I was here first

This is not one of my best stories....

So the buffet is packed. On a cruise I only eat in the buffet because I don’t like to get dressed up for dinner and I have no interest in meeting the Captain. Just keep the ship on course, OK?

So I have already had breakfast but now Dave is finally awake and he wants to go. So I go in with him to keep him company while he eats. He is shy and insecure and needs people to chaperone him.

Every table is full. I look around. I see one table that is being cleared by a young man from the Philippines. I head for it. I hope I get there first. I notice a young woman pushing around the back side a couple of tables over. She about knocks over an older woman [I am 61 so older to me is up there] she about knocks over the older woman trying to beat me to the table.

I win. I sit down.

Then to my astonishment, she sits down. She looks away like she does not see me and the turns towards me and acts surprised.

She-this is my table.
Me- it certainly is not, I was here first
She- this is my table, you have to move.
Me- I was here first and you know it.
She – this is my table, get going old man.
Me-[pausing for what to say…. Trying to gather the better part of myself]
        I finally got up to leave and said, I hope you enjoy yourself.

I was snippy. She was a b word. Besides that I was there first. If my children who are about the age of this woman ever treat an old person like that, I will personally find them and keel haul them.

Reflections on this story….

• Dave should have rolled out of bed at 730 and there would have been plenty of tables.  [I keep throwing him under the bus...not fair, he is a good man]
• There are some people that are just rude. They don’t care about anyone but themselves.
• I should not have been snippy. But in my defense I was there first.  [Never mind Jeff there is no defense for your snippy attitude.]

This incident has hung with me, the sting of her words. I am processing it, trying to release it. There are 4,000 people on this ship. 500 of them look like her. I see her everywhere and I wonder if she is going to come up to me and insult me again. Oh, whew, that was not her, just a look alike.

Even small encounters with people can be either joyful or painful. Small pains can linger like a splinter in one's hand. May we deliver less pain to others and more joy.

And I am not old, and I was there first.

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

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Owl Picture

So I am on a cruise with my friend Dave. Actually I invited all of my real friends, Bill, Bruce, Jim, Paul, Karen [just kidding] Steve, Ed and Bobby. None of my friends could go so I asked Dave.

Dave is a good man. I learned on this cruise that he snores and sleeps a lot.

Anyway, I am drinking coffee in the café on deck 8. I am alone because Dave is still asleep. We have just docked at this little island in the Bahamas. Later today we will get off the ship, wade on the beach and pay for food and drinks that we could have had for free had we stayed on the ship.

So I am drinking coffee and reading a book in the café on deck 8. A cute little owl lands on the railing just outside of the window. I reach in my pocket to take out my phone to take a picture of him and my room key falls out. I snap one lousy picture and a well meaning cruise person from who knows what country taps me on the shoulder and says, you have dropped your room key…..

I said thank you, but what I wanted to say was leave me alone, you jerk, I am trying to take a picture of this owl before he flies away. My room key savior notices the owl, he says, look at owl! He gestures towards the owl and it gets spooked and flies away.

I wanted to punch the guy in the head. I was all ready to be entered into the annual Audubon Society photo contest and he had to mess things up.

Anyway if that is the worst that happens to me today, it is a beautiful day. By the way, that is not a bad way to look at things…. If that is the worst that happens, we are ok. I once knew a man and wife whose baby died. Later they had another. When this baby was born the doctor came out and said, your baby has a deformed foot. The man said, that is all? Baby is ok other than that? Ok, we can live with that. If that is the worst that happens, we are ok.

Probably the things that are happening to us are not as critical, not as horrible as we first think. I will have other opportunities to take other pictures of birds.

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

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Sunday Morning Words

I put this sticker in my Bible when I was 25. 
Just a few years ago. 
It used to say, "Lord fill my mouth
with worth while stuff-
and nudge me when I've said enough."

A few months ago, my friend Hubert Neth had an article in the monthly Missouri Methodist Magazine.  They still send it to me... I am glad to get it but I expect to be cut off at any moment. 😡

Anyway Hubert was writing about a man in his parish years ago that made a significant life change.  When Hubert asked the man about how he came to that decision, the man replied, "it was from listening to his sermons on Sunday morning."

