate, but I can hear it buzzing.  I look and I look and I look and finally I realize that it has been smothered and covered up by a lonely cat.

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

no complaints

Ok, so sometimes we  humans tend to think about what is wrong.

Well what if we take a moment and stop complaining long enough to give thanks.  What if we took a moment to celebrate instead of grouse.  What if we actually did count our blessings, what would we come up with?

I got to watch three babies be born.
I got to snow ski.
I have listened to a fountain dribble its water.
I have felt the heat and warmth of a fireplace.
I have stood at the ocean.
I have waded in the ocean.
I have body surfed in the ocean.
I have laid on the ground and watched the clouds blow by.
I have wondered what the clouds looked like.  A rabbit?  an airplane?
I have looked past the clouds to see the blue sky.
I have made some wonderful friends.
I have owned a car.
I have owned lots of cars.
I have lived in houses with running water.
I once rode a bicycle 120 miles in one day.
I learned how to change disc brake pads on a car.
I have added memory to a computer.
I have stood in the redwood forest and smelled the beautiful air.
I have see the grand canyon.
I have seen crater lake.
I have been to the petrified forest.
I have learned about aged cultures of the past.
I have learned to eat and enjoy seafood.
I celebrated the first earth day in 1972.
I made peace with hair loss when I was 28.
Although  I am 55, I still have plans and dreams.
I have loved and been loved.

So, you see, I don't have much to complain about in this life.
Next time I start to complain, remind me of this list.

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

tornado

The recent tornado in Moore, Oklahoma reminds us of the Joplin tornado of two years ago. Many have asked what we can do to help. After checking into what we can do, we have run into a few issues that you should know about.

1. Moore is not in our conference. It is in another state. We don't know or have relationships with the people or the systems in the Oklahoma Conference. There is always some bureaucracy to dance with and in this case, it is not our bureaucracy.

2. Although Missouri has little experience recovering from tornadoes, Oklahoma has lots of experience with this.

3. Finally, the population of Joplin is 50,000.  They needed our hands and our feet.  The population of greater Oklahoma City is 1.3 million.  There are lots of people right there who are ready and willing to help.

Having said these things, there are several things that we can do.  Money can be donated right away.  Just memo your check "tornado relief." We also have a family in the church that has a connection at OU in Norman.  They are organizing the loading and delivery of a trailer of supplies for relief.  The list of items needed is:  Walmart, Target and Visa gift cards.  Work gloves, trash bags, batteries, cleaning wipes, diapers, baby wipes, baby formula, sunscreen, hand towels, deodorant, shampoo, laundry soap, socks- new, underwear- new, dog and cat food, rakes, and shovels.  It is also possible that we will be organizing trips in the future.

And as always, you can pray for the victims and their families.  Coming on the two year anniversary of the Joplin tornado, this tragedy strikes close to our hearts.  Be sure to have an emergency plan for your family and lets keep the good folks of Moore in our prayers.

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

 

 

tornado

The recent tornado in Moore, Oklahoma reminds us of the Joplin tornado of two years ago.  Many have asked what we can do to help.  After checking into what we can do, we have run into a few issues that you should know about.

1.  Moore is not in our conference.  It is in another state.  We don't know or have relationships with the people or the systems in the Oklahoma Conference.  There is always some bureaucracy to dance with and in this case, it is not our bureaucracy.

2.  Although Missouri has little experience recovering from tornados, Oklahoma has lots of experience with this.

3.  Finally, the population of Joplin is 50,000.  They needed our hands and feet.  The population of greater Oklahoma City is 1.3 million.  There are lots of people right there who are ready to help.

Having said these things, there are several things that we can do.  Money can be donated right away.  Just memo your check "tornado relief."  We also have a family in the church that has a connection at OU in Norman.  They are organizing the loading and delivery of a trailer of supplies for relief.  The list of items needed is: Walmart, Target, and Visa gift cards, work gloves, trash bags, batteries, cleaning wipes, diapers, baby wipes, baby formula, sunscreen, hand towels, deodorant, shampoo, laundry soap, socks (new), underwear (new), dog and cat food, rakes, and shovels.  It is also possible that we will be organizing trips in the future.

