vacation

I was on Vacation last week.  My dear wife and I spend 6 days in San Francisco, Napa and the redwoods.  I lived in the bay area for 8  years from the age of 12 to 20.   Part of my heart still lives there.  We watched the Blue Angels fly over San Francisco bay.  We saw the sights and smelled the smells of Northern California.  We are back now and glad to be home.  Thanks to everyone who covered for me at church.  Here are some of the sights that we saw and the things that we experienced.

Alexander Valley.  North of Sonoma.

 

 Trinchero

 

Fisherman's Wharf 

The Blue Angels over SF bay 

Navy Destroyer coming under the Golden Gate Bridge.

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

losing one's self

We have always talked about losing one's self, As in denying one's self, mortifying the flesh, denying one's own pleasure.  Causing yourself pain over pleasure.  Hurting yourself for the common good.  Causing yourself pain instead of taking pleasure for yourself.

What if there is something else to the concept of denying yourself.  What if denying yourself is not about hurting yourself, but is really about coming to the realization that you are not the person that you thought you were.  Stop.  Think. What ever you think that you are, you are not.  You must now release yourself of the ideas that you have had about your self.  Leave your imaginations of what makes you good or bad.  You are not the dancer in life, you are being danced by God.

What if everything that you are is no longer defined by your mind, but is defined by God.  You no longer have control over who you think you are.  God alone speaks to you and tells you who you are.  Wow.  Does that change your, my self image?

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

anything that I want

If I could spend one day doing anything that I wanted, I would wear blue jeans and tennis shoes.  I would be off work and no emergencies would arise.  I would get up at 5:30am and feel great.  I would spend the morning doing things that I love.  I would plant flowers, mow the grass, vacuum the car, ride the motorcycle, paint the house, build a shelf, and get the mail.  I would catch up and complete every project that is open around the house.  I would eat watermelon for breakfast, a tuna sandwich for lunch.  I would be by myself all day because everyone else would be at work.  My kids would come over for dinner and we would grill chicken and peppers and onions.  Mmmmmm.

I might read a book in the afternoon.  Some friends might stop by for a bit and visit.  I would be friendly and say hello to everyone that I met during the day.  I might help a kid in the neighborhood with their bike after school.  I would certainly take a nap at 4pm.  After dinner we would play a game- maybe the "game of things."  It would be 70 degrees all day.  I would fall into bed at 10pm with a feeling that it was a great day, that sense that it is great to be alive. 

Someone asked what I would do on a day if I could do anything that I wanted.  Now you know.

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

characteristics of friends

Someone who reads this blog asked me to write about friendship.  Their request opened my mind to many things to write about.  I would like to know who you are that made this request.  Please send me an email at jeffb@woodschapelchurch.org if you are willing to identify yourself.

What kind of people do I seem to be attracted to as friends?  All of my close friends are Christians.  But I have many people that I am friends with that are not Christians.   I have friends of both political parties.  Some of them talk politics with me, some of them don’t.  I like learning from others why they think the way that they do.  My friends tend to have very good senses of humor.  They are honest and fair.  They treat others with respect.  They don’t mind telling me if they think I have made a mistake.  In fact, I consider this type of honesty to be mandatory in a friendship.  They are trustworthy.  I can tell them anything, and they tell me about their hurts and joys as well.  One characteristic that I love in people, whether they are my friends or not, is that they are generous and they are engaged in living a generous life.  I don’t like spending time with negative people, so my friends are pretty positive.  They also know how to dish out the grief.  They have to be able to give me a hard time, and they have to be able to take it.  My friends love their wives and children.  My friends love my wife and my children.  I guess I would sum it up by saying that the people that I am friends with have a deep sense of goodness about them. 

I have won the friend lottery.

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

rock in the house

Sunday, as we walked into the 10:10 Sanctuary Service, we watched as Adam started in on a tune from the late Stevie Ray Vaughn. Wow, SRV at a church service! I was not so much surprised as I was filled and moved. A while back Kevin K. let his hair down by singing a little Supertramp and a year or so ago U2 was played to close out a service...So what does this mean? Maybe not much to you, but for me at least, it was great to hear music that stirs the (my) soul... I admit I am more of a secular music fan than a Christian one. Something about the stories hidden inside some of the that music really moves me. The stories of the broken person, the artist, who found something to grab hold of or someone perhaps, who was able to help pull them out of the muck and mire....I like stories like that... they are everywhere. I guess it is that message of hope that is there for all who are lost....

