Can Jesus be the only way?

A dear friend asked me to comment on the question. It is a question that many people ask. Is Jesus the only way? Here is what I have on the topic............

Jn 14:6 says.............
6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. NIV

As a Christian minister, I believe that the scriptures teach that Jesus is the way. That is my view and my obligation in visiting with people about faith. I will always point them to faith in God through Christ.

I am concerned when some Christians take the next step though, and begin to determine that because of this passage, we get to decide who is going to heaven and hell. No where in Scripture are we given the right to judge others or to decide who the good ones and the bad ones are. Our job is to plant the seeds and water them and let God do His work.

As a Wesleyan Methodist minister, this is the historic view of our denomination. Many Methodists, when confronted with the question regarding Jesus’ unique claim about himself, take some degree of comfort in reading John Wesley’s sermon 106 on Faith: http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umhistory/wesley/sermons/106/

We cannot say that Jews are going to hell because they have not accepted Jesus. Abraham and many others are mentioned as being in heaven, but they never accepted Jesus. Romans 10-11 makes it clear that the Jews are the original tree that Christians have been grafted into. God is not done with them and although it does not fit into many people’s theological box, in my opinion we cannot scripturally say that they are going to hell.

Romans 1:20 opens the door to another issue, and that is that God has done so much work in creation, that even people who have never heard the name of Jesus are held accountable. They are without excuse. I don’t know what that means exactly, except that God is calling all people to himself and they are accountable, just because of his revelation in creation. If they are being held accountable, then it would stand to reason to me, that some of them will respond well to his revelation. But again, it is not up to me to decide who gets in and who doesn’t, that is God’s decision. I take comfort in knowing that he is working outside the walls of the established church.
Finally, I think we need to understand that salvation is the work of God, not man. Salvation is about God working in the lives of people. God always plays the principle role in the drama of rescue. If we believe that God is all present, and if we believe that he wants to seek and save the lost, [Luke 19:10] then we have to conclude that he is working everywhere with everyone, trying to win them. We may not believe the same as Jewish or Muslim people, but God is working in their places of worship to win them to himself. If God can find Paul on the road to Damascus, Moses hiding in the desert, the woman at the well, the thief on the cross, Cornelius in Acts 10, then I just have to believe that he has people in the world that he has reached that may not fit our theological constructs. Ruth was not an Israelite, neither was Rahab. There are many people who God welcomes into his family in the scriptures that I think some churches sadly would not welcome into their membership.

Most people that I know that consider themselves Christians are ok with Jesus being the way, they just don’t want to have that mean that everyone else is damned to hell. They cannot perceive of a God who sends everyone else, including those who have not heard, to hell. When we understand that God is working in every town, in every “religion” trying to win people to himself, then we can trust in God’s goodness to reach people and we don’t have to try and decide who is saved and who isn’t because that is not up to us anyway.

If I meet a Jew, I will speak to him of Jesus. If I meet a Muslin, I will look for my chances to share about the Savior of the world. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. But, I will always take comfort in the fact that God is bigger than our doctrines, that he is working everywhere to win people, and that mercy rejoices over judgment.

I hope that helps clarify my personal belief. I believe that my views are comprehensively scriptural and completely Wesleyan.

I love you all, and the great questions that you have.

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

hearing the birds

This is difficult but I think I need to tell the story. I have been honored. Someone has singled me out and said some very nice things. I hate to bring it up, but it is wrong for me to not tell you about this man, because one day, he may be your pastor. And if he is, you will be the better for it.

I met Shawn Franssens when he was the pastor at St. Mark's in Independence. I liked him from the beginning. Sometimes pastors can be proud and haughty. Not a sniff of this in Shawn. Good hearted, kind, normal. Now there is something that you don't always find in a pastor: normal. We became friends. At annual conference this year, he was ordained an elder. When you are ordained you can ask one of your friends to lay hands on you as the Bishop lays his hand on you. Shawn asked me to do this. It is one of the most significant honors of my life. The Bishop says, "take thou the authority to preach the word." And you are there, praying for your friend. Thinking about every sermon that he will preach, every life that he will touch, and asking God for a double portion of His spirit. That was a very special moment.

Now Shawn has gone a bit further. He has started a daily blog titled, "hearing the birds." You can find it at hearingthebirds.blogspot.com The following is what he has written in the margin of his blog:

We all need mentors. People that have wisdom to share with us. Who for a moment, a season or a lifetime we go to when we need an ear, a piece of advice, a supporter, a confidant, a friend.Rev. Jeff Brinkman is my mentor. He asks in his musings about life... "Can you hear the birds sing?"This blog is my attempt to share the many ways I hear the birds singing in my life.

Well, I hate to tell you about this, but it would be a dishonor to him to not tell you. Please check out his blog and be praying for my friend Shawn.

I hope that you have people that love you. It is such a blessing.

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

birthday

Yesterday was my birthday. I received lots of cards and posts on facebook. Thank you all for your kind words. We had a nice service at church, then I got to do some of my favorite things: lunch after church, and a nap. I even got to pull some weeds in the afternoon.

Two years ago when I turned 50, Scott made fun of me saying, "hey Dad, you are old!" I told him, "Son, I have known many people who did not get the chance to be 50. I hope some day you get the opportunity." That changed his tune.

It is good. It is all good.

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

attachment

My momma used to say, "no one makes you mad, you choose to be mad." How long do we have to live to get that one right?

I was upset about something the other day and I remembered what one of my favorite authors, Anthony Demello said, "if you are angry, there is usually something wrong with you." He also talks about attachment and detachment. When we identify too closely with one thing or another, we are attached to that person or thing. When they mess up, we feel messed up because we get ourselves confused with them.

When I can remember that I am not them, and I am not what they did, then I can get back to living this day that the Lord has given. Detached from the silliness of some event or decision, I am free to get back to who I really am. No one makes you mad, you choose to be mad. Thanks Mom, and thanks for having me 52 years ago today.

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

July 4th

I shot these photos last year on the 4th. Movies that will surely be on this weekend..... Saving Private Ryan, The Longest Day, the Patriot.

As a kid.........black cats. Black cats that cannot be shot off until 8am. House rule. Later in the day, watermelon, Ward Parkway Swimming Pool, Laying in the grass watching big fireworks.

On July 4th the whole country stops to give thanks, as we should. Have fun today, but pause to give thanks for the gifts of America and the sacrifice that made it all possible.

We are having church tomorrow, so don't stay out too late.

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

Baseball, hotdogs....

Baseball, hotdogs, apple pie and Chevrolet. I guess I would put those 4 things in that order. We are in St. Louis for a family reunion. It has been years since I have seen my cousins. Yes, I will be back for church on Sunday. Last night, we went to the Cardinals game. We were treated very well thanks to Pastor Greg Weeks form Concord-Trinity UMC.

At 4pm a member of his church took us down onto the field to watch batting practice. There was a little rope to keep you off the grass. Our guide took us to the other side. I touched the grass of Busch Stadium. We took pictures of the players and the stadium. We got to meet the Giants manager.

Not done yet. Ate our fill in the Champions Club. Very cool. Great seats. Jenny got a baseball. 80 degrees. Awesome.

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

the gift of time

You can buy someone a present. You can buy them lunch. You can do all sorts of things for people.

One of the finest gifts that can be given to another is the gift of your time. Time to listen. Time to care. Time to look into their eyes and see their soul. Time to encourage them.

Just being with someone is not what I am talking about. You can have lunch with someone and not be "present." You can go on a trip with your kids and ignore them. You can be married and not be "together." You get my point.

Spending time with another. An hour at lunch. 5 mins in the office. A moment in line at the grocery store. Me and you together in this world. It's a gift. It's a great gift. Slow down. Be present. Spend real time with folks. Let them see into your soul.

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

today

6:30am. Sitting on the deck. Outside on July 1st! 65 degrees! Wrought iron table. Tiki umbrella. Shade trees. A cup of coffee. The dog isn't even barking! What could go wrong with a beautiful start to a day like this.

Opps I lied. The dog is barking now. Have you ever asked yourself what dogs are saying when they bark? It all sounds the same to me. Let me out. Let me in. No, I meant out. Who is that stranger. Out. In. Bark, bark bark.

Today your church staff is going on a mission trip to Harvesters. If you don't know what Harvesters is, they provide bulk foods to needy people through many local ministries. Because of your generosity, they help to feed the folks at our sister church Camino Verdad Y Vida.

It is important for all of us to be connected to something in missions. If we aren't connected in missions in some way, it is just too easy to start thinking that the world is really revolving around me. To be in mission is to see the needs of others. It helps us keep our lives in perspective. It allows us to become the hands and feet of Christ. If you have a free morning or evening sometime, pick one of our missions and go see what they are doing. You will be glad that you did.