And as always, you can pray for the victims and their families.  Coming on the two year anniversary of the Joplin tornado, this tragedy strikes close to our hearts.  Be sure to have an emergency plan for your family and lets keep the good folks of Moore in our prayers.

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

just do it

Discouraged?  Tired?  Disgusted with some part of life?  Tired of fighting some thing?  Want a break?  We all feel this way from time to time.

One thing that I come back to every time is this... you have to get up every morning and do the right thing.  You have to stand up and act.  You may have just gotten knocked down, but you have to get right back up and get on that horse.

The world is not going to stop for me to have a pity party.  Life awaits and it really does not care how I feel about what must be done.  However, when I get up and do what must be done, I usually do feel better.

It's a simple thing that seems to be true.  Some of the best days are when you can lay your head back on the pillow at night, and know that you just got up and did the good things that day.  You may not have felt it, you may not have had a visitation of angels that day, but you engaged life and did what needed to be done.

That is good stuff.

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

book quotes part 2

If you liked those quotes from yesterday, here are some more.  If you did not like them, then I am sorry, but they are making me think, so here are some more.  my comments in [brackets]

"people want you to be a rock star...give them the back lot tour" [let them see the broken parts of you and the church, then if they love the church, they will own it for what it really is. their commitment will matter, they will take ownership]
"sometimes the right decision breaks all the rules that you have come to know" [we read too many books on leadership.  sometimes you have to make a call that is outside of the box.]
"do you remember when ministry was fun?" [it still is for me, but it is a great question]
"quit whining about passion" [sometimes you wont feel the passion, but you still have to go to work.  sometimes you won't sense the Holy Spirit, but you will still have to get up and do the right thing.]

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

book quotes

I have been reading a book on leadership.  It is about being yourself.  Not bad advice probably.  If you can't be yourself, who can you be?

There were some great quotes in the front cover.  Here are some of them.  I am posting the rest of them tomorrow.  Collectively they are too much to think about all at once.

"No guts- no story." [or life is too good to take the easy way]
"Creative collaboration is dumb" [or sometimes, you actually need to lead]
"Far too many leaders carry guilt for not meeting every whiny or spoiled child's demands." [or, care enough about others to invite them to live as adults in a difficult world]
"The way YOU see the world counts" [or, stop trying to be someone else, you have something to bring to the table]
"Leaders can't waste time and energy as imposters." [that speaks for itself]

I don't know if any of that helps you, but these thoughts spoke to me.  And believe me, I need to be spoken to from time to time.

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

another miracle

Monday afternoon Scott went to the neurosurgeon.  This is a one week appointment after breaking his t-10 vertebrae.

The doctor released him to do a lot of normal life.  Shower, bathe, drive among other things.  He can work at a sedentary job, but you have to have a job to work so I am not sure when that will happen.  He can only lift 20 lbs, but that is an improvement.  He gets an x-ray in two weeks and will wear the brace until then.

Thanks for your prayers.

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

river, part 2

Have you seen the movie, "A River Runs Through It"?

There is this theme of fly fishing.  The cadence of the arm casting the rod, over and over, again and again.  The solid humble family practice of fishing.  Two boys and a Dad.  Fishing, casting, raising kids, over and over.  Practice, muscle memory, consistency.

Life needs more of this.  Those things that remind you that everything is ok. Those things that strike a pose in your heart.  Those things that have somehow reached into you and made their mark.  A river runs through it. Your history still speaks to you.  Our upbringing never leaves us.  The seeds that are planted just keep growing.

It is an interesting spiritual feeling, an interesting sense of God's work in our lives.  These things from our youth keep coming around.  Appreciate them.  Cherish them.

