It never pays to hurt back

Someone hurt you, yes they did.
You are hurting, you may even be seething with anger over what happened.

The worst thing that a person can do in such a situation is to try and get even by hurting the other person back.  All that does is hurt you.
 There are many things that we can do to avoid the natural inclination to hurt back.  Here are some ideas.

1. Go for a walk or exercise.
2. Watch a movie, get your mind off of what happened.
3. Talk to a friend that can listen and help you process it.
4. Go somewhere by yourself.  Kick a tree and scream.
5. Pray - even pray for them.  We can't hate someone and legitimately pray for them at the same time.

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

counterintuitive

Counter intuitive.  Is that one word or two?  Maybe a hyphen?

Seems like it needs a hyphen, or should be two words to me.  I guess that in itself is counterintuitive.

Our brains like to think a certain way.  Often we are wrong when we think we are right.  The very  opposite of what seems normal or right to us is actually the correct path.

We think that when we take to ourselves that we get more.  It is counterintuitive to give ourselves away.

People try to get something out of church instead of pouring themselves into church.

People seek contentment by demanding instead of releasing.

The first shall be last.  The last shall be first.  Lose your life to find it.

So much of the best parts of life are found only when we give up on our natural ways of thinking and look for the hidden angle.  Jesus said that there was a treasure hidden in the field, but in order to buy that field, we had to sell everything else.

What ideas do I need to release so that I can find the life that truly is life?

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

future plans

A bit more on my future plans.

The District Superintendent asked me if I was wanting an appointment July 1.  I told him thank you for asking, but I am not ready to return to the church full time, just yet.

I am however, willing to fill the pulpit if you are a preacher and you are out of town or sick.  Just let me know.

Mostly, for the time being, I am hanging my shingle out there as a handyman.  Over the years I have painted, built decks, done tile work, and minor plumbing and electrical.

Here is my new business card:

I am willing to take on work in Florida or in KC.  I will be in KC April 9-May 31.  Let me know if you need something done.

By the way, I love my new schedule.  The schedule of the unemployed, the semi- retired, the hobo, the vagabond.  Say, what day is it???

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

Great times

I was talking with a friend the other day about great times.  We were reminiscing on some of our best days together.

We talked about canoe trips, Royals games, softball games and the like.  He asked, "do you suppose it was the place that made it great or the people?"

I think that we all know the answer to that question.  He knew the answer, even as the question came out of his mouth.

Sure MLB stadiums are great places.  Rivers to canoe are amazing.  Enjoying sports is a blessing.  We get excited about the things that we do.   We are excited about a vacation, an outing, a dinner out.  But at the end of the day, it is not so much about where you are, it is all about who you are with.

Look very carefully at who you are journeying with in this life.  the people that you surround yourself with are among God's greatest gifts.

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

what is wrong with me?

I was talking to a friend the other day and she mentioned that when she read my blog, she routinely thought, "why is Jeff down in the dumps?" Or, "what is wrong with him today?"

This friend is a truly fine person.  She is not very good at the game Words with Friends, but a stellar human.  Yet I felt the need to clarify the blog, a need to explain myself.

Yes, sometimes I am down, sometimes I am concerned about something, sometimes I lament a piece of life.  But don't we all?

When I write the tag line, "it's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good" well, that is something that I write, not just for you the reader, but for myself as well.  I do think that it is too easy to be depressed, too easy to see the negative, too easy to gravitate towards the Eeyore outlook on life.

So my mind gravitated to the purple writing on the sidebar of the main blog page: This blog may or may not inspire, may or may not be humorous, but will always be honest. This blog is Jeff's attempt to remind himself and others that God is greater than anything, and if we just look hard enough, we can see the good in life, and if we slow down and listen, we can hear the birds sing.

So I apologize for the days that I sound down. Maybe I am. Maybe I am struggling to see the good that day. Maybe life is complicated. I think that we all feel lost and discouraged from time to time and to have a place, even an electronic blog, to air those thoughts and feelings is helpful to me.

I think it is important that we give each other permission to be happy and to be down. Just remember, if you are down, you don't have to stay there. As the great philosopher Billie McClain says, 'you deserve to be happy.'

So may we all minimize our EEyore days and work prodigiously to see the good. Life is too short.