Opps I've got to go. The dog wants something.

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

all you need is love

The Beatles said it. All you need is love. I got an email from someone yesterday that was dogging John Lennon. I did not feel good about it. What is the point. Another attempt at illustrating who are the good ones and who are the bad ones. Like we get to decide.

All you need is love. What if all of our questions, worries, and philosophies could all be resolved if we just were better at loving. What if acting out in love brought the joy and circumstances that we sought? Obviously if we act out in hatefulness, it will bring the expected result.

So what if, we just started focusing on love. Acting out in love. Maybe, possibly, we would know everything that we needed to know and have the results that we sought.

God is love. All you need is love. Try to spend all of today just loving people. What can go wrong? It will probably be a pretty good day.

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

God is

I have been thinking about this stuff lately............If God is a circle and you think he is a triangle, he does not become a triangle to accommodate your way of thinking.

God is love. God is not "like" love. God does not "embrace" love. God is love. He is not an old white man who sits in heaven on a throne holding a scepter. God is not a person, nor is he a respecter of persons. God is bigger than our ideas of Him. he cannot be contained in the human mind. All of our ideas come short. Yet he makes Himself known. Awesome. Amazing.

How can it be. Oh, amazing mystery of mysteries. This is why people bend the knee to worship.

How big is your God? Do you have a god so small that you have him all figured out? Or do you think of God and just get lost in the mystery............

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

does that book belong in the Bible?

Well, now I have your attention. Last week in the sermon [which was from the book of Lamentations] I said something like, "wow, who would pick that one to be in the Bible." I did not mean that Lamentations should not be in the Bible, what I meant was that it is a very depressing book. Lamentations is like many of the psalms. People in pain pouring their hearts out to God. Painful, but needful. I am ok with Lamentations. I am ok with all of the books in the Bible. As if God needed my approval.

Anyway, worry not, I am a big supporter of God's word. Now, today is Sunday and I get to preach again. Hopefully it will all be good, with no unintended bumbles.

On a positive note, yesterday I saw a birds nest up high on someone's porch. Four little babies looking out over the top of the nest. Chirpin, chatterin, "hey, old guy, look at us, we are up here, and you are down there. We are cute and you are.............old, and we can fly pretty soon. How do you like us now?" They didn't really say all of that, but it was really cute.

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

Michael Jackson

Billie Jean. Bad. Ben. ABC. Thriller. Whatever you thought of Michael Jackson, well, he is, gone. Our sympathy goes out to his family and friends.

It doesn't seem right to me. 50 years old. How can that be? I have already had 1 1/2 years that Michael never had.

Lord, thank you for those years. for every day that you give me to be alive in your world.

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

The Alfred Toll house

Yesterday I got to go to a lunch at the Alfred Toll house. The house is at 3502 Warwick. It is right next door to the Jacob Loose mansion. Loose of Loose park. The Toll house is a 4 story 15,000 sq ft mansion that was built in 1904. Alfred Toll was a lumber baron, owner of Badger Lumber. The Tolls moved out in the 1920's because the neighborhood was changing. The house was leased to the Art Institute for years and then was vacant and abandoned. It was renovated in the 50's and turned into an office building. It was purchased in 1963 by the Catholic Reporter, a newspaper that currently occupies the house.

Alfred Toll was my great great grandfather. They were very important people. They had lots of money. Lots. His son Phillip, lost it all. My Dad never had very nice things to say about his grandfather. I have often wondered what it must have been like for my grandmother to have grown up early in such privilege, and then to see it all go away in her twenties.

Well the moral of the story is this. Everybody probably has a famous relative if you search hard enough. It doesn't matter who they were. You are you. You will create your own reputation and leave your own legacy, good or bad. Today is our day to live. Let's choose wisely.

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

doing the right thing

It isn't always easy to do the right thing. My Dad used to say, "the right thing to do is the right thing to do, even if you are the only one doing it. And, the wrong thing to do, is the wrong thing to do, even if everyone is doing it."

It takes some guts to do the right thing when life's pressures would lead you to do something else. We always regret mistakes...... make the right choices. you'll be glad that you did.

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

hmmm

Last night I had dinner with my sister. She gave me some things that she had of Mom and Dad's that she did not want to keep anymore.

A picture of Grandma Heising [yup we are German]
A picture of Bop. That is: Great Great Grandfather Alfred Toll.
4 boxes of desert rose dishes of Mom's.
An afghan that Mom had crocheted. White with red eagles. It was done when I was in Jr. High School. It still looks to be in great shape.

Pictures of my parents in college. Mom is the Sig Ep sweet heart. Young. Beautiful. Sitting in a chair from the 50's. On the table next to her is a radio that I could have bought for 10cents at a garage sale when I was 14. Dad. Look at Dad. So young. So handsome. Wow does he look like Scott. This is wonderful and painful all at the same time.

They all had their shot at life. They did their best. They left behind a road to follow. Someday, my kids or grandkids will open up a box and see some things from 2009. I hope that their memories are good ones. This is our chance. Let's do the best we can.

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

today's post

If you think that the post that follows is a little better than normal, it is. And it is because today's post was made by one of my buds. Although he did not sign his post today, you will come to know him as "the young shepherd." Enjoy!

Connecting Others to Christ

When I was growing up, the offering cards at church had a little point system. 10 points if you brought your offering. 10 points if you read your Bible that week. 20 points if you told someone about Jesus. Thankfully, I have learned that Jesus already fulfilled the point system.

I have also learned that no one wants to be the tally mark on our offering cards, real or imagined.

I heard a lot of descriptions about Jesus when I was growing up. For some reason, the descriptions didn't work for me. It didn't necessarily matter how people could articulate the Gospel. In fact, some people got so desperate to use their words to lead me to Jesus that they resorted to guilt. Choosing to share the Gospel through words can lead to manipulation. They felt like it was their job to seal the deal.

I am a stubborn man. You can't change my mind very easily. But when I met Jesus for the first time, my heart literally melted in his nail-scarred hands.

So what was it that enabled me to be in a place where my heart was open even when my mind was hardened? First, a relationship. Someone took the time to get to know me. He asked questions and listened. I wasn’t a tally mark, and he wasn’t in a hurry to get on to the next person. He was different from me, and I saw that from being around him. This caused me to inquire deeper. I read Matthew’s account of Jesus’ life, and decided that I wanted to follow Jesus.

And of course, after being zapped by the love of Jesus, I began living a perfect life and only did good deeds from that point forward… Yeah right.

I stumbled a lot. There were many days early on when I just wanted to turn around. I didn’t want to call myself a Christian anymore, because I didn’t feel like a Christian and it would just have been easier. So what kept me going? What keeps me going to this very day? Relationships.

I think there’s a reason why Jesus had dinner with the sinners while the religious elite scoffed at him. He was building relationships. We Christians can be so prideful, we think we can just walk up to someone and tell them our version of Jesus and that will be enough. Well it’s not enough. In the real world, we don’t trust strangers to introduce us to other prospective friends. We trust our friends to make the introductions.

I do believe every person needs to meet the real Jesus. But we need a safe place to find Jesus. We need an authentic place to find Jesus. We need help destroying the barriers that others have helped erect between ourselves and Jesus. We need to hear that Jesus does not belong to someone else, but we all belong to him. This is the stuff of relationships – safe, authentic and life-changing.

This is not a ten-step process. It is love. It is prayer. It is patience. It is personal. And it is a celebration when one heart is changed by Jesus Christ. That is real conversion, and that is how we connect others to Christ.

a story from the sermon yesterday

There is a story that the pastor told in the sermon yesterday that really struck me. Here it is:

A story is told of a rabbi in a European village, who one day summoned the townspeople to the village square. He said he had an important announcement. The people gathered, but not without much grumbling at the inconvenience. The merchant resented having to leave his business. The wife complained because she had so many errands to run. But, out of respect, they went unwillingly to the town square. Each had to interrupt some part of their lives in order to make themselves present for the Rabbi. When the appointed time came and all were present, the rabbi said, "I wish to announce there is a God in the world." That was all he said. But the people understood. They knew they had been acting as if God did not exist.

The more I think about that story, the more profound I think that it is. Many many people that believe in God, live as if God does not exist. They go about their lives, making plans, entertaining themselves and their children, with no recollection or awareness that the God that they profess to believe in, even exists.

Hey friends, there is a God in this world! Let's live like we know this.

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

Father's Day

It's Father's Day and I am thinking about the soul. What if 80% of what we spend our lives on doesn't matter.