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

a river runs through it

And so I go to church, almost every Sunday of the year.  I want it to feel fresh, but there is also an interesting thing that I am appreciating more and more as I grow older.  That is the feeling of ritual.  Doing the same things over and over.  Saying the Apostle's Creed, singing Grace Alone, praying over the offering, standing for the scripture reading, and on and on we go.

I guess inside of myself, there is this feeling of comfort, of being grounded, of home, when we do some of those things.  I think that that is ok.  When I was young, I wanted to throw out tradition, now I want to hold onto it.  My Dad would laugh to hear me say that.  He would belly laugh.

I hope that there are things at church that just feel good to you.  You can't explain it, but saying the Lord's Prayer, greeting one another in the name of the Lord, and singing Amazing Grace all just feel like good stuff to you. 

I like it.  There is something good about it that makes me feel whole.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.  Even if you are just doing the same things, over and over again.

spiritual

I was having breakfast with a friend who was bemoaning the fact that his spiritual life isn't what it used to be.  He was remembering when he was younger and read the Bible more.  Many of us grew up this way:  read the Bible, say your prayers, and then you are spiritual.  Get those things done and then get on with your life.  In fact, we often forgot about the spiritual part during the rest of our life.  Give Jesus his moments of prayer and study, then live life the way you want to, that was my mantra as a youth.

There is an alternative.  For a Christian, there are no secular moments, unless you make them so.  No Christian has a secular job.  Every day that you walk into that school, that factory or that whatever, you walk in with the chance to love souls created by God.  That sounds pretty spiritual to me.  Imagine asking Jesus, "how is your spiritual life?"  For Jesus, all of life was spiritual.

How about instead of spending time feeling badly, we start to look at all of life as a gift.  It is all a blessing, it is all a chance to love someone for Christ.  When we do that, it is all spiritual.

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

Dear Child

Dear Child,
I love you.  Simple words.  Spoken too often?  Can they be?  Even though we have had our moments, I do dearly love you.  The greatest day of my life was the day you were born.  All three of you have brought such joy to my life.

When we brought you home from the hospital, we were given a new purpose in life.  Now you are all gone, out of the house and it is an adjustment.  I miss you.  I miss hanging out with you and being invested in your life.  I am however, we are, very very proud of you. 

I want you to know that I would do anything to help you.  I would give my life, I would take a bullet for you.  Today.  Now.  You are so very very valuable.  I love you so much.
Dad

[for those of you not in my family, I suspect there is a spiritual moral of the story here.... if I feel this way about my kids, how must God feel about us?]

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

I don't know

So it has been a heck of a week.  I had six days of vacation last week, but had to preach the Sunday before and after.  I have some challenges at church that I am working on.  You have to keep working on the challenges so that things stay on track.  A young man died this week and we will hold his funeral this coming Monday.  My son fell off the roof and broke his back.

All of a sudden, I am thrust into multiple situations that are beyond my control and outside of my abilities to resolve.  You start to stress out, then you finally realize that there isn't anything to gain from that.  So, you go with the flow.  You lean into the river and let the current take you.  I can't fix it, I don't know what to do, so I just have to get up every day and put one foot in front of the other.

And I get to trust God.  Actually trusting in God means more, it means a great deal more when there is nothing left of your strength to trust.  And so maybe I thought I was in a bad place, but really, if I can rest in God, I am in a good place.

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

I heard a story

I heard an amazing story the other day about a person who was healed of an unbelievable illness.  The story brought me to tears.  The speaker said, "with God, all things are possible."  I was so glad to be reminded of that.  Sometimes, I think that my problems are so big, but none of my problems are as big as this persons problem, and God healed them.

If God can heal that, then God can do anything.  If God can help them, then my problems have hope.  With God, all things are possible.

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

why I love our church

A woman walks into my wife's office and asks if it isn't her church in Lee's Summit that does the prom dresses?  Cathy says yes it is, what's up?  Well evidently there is a cancer patient that needs a prom dress.  The prom dress ministry is over for 2013, but the question is asked if the church will help.  Cathy says, she will see.