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

Wisconsin vs Michigan

My buddy Paul McClain was in town last week and we went to Overtime Pizza and Pub for dinner.  This is one of those joints that has 18 TVs that are all operating together so that you see the sporting event and it takes up the entire wall.  Sort of a smaller version of a Vegas sports book venue.

So anyway we are sitting there and 4 guys about my age come in.  I didn't know any of them, but right away I noticed something cool about them.  They were there to watch the Wisconsin/Michigan game or the Michigan/Wisconsin game depending upon how you looked at it.  They were obviously friends, furiously enjoying each other.

Here is what stood out about them.  One was wearing a Michigan shirt, two of them were wearing Badger gear.  I loved it!!!

When we were getting ready to leave I asked one of the men about the four of them.  He said, "we are brothers."  I said, "brothers?"  He clarified, he said, "friends."

I knew what he meant.

I don't have any biological brothers, but I certainly have "brothers."  I thought it was beautiful.  I asked if I could take their picture.

I am sure that they woke up the next day and wondered why they let that old bald guy take their picture.

Anyway, although I don't know their names, they obviously understand something about life.  Friendship is a bond that runs deeper, or should run deeper than Republican/Democrat, MU/KU, male/female, young/old, or Wolverine/Badger.  Oh wouldn't the world be a better place if instead of seeing the opposition, we saw a potential friend, a potential brother.

Maybe one day I will run into these guys again and sit at their table and hear their stories.

Thank you fellas for a lesson that the world so desperately needs to hear.

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

a thought on worry

Most humans worry.  Worry is buying trouble.  It is being concerned about something that has not yet, and may never come to be.

We worry about our kids.  We worry about our health.  We worry about politics.  We worry about what others think of us.  We can become totally consumed with our issues, especially if it involves our kids.

So here is what I am thinking..... for conversation sake lets say, yes there is a real problem with this or that.  But, do I really want to spend the next 20 years being worried sick about that thing?  Can I add one inch to my height by worrying?

Fact of the matter is, when we allow ourselves to be consumed by worry, we become completely turned in, self consumed, and self absorbed.  We can no longer help others or care in a Christlike manner because we are lost in our problems.  When we worry, God is not glorified.  When we worry, we are choosing to live our lives in a mash of sorrow and concern and folks God hopes for better for us.

Yes I am concerned for my kid, or what ever my problem is, but I still have to give my life to God today.  Lets love those we are concerned about.  Lets pray for them.  But then let us put them down and get on with life.  There are scores of people out there in life today who are waiting for you to reach for them.

Let go of your worry so that your heart and hands are free to embrace this glorious life that God has given us.

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

good people

We have heard the phrase and we have used the phrase "that is just good people."  You see someone who has a deep intrinsic goodness and you instinctively know that they are "good people."

Maybe someone raised them right.  Maybe they made great choices.  Their life culture probably helped shape them.  But for whatever reason, there is a goodness about them that makes them good people.

They have a way of weaseling their way into your life.  They just ooze in thru your pores.  You may not realize how wonderful they are, but one day you wake up to see that your friend is a truly amazing person.  They have a giant motor under their hood and they never bragged about it to you.

Good people  have your back.  They do not seek to attract attention to themselves.  They are comfortable in their own skin.  They choose friends carefully, but once you are in, you are in.  They would go through hell and back if need be.

I have met "good people" my entire life.  They come from South Dakota, from Sparta, from Cape Coral, from Independence, from Shelbina, from Kansas City.  One day soon I hope to meet some people that are "good people" in Vero Beach.  I know that they are there, we just haven't found them yet.

One of the greatest compliments that a person can offer to you is to refer to you as "good people"  I thank God for all of  you in my life who have proven to be "good people."

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

stretcher bearers

I was talking to a friend the other day.  He told me that in life, there are friends, and then there are stretcher bearers.

Friends are friends.  We know what that is about.  Stretcher bearers are those who pick you up and carry you in life when you have been wounded.

Everyone has times on this journey when we feel knocked down.  Thank God for those special friends who refuse to give up on us. Thank God for those who will walk through your hell with you and never leave.  Thank God for those who pick you up when you are down and help you back onto your feel again.

I hope that you are a stretcher bearer to another, and I hope that you have some one that will come to help you in time of need.  They are invaluable in this life.