Hubert then wrote, "That was a sobering moment for me, I could get up on Sunday morning, go say my words then go home and lay on the couch and watch a football game.  For this man, those words led to a decision that altered the course of his life."

That story stuck with me.  Any preacher worth his or her salt will tell you that we sometimes struggle to come up with the right things to say.  [If your preacher thinks that they always hear from God, you should run the other direction...] Sunday can be a trying time for a preacher.  My words- are they my opinion or do they reflect something from God?  How can we really know?  They are usually things that I have thought about for months or years.

Yes, we preach the words and then go home to lunch and a nap.  But maybe, just maybe those words will fall into a person's heart in just the right way and they will make a change for the better.

It is a very sobering thought.  Oh Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight.

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

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

compliment

I received a compliment from my friend Steve the other day.  He said, thank you for "making the ordinary, wonderful."

Isn't this the trick in life that helps us to see the good?

We don't just see a seagull, we see amazing birds.
We don't just see a flower, we see a miracle.
We don't just see an annoying person, we see a child of God.
We don't just wake up and drudge through the day, we wake to the day with joy, as if resurrected from the dead.
We are not just alive, we are here to LIVE! L.I.V.E. LIVE!

Those things that seem ordinary and commonplace are indeed filled with the miraculous.  We forget this to our peril.  We remember this and find true joy.

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

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Seagulls

Notes from a recent cruise with my friend Dave....

Seagulls.  What did they eat before people were around?  Seagulls seem to me to be a primitive bird that goes back a long way in evolution.  They are the garbage men and women of the beach.

On the pool deck there was a plate with a piece of pizza on it.  Although there were tons of people around, this one plate was neglected on the deck lounger.  The seagull swept in, full of confidence, and picked at the pizza.  Some people laughed, some took pictures, some tried to shoo it away.  He just kept eating.

That reminded me of a time when my wife was working in Clear Water Beach and staying at the Sand Key Marriott Hotel.  They have a wonderful outdoor restaurant area by the pool.  Cathy was eating a burger and fries and a seagull swept down right in front of her and picked a fry off of her plate!  Later the restaurant strung fishing line around the restaurant area to deter the birds from flying in.  I was there some months later and the string had done it's work.

No birds were flying around or swooping in for food.  Instead, now they hopped on one foot and

walked with a broken wing.  Defeated and maimed by the string, they stood around the perimeter like a group of beggars hoping for a handout.

If you come for a visit in Florida, watch out for the seagulls, they are persistent.  Except at the Sand Key Marriott where they have been subdued.

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

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Choose

From my friend Pat...

I went camping and floating this weekend on the Big Piney. (Dan Horn and I share a love for this river) It’s a “close to heaven” experience for me.

I love rivers. A river is tranquil, in part because it always knows where its going and has no doubts about what’s next. I can sit by the river and watch it go by: its motion with unwavering purpose, and that’s comforting. I don’t have to do anything.

Floating, being in the river, requires balancing gear, work (paddling), navigation of downed trees,

debris, rapids, shallows, and so on. Decisions made, effort asserted, choices made, risks taken. I have to do a lot.

Life, like a river, is always beautiful from far away. Up close it can be challenging, and sometime not so lovely. But if you want to be in life, if you want to have an impact, you have to jump in, do the work, and make choices. You have to suffer the stress of the rapids.

Christ calls us to get in the game. Its not always easy; it requires work, it requires choices, painful ones at time. But its what he has called us to do.

We all have to chose what we will do with a river, and with life. Not making a choice is a of course, a choice. At the end of the day, if you’re still on the river bank, you’ve not gone anywhere, you’ve buried the time, the treasure given you.

Choose.

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

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

I can't fix it

I made a mistake.  I can't fix it.  It really doesn't affect anyone but me.  I didn't hurt anyone.  But the thing is over.

Yet, because I feel badly about it, I keep dragging it around like a ball and chain.

If you can fix a thing, fix it.  If you can apologize, do so.  If you can make amends, then get after it.  But for heavens sake Jeff if the thing is over and it can't be changed, then move on.