She calls the church.  She has an "in."  I find the person in charge of that ministry and tell them the story.  Prom dress ministry is over for 2013, but we have this girl with cancer.  Can we help.  Of course the answer is yes.  YES.  YES!!  The staff person calls Cathy and visits with her. 

Within 30 minutes of asking the question in my wife's office, the other employee is told by Cathy that our church will roll out the red carpet.  The ministry may be over for 2013, but a cancer patient will get whatever she needs.   I was not surprised.  I love this place.  I am the most fortunate pastor that I know.

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

T-10

T-10.  It's a vertebra in your back.  In the middle.  Not lower lumbar, but middle.  Yesterday, my son Scott fell off a roof and broke his back.  T-10.

He could have been killed.  I went to meet him at the job site and called the ambulance.  When you hear the siren coming for your child, there is a fearful shaking in your soul.  It was horribly traumatic.  I saw the place that he fell from.  14' from the gutter to the ground.  His side hurts, his mouth hurts, his teeth hurt.  Everything hurts. He could have broken his neck, he could have been killed. 

Instead, he has a broken T-10.  Wear a brace for 6 weeks.  heal. Rest.  Then back to normal.

I just want to take a moment to thank God.  THANK GOD!  Will you thank God with me?  Oh, the sobbing fears of a parent were so on display today.  Thank God, it is only a broken T-10.

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

discrimination

Lately I have experienced some discrimination and I have to tell you, I don't like it.  I have experienced a bit of what I would call "elder discrimination."  I have found myself in situations where young people greet one another and love one another and are excited about seeing one another, and when they got to me, they saw an old man.

Now I know that I like to dress down.  On my day off I don't like to shave.  I wear hats and jeans anytime that I can.  My skin is old and I could be a member of AARP if I wanted to be one.  But that does not mean that I am not a person. 

I would like to be welcomed with the same joy, the same excitement, the same happiness that you greet your young friends with.  If they deserve the extra attention, so do I.

There.  I said it.  Now my pity party is over.  And I have to ask myself... do I do the same thing to others?  Are there those who feel like they get more or less attention from me than someone else?  Probably so I would bet.  Let us just take this moment to be mindful of every person, every human being, every soul,  regardless of their age, height, weight, etc.  They are all of them, everyone of them, delightful, valuable, children of God worth loving.

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

Mom

Happy Mother's Day.  To my mom who died in 1995, to my dear mother in law, to my sweet wife, and to all of you mothers out there.

Motherhood is not an easy thing.  Childbirth isn't easy [not that I would know] but the larger heartaches of life tend to be delivered to parents by their children.  There is an old saying, "when they are young, they steal your heart, when they are old, they break your heart."

Here are some words of encouragement for every mother that has ever felt that she did not do a good job.  For every mother who spends too much time in her doubts.  For every moment of discouragement, for every moment of regret.

Mom, we know you weren't perfect, but you have given us an amazing gift.  Life.  L-I-F-E.  LIFE.  I can wake every morning and live because of you.  That is pretty cool.  And yes, you weren't perfect, but when I was 24 it finally dawned on me that my life had become my responsibility.  My problems were then of my own making, and I know I have dealt you some grief.  That does not mean that you are not loved.  Speaking for children everywhere, I would like to say that I appreciate every thing that you have done for me.  Every effort, every thought, every kindness, every prayer. 

A mother truly is a gift from God.  Thanks for being you.  I am here today because of you!

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

maybe they need you

So there is this person that doesn't hang out with you anymore.  Maybe a group that has left you behind.  You have felt a bit of rejection, you have felt set aside.  You wonder if you did something wrong.  Sometimes you have felt a little mad about it.  You wondered what happened.  Something turned in the relationship and now things are different.  You wondered what you did, you wondered if it was you, or your other friends, or your family or what.