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

on seeing the good

My friend Tracy sent me this picture.  I love it!!

The good is there.  It is all around us.  It simply waits for us to wake up and see it for what it is.

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

my phone is ringing

My phone is ringing.  Who is it?

Will it be a child with an issue?
Will it be an anonymous call about a pay day loan that I did not take out?
Will it be you, my long time friend?

Nothing makes a heart more glad then to look down at your cell phone and see that it is a long time friend calling in.  You know when you see someone's name on your phone and it makes you feel happy, that this is a great person.

Let me say a word about the phrase "long time friend."  The first person to use this phrase with me was my long time friend, Paul Dodds.  But over the years, I have stolen it and taken it on as my own.  Oh the joy of long time friends!  Oh the joy of new friends that you know are going to become long time friends.

If you call me, I know my face will light up when I see that it is you.

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

great folks

I have been so blessed to meet so many great folks along this journey of life.

Some months ago I was invited to a concert at a care center.  Johnny and Barby Johnson were singing for the residents.  The music was wonderful and the residents loved it.  I was so touched by the joy that Johnny and Barby shared and the kind way in which they interacted with the people.  Oh, if all the world were so kind.

It never hurts us to be nice.  In fact, when we show kindness to others, it always fills our life with joy.

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

it was a very long line

I was thinking about one of my favorite stories.  I never got around to telling it at Cape Coral.  I heard this story years ago and I have loved it ever since.  Here it is-

Some years ago there was a long line of people waiting in line outside of a business.  Each person was carrying something with them.  An old watch, a headless doll, a broken heart.

There was not much discussion in the line.  You could tell what was happening just by looking.  People from all over town and from all walks of life flocked to join the line.  You couldn't really even tell what was at the front of the line, there was just a sense that these heartaches might come to an end.

The person who shared this story with me told me that when they finally got to the front of the line, it entered a small storefront.  Above the storefront was the simple sign, Nothing Broken Beyond Repair.

If my Father opened a store in this world, that is what the sign would say.  Nothing Broken Beyond Repair.  Hey wait.  Our Father has opened that store.  You are not broken beyond repair.  Cast your cares upon him because he cares for you.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

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

The tree was cut off

I was walking in Zona Rosa with a friend and I saw this "tree" in a sidewalk planter. It had obviously "died" and had been given up on.  We give up on people way too soon.  We give up on ourselves way too soon.

Given up on, yet, it was not ready to die. Oh how exciting! What a wonderful picture of life! You may be down, you may feel broken, you may feel like it is over, but just wait. Keep your roots down in the water, trust in our Father, for broken lives can grow again.

The writer of Job was comparing a tree to humans. He was explaining that trees regenerate but humans just die. So I am taking this completely out of context, but lets just focus on the example that a tree can set. Let us, in our moments of discouragement, refuse to die.

“At least there is hope for a tree:
If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
and its new shoots will not fail.
8 Its roots may grow old in the ground
and its stump die in the soil,
9 yet at the scent of water it will bud
and put forth shoots like a plant. Job 14:7-9

So if you are discouraged and at the end of your rope, take heart. Your existence can still sprout new life.

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

Illusions

Friends are people that get you, and you get them.  It is hard to explain the connections that we have with each other that seem to run deeper than we can understand.

I have loved this book for years.  I read it in 1987 and it practically saved my life.  I mentioned the book to a friend... surprise, surprise, it was one of their favorites too.

Right off the top of their head, they shared a quote with me from the book that I had forgotten.

"Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: If you're alive, it isn't. "

I am probably not the only person who needed to hear that.

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

Martin Luther and Mac Davis

A friend shared this quote from Martin Luther.

Martin Luther - "God writes the gospel not in the bible alone, but also on the trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars."

My entire life I have heard people say things like, "stop and smell the roses." In fact, there was a 1974 song with that title by Mac Davis. Here are the lyrics.