We are all worked up about how our sports teams do. How much money do I make? Do I drive a car that makes me feel good? Am I getting my fair share? Can I control my daily living? Is life fair? Am I getting appreciated? Does my religion fit nicely into my little theological box? Do I look good?

What if God doesn't care about most of that. What if His message to us was simple. "Every day you see other living souls. See them as souls. Love them. Help them. Care for them. That's all folks."

Happy Father's Day God. We will keep working on this.

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

Orbiting the Giant Hairball

I have started a new book titled, Orbiting the Giant Hairball. It comes recommended by the Bishop. It is supposed to be about finding and staying in touch with your creativity in the midst of a world that has some very defined and unyielding paradigms.

There is a quote in the front of the book that I really liked. Here it is.

Wean yourself.
Little by little, wean yourself.
This is the gist of what I have to say.

From an embryo, whose nourishment comes in the blood,
move to an infant drinking milk,
to a child on solid food,
to a searcher after wisdom,
to a hunter of more invisible game.

The author goes on........

Think how it is to have a conversation with an embryo. You might say, "the world outside is vast and intricate. There are wheat fields and mountain passes, and orchards in bloom. At night there are millions of galaxies, and in sunlight the beauty of friends dancing at a wedding."

You ask the embryo why he or she, stays cooped up in the dark with eyes closed. Listen to the answer [from the embryo]

There is no "other world." I only know what I've experienced. You must be hallucinating.
[the end]

Well, isn't that interesting. Kind of reminds me of what my mother used to say to me, "there is more Horatio than is dreamt of in your philosophy."

It's a beautiful day in God's world, don't stay cooped up in the dark with your eyes closed. Be sure to see the good.

weeds again

You know I have been working on the weeds in the back 40. Last night I worked on them some more. There is a section of sedum about 4 feet long that is just infested with grass. So, grass won't grow where I want it to grow, but it is unstoppable where I don't want it to grow.

Last night I did major surgery. I dug up the whole area and pulled the grass and the sedum apart. By the way, is it sedum or sedem? Ground cover.

I was impressed at how hard the grass had worked to infiltrate the flower bed. Sending its tentacles up underneath and then through the barrier. As expensive as that barrier is, you would think that it would do a better job at being a barrier.

The grass and the sedem were very difficult to separate. I finally got it done, but I wonder if some of the grass roots are still intertwined with the sedem. If they are, then the grass will be back eventually.

Jesus talked about separating the wheat and the tares [weeds]. Easy for him, harder for us. The constant struggle to remove the things from the flower bed of our lives that don't belong there. Sometimes the bad things come out easily, sometimes it takes major surgery.

Don't give up. Keep working on growing the good stuff and removing the bad stuff.

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

baby robin

Last night I saved a baby robin. Actually I guess it was an adolescent robin. Out of the nest, too big to stay in the nest, it is yet unable to fly. It is running around in our back yard. Our dog who is not a bird dog, does not even see the bird.

Anytime I get close to this bird, the momma and daddy robins come flying out of nowhere to try and run me off. I coax the little robin to the back gate and he hops out into the field. No longer confined by our fence, I hope that he/she finds wings real soon.

I find it so interesting that even when the bird is out of the nest, the parents are still very concerned about it's well being. A harbinger of things to come for the Brinkmans. At least this bird will get another chance to sing.

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

dating

Are you dating? Are your children? Your grandchildren? Nieces, nephews, neighbors? All of us know someone who is dating. Silly me, I have some advice for anyone who may be willing to listen:

You can't change them. Forget it. It won't work.

If you want to marry a Christian, date a Christian.
If you want to marry someone with a sense of humor, then date people with a sense of humor.
If you want to marry someone that knows how to manage money, then date people who know how to manage money.

If you want to marry someone that knows how to work for a living, then date people who know how to work for a living. If you want to marry someone that will treat you with respect, then date people who treat you with respect.

If you want to marry someone who shares the values that you were raised with, then date people who share the values that you were raised with. If you want to marry someone that your parents will enjoy, then date people that your parents enjoy. [yes, they are out there.]

If you want to marry someone who attends church, then date someone who attends church. If you want to marry someone who will talk with you about common goals and working together in a relationship, then date people who will do so.

Don't marry someone who helps to fix the broken things within you. One day you will be whole, then you will see them for what they are and be done with them. Play to your strengths. See who you are now, and date people with common values.

I have said it before, the divorce rate is not the problem. The problem is that people are getting married for all the wrong reasons. May these simple words of advice be of help to someone who is on the journey of relationships and life.

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

to apologize

Yesterday, someone apologized to me for something that they had said. Evidently they had been worried about that. They made a point to find me and say they were sorry.

Well, that was very nice, but I told them that the thing that they were worried about did not really even register on my radar screen. No problem at all. All is forgiven, but no offense was taken.

Something else that I heard in the interchange yesterday was that this is a good man. A good man or woman, for that matter, a good person will apologize when needed. Even once too often. It is far better to say that you are sorry one time too many than one time too few. To not apologize when it is needed is arrogant. To apologize when no offense was taken shows that you have a caring heart.

As always, I am surrounded by some pretty wonderful people.

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

God gives you people

I believe that God gives you people. People that just show up in your life. You can't exactly explain how or why they are there, but they show up. You are introduced by a mutual friend, you meet at a restaurant, you just see them and there is some connection.

How many of you can I say this about? Hundreds. Brad, we spent some time together at the golf tournament celebration. What a blessing to have had the opportunity to get to know you.

Friends, I hope that each of you are giving thanks for the people that just sort of "show up" in your lives. People that God gives you. They are a blessing. Maybe there is something that you are supposed to do together.

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

Olathe friend

Dear Olathe Friend,

I looked back on the days that you mentioned and if I am looking at the right day, there is no comment posted from you. I am sorry that I missed your comment. I would love to have the chance to dialogue with you. Be sure to follow the sign in instructions when you want to post a comment.

Again, I am sorry for that we missed each other.

a pretty good thing

I have some friends who tease me and they tell me that preachers have a pretty good gig. They only have to work one day a week, and they get all that vacation!

Although there are some painful things that happen, this is a great job. I used to say, about my job, that M-W-F you want to quit. T-Th-F, its the best job in the world, and Sunday, well on Sunday you just have to get up and preach. It doesn't matter how you feel. On Sunday, good or bad, you just have to preach. 4 weeks vacation and 2 weeks for continuing education, well, that is so pastors don't burn out or go crazy.

As the years go by, I have fewer days when I want to quit. I usually feel like the most fortunate preacher that you know. And I tell you this if you ask. But Sunday always comes, and you have to be ready to preach. That is one of the hard things about being a pastor of any size church. Every week there are people that expect you to say something meaningful, joyful, spiritual. Every week! For preachers, sometimes Sunday feels like it comes three times a week.

Here is the good news. God is with the preacher. Even if he or she feels inadequate, God is with them. When we are weak, then he is strong. So, even though the vessels are cracked and broken, the words of the Lord usually have a way of getting out.

Today is Sunday. The sermon is on faith. Let's go see how it all goes.

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

Weeds

How many times have I written about pulling weeds in the last two years? Friday is my "day off" so yesterday I helped a friend with a project, mowed the yard, did a wedding rehearsal and pulled weeds. Not in that order.

What do I like about pulling weeds after it has rained a bunch?

• they come out more easily
• they are no longer stealing the water that the good plants need
• you can see the real plants, they are no longer covered up
• the real plants can grow

I love pulling weeds because of the metaphor that I see so clearly about life and sin. When we are listening to God, when the Holy Spirit is working in us, it is much easier for the bad things to be removed from our lives. When they go, they are no longer taking the rightful place of the good and Godly things. When the bad things are gone, there is room for the good to grow. For character to shine forth.

If you have alot of weeds in your flower beds, let the water of God's grace shine on you. Loosen up the soil, then pull those things out. It feels so good when the good things are growing.

I have some more weeds out there, if you aren't doing anything later today, come on by......

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

friends

"Faith rejects false piety. To enter the desert is to leave behind the false trappings of religion insofar as they keep us from facing reality. And that separation can be very painful, for the trappings will be associated with people whose friendship and support we have come to [enjoy] but who, often without knowing it, are helping to preserve us in immaturity."
-- Kenneth Leech

Do your friends approve and support your every thought? Or do your friends challenge you to be better than you were? Every now and then do they open the box under your arm, take out your god, and show you his smallness?

Real friends will do such things, and we should never be threatened by the examination, but invigorated and inspired to believe in the God who is bigger than our notions of Him.

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

Home sweet home

Sometimes we get cabin fever and we want to get out of Dodge. Sometimes we are bored with home. We shouldn't be. Last week I left for Annual Conference on Thursday. Had to go a day early for a meeting. Got back from Springfield on Monday. Four nights in a hotel. That is a long time. I don't know how my wife does it every week. Maybe it helps her stay married to me.