You have thought many times about moving on.  Just let it go, you heard yourself say.  You might even have engaged in ignoring it.  You have begun to heal from the pain and the circumstance has a sense of distance to it.  You are feeling better. 

Today you have a new thought.  Maybe they are not rejecting you.  Maybe they are out there living life, and they feel funny too.  Maybe they moved on in their minds, but in their hearts they have not moved away.  Maybe they still love you and still need you.  Maybe one day they will lean back into your life.  If they do, what will your response be?  Will we hurt them back as we were hurt?  Will we ignore them so that they can enjoy the feeling?  Or is there a place in our hearts where Christ dwells, where he helps us understand that sometimes things change.  Sometimes change is beyond our control.  People need to be loved, whether they are hanging out with us or not.  They need our time and care.  I am sure there are many people that don't talk to God for a while and then after a time they ring him up to spend some time.  I am sure also that God opens the door and embraces them as an old friend come home.

Random thoughts.

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

copy and paste

I love this feature. Although it sometimes makes me a little lazy it does have its place. Today is a day like that. Back in 2007 Jeff make a comment regarding my user name. The underlined part has stuck with me ever since. I hope you find comfort in it as well.

Yesterday, I read a comment that someone posted to the blog. I don't know who it is, but the user name struck a cord with me.

Lion's Den Man.

Wow! I make an inspection of the picture that conjures up in my head. Not just Daniel in the Lion's Den, but I am the man in the lions den. Lions, me, and the protecting hand of God. What an incredible message this person is sending about their life: "I have troubles, I find myself among the lions, but I am always protected by the unseen God!"

Thanks Jeff.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

a tough thing to ask

Ever wonder how people view you? Your good and bad. Your strength and weakness. Are you open to that kind of information? Would you hold harmless the person you asked to provide such information? If you took the step would you be willing to ask another for a second opinion and so on… When I hear the word humble I think of this. I wonder how open I am to change the things that need to change. To discover those things I may or may not be aware of. To drop my guard and listen and then do a self-evaluation. Although God accepts me for my flaws I believe he wants better for me. If I choose to not look for flaws and then work on them then how can I walk humbly with the Lord?

Proverbs 27:21

²¹ The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
    but people are tested by their praise.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

what i need

I was listening to a song the other day and it brought to me a reminder.  I need to have these words written down.

“What I want is what I’ve not got and what I need is all around me”. 

Simple words that carry a lot of weight and truth.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

bad read

It happens sometimes. We think we know…. we think we have it or them figured out. We are working off our instinct or a past circumstance or a past relationship.  Our experiences guide us and that isn’t always such a good thing. We can never really know the entire story. The where or the why behind what made that person seem that way to us. We tend to forget it could be as simple as they are having a bad day or week etc….. It could run deeper.  We forget the time we were there ourselves. Bottom line is we don’t know. But it affects us. So it is our response that we need to consider before we make a mistake, a judgment….. a bad read.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

three words

I watched a movie the other night. The story revolved around a man’s struggle with an addiction. Many destructive things can surround such a problem. The turning point was when he finally came to terms with the fact he could no longer do it himself.... Do the addiction, do the lies and deceit. He knew his character and integrity were no longer intact. He realized he could no longer make the right choice on his own and so he paused and said three words, “God help me”……Then everything that he and God knew came to the surface and he began to heal. The movie wasn’t based on a true story but this part was very real. Everyone has a story, everyone can heal…..  

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

Haven

The other day I heard the quartet "His Harmony" sing the song, "there is a Haven."  My online dictionary defines a haven as a harbor or port. Any place of shelter and safety; refuge; asylum. The words were comforting and delightful.  Here are the words, complete with guitar chords:

(G) There is a haven for every weary (D) traveler.
When the storm breaks the stillness of our (G) life.
There is a safe way for all the lost and (D) lonely.
Who’ll find shelter until the morning (G) light.