Hey Mister
Where you going in such a hurry
Don't you think it's time you realized
There's a whole lot more to life than work and worry
The sweetest things in life are free
And there right before your eyes

You got to Stop and Smell the roses
You've got to count your many blessings everyday
You're gonna find your way to heaven is a rough and rocky road
If you don't Stop and Smell the roses along the way

Before you went to work this morning in the city
Did you spent some time with your family
Did you kiss your wife and tell her that she's pretty
Did you take your children to your breast and love them tenderly

You got to Stop and Smell the roses
You've got to count your many blessings everyday
You're gonna find your way to heaven is a rough and rocky road
If you don't Stop and Smell the roses along the way

Did you ever take a walk through the forest
Stop and dream a while among the trees
Well you can look up through the leaves right straight to heaven
You can almost hear the voice of God
In each any every breeze

You got to Stop and Smell the roses
You've got to count your many blessings everyday
You're gonna find your way to heaven is a rough and rocky road
If you don't Stop and Smell the roses along the way

Here is a link to the song....
Stop and Smell the Roses on Youtube

Luther talked about it in the 1500's. Mac Davis in 1974. Here we are in 2017 still trying to remind each other to see the good. It is indeed a very important part of life.

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

for my KC friends

  Someone sent this to me.  I thought it was very funny.

It also has an interesting message.  You think that you wanted to get away from certain things, but you will still miss them. 

 If you are tired of winter, come down and hang around with us for a while.  The door is always open.

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

karma

Karma is that Buddhist term that means that your actions today will have an impact on what happens to you in the future. In our culture we say, what goes around, comes around.  And we humans tend to selfishly hope that those that we perceive have done us wrong will get what is coming to them.

There are so many ways to talk about this.

One of my favorites is, the lover creates the love. When you treat people well, they will usually love you back.  When you treat people poorly, then they might be nasty back to you.  Hopefully we don't return evil for evil, but it is human to do so.

It sounds almost unChristian to say this, but the bible teaches karma as well. Your present behavior will have much to say about your future state.

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.  Gal 6:7

Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same. Job 4:8

For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. Gal 6:8-9

Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; and if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them Prov 26:27

19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[d] says the Lord. Romans 12:19-20

So, If someone has done you wrong, they will one day receive their reward, so don't worry about them anymore. God will make it right.

In fact, I believe in hell on earth. I believe that those who are constantly doing things that hurt others, live a pretty miserable existence.  the sorrow that they are trying to deliver to others, they ultimately end up delivering to themselves.

Lets be good to each other. Life is too short to be ugly.  It feels better to treat each other well.

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

Italy Trip this fall

Ok, so it is set.  Based on your feedback, I am going to lead a trip this fall to Italy, November 7-16.  I have never been, so I am looking forward to seeing the religious and historical sites.

The itinerary includes:  Milan, Venice, Pisa, Florence, Tuscany, Assisi, Rome and Vatican City. As I read thru the brochure, there are so many things that sound exciting.  Even if no one joins, me, I am going to take this trip.  I can't wait!

Here is a link to the brochure for the trip.
Italy Trip Brochure

I also have hard copies of the brochure, if you would prefer to have one mailed to you just email me your address.  If you are interested in going, or for more information, contact me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

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

Softball Pt 2

Armadillos circa 2004

So I was thinking about softball.  We started in 1994 with one team, the team name was  "Woods Chapel."

How creative.

Tom Boehm got us some Chevy Truck shirts from his work so somehow the name evolved.
Woods Chapel
Woods Chapel Chevy Trucks
Woods Chapel Chucks
Wood Chucks.


After that, every time we added a team, the names had to be some sort of rodent or road kill.  Here are all the team names that I can remember.  For a time, we had our own league. There were 10 or 12 teams. It was so much fun.

Woodchucks
Armadillos
Possums
Porcupines
Wolverines [Michigan colors]
Warthogs
Coyotes
Dingos
Anteaters
Snappers
Buzzards

I will always cherish those days and the friends that I made playing ball.  Listening to Queen in the parking lot after the games and telling stories and jokes.  Those guys are among the best men I have ever known.

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

softball

My friend Dan sent me this picture.  I told him that it was terrible, but it is really very funny.  You see, Dan played third base and was one of the best players on the team.  I was the second baseman, the right fielder and finally the catcher.  I was the catcher for most of my years, and we played for 10 years anyway.

I want to  defend myself.  I was the catcher for the following reasons:
1.  I played catcher in little league growing up
2.  I liked playing catcher
3.  I was good at it [that is debatable.]
4.  finally, I must admit that Dan is right, I was in fact the worst player on our team.