John Denver said, "hey it's good to be back home again." Well, I am glad to be home. I have so totally enjoyed the mundane normal things like taking out the trash, feeding the dog, and cleaning up after the partial-adults who live here with me. I even got to pull some weeds the other night.

We should never get bored with our normal things. They are pretty wonderful really. We get tired of things far too easily and take them for granted. We shouldn't. I am glad to be home.

Oh, and by the way, all four of your pastors, Gina, Sherri, Clay and Jeff were reappointed to Woods Chapel for another year. It is good to be home.

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

fortune cookie

Yesterday I took my daughter to lunch at the Panda Cafe. Nice quiet place to eat. Good food if you like Chinese food. General's chicken. Fried rice. Crab rangoon. No soup. They know my order by heart.

The day is dark and stormy. Dark for anytime of the day. Really dark considering that it was lunchtime. Rain coming down in sheets. Buckets. Cats and Dogs. Thunder. Lightning. It was a dark and stormy day. You get the picture.

We finish eating and I open my fortune cookie, which says: "It's a nice day."

I love it. Perfect. Totally how we ought to think. Dark and stormy, but it is still nice. Everything is ok. God is with us.

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

break down

Last year I was driving to Smithville to visit Court Fisher and had 2 flat tires on my car. Cars break down. People break down. We see it all the time. Sometimes we don't run as we should.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit gets ahold of us and breaks us down. Down to where we must depend on Him or perish. That is a painful place to be, but not a bad place to be. We humans can get so "right in our own eyes" that God just needs to bring us down a notch. I think we listen better then.

Sometimes out of bad times, good things can happen. New tires. New hearts. Hearts more fully committed to Jesus.

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

David Van Giesen

A comment on yesterday's post mentioned David Van Giesen. David was my District Superintendent for three years when we were appointed to Princeton. David's wife Priscilla worked at Woods Chapel for several years as a pastoral assistant when we were in the old building.

Everyone needs a mentor. David was mine for three years and then for many after that. He is a truly kind man with a heart for Jesus. I was full of energy and ideas when I met David and he was so patient with me. He knew just when to nod, just when to redirect, and just when to let me give it a try. His laugh was authentic and welcoming.

I am indebted for so much to this fine man. If you know David, tell him how much he is loved and appreciated. I told him at annual conference. You tell him too. Drop him a note if you get a chance. His address is

4504 English Ivy Ave.
Springfield, MO 65804

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

ordination service

Last night I attended the ordination service at annual conference. There was hymn singing, call to the ministry testimonies by the bishops, and prayer. I was so happy for my friend Shawn Francensesengenses. He is such a good man and he has such a strong future.

Selfishly, it also made me think of my ordination, in 1991. David VanGiesen and Jim Bryan laid their hands on me and Bishop W.T. Handy put his hands on me and said, "take thou the authority to preach the word."

Very special moments. What a great gift to be a pastor. Thank you all for the opportunity. I love having the chance to care about you. If you are a pastor, be sure to give thanks for the chance to love others.

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

"knowing" things

Do you ever just know something. I can't explain it. You can't explain it. But you just know. You know that you know that you know.

You know that God is asking you to set new priorities. You know that He is calling you into the ministry. You know something.

This is the work of the spirit. Follow it. The law kills, the spirit gives life. Listen. Follow. You just know.

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

my sins

What are my sins. I certainly have them. Nothing real exciting, most of my sins are boring. Sometimes I can be negative. Sometimes I am selfish. Sometimes I don't see the weakness and sin that lies within me. Think about that. That is a bad one in my brain, to not even see the sin that I am doing or being.

Sin. It will always be a part of who I am. The apostle Paul said, "wretched man that I am....." Hopefully I am becoming sweeter as the years go by, but we all have a long way to go.

I think that it is important for all of us to think about how we fall short from time to time. I don't want you to be consumed with negative thoughts, but if we don't think about how we fall short, pretty soon, we are thinking about how we are better than others. So, let's give thanks for some degree of self-deprecation. That is far better than thinking that you are God's gift to the world, and it opens the door for us to give the glory to Jesus.

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

submission

Ways that we practice our faith:

Thinking.
Thinking. I am thinking about God. About the trinity and how it works. About spiritual gifts and what they mean and how they work. My mind is full of thoughts about what God is like, how faith works, and I am trying to make systematic sense of it all. The mental trash truck is rolling up and down the streets of my mind, filling my soul with the jarring noise of my own mental nonsense.

Judging others.
You are good. No, you are bad. You shouldn't do that. Why do they do that. What are they thinking. Don't they know that they are not pleasing God? They are not good Christians. How can they go to church and believe that? Look at that tattoo. Boy he needs a haircut, and Dude, buy some jeans without holes will you? Your music is terrible. You drink too much. You need a bath. I am better than you are. Get a job. Lose some weight. [Isn't this terrible?]

Neurotic worry.
I am bad. I did it wrong. I sinned again. God hates me. I am a bad Christian. I will never amount to anything. My mom was right. I am never going to be a successful adult human. Everything I touch falls apart. I am bad. I am a bad person. I have to work harder so that I don't go to hell.

Good works.
Lets get busy. I must save the world. Go, go, go. Do, do, do. I must make God happy. Do all the right things. Participate in all the missions programs. Do, do, do.

submission.
Nothing else that I have done has brought me the sense of completion in God that my soul craves. I give up. I give up trying to think or do or be. I am just falling hopelessly, helplessly into the loving arms of Our Father. And in so doing, I find what I have been seeking. I am at rest. I am complete. I am in touch with my soul and it is happy. I may not always feel His presence, but I know He is there and I am just resting in Him. From this place of rest in Him, submission, I find the inertia to live the Christian life. Loving, doing, caring, for all the right reasons. Thinking when necessary, love overshadows all. My life has become a celebration. At night I sleep the sleep of the saved. I just had to give up and rest in Him.

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

ivy

A friend gave me some ivy the other day. I planted it. I have been growing ivy for years, four to be exact, in a little section of the back yard where nothing grows. Well, ivy grows there. It grows anywhere. A little bit at a time, the ivy is doing its thing. Clinging to the rocky soil.

I think of the story of the mustard seed and the leaven. A little bit will do the trick. The kingdom is like that. Get it started and keep watching. The kingdom will do it's work in your life. Pretty soon, the roots are down, and we are a thriving part of God's garden.

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

God in a box

Last night we had a nice meeting on the book, "the Shack." I was reminded of the fact that so many of us grew up in churches that put God in a box. Well meaning folks that wanted to make God understandable, packaged Him in certain ways, using scriptures of their choice, and created a very human, manageable, understandable God. The problem with the God of the box is that we squelched his love and tried to control His doctrine. We inadvertently replaced his love with our human teachings.

When we take the love out of God, there is nothing supernatural left.

Let God out of the box. Just accept that you and I don't have all the answers. The God that we worship does not fit into anyone's doctrinal box. We need to bow in reverence and awe of Him and stop trying to make Him fit our ideas about what we think He is like.

When we give up being in charge, then we can begin to come to know the God that is truly great and truly other. When we stop trying to direct him and manipulate others to follow Him, we can simply accept that he loves us and celebrate this life that we have been given.

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

passages

I have to honest. I am in one. A passage. A major life passage. Inbetween where I was, and where I guess I will be. Inbetween the known and the unknown.

I have been at Woods Chapel for 15 years. My softball career is over. My youngest just graduated from highschool. This fall we will have three in college. I have a great joy and happiness for my kids, and a bit of a grief for myself as I try to figure out what is next in my life. I used to be the pastor with the cute young family. Not anymore. I am yesterday's news.

After August 15th when the kids go to college, the house will be very quiet. Cathy travels every week. So it will be me, two cats and a snaggle tooth dog. Sounds like a passage to me.

I don't expect anyone to feel sorry for me. This is a natural part of life. It is just how it is. I am going to have to get used to it and figure it out. Life is good, even in the passages. We have to keep working hard to see the good. It is there.

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

a walk

I went for a walk this morning. At 4:30am. Now if you are asking why I am awake at 4:30 in the morning, so am I. Stress. Must go for a walk.

I walked the entire neighborhood. I counted the for sale signs. I thought about life. I asked God some questions. I complained a bit. I whined a bit. The worse I was, the faster I walked.

Finally it starts to get out of your system. You can feel the tension go. You walk slower, you don't complain so much, and you start to feel a little bit more like yourself.

Among my friends is a counselor that I talk with on occasion. Whenever I am stressed, he asks me if I am getting any exercise. It does make a difference.

