one word

I read an article online.  Here is the link...

click here for the entire article

The premise of the article is that a mom is on her deathbed and can barely speak.  She calls her daughter over and issues one final word.  It took a long time in the article to get to the final word.  I actually started to think it was one of those threads created to have you see lots of ads and never get to the punchline.

But it finally came... her last word to her daughter was "lucky."

She pointed to herself and said lucky.  The daughter responds with an acknowledgment that she feels lucky/blessed/fortunate as well.

For all of the stuff that goes on in this life, I have to tell you that I feel very blessed, very lucky, very fortunate for so  many things.

An awareness of the good in our lives is such a pleasant and powerful force.

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

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I am leading a trip to Italy in November of this year.  Would love to have you join.

click here for the Italy brochure

what to do???

Doctors are talking about removing Bobby's feeding tube.  He may be able to go home in a few days.  Thanks for your prayers.

So we all find ourselves in situations where we do not know what to do.  How will I respond to this???  Look what happened.  What will we/I do now?

I heard a great answer the other day.

What do you do when you do not know what to do???

Do the next right thing.  Do the next right thing.

We can't control what just happened.  We cannot control the general situation.  Everything seems out of control.  

Just take a deep breath and "do the next right thing."  I have control over my choices and I can choose to do that.  It is a seemingly easy choice.  Just do the next right thing.

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

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I am leading a trip to Italy in November of 2025.  It is open to everyone.  Even you, Carla King.  Bring your friends.  Bring your cousins.  Everyone is welcome.

click here for the brochure

more on worry

My son in law is still in the hospital, but continues to improve...

From my friend Susan...

Not much more to say about that.  I guess the first step to moving away from worry is to recognize that your worrying is a problem and that your way of thinking must change.

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

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I am leading a trip to Italy in November.  Would love to have you join!

click here for the brochure

https://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/it25110425a17768#eotours

leaving for the fundamental church

Health update... Bobby my son in law is improving.  Still in the hospital, but he has turned a corner.  Thanks for your prayers!!!

Over the years, people joined our church and sadly, people left our church.  Thankfully, more joined then left.

Sometimes when people left, I understood.  Sometimes it was difficult to watch.  

The most difficult for me was when people left for a more fundamental church.  I remember one teen who was raised in our church...  I baptized them as a baby and I was their pastor for 17 years.  Then some friends convinced them that our church was wrong.

They were told:

1. you have received a watered down version of the gospel
2. your church does not believe the bible.
3. you were baptized the wrong way.
4. Your church does not take a stand for anything.

Those were tough accusations.  Those were words that hurt.  Had I been given a chance, I would have tried to help that young person understand some things...

1.  if the focus on love is a watered down version of the gospel, then let me drink it all day long.

2.  no church believes the entire bible.  Otherwise they would be advocating for slavery which is clearly supported in the Bible.  Everyone picks and chooses.  There are many examples of this.

3.  you are giving up a Christianity based on grace for one based on fear and guilt.  You are leaving a place that is based on freedom of thought for a place where your questions are not welcome and you cannot question the pastor.

4.  I would tell them that God doesn't care how you were baptized.  It is not a core issue.  

5.  I would tell them that we stood for love and the welcome of all people.  I would beg them not to trade the immense God of love for a God of simple formulas.

You see, I once lived in the world of fundamentalism.  I know what it is like to live in a system based on fear.  I know the hypocrisy of wanting to live a normal life but feeling guilty every day because I was not good enough.

Friends, we can never be good enough to satisfy the formulas.  There is an alternative to formulas... we are loved.  We are just loved.  That is the message.  There is none other and there is nothing to add.

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

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I am leading a trip to Italy in November!  Everyone is welcome.

click here for the brochure