By dragging a thing around with us, all we do is sour our day and the day of anyone else that comes into contact with us.

Humans make mistakes.  Last time we checked you were human.  Let it go.

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

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise

October 23-31, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs 

Yesterday's Sermon Audio - The 23rd Psalm

click here to listen

community

Not too long ago we had a funeral for a friend.  Although I had only known the man for a year, I loved him.

He had an ornery dry sense of humor.  The first day that I met him was the first Sunday that I preached at Ft. Pierce.  He came up after the service with his lovely wife and said, "I don't know what these other people thought of that, but I thought it was the worst sermon I have ever heard."

Then he gave a small smirk.  He was of course kidding.

He had me at hello.  I loved him.  So did lots of other people because the church was packed.  More people came to Stan's funeral than come to hear about Jesus on Easter Sunday.

Stan reached for people, and they loved him.  He had a community.

Forgive me, but I am now going to make this about me.  Sometimes in order to see the good, you have to acknowledge what painful thing is holding you back.

His funeral is exactly what mine should be like, but it won't be.  I have moved away from my community of 22 years and it is very difficult to replace.  My closest friends, my pall bearers, still live in Kansas City.  We had groups and friends and peeps.  We had something to do and someone to do it with any time of the day or night.

It originated at the church, but it became much bigger than the church.  It included lots of folks that had no connection to the church.

And now here we are, alone in Florida.

I thank all of my new friends in Ft. Pierce that reach out to me.  I hope that these relationships can continue to grow.....
I so appreciate each of you that love me.

From time to time we have to keep reminding ourselves that....

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

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Wesley's Ireland with optional London Extension
October 8-17, 2018
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/wesley-in-ireland-2018-with-rev-jeff-brinkman#.WqHrI7puLIU

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise

October 23-31, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs 

Every thing that you own

As a follow up to my friend Chris's post from yesterday.

Every thing that you own, owns a little bit of you.

This came home to me in a very powerful way some years ago when I was counting the number of gasoline engines that I had to not just put gas in, but clean the air filters and change the oil.

1.  car
2.  wife's car
3. old pickup truck
4.  weed whacker
5.  push mover
6.  lawn tractor
7.  snow blower
8. power edger
9. chain saw

I am sure that there were more, but you can see that the things that we own, can take up so much of our time that we don't have much time left to live.

We have boxes of stuff around the house that we haven't opened in years. 
We lust after the latest technology and we have drawers full of last year's technology.
Yes I need that new shirt.
No I don't.
How many shirts are in my closet?

Eliminating some of what is in your life may make your life more full.
By getting rid of some of what takes up your time, you may actually find that you have more time for living with friends.

Less is more.  Free yourself.

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

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Wesley's Ireland with optional London Extension
October 8-17, 2018
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/wesley-in-ireland-2018-with-rev-jeff-brinkman#.WqHrI7puLIU

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise

October 23-31, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs 

simplicity

My Friend Chris wrote in....

I was reminded of simplicity the other day. I went to breakfast with a friend & we saw this old pickup truck in the parking lot. 

I was a car guy when I was a kid, still am. I remember getting subscriptions to Car & Driver for my birthday when I was in middle school. I also remember not getting the subscription one year, I don’t know what my parents were thinking. I remember loving the Nissan Z series of sports cars. The 240Z, then 280Z, & wait, then the 300ZX! Oh, then, the 300ZX Twin Turbo came out. For some reason, I was obsessed with this line of cars.

Cars were simpler back then. There were less buttons to operate. Less features to choose from. Now different models of cars have different levels & options packages. The other day, for fun, I went to Ford's web site to look around. You can ‘build’ or customize a vehicle on their website. I built a pickup truck. I chose all ‘middle of the road’ options. The options were endless! Interior LED lighting. Sensor this, Option this, gotta have that….. It took all the patience I had to complete what seemed like 90 questions to build my own dream truck. It came to just over $66K. I would never spend that kind of money on a vehicle, but that is a discussion for another day.