Returning to my senses, I begin to see the world that I have been missing. A beautiful sky, barely showing signs of morning. Mars to the south, Venus to the east. A few claps of thunder. Birds singing. Lots of birds singing. They have collected in groups on various blocks. 5 houses of quiet, then there is a tree that is full of them. It is a singfest.

Sky, thunder, planets, trees, birds, God is still speaking in this world. I am glad I went for a walk today.

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

Dear Bird,

Dear Bird,

I am so sorry about what happened yesterday. I saw you in the road. I figured that you would move. You did, but just not fast enough.

I have often wondered why you guys hang out in the road. There was nothing there to eat and there did not seem to be any reason for you to be there. I have always been surprised at the ability of your cousins to get out of the way of my car at the last minute. You were not so lucky. Maybe you were sick, maybe you were day dreaming. At any rate, today you are singing in the heavenly choir.

That is how I will look at it. Not that I snuffed you out, but that I was an unwilling participant, an accidental participant in your being promoted to the heavenly choir.

At any rate, I am sorry for the bonk on the head and the brief moments of pain. I am sure it was quick, as my car out weighs you by a few tons. Please warn your friends and relatives to be careful about lighting in the roadway for extended periods of time. I wish you well, and again, I am sorry.

Sincerely,
Jeff Brinkman, accidental bird crusher

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

trust

Trust. Trust God. Trust in Him. No matter what happens. Is the market up? Trust in the Lord. Is the market down? Trust in the Lord. Which of you can add one inch to your stature by worrying? The Lord has the very hairs of your head numbered. He sees when a sparrow falls, and you are worth more than many sparrows.

Trust in God. Everything is ok. We have each other. We are the Lords. Whether we live or whether we die. Remember whose you are. Trust. Trust. Trust in the Lord.

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

sermon series ideas

Friends,

It is easy to preach during Advent- it's all about Jesus' birth. It is easy to preach during lent- it's usually about the suffering of Christ. It is easy to preach during November- thanksgiving.

The summer can be tough. Long periods of time with no, or few special days. These are good times for sermon series.

I have a few ideas, but nothing is standing up and screaming "I am the one!" If you have any requests for sermon themes or ideas for sermon series, I would love to hear from you.

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

humility

I saw Mike Tyson on TV this morning. Life has a way of humbling us. That is one of the problems with blowing your own horn. Eventually, life has a way of bringing us all to our knees. We certainly grieve with him, the loss of his daughter.

Although the church should not pound people about humility, a lack of humility is a very distasteful characteristic. We don't run around celebrating people for their humility [they would not like it], but a lack there of it is repulsive.

I think of the professional athlete that has forgotten that he is a part of a team. I think of the pastor who has to remind everyone that he/she knows more or is more successful.

Anytime we get stuck on ourselves, it is unbecoming. Our hearts should not be celebrating ourselves, but should rather be grateful to God for the gifts of life.

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

what do you pray for?

Usually, we humans ask for all kinds of things. God bless me, God bless my family, God bless my friends.

I recently read this in Colossians 4:

2Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.

Paul is asking his readers to pray that God will open the doors so that they can tell others about Jesus Christ.

We can do this too. We can pray for our church, that many will be connected to Jesus Christ. We can also pray for ourselves, that God will show us the times and the places, and the people to share His love with. I am just thinking that if we are praying for an opening, it will be more on our mind, and each of us will share God's grace a little more often.

Pray that God will give you one person today to reach with His message of love.

I have this little message from the Sound of Music hanging on my office door:

A bell is no bell 'til you ring it,

A song is no song 'til you sing it,

and love in your heart

Wasn't put there to stay -

Love isn't love'

Til you give it away.

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

memorial day

Today, the Lord willing, we will do what we do every year on Memorial Day. You probably know what we do because I write about it every year on Memorial Day.

When Cathy is ready, we will get in the car and load up any kids that want to go with us. The older they get, the less that they want to go. I don't blame them, I didn't want to go to the cemetery with my parents when I was young either.

Anyway, we load up and drive I-70 to Sterling. North on Sterling to Winner Road. Left on Winner, through the beautiful Englewood district. Turn left on Truman road. Up the hill, past the monument company, turning right into Mt. Washington Cemetery. I have gone there every year on Memorial Day since I can remember [except when we lived out of town.] My parents took me there as a boy and told me the stories of the people buried there.

Into Mt. Washington, take the first left, wind up the hill, keep left, then near the top, turn right. The road deadends in the Rosehill Gardens section. At the end of the cul-de-sac is the Toll plot. My Grandmother on my Dad's side was Mary Lee Toll until she married my Grandpa Brinkman. My two sisters and my 4 cousins and I are the remaining heirs to this burial site. There are about 8 grave sites left there, more if people choose to be cremated.

When we get there, will look around and remember. Remember being a boy. Remember my Mom and Dad. I will tell them about Scott graduating from High School. I will tell them everything is ok. But, they already know that. I will tell them that I love them and miss them. We will linger for a while, then drive the long way through the cemetery, past some of the more notable chapels and tombs. We will emerge on the north side on what I guess is 24 highway, but I am not sure. Come to think of it, I am not sure of the name of the road. All I know is that there is a Dairy Queen right there.

Cemetery. Dairy Queen. Home. I hope when my kids take their children to the cemetery to visit me, they will stop at the Dairy Queen when they are done. It's a tradition.

All in all, Memorial Day is a time to be thankful for life. O dear Lord, we are so blessed. Thank you so very much for all of the wonder and glory and joy of life. And you, dear friends, thank you for the privilege of sharing this life with you. I am grateful for every single one of you.

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

Fog

As I write at 6:40 this morning, there is a beautiful bank of fog that has settled onto the east side of the church property. As the sun comes up and shines through it, it is a peaceful, amazing picture.

By the time you get to church today, the fog will be gone.

I wish it was true for all of life's fog banks. Sometimes we are cloudy and confused and it is hard to get to the other side. There are things and situations that are just troubling to us.

That is why I am glad that we have a God to trust in. He doesn't make life perfect, but there is no better guide in life, no better person to hold onto in time of storm than our heavenly Father.

If you find yourself in a fog bank today, be sure to make it to church. Maybe God will lift it and you will be able to see Him. Sometimes that is all it takes to turn the corner, taking our focus off of the fog and keeping our eyes on the Guide.

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

leaving the world a better place

I think that we all want to leave the world a better place. JB left a comment for the blog and intimated that there was no need to post it, so I didn't, but in the comment she talked about the pride and love that I have for Scott. As I read it, I thought of another word, admiration. I admire all three of my kids. Somehow, they have turned out to be better people than I was at their age. And with a better start on life, who knows where they will be then they are 51?

Isn't that the goal? One of the ways that we make the world a better place is to help our kids, our nephews and nieces, our neighbor kids, to become better people than we were. Once I was lamenting some of what my parents did. Then it occurred to me that they left behind kids that were better. Better in the sense that we all have college degrees, have our feet on the ground, and are gainfully employed. They gave us a better life than they had themselves. That makes them pretty good people.

Everytime that we help another, we leave the world a better place. One day at a time, one interaction at a time, we help others become more than they would otherwise have been. What a great privilege it is to be used by God to help another. If we are not doing that, we are missing one of the main purposes of life.

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

last day of school

Today is Scott's last day of high school. He is our last, our youngest child. Of course he is not a child anymore, he is a man. I could write a bunch here about how funny it feels to begin the empty nest thing. I could tell you about tears due to changes in my life, but forget that for a minute, let me tell you about Scott.

[by the way, his senior pictures were taken by our own Jennifer Bartman. Thank you to her. She made a good boy look great!]

Scott graduates on Sunday. He has had great grades in school - 3.8 gpa. He has really never been in much trouble. He has attended youth group at two churches. He has volunteered to help at church without his Dad twisting his arm. He is going to be a helper on the jr hi mission trip this summer.

When we moved here, he was 3 years old. Just a baby boy. Now he is 6' 2" and strong as an ox. When we put up the three wooden crosses at the old building, he and I were out there one evening and I asked him if he knew what they were. He said, "yes, those are the church signs." Cute.

Scott has tormented Sunday School teachers and wrestled with just about every man at the church that he thought he could mess with. He is funny. He is kind. If you break down on the side of the road, you can call Scott. Even if you don't know him, he will come and help you. He has held down a job at Best Buy for 2 years that he got without his parents help. At Best Buy they call him "Mr. Scotty."

Today is his last day of high school. This fall he is heading off to Pittsburg State University to study Engineering. He is a good boy. A fine boy. His Daddy could not be more proud of him.