But it was still fun to play.  When I would come up to bat, all of the outfielders would move in.  The fans in the stands would leave to buy a hot dog.  I could hear the other players kids making fun of my kids.... "Oh look, your Dad is up, this is an out for sure."  My oldest daughter Alli would reply, "I don't know for sure that he is my Dad."

Oh what fun we had.

Dan is coming to visit  me in March.  Pack your glove Dan and maybe we will have a catch in the front yard.

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

Birds again

I took this picture while walking on the boardwalk at Vero Beach one morning with my friends Bob and Diane.

I have always thought of seagulls as loners or trouble makers.  But here is an entire flock of them, a gaggle, a herd, I don't know what you call a group of seagulls but they are all together on the beach, thinking about the same things.

There were 100's of them all lined up as if at attention.  I can only surmise that something was going to be washing in on subsequent waves and they were waiting for breakfast.

Creation is amazing.  Look for something amazing today.  I promise you that it is there to view, if we just look.

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

Birds

I am fascinated by birds.  And trees.  And so many other aspects of God's creation.  Someone once said that "creation was God's first bible."  If we pay attention to creation we can see so many beautiful things.

Here are some Ibis birds sitting on the back fence at the Cape Coral house.  My friend Chris took the picture some weeks ago.

I love how the birds are all on the same team.  They are all in agreement on what they are doing.  I don't know how they come to such consensus but here they are, all sitting on the fence waiting for lunch to appear in the canal.

What beautiful things are happening in the world around you?

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

a great call

cats hate to ride in cars....

So, you never know when you leave a place what the response will be.  I know that I let many people down in Cape Coral.  I so appreciate the kindness shown by so many and the new friends that I have made there.

One day last week I was driving a car load of junk over to Vero Beach.  This load included the cats in the car.  Let the yowl fest begin!!!

So back to the story...  my phone rang and it was one of my Cape Coral friends.  The call went kind of like this-
"Jeff this is so and so.....  I wanted to call and say that I am not ready for this to be over between us."

He was saying that he wanted to remain friends!  That he wanted to stay in touch!  It made me feel like a million dollars.  He has some work later this summer at his vacation place and I may get to fly up and help.

Here is to friendship!  Here is to kindness!

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

Joel

My friend Joel passed from this life on Tuesday of this week.  He was 45 years old.

Joel was such a great man.  Good people.  A big K-state wildcat fan.  A member of our church.  We played softball together for years.  He was one of the gang, one of the guys.

He was one of the few people in this life who chose to call me Jeffrey.  I have no idea why he did that.

He loved his extended family, his wife and children.  He was a hard worker.  He had a delightful, ornery sense of humor.  When he got cranked up and started laughing, everyone else laughed too.  His laugh would go from a he he he to a chortle to a cackle.  He brought joy into every moment.

He fought a long hard battle against cancer.  He never waiver from his trust in God.  Now he is at peace.

Before I left for Florida I went by the office to see him and say goodbye.  I will miss him.  It doesn't seem right that we lose such a good man so young.  But we must put our trust in our God.

no more

I was talking to a friend the other day and we made a deal.

No more sorry.  No more sorrys.  From now on, only thank you.
To be more specific, I agreed to stop apologizing, and they did too.  Sorry has been said enough times.  Now it is time to see the good.

Thank you.  Thank you.

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

enjoyed the most

Someone asked me what I enjoyed the most of being at Cape Coral First UMC.

The answer is simple:  shaking your hand, talking before worship or anytime I saw you, offering and receiving a hug, your smile, your eyes, our hearts connecting, looking at you and seeing the wonderful person that God created.

This could be said of 100's of you and I will miss everyone of you.  But...... love never goes away.  I am left with, and I hope that you are left with fond memories and a warm heart.

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

from a friend

I have a friend that emails me several times a week, although we no longer live in the same town, I am glad that we have remained friends.

Recently they shared this with me -

"I make myself rich by making my wants few."
                             Henry David Thoreau

We - we - we make life complicated by wanting more. Life is good, very good, and we can certainly see that much clearer when we want less.

I can not tell you the number of people that I have visited with over the years who just had to have that bigger house, that newer car, that something.... and then later were sick that they had made that decision. They let their wants get in the way of their better judgment.  I have done that as well.

So today, I am thankful for the reminder to want less of that which is fleeting, and want more of that which is wonderful.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to want less so that you can see the good.