Back to old pickup truck I saw. Look at the inside dashboard picture. So few buttons to press. Such simplicity. Less to learn. Less to worry about. How can Simplicity help you in your life? I know I could simplify mine.

Whether it’s not downloading that next app, or not buying that thing that you ‘really’ don’t need. Believe it or not, your life will be the same without it. Here’s a few other off the cuff suggestions---

Go grab a box from your garage or basement. One box. Fill it with can goods that have been in your pantry for over 4 months. Or fill it with clothes you haven’t & will not wear. Fill it with any house hold items. Then donate them. You will have made your life simpler & also done something kind for someone else.

Keep it simple. How can simplicity help you in your life?

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

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Wesley's Ireland with optional London Extension
October 8-17, 2018
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/wesley-in-ireland-2018-with-rev-jeff-brinkman#.WqHrI7puLIU

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise

October 23-31, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs 

No Fear

My friend Pat wrote in....

The bible is filled with four letter words. Not THOSE kind of four letter words, actually worse ones. Like Fear.

One of the demons throughout scripture is fear. The shepherds in the field see a bright blinding light in the night. The first words they hear are “Don’t be afraid”(i.e. fearful). The disciples are afraid because of the storm. They are afraid because they see Jesus walking on water. Peter denies Christ three times, as predicted, because he is afraid.

All things that make sense to me: if I saw someone walking on water, it would open my eyes. And a bright light in the middle of the night with a booming voice that comes from nowhere would jack my heart rate right through the ceiling. How about you?

We all have plenty to fear, and we do it every day, even worse we do it in the middle of the night. Sometimes we call it “concern”, sometimes “apprehension”, sometimes “worry”. But it’s omnipresent. (“why did I say that?”; “Wonder why I wasn’t’ invited”; “Will I get to work on time?”; ) Our political commercials today are all about fear, attempting to scare us one way or another.

Fear gets in the way of our relationship with God. Rather than focus on what God can do(which is pretty expansive), fear makes us focus on what it seems God cannot do: protect us from what we fear. The disciples, all of us, fail when we trust our fear more than we trust God.

Jesus did not come to frighten you. His teachings are not designed to harm you.

In the middle of the night, when those fear demons are at their worst, remembering this fact can help you go back to sleep.

It does for me.

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

Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Wesley's Ireland with optional London Extension
October 8-17, 2018
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/wesley-in-ireland-2018-with-rev-jeff-brinkman#.WqHrI7puLIU

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise

October 23-31, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs 

Talk like a pirate

I have a friend who is going on the Paris/Normandy trip next year.  She took French in college.  She bought some online program to refresh her ability to speak French.  Evidently the website can help you learn many languages. 

One of them is Pirate.

Today in national talk like a pirate day!
Here are some terms to help you make it through today as a joyful participant.

Avast ye=Pay attention
Hornswaggle=To cheat
Shiver me timbers=An expression used to show shock or disbelief
Head=Toilet on board the ship
Poop deck=Deck that is the highest and farthest back
Landlubber=A person who is not incredibly skilled at sea
Davy Jones' Locker=Refers to death
Ahoy, matey=Hello, friend
Batten down the hatches=A signal to prepare the ship for an upcoming storm
Blimey!=Something said when one is in a state of surprise
Booty=Treasure
Crow's nest=The place on the ship where the lookout stand is built
Heave ho=Instruction to put some strength into whatever one is doing
Old salt=A sailor that has a great deal of experience on the seas
Scallywag=A name that is used as an insult to someone
Seadog=An old sailor or pirate
Thar she blows!=An expression used when a whale is spotted from the ship
Three sheets to the wind=Someone who is quite drunk
Walk the plank=A punishment which entails someone who walks over the side of the ship off of the plank. Their hands are often tied so that they cannot swim and they drowned.
Yo Ho Ho=There is often used to express some sort of cheer but also can be used to call attention to the speaker.

Be sure to tell a joke or two.
Where do pirates buy their music?
Aye - tunes
Why are pirates cool?
They just rrrrrrrrrrrr.

Rrrrrrr. It's a beautiful day in God's world, be surrrrrre to sea the good.

Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Wesley's Ireland with optional London Extension
October 8-17, 2018
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/wesley-in-ireland-2018-with-rev-jeff-brinkman#.WqHrI7puLIU

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise

October 23-31, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs 

We don't just teach, we also learn

My friend Brian wrote in...

Regarding the entry on expressing love I wanted to note some of the things I have learned about love since I became a grandfather 4+ years ago. 

Of course babies express love in nonverbal ways that we can enjoy if we just look for them.  But the real lessons begin when they become infants. My granddaughter would not say I love you very often after she became verbal even though I made sure to say it to her frequently. (Like you I come from parents and grandparents who did not express those things well.  This is part of the reason that I have worked to make sure my spouse, kids and grand kids hear it often from me). 

As it turns out my granddaughter prefers to understand something before she will say it regularly. For that reason she asked a lot of questions about what love is and how it works. She is now comfortable telling me she loves me and it means a lot more than just some rote expression. 

It’s also interesting to hear her reaction when I tell her that I love her. She sometimes she smiles and says “I know that” or “of course you do”. As I have thought about those responses I have come to believe that they mean that the love is working well for us. She still likes hearing it but she knows it is a part of her life and always will be. 

Like many people, I thought I would be teaching my grand kids things of value and I believe I am but it is really fascinating what I am learning from them as well. Next time I see them I think I will hug them and thank them for what I am learning. I will also say I love you and I will mean it!

Jeff comments....
What are you trying to teach in this life?  What are you trying to pass on?  What are you learning?  Who do you learn from?

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

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Wesley's Ireland with optional London Extension
October 8-17, 2018
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/wesley-in-ireland-2018-with-rev-jeff-brinkman#.WqHrI7puLIU

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise

October 23-31, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs 

lost

I had a dream the other night that I was lost.  I was in a familiar place.  I was driving down the highway when I realized that I was getting into unfamiliar territory.  I decided to exit the highway, cross over, turn around and go back the way I came.

When I got off the highway, suddenly the intersection was very complicated.  There were so many choices, or none at all.  Each road was snow packed and my dog was running loose.  I called and called him but he just kept running around.  I was worried about him being hit by a car, but there was no traffic.

I was in a cold, snow packed place.  The options were confusing.  I didn't know what to do.

And then I woke up.  2 hours later I am still thinking about that dream.

I wonder if I am going to feel this way in November when my Pastor job at Ft. Pierce First UMC is over.  I have had such a wonderful year there at the church, with lovely folks, I guess I am not sure what I am going to do when it is over.

But I did wake from that dream and I woke to a new day.  I am sure that in November it will be beautiful, whatever it is.  There are new days and uncomfortable days, but every day has it's beauty if we look hard enough.

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

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Wesley's Ireland with optional London Extension
October 8-17, 2018
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/wesley-in-ireland-2018-with-rev-jeff-brinkman#.WqHrI7puLIU

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise

October 23-31, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs 

Bad mood

I was in a bad mood the other day.  I was trying to keep it from showing, but I guess I did not do a very good job of hiding it.  A perceptive person called me on it.....

Let me pause to say that I am very thankful for those people in my life that can read me and can tell how I am really doing.  Everyone needs someone who can peer into their soul and assess the situation there.

Anyway this person asked why I was down.  I told them.
1.  My cat is dying.  His sister died in March and now he is sick too.  Same thing, kidney failure.
2.  I have to go by new jeans again.  I have already outgrown the last new pair.  This weight thing has got to stop at some point.  My friend Aaron would tell me that it is all simple math.... burn more calories than you consume.
3.  My daughter Jenny is moving to Jacksonville.

Yes I was in a bad mood.
Don't worry, I will feel better.
Never dwell on a bad mood.  See it for what it is and get back to looking for the good.  There are almost always clouds in the sky.  If we focus on the clouds we will never see the sky. 

Get over yourself Brinkman.  All is well.