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

Woods Chapel United Methodist unChurch

unChurch. The more I read about what is going on in our country, the more I think that young people are interested in unChurch.

unChurch is a place where they talk about Jesus and help me with my spiritual life, but I get to do it at my own pace. unChurch accepts me as I am. unChurch is patient with me on my journey. unChurch is as good at rejecting traditional churchisms as I am.

The young people that I am talking to are looking for unChurch. Real. Authentic. Warm. Open. They don't care about the authority of pastors or the rightness of someone's doctrine. They want to see the love of Jesus Christ in action.

A church for people who are tired of churchyness [churchiness]. I think that is where we would find Jesus worshipping. Woods Chapel United Methodist unChurch.

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

it's me again

It's me again. My ideas, my wants, my preferences. I think what I think and want is so special. Do you ever catch yourself thinking that your ideas and desires are really important?

I was reading yesterday about church conflict. The author made a point. Most Christians lived and died before my denomination existed. Millions of people that share my ideas and desires have already lived and died. They came and went. So will I. So will you.

Here is the point. We get so caught up in our opinions and preferences. We get all excited about how we think it is. Yet, we are all going to be here for such a short time.

People are more important than ideas. [that is a generalization, but it has some real truth to it.] Instead of arguing over doctrine and polity, we need to spend our time here on this earth loving one another. God is love. God does not necessarily share my ideas. He is so great, so strong and so mighty. He has revealed himself to us as love. That's what we need to be doing here on earth. Love one another.

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

little things

Well, I read something that I think is a really cool truth, and no one says anything. I write about some great philosophical thing that is on my mind and everyone yawns. But I write about how people drive their car and we get 4 comments. Good comments too.

You are all right. It is the simple things. The simple things where we live out our faith that matter. Thinking is great, believing is great, but if I don't act out my beliefs, what good is that? There may be a great sermon on Sunday. I may cry during the music, but if I then go out into the parking lot and drive like a jerk, what good is that?

You are so right. The Christian faith is lived out in the little things. One moment at a time. Everything, every moment for Christ. Thank you all for reminding me and each other again of this simple true truth.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good. And drive really nice from now on too.

driving a car

Ways that I try to be a witness for Christ. By how I treat my wife and kids. By how I treat you. [I don't always get any of it right.]

By believing that we are all stewards, not owners of God's blessings. By forgiving. By being ready to share a word about faith in Jesus. And are you ready for this?

By how I drive.

Really, I am going to rant for a moment. I am so tired of people who drive like they are possessed. They cut people off, they drive 90 miles an hour. The run red lights. It is like they are high on something. I really believe that our faith ought to affect the way that we drive a car.

Don't be in such a hurry to get somewhere. Count the trees, the clouds, or the rock ledges. Take 5 extra minutes to get there and let other merge in. So what if they get in front of you.

Ok, sorry about that, I just dealt with some really bad drivers last night. One of them had a fish on the back of their car. Probably Presbyterians. Just kidding.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good. And drive nice. It's what Jesus would do.

sold out

I wonder what percentage of my life is "sold out" to God? How much of me is really submitted to Him? How about you?

We would have to wonder about the times that we have thoughts about others. We would have to wonder about some the the notions that we have about faith that are really more convenient than Biblical. We would have to wonder about the times when we are just blatantly selfish.

It takes a real honest person to look inside and see what is really there, and be willing to try to let God change it. But if I could just give Him one more thing today. If I could just get sweeter in one area. I know I am never going to be perfect, but if I can let go and give on just one new area this week, what might God do through me? How might the world be a different place?

Oh friend, how He wants to use us to touch the world. I pray right now as you read this, that the Holy Spirit is speaking to you, calling you to act on God's behalf.

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

work day

Today there is a work day at church at 9am. I remember when the 20 acres that the church is on was barren wilderness. Prairie grass, thorn trees, scrub trees. Rocks, junkpiles, barbed wire. The tree line across the north side of the pond was an overgrown mess.

Well, 10 years later, your church sits on one beautiful piece of property. Oak trees, Ash, Cleveland pear, maple, redbud and more. Walking trails. Gardens. The shade garden, the rain garden, the garden of hope, the giving garden, and the other one whose name escapes me. All beautiful gardens. Tulips and hosta and 6,000 daffodils.

A state of the art play ground. Benches to sit and rest in the shade. Manicured lawns. The rose terrace with fountain. Crosses. The Celtic cross on the south. The old rugged crosses in the giving garden and at the baptismal pouring station. Three crosses together out by the road.

Rocks. Big beautiful landscape rocks. The cross and flame out front surrounded by its own garden. All of this set to the hourly music that plays from the belltower's carillon bells.

Future plans include paving the walking trails, a prayer garden with stone labyrinth, more large shade trees, and a pavilion on slab.

Every improvement came with hard work and loving care. Pat Riley, former basketball coach, offers one of my favorite quotes, "excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better." Little by little, this muddy, barren, thorn infested piece of ground has been transformed to a beautiful park whose voice declares the glory of God. When I drive onto the property I often think, even if the preaching is bad inside, the outside is so beautiful, this is where I want to go to church.

Thank you to everyone who planted, weeded, trimmed and worked to care for your church property. If you can make it by for a little bit for this work day or any work day, it is always a rewarding time.

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

unintended consequences

Sometimes we do things that cause other things to happen. There are consequences to our actions that we did not intend.

Take for example the person who installed the clear Plexiglas shields on the sides of the soda dispenser machine at the Panera on 40 highway. I am sure that the shields are to serve some purpose....maybe to keep overspray from the soda dispenser from going on the floor.

Well, that is an example of good intentions. However. When 51 year old people are getting a soda, sometimes they cannot see the clear Plexiglas shields. Bad things, though unintended, might happen. The 51 year old person may fill up his or her cup, and simply slide to the right to where the lids and straws are. You can't move back because there are others in line waiting for their turn at this magnificent machine. You just want to slide to the right. The problem is, there is a clear shield there, and it knocks the soda out of your hand and onto the floor. Remember, there is no lid on the drink cup as of yet. Not that it would have helped.

The soda must be made of rubber. It hits the floor and bounces. Out of the cup, up the 51 year old person's pants, and onto several others who have gathered around and just can't wait for their turn to try out the clear Plexiglas shields.

They didn't mean to knock the soda out of my hand with the shields. I did not mean to drop the soda. I did not mean for it to get on everyone, but it was bedlam. Women screaming, children crying, a man with a mop rushing around, cursing under his breath about those d--- shields again.

Sometimes in life, people try to do something good and it just doesn't work out as they had planned. Sometimes they are trying to help. They did not mean to hurt you. Lets not shoot the person who dropped the drink cup, or the person who designed and installed the clear plastic shields. They did not intend to cause us harm. That should be worth something. Give those people a break. They didn't mean to hurt you. Sometimes in life there are just unintended consequences.

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

a walk in the park

Last night, in between rainstorms, I took a walk in the park. In our back yard. In God's great greenhouse of beautiful things. I strolled among the green and red sedum. I cherished the Japanese Maples and the Cherry tree. I talked to the robin on her nest. I saw blue flowers that only my wife can name. I celebrated the iris. The lavender, the deep purple and the yellow iris. They are beautiful. The hosta are taking off. The indian grass is doing it's thing. All of God's creation that we have had a chance to plant in the back yard is celebrating His glory. I hope that you have something wonderful planted in your yard that you are able to celebrate from time to time. If you do not, call me, and I will give you a few starts.

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

communion

Last night I witnessed two married couples serve each other communion. Can you imagine any more powerful words to be shared from a husband to wife or vice-versa? "the body of Christ is broken for you. The blood of Christ is shed for you."

I was reminded of the total servant nature of marriage. Marriage is a ministry. You minister to your spouse. How can you reach them? How can you help them find life-fulfillment? What can you do to bless them?

Christian marriage is all about servant-hood. We should be offering up ourselves in loving care to them every day. Again, it is in loving that we find love. It is in giving that we receive, it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.

If you are married, bless your spouse this day.

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

so you are discouraged

Well, I could read it in your face. I have wondered what it was. Now I know. You are discouraged.

I am so sorry that you feel this way. Unfortunately, I think that everyone feels this way at one time or another. There are mountaintops and there are valleys. That is just the way it is.

Some Christian people make the mistake of thinking that they should always "feel" a certain way. They experience something for the first time and it takes them to the mountain top. They go on a retreat or are touched by worship at church. But after a while, life takes it's toll and they don't feel that mountaintop feeling anymore. Discouragement sets in. Sometimes people think things like, "something is wrong with me" or "something is wrong with my church." As if it is the job of the church to keep you on the mountaintop. As if it were possible for us to always be on the mountaintop.