Peace,
Lion's Den Man

enjoy today

do you ever take time to think back to a time in the past, maybe it was a year ago or a few months or just weeks or days and there was this "thing" that was consuming you at that time. maybe it was important maybe it was trivial, but now it has passed. during the time this "thing" really had a hold of you...you were distracted from enjoying life. maybe you lost sleep. maybe you were on edge because of it and that bled over into your relationships. and now, today, the thing has past and maybe since then a new "thing" has replaced it maybe even several new "things" have come and gone. they come and go as do the days that are now gone and the time has passed and you will never get the chance at those days again. kind of sad when you think about it. our time is short and yet we let "things" steal away our time and our ability to be fully present in the here and now.

"Worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles. It takes away today's peace."

Peace,
Lion's Den Man

freeing people to live

So, someone thinks you are mad at them.  Maybe they think you won’t forgive them.  If they are a people pleaser, it really wears on them.  Every time they think of you [or me if I am the person]  their hearts are heavy.

I have been thinking about this.  I do not want them to have a heavy heart.  I don’t want them to hurt when they think of me.  Think of the power that you have to release them.  Maybe your kid has disappointed you.  Maybe someone hurt you.  Do we really want to live the rest of our lives with bitterness towards them?  Do we really want them to feel badly when they think of us?

Release them.  “I hereby forgive every person for everything and anything that they have ever done to hurt me.”  Now, there you go.  Not a single one of you should feel sad when you think of me, cause I just love you.  God bless you, I just  love you.  The air is clear.  It’s a new day.

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

I have your back

Someone apologized to me the other day because they were involved in a legal action against someone who had not paid them in their business.  No need to apologize.

First of all, I understand that sometimes legal action must be taken to get people to do the right thing.  That is why the court system is there.

Secondly, as a friend, I have your back.  All of you, I have your backs.  I am not going to judge you.  You may have faults, we all do.  I may, in the course of living life with you, find out about your faults.  And you will surely find out about mine.  I am not going to condone everything that everyone does, nor do I expect you to condone my faults.  However, I will accept you and love you and support you, warts and all.  I will never focus on the bad or uncomfortable things.  I will only focus on the good.  This is the gift of friendship.  This is the grace that God shows to us.  And if God can love us and support us warts and all, then we need to give the same to each other.

There is never a reason to apologize to me for being human.  Last time I checked, I was one too.

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

friendships continued

If you pinned me down, about my best friends today, I would surely leave someone out and  hurt their feelings.  So forgive me for that.

There are so many people that I love at our church.  Many of you I think of often, and fondly.  We may have never shared a hamburger, but I love you so much.  A great example of this is Phil Hart.  Man I love that guy. 

Another guy I dearly love is Lions Den Man.  He does not know this, but over the last two weeks I have thought of him every day.  Not sure why.  I need to call him.  He is the best.

Ok, friends.  P, D, M, H, J, S, C, J, R, LDM, K, S, T, DJ, B, T, H, J, R,M, B, L, A, F, M, G, T, D, A, W, B, D, and on and on I go.  You can see that I have won the friend lottery.  I am the most fortuante human being.  I am the most fortunate pastor.  I have canoed with these guys, played softball, bowled, rode on pontoon boats, listened to music, talked about life, ate pizza, laughed and cried.  Oh, the value of a friend is the most precious thing that a person can have.

I will also tell you that I am friends with my children, Alli, Jenny and Scott.  I love them so much.  Their friends come over and I love them as well.  I don't see them much but when the girls college friends come over, we always have such a great time. 

If you have a friend, count yourself as blessed.  If you have more than one, smile, because life is very very good for you.

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

Friendships in Lees Summit

This is where I am going to get in trouble, because I am going to leave someone out.  Please don't be upset.  It is early in the morning and my brain is moving slowly.

There are two things that I have learned about friendship since I moved here in 1994.  First of all, I have learned that you can have more than one friend at a time.  In fact, I have won the friend lottery since I moved here.

The second thing that I have learned, painfully about friendship, is that sometimes they change and people move on.  Difficult as that is, it is something that I have had to make peace with.  I have lived here for 18 years and four months.  Almost three times longer than I have ever lived anywhere else in my life.  So I have had many friends here at Woods Chapel.

Where do  I begin?  It took me about a year to get over leaving Princeton and the loss of my friend Roger.  Finally I became great friends with S and J.  S is still in my life.  We bowl together on Monday nights.  I love him and he is awesome.  J I only see occasionally, but again, he is a great guy.  When all three of our jobs changed, we had less time to hang out. 

I then became great friends with B and another fellow.  I can't use even an initial for the other fellow, because he got mad at me and dumped me.  It crushed me.  B is still around and I see him occasionally, but not as much as we used to.  I still love him dearly.