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

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Wesley's Ireland with optional London Extension
October 8-17, 2018
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/wesley-in-ireland-2018-with-rev-jeff-brinkman#.WqHrI7puLIU

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise

October 23-31, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs 

I just have to have that new TV

Do you have TV lust?  Do you covet the latest thing in TV's?  I remember wanting a TV in my room.  I remember wanting a color TV.   I remember lusting over a remote control.  Then it was wanting a bigger one.  Then we wanted wide screens and flat screens.  Then we wanted 1080DPI.  Then we wanted apps on the TV.  Now it is curved screens and 4000K resolution.

And where do they end up?

This picture is from the recycling center in our county.  This dumpster is filled up and emptied 2x per week.  It is for TV's and electronics only.  When the dumpster runs out of room, those TV's that were once something so desired, are simply set off on the ground.

All that stuff that we oh so wanted, all that junk that we just could not live without, all that stuff that we ran our credit cards up for, it all ends up in the trash eventually.

Be careful what you covet.
I had a dear friend, Jerry.  He passed a few years ago.  A wise man indeed, people would ask him advice on major purchases.  He would always tell them, if you have a feeling that you really want a thing, just lay down until the feeling goes away.

We probably don't need the new TV anyway, the old one is still working fine.

Learning to be satisfied with what we have is not the American way, but it is the way of Christ.  Give us this day our daily bread.

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

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Wesley's Ireland with optional London Extension
October 8-17, 2018
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/wesley-in-ireland-2018-with-rev-jeff-brinkman#.WqHrI7puLIU

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise

October 23-31, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs 

Peacock

 I came out of work one day last week and this peacock was picking at my truck.  Maybe he was eating the bugs off.  Maybe he was looking at his reflection in the paint [although there is not much shimmer left in that paint job.]

At any rate, he was relentless.  As I walked up I shouted at him.  He was not phased.  I waved my arms.  No response.  I walked right past him and got in the truck.  Peacocks pay absolutely no mind to humans.  We get no respect from them.

I looked in the mirrors to see where he was.  I could not see him

anywhere.  Now I must be careful because if I run him over, I will be in trouble with many of my Ft Pierce friends who love, feed and even give names to the peacocks.

I back out ever so slowly.  Then I drive the long way around the trees to get away from him.  That is when I see him again in my side view mirror.  He is walking along behind the truck, still trying to pick off that last bug.

Nothing is ever accomplished without a little perseverance.  Determination is an admirable trait.  Never give up.

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

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Wesley's Ireland with optional London Extension
October 8-17, 2018
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/wesley-in-ireland-2018-with-rev-jeff-brinkman#.WqHrI7puLIU

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise

October 23-31, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs 

Quote

I watched the movie "The Darkest Hour" the other day.  It is a great show about Winston Churchill leading England to confront Hitler during WW2.  There was a quote that I thought was worth sharing:

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal.  It is the courage to continue that counts."

We all have successes and we all have failures.  It is easier to continue on when we are doing well, it is much harder to continue when we feel like we are failing.

To those of you who feel as if you are in the midst of failure, continue on.  Find the courage.  Don't quit today.  Make it through today and then through tomorrow, one day at a time.

Even if you are in a rough spot, it is still a beautiful day in God's world.
Continue on and work to see the good.

Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Wesley's Ireland with optional London Extension
October 8-17, 2018
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/wesley-in-ireland-2018-with-rev-jeff-brinkman#.WqHrI7puLIU

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise

October 23-31, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs 

bad drivers

So I was mailing a letter at the post office.  I was impressed with the number of poles that had been installed to keep people from hitting the mailbox with their cars.  I guess there are people that drive into the mailbox?

When I got up close I was impressed with the number of people that ran into the poles.  I wonder if
they did not see the pole?  I wonder if they were still trying to get to the mailbox and hit that?

We all need to pay closer attention to what we are doing in this life.  For the sake of mailboxes, for the sake of the guy who has to paint the pole, for the sake of car mirrors, for the sake of all the good that we miss when we are not paying attention.

We never recognize the good if we are not paying attention.

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

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Wesley's Ireland with optional London Extension
October 8-17, 2018
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/wesley-in-ireland-2018-with-rev-jeff-brinkman#.WqHrI7puLIU

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise

October 23-31, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs 

Would Jesus recognize

Following up on Pat's post from yesterday, I have a question.  Would Jesus even recognize the church as what he intended to start?