True spirituality is not measured by the mountaintop feeling. Great men and women of God met God in the valleys. In despair, on a cross, by the well, at a tomb, people find God in the Bible in the deepest places of pain. True spirituality is staying the course when you feel that God, or the church, or some leader at church has let you down. It is learning that spirituality is not even about me getting to feel the way that I want to feel. It is rooted in a long term relationship with our Father.

You don't throw away your spouse just because things feel differently. You don't quit your job because you aren't having fun anymore. You don't give up on God just because you feel discouraged.

Weeping lasts for the night, but joy comes in the morning. Keep your chin up. Stay the course. Nothing has changed, you just feel differently. Trust in God. Reengage. He is waiting for you to pick up the mantle of love. Sometimes discouragement will flee when we reach out in love to others. It is in giving that we receive.

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

open wounds

When I was 10 years old I accidentally cut myself at the neighborhood swimming pool with the sharp edge of a swimming mask. Maybe you remember the kind, they had a little nut and bolt on the top that held the glass in.

The cut was on the inside of my right knee. It was deep. Blood and watery looking stuff leaked out of an almost 2 inch gap. Mom wanted me to get stitches. Dad said, "no." It will heal.

We rarely went to the doctor when we were kids. It was too expensive. To this day, if my kids need to go to the doctor, we always go.

The wound did heal eventually, but left untreated, it left a football shaped scar on the inside of my knee. yes it is not on my face, but every time i see that scar, I remember what happened.

Life. Things happen. People are wounded. Sometimes we are participants in it all. What will we do? Hide? Stick our heads in the sand? Pretend like we were not involved?

We humans often hide in times of pain because frankly, we don't know how to heal wounds very well. We are much better at creating them than healing them. Our pride just gets in the way.

Well, we don't want a life long scar, so what should we do in times of painful wounds?

• pray. pray to see your role in the fracture.
• pray. pray for the other parties.
• pray for direction.
• talk. when the emotion has subsided, find a time to sit down and talk
  

The talk has to be a time of listening to the others feelings. It has to include everyone looking for ways to understand their own culpability in the problem. We have to remember that our life mission as Christians always calls us to love one another.

What seems impossible with man, is possible with God. If you are experiencing a fracture, pray. Love. Find the heart of God. Do what you can to reach out to the people on the other side. God makes all things beautiful in his time.

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

Mother's Day

Happy Mothers Day to all of you wonderful ladies and friends. God bless you for all that you have done for your biological children and for all of your other children.

I got out my mother's Bible this week. Mom went to be with Jesus on July 17th 1995. I don't think I have opened her Bible since the funeral, but I just had a feeling that there might be something there that would be what I needed. Among the many quotes, I found this:

"In our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God." - Aeschylus

I had never heard this quote before. My mom knew it, but never shared it with me. I find it to be very profound. You may not need my explanation of the quote, but here goes:

At night, I lay my head on the pillow. All of my worries cause me pain which will not go away. I cannot sleep for the pain drips on my heart one drop at a time and I am filled with despair. Finally God acts. Against my will, [because part of me wants to get even, part of me wants to hurt back] against my will, God's wisdom comes to me through his awful grace. It is awful because it causes us to be able to forgive the unforgivable and to overcome evil with good. A bitter pill, but a good one when finally swallowed.

Thank you Mom for sharing. I think about the struggles that you faced that caused you to hold that quote in your Bible. I hope that I was not the cause of too much of your pain. I am sure that this quote, and the grace of God, brought you much peace. Thanks for being my Mom. God bless you. Happy Mothers Day.

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

Here is something good.

Last year if I had said something about the Royals, many people would have thought that I was speaking about Prince Charles of England and family. This year, it is a different story. The Kansas City Royals baseball club is on a hot streak and in first place in their division.

Thursday afternoon I went to the game. I love the afternoon games. You take a friend from church and watch baseball. It is very relaxing, and no matter who wins, you get to see some great athletes playing a great game.

In the past, it was easy to go to an afternoon game. Tickets were always easy to get, every banker I know had some that were not going to be used if we didn't take them. You drive to the park where you can park where ever you like. Lot A row 5. No problem. There are only 5,000 people at the game. Usually.

Not this year. Not on Thursday. We got to the stadium at 12:45. Plenty of time to get in and sit down. We didn't have tickets, but we were not worried about that. We figured that we would just buy the $7 ticket and wander the park, right? Wrong. The parking lots are full. We have to park in C lot, clear down past Arrowhead. We walk forever. There are people tailgating. We get in the line to buy tickets. 8-10 windows are open and the lines are 10 people deep. It looks like a new Star Wars movie is opening.

When we get up towards the ticket window I can hear the sales person using the phrase "sold out." I almost fell over dead. Sold out baseball game in Kansas City? We must be playing the Cardinals. But that can't be right, there isn't anyone wearing Cardinals gear today.

At the window I am informed that they are sold out of $5, $7 and $10 tickets. The least expensive ticket available is $33. If you want to be in the shade, $36. We buy two tickets. I actually feel good about supporting professional sports in Kansas City, even if our $7 tickets turned into $36 each.

Inside the stadium, the place is packed. It is some kind of "kids day" at the K, but that does not account for the crowd. Late in the game, after the kids are gone, there is still a very large group of people there. I have never heard so much energy in that Stadium. I hope it's aging concrete can stand the strain.

As the game came to an end, and the Royals won, again, I just have one thing to say to the other 20,000 people that were still in the stadium...... where have you been? Where were you last year or the year before that?

I have loved the games for years. The Royals get in first place and suddenly everybody is a baseball fan. Well, it took a long time to get out of the parking lot. Almost as bad as a Chief's game, but all of this is good for Kansas City.

Go Royals. Keep it up. And you new found baseball fans? Stick around. Baseball is a great game even when your team isn't in first place. Life isn't always about who wins and loses. In baseball, and in life itself, the experience itself is worth the price of admission.

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

anonymous

Many comments that I receive to these blog posts are anonymous. I am fine with that as long as they are constructive. But when people hide behind anonymity to make a comment that is mean spirited or theologically legalistic, well, I am just not going to post them anymore.

I will still read their painful banter, but I will not share it with you any longer. We can let them start their own blog. Maybe it could be called:

thetruthhurtsandyouareallgoingtohell.blogspot.com
or
forgetaboutgraceandinsteadworkhardtoearnit.blogspot.com

Good luck with that. Here is the truth. Life is good, God is great, and mercy rejoices over judgement. That is the truth, the whole truth. In heaven, we will rest in His grace, forgiven by his love, our sins covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. Spend you life thinking about God's love for you. Go share that will others. Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. That is what we are supposed to be doing.

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

The Message

The first Bible that I ever read was the Revised Standard Version. I know that I used some King James after that. In fact, much of my Scripture memory exists in my head in the King James. When the New International Version [NIV] came out, I switched over. It was a true translation, but was written in more modern language. All of our pew Bibles at WCC are NIV. It is the version that we read from on Sunday morning.

I may be having a slow conversion. I tend to convert slowly. I have heard of the Bible called "the Message." I assumed that it was just another paraphrase, that is, some person's interpretation of the Biblical text. A translation is more reliable and comes directly from the original Greek and Hebrew. A paraphrase, like "the Living Bible" is the result of one person reading the NIV or the KJV and just putting it into their own words.

A few months ago, I head the Bishop quote the Message. That started my brain to thinking. If is it acceptable to the Bishop, it may be ok.

I have been reading the Message version lately. It is very inspirational and exciting. Here is what Bible Gateway says about the message:

Why was The Message written? The best answer to that question comes from Eugene Peterson himself: "While I was teaching a class on Galatians, I began to realize that the adults in my class weren't feeling the vitality and directness that I sensed as I read and studied the New Testament in its original Greek. Writing straight from the original text, I began to attempt to bring into English the rhythms and idioms of the original language. I knew that the early readers of the New Testament were captured and engaged by these writings and I wanted my congregation to be impacted in the same way. I hoped to bring the New Testament to life for two different types of people: those who hadn't read the Bible because it seemed too distant and irrelevant and those who had read the Bible so much that it had become 'old hat.'"

You can read more about the Message at http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/?action=getVersionInfo&vid=65

If you don't want to run out and buy a Message Bible, you can of course read it online at http://www.biblegateway.com/

If you have not been reading the Scriptures lately, you may be invigorated by picking up the Message. I hope to have it available soon in our bookstore. Pastors or anyone out their in the blogosphere who know more about this or have an opinion, good or bad, are encouraged to post a comment.

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

stalker

I had a stalker yesterday. Or was it road rage. I was driving home from Arkansas and the cruise in the car was set on 72. The speed limit was 70. My kids will tell you that I drive like a grandpa.

I come upon a little silver Saturn sedan. I pass by and keep going. Pretty soon, it is trying to catch up to me. It pulls along side, right next to me.........strange. All this happens as the road is condensing from 3 lanes to 2. Now he has cut me off, I have to hit the brakes and pull behind him.

He slows down.
I am annoyed.
We are out in the middle of nowhere. 71 highway near Noel, MO.
It is the perfect setting for a "crazy hillbilly" movie.

I decide to get back up to speed and get away from him. He tries to speed up. Finally I get some distance and get a few vehicles between us.

Now a few minutes later, he is catching up again. He pulls right along side and comes to my speed exactly. There is a truck behind me. I have no where to go. I hope this dude does not have a gun.
He obviously wants me to look over at him. I wonder what I will see when i look over to the left? A skeleton face? Michael Myers? Scream?

I have a mean face on when I look over.

Oh. It is not a scary person, it is Shawn [this is not his real last name exactly, but no one knows how to say it accurately] Francensengenses, the pastor at Jane, MO. We are buddies. or at least we used to be. He has about scared an old guy to death.

I call him. We talk and laugh. I thought he was a stalker, he was only trying to get my attention. We stop in Joplin for a cup of coffee. What a fine young man.

So, the moral of the story is this. The next time someone is driving erratically, don't assume it is a stalker or a crazy person. It may be some Methodist preacher that you know that just wants to have a cup of coffee.

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

New Church Start meeting

Well, I am in a meeting in Arkansas for churches that are starting or parenting new churches. It has been very interesting. One topic that has been interesting is the things that the "Mother Church" feels. Possible fears include:

• what if some of my friends leave our church for the new church?
• what if the new church start fails?
• what if all of our biggest donors leave?
• what if we have to put our future building plans on hold because of the new church?

What is your response to those potential fears? Do you share the fears or do you have confidence that God can help us successfully launch a new church?

I want to tell you how I feel about these fears. First of all, some of our friends will leave to help start the church. That will be painful. Some of them will be good givers. I hope so, for the sake of the new church.

Usually when people go on a mission trip, they come back in a week. If God calls you to go on the mission trip of helping to start this new church, you will be gone for a year, or, you may not ever come back. You might just want to stay at the new church.

This is likely to be the most unselfish, Christ centered thing that our congregation has ever done.

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

the length one must go to post a blog

Well, let me begin by saying that the Children's program was great yesterday, as always. Gina's sermon was also wonderful, I will never forget the story that she told about her friend Brian.

So what is going on?

I left about 2pm yesterday to drive to Fayetteville Ark. I arrived about 6:30, met up with a pastor and had dinner. We are staying at the Mt. Sequoia Methodist campground. It was built in 1920 by our jurisdiction [7 state area]. The camp is lovely. The room I stayed in is very small. There is no TV or radios. That is fine with me.

There is supposed to be internet at the camp office. I woke up this morning and drove to the office to get on the wifi and post. Well, who knows, my computer says I am on, but it won't find the net. The office is closed so there is no one to talk to, I am sitting in my car in the rain.

So I drive to town. Somewhere there must be a Starbucks or something that has wifi. I come upon Rick's bakery. I ask an employee, "do you have wifi?" She doesn't know. I forgot my wallet. I go back out to the car to get it. I come back in. I ask another employee, "do you have wifi?" Yes. great.

Now it is time to wait in the line. This must be a good place to eat because there are many people in line. I ask someone to save my place in line, I go back, take a shower and return to the bakery. Perfect timing. It is my turn. I buy two donuts and a cup of coffee.

I fire up the wifi, and, here we are.

The donuts were worth the wait, though I don't think that I need any donuts really.

After I am done at the donut shop, I will head back to the camp. There are meetings all day today about starting a new church. I hope you have not forgotten that we are going to be helping with this project this year. On July 1st there will be a pastor appointed to our church to work with us to get the new church off the ground. His name is Dave Owsley.

So, I will be back late Tuesday. Please keep your church and the new church start in your prayers. Now that I know where to go, maybe I will be able to post earlier tomorrow.

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

honest question

Honest questions deserve honest answers. Someone posted a comment on yesterday's blog that asks a question. And if the person who made the post would like to, I would be more than glad to visit more in person. Just call me. :-)

Here is their post: "Why is it that we can only know the truth about the things that make us feel good, and not what God commands us not to do? I can understand why you don't want people to fear God, but don't they also need to know what God demands we not do? Surely truth must address both the "feel good" things and the things that displease God."

I want to reply to this, one sentence at a time.

"Why is it that we can only know the truth about the things that make us feel good, and not what God commands us not to do?

Well I did not mean to imply that, if I did, at anytime, anywhere. Truth speaks to everything and we can know what is right and wrong. We need to be diligent in our pursuit of God. That includes our behavior. However, the Bible is clear that we are just not supposed to beat each other up with lists of rules.

I can understand why you don't want people to fear God,

Well, of course I don't want people to fear God. There are other churches that are doing enough of that. I prefer to welcome those who have been crushed by the load that others have placed upon them. I think that is what Jesus did, so we are in good company there.

but don't they also need to know what God demands we not do?

There certainly are Biblical pictures of God demanding things. There are many more however, of God granting or Jesus giving, grace. Grace is the core of the Christian message. Once a relationship with God is established through Jesus, the Holy Spirit will lead the Christian into the changes that God desires for him or her.

Surely truth must address both the "feel good" things and the things that displease God."

I am not really about helping people "feel good." I want them to know and experience a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. This comes only by grace. Once I understand that, I do feel good. Feeling good is a byproduct of God's love and grace. Displeasing God? Again there are scriptures that indicate this, but there are so many more that point us to grace. The main theme of the Bible is not that we displease God and should straighten up. The main theme is about grace. God so loved the world. My children don't always make me happy, but my displeasure with their behavior is never greater than my love for them. Not even close.

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

truth

Truth does not change. The problem is, sometimes we think that we know the truth when we do not. I think that there are things that we can be confident are true, and other things that we need to be careful about. We humans are not very good about knowing the difference.

Some people like to "know." Their entire self esteem is built upon knowing. Boy are they in for a surprise when they finally meet God and realize that they did not know as much as they thought they did.

We have had people quit the church because they discovered new "truth." Some Christians use the scripture in ways that hurt and wound others. In such cases, the message of the truth is so clouded in hatred and judgement, that the truth of the love of God goes right out the window.

Bob Tuttle, one of my professors in seminary used to say, "if God is a circle and you believe that he is a square, he does not become a square to accommodate your way of thinking." This is a very good point that reminds me that we do not know it all and we are not as smart as we think.

There is a difference between the truth, and what we think the truth is. That is why we need to walk in this life with very humble hearts. As my mother like to say, "there is more Horatio, than is dreamt of in your philosophy."

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

last sunday

So, part of the sermon last Sunday was about things that we give up, or change our beliefs in. Did I end that sentence with a preposition?

The idea is that life changes, times change and my brain changes. Things that I believed once, I must recognize that I may no longer believe. Some people will tell you that truth doesn't change, and that is true. But there are certainly things that we believe to be true, that we at one time insisted were true, that we later decide were optional and we were just being dogmatic.

Here are two examples from the sermon Sunday:

I no longer believe the Christians should spend their time worrying about or studying the second coming. I used to do a bunch of this. Now I do not. I still believe in the second coming of Jesus, O yes. But I don't want to waste my life speculating about how it will happen. We cannot know this. Of the day and hour knows no man, yet we spend our time studying all about it. Much of what is written on the subject is based on dispensational theology which came on the scene in the 1850's. Most of the theories espoused about the second coming today, were not a part of the theology of the church for the first 1800 years of it's existence.

So, I believe in the second coming, but I am not worried about it. Live your live as a follower of Jesus and you will have nothing to worry about regarding his return because you will be ready no matter how or when it happens. When we get love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, etc down, then lets study speculative theology.

Marriage. I was not able to develop this thought as I should have during the sermon. So now, let me explain what I meant when I said in the sermon that "I have changed my views on marriage." I was taught as a teen that the man was the head of the home. Women were to submit. Also I came to believe that somehow, your marriage partner was supposed to make you happy. Obviously, I have changed my thinking. Here is what I now believe about Christian marriage.

Marriage is based on mutual love and respect. Not women submitting, but mutual submission. Leadership is to be shared. Each partner brings gifts to living and to marriage. Only you can make yourself happy. Your spouse's job is not to make you happy. The best marriages exist between people who are mentally healthy and happy by themselves, before they get married. Christian couples should serve one another.

Ok, so part of the sermon was about how we need to let some beliefs go. How we need to change some of the box that we have put God into. There are two examples of things that have changed in the practice of Christianity for me. Are there things that you need to let go of?

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