I should mention the Armadillo softball team.  Every single one of those guys is my bonded brother for life.  I will never forget the parade of their faces at the funeral visitation for my father. 

Well, that is all for today.  More tomorrow.

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

post college friendships

I am continuing to write on friendships.  My last year of college I had no friends, as Dallas Moore moved back to Bethel, Ohio.

After college I laid asphalt for two years.  During that time, my best friend was Bob Walls.  I also dated a couple of gals.  Then I went off to Seminary.  My best friend there was Vic Heister.  Again, what a fine man he was.  So talented.  He could build or fix anything.  He was from Bethel, Oklahoma.  Two friends from Bethel.  That is interesting.  I learned so much from him about construction.  We installed hot tubs and built decks.  I found him a year ago thanks to the internet, but we have not really kept up.  You know, people get busy and life goes on.

After seminary, I served my first churches in Cache and Indiahoma, Oklahoma.  You will have to mapquest those to see where they are at.  I did not really make any long time friendships there, although there were many people in the congregation I dearly loved.  Daryl and Syd Perry to name a few.

I moved back to Kansas City in 1986.  I rekindled my friendship then with Bob Walls.  I found Bob a few years ago.  When he got remarried I performed the service.  He had a brain tumor a few years ago.  It was removed and he is doing well.  He lives in Overland Park, but we don't really stay in touch very much.  That is bad on my part, because he is a great guy.  Odd, all of my friends have been really great guys.

Cathy and I moved to Lebanon, MO in 1989.  We lived there for two years.  My best friend there was Tim Marcum.  Isn't it odd that I have only had one friend at a time for all of these years?  Tim and I played golf together and took third place in a 3 on 3 basketball tournament.  He was in the Army and was a tremendous man. 

We moved to Princeton, MO in 1991.  I loved the people of the Princeton church.  My best friend there was Roger Grout.  He truly is one of the finest men I have ever known.  Our souls were knit together. It crushed me when we left him and moved to Lee's Summit.  I will never forget the day that I loaded up the last van load and pulled out of the driveway.  I sobbed for 30 miles from Princeton to Bethany.

That does not mean that I don't love it here in Lee's Summit, the tears were a testament to what a wonderful friend he was.  More tomorrow.

By the way, today is my Dad's birthday.  In some ways, my Dad was a great friend to me as well.  Although he once told me that he could not be my Dad and my friend at the same time, he was wrong.  I miss him a lot.  Happy Birthday Dad.

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

best friend

Someone asked that I post about my best friend besides God and Cathy.  Here you go. 

Best Friend.  I hate to write about this because there are so many people that I dearly love.  Years ago, there was a couple that Cathy and I were close to.  I one referred to them as our best friends.  He startled me by saying that they don't have or don't identify best friends, because they have so many friends.  It hurt my feelings at the time, but now, years later, I totally understand.  So let me write for a few days about friendship.

When I was young I had very few friends.  I usually had one friend at a time.  When I was in grade school at South City View in the Center School District, my one friend was Greg Fisher.  He lives in Arizona now, and we do not keep up.  I do keep up with his mom.  We had lunch a few weeks ago.  His sisters and mom attend St. John's UMC at 6700 Ward Parkway.

When  I was in Jr High, I attended Bret Harte Jr High in San Jose, California.  My one and only friend was Mark Stanton.  Mark lives in Illinois now and I have not heard from him in years.  He is a great guy and very funny.  Mark, if you google yourself one day, I would love to hear from you.

When I was a senior in high school, I began dating.  I was pretty serious about that.  Mark moved away.  My best guy friend was Mark Flammer.  I have no idea where he is or what he is doing.  His dad was a teacher.  We played tennis and went out on his Hobie Cat Catamaran.  My best girl friend was Lisa M.  She was my first love.  We dated for 2 1/2 years.  It crushed me when she ended that.  I thought life was over.  But it wasn't.  I am sure that there is a lesson there.

My first year of college was at San Jose State.  My best friend was still Mark Flammer.  Then we moved back to Kansas City and I finished college in Springfield.  My best friend there was Dallas Moore.  He lives in Cincinnati.  I drove out to visit him in 1998.  He is such a fine man and such a great person.  So funny.  I have not talked to him for years.  If you know him, ask him to call me.  We played tennis, soccer, baseball, Foosball, and every other sport in the world together.  I was the right side linebacker, he was the left side linebacker.  I miss him.  I dearly loved him.  When he did not come back for our senior year, I was crushed.

Ok, that is all that we are going to do for today.  Make it a wonderful day