I have a friend who tells me that if Jesus were here today in the flesh, the first thing that he would go after to change would be the church.

• Political correctness
• Idolatry
• Bible Idolatry
• Judgmental attitudes
• Power and control
• Blindness to the needs of the world
• Self- Centeredness

Jesus would have a good deal to say to us.

I cannot affect the institutions of the church, neither can you probably.  But we can take a long hard look at our personal choices and make sure that we are choosing to focus on loving God and loving others.

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

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Wesley's Ireland with optional London Extension
October 8-17, 2018
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/wesley-in-ireland-2018-with-rev-jeff-brinkman#.WqHrI7puLIU

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise

October 23-31, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs 

Link to sermon audio from Sunday - Elijah and Elisha

click here to listen

Rules that WE made up

From my friend Pat,

In Mark's gospel, after Jesus is done preaching the beatitudes, the original Greek bible says that the disciples got in the boat with Jesus and sailed across Galilee. The English translation says they took Jesus "as he is" and left.

I wonder about taking Jesus "as he is". How many historical difficulties happened because we don't take Jesus "as he is" rather, we take him as we think he should be.

It started early with the Apostle Paul: he dictated that while men could pray without a head cloth, women were required to cover their head, and that it was disgraceful for men to have long hair. 

(I recall arguing with my military father that my hair could be long because Jesus's was long. That did not end well) (1 Corinthians 11) I don't recall Jesus commenting on hair length, or head coverings.

And it goes on for 2000 years: all versions of Christianity are heavily laden with rules about how to be a good Christian.

How much better our days would be if we just took Jesus for who he is, the loving son of God who described with simplicity how to live on earth. Rule 1: love one another as He loved us. Rule 2: when in doubt about how any other rule meshes with Rule 1, see Rule 1.

This is taking Jesus as he is. Everything else is just rules WE created.

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

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Wesley's Ireland with optional London Extension
October 8-17, 2018
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/wesley-in-ireland-2018-with-rev-jeff-brinkman#.WqHrI7puLIU

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise

October 23-31, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs 

man cave

I finally got my turntable fired up so the man cave is now complete.  Computer, printer, generator, ladders, stereo receiver, turntable, refrigerator, ceiling fan, gas cans and the shelf for chemicals.  Man cave complete.

I love music.  The first music I bought was on LP records. 

• CCR - Cosmos Factory
• Neil Diamond - Hot August Night
• Crosby Stills Nash and Young - Four Way Street
• Bad Company

The stereo has been in mothballs for years.  It was never hooked up the year I lived on Deerbrook in Uncle Jay's house.  It was never hooked up in Cape Coral.  I will bet the last
time I listened to a record was in 2014.

But it is up now and running.  I love it!  Steven Stills, Paul Simon, BTO!

Music is a beautiful soulful thing that makes us feel alive.  It's a happy day!

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

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Wesley's Ireland with optional London Extension
October 8-17, 2018
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/wesley-in-ireland-2018-with-rev-jeff-brinkman#.WqHrI7puLIU

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise

October 23-31, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs 

Grace or Anger?

My friend Brian shared this story....

I have a friend from high school who recently shared a story with me. She was approached by an elderly neighbor gentleman. They hadn’t really gotten to know each other, but he appeared to have been waiting for her to come home. He was agitated, and told her that he had just gotten his trees trimmed and the workers cleaned up all of the debris, but the past few days he has found sticks in his yard. He was telling her this because the only thing that could be happening is that neighborhood kids were messing around and leaving sticks in his yard. Since he “knows she has a couple of kids”, he wanted to address it with her…

My friend is a single mom, working the night shift to pay her bills, with one child in the 6th grade at home with her. The “sticks all over the yard” were obviously small dead pieces that had blown down with the recent weather. She could have gotten defensive/angry and told the old man “The Truth”. Instead, she explained to him that she only has one child who is usually well behaved, but since he is obviously upset, she will have a talk with the neighborhood kids and address the issue with them. Then, every day this past week after coming home from her factory night-shift job and before getting her child up and ready for school, she has walked through the man’s yard and picked up the sticks that plague him.