(C) There is a haven for the weary soul to (G) run to.
When you’re (D) tired of all the guilt and all the (G) shame.
(C)There is a Savior, and His open arms are (G) waiting.
There is a (D) haven and Jesus is His (G) name.

(G) There is a haven of comfort for all God’s (D) children.
You can find it when you speak His name  in (G) prayer.
He’ll give you rest, and from your cares and (D) labor.
There is a haven and the Lord will meet you (G) there.

There is a (D) haven and Jesus is His (G) name (C-G)

When I heard this song it spoke to me so much... we don't need a place to rest when all is well, but when the storms of life break the stillness, we have a place to go.  There is a haven, and Jesus is his name.

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

a man's greatest fear

I don't know if this is true or not, it probably cannot be applied universally to all men.  I also have no idea if women feel this way or not.  But I have this fear or this insecurity sometimes and I talk to so many others that have a similar feeling.  It goes like this.......just yesterday I was a boy...playing.....protected by my parents.....very few expectations.....now I wake up and I have a family and I am working and there is so much to be responsible for.  What happened?  Can I go back and be a little boy again?

What do you do with that?  I don't know.  It is a pain to bear when you feel it.  You have to keep going, you have to get up and go to work, no matter how you feel.  Thankfully it isn't something that I feel everyday.  Some days confident, some days not.  Some days innately joyful, some days not, but all days are good, very good.

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

sorry

To err is human, to forgive is divine.  Apologizing is a pretty holy thing too.  Many humans are not very good at it, but it is very healing and very needful.

A simple apology can go a long way to diffuse a situation.  Even if you think you were not wrong, or if you think you are only 15% wrong, to take some responsibility and apologize will often open the door to reconciliation.  Isn't reconciliation more important than being right?

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

the way

I was  reading a bit of Peter Rollins the other day.  One of the things that he wrote went something like this: it is time that we Christians stop thinking of our faith as a way of believing, and instead think of it as believing in a way.

What does that mean?  Well, many Christians boil the faith down to a list of doctrines.  Believe this, this and this, and you are ok.  Rollins is suggesting that instead, we think of the faith as believing in a way of life.  So that the Christian faith is not a static thing that floats in our brain, but is instead a dynamic, organic thing that is lived out every single day.

Is my faith stuck in my head or is it pouring out of me toward others every single day?  Jesus said in John 4, "but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”


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

Nicaragua Question

Someone sent me a note after the Nicaragua presentation in church.....

 " I cant support this if we are making a material impact only. How will this have a spiritual impact? There was no spiritual content on Sunday. Why be in this line of work if not to proclaim the truth of Christ?"

Let me say a few words about the spiritual nature of the Nicaragua mission.  I guess this person wants us to go to Nicaragua and preach to them.

These people are already Christians.  They have churches.  They are largely Catholic, Assemblies of God and random protestant.

The y have pictures of Jesus on their walls. They pledge to pay back their loans before God and everyone.  They talk about God.  They are conscious of their faith in ways that we are not.

 Will we preach to them?  We will probably do a vbs.  We will discuss faith.  We will have a relationship with them as with other Christian people.  We are not the great spiritual American Christians who have so much to teach the rest of the world.  My guess is that we probably have spiritual things to learn from them.  I think we can learn from people who love God even though they have nothing.

 The gospel is about actions as much if not more than words.  John Wesley said, - "preach the gospel, when necessary, use words."  In the story of the Good Samaritan, the Good Samaritan does not preach to him, he binds his wounds.  Those that wanted to preach passed by on the other side.  He was an example to us all because he stopped his life to help.  In 1 jn 3:17 we find these poignant words, "if you have the world’s goods and see your brother in need, and hold back your heart of mercy, how does the love of God dwell in you?"

Finally in Mt 25- Jesus says, "I was hungry and you fed me."  He does not say I was hungry and you preached to me.

Words of love and acts of love.  They are all spiritual.  I hope this helps.

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