Is he an old stinkpot/grump, as others have suggested? Is he in the early stages of dementia? Is he too old, too bored, too whatever? Nobody knows, except God. And God lives and loves through my friend. What a great God we have!

How wonderful when we choose to share grace.

Mercy always rejoices over judgment.

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

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Wesley's Ireland with optional London Extension
October 8-17, 2018
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/wesley-in-ireland-2018-with-rev-jeff-brinkman#.WqHrI7puLIU

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise

October 23-31, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs 

On Expressing Love

We are having a memorial service next week for a wonderful man who expressed his love for people via humor.  He was very good at it.

I thought about the ways that we humans express love...

• we may tell someone that we love them
• we may treat them kindly
• we may exercise dry humor and reach for people that way
• we may give them things

There are many different ways that people show love.  I guess the important thing is not the how, but that you actually do it.  I do think saying I love you is important, but just saying it is no good if the actions don't match up.

Every time we see another human, even if it is someone that we don't know, we have the chance to show respect and care.  To those we know and care about, we have the opportunity, no, we have the obligation to make sure that they know that we love them.

My parents were not demonstrative.  They showed love by taking care of us.  I wish that they would have done both, taken care of us and said, I love you.

How are you expressing love to those around you?  Do they know that you love them?  If they don't then does you loving them even matter to them?

Give yourself away.  Reach for others.  Express your love.

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

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Wesley's Ireland with optional London Extension
October 8-17, 2018
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/wesley-in-ireland-2018-with-rev-jeff-brinkman#.WqHrI7puLIU

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise

October 23-31, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs 

stakeholders

Years ago, my friend Carol taught our staff about engaging the key stakeholders.  Too many people charge out into life with a thing and just expect everyone to follow along.  Especially in a church and in organizations where people are volunteers, engaging the key stakeholders is very important.

If I don't work to get people on board, then they are likely to fight a perfectly good idea, simply because they were not included.  If I do get them into the discussion, then I may learn some things from them... there may be some pitfalls that I did not otherwise see on my own.

Whether it is a family, a relationship, a workplace or an organization, building team and building consensus is so very important.  Without the backing of others, we might be in charge, but we are not a leader.  A leader is only a leader when people follow.

If I want my wife to go on a vacation with me, I need to ask her where she wants to go.  Even if I am the boss at work, if I want my employees to like working at their jobs, it is important to ask for their input.

We find success together as a team.  Remember to ask, who are the key stakeholders, and how can I engage them.


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

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Wesley's Ireland with optional London Extension
October 8-17, 2018
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/wesley-in-ireland-2018-with-rev-jeff-brinkman#.WqHrI7puLIU

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise

October 23-31, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs 

Prodigal Son/Prodigal's Father

My friend Pat sent this in...

So I was thinking about the Prodigal Son this morning, more specifically about his father. Often when I hear or read this parable, I immediately think of the father as God. Its a drumbeat that we hear from the time we first are introduced to religion: Father = God.

But what if the father in the parable isn’t God. What if YOU are the father in the story, or at least YOU as you should be.

The Parables tell us how we should act. If you let them, a parable will stir you to contemplate how you act. Most of us don’t think these lessons are meant for us: they’re for my spouse, or kids, or that other guy who isn’t in church today - - Which is not true, because in spite of our assumptions about ourselves, we need to rehear these directions, regularly. 

For example, I don’t that believe skin color affects my judgement, yet I know in certain situations, race defines my behavior: I react differently to a group of young blacks than young whites. I have to remind myself not to judge others by the color of their skin.

And it’s the same with the Prodigal Son: I have to work to find ways to bring people together rather than to take the easy way out and draw lines between us.

You see, I want those, for whom I have been the prodigal son, to work equally hard at accepting me.

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

- - - - - - - - -

I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Wesley's Ireland with optional London Extension
October 8-17, 2018
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/wesley-in-ireland-2018-with-rev-jeff-brinkman#.WqHrI7puLIU

Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs

Paris-Normandy River Cruise

October 23-31, 2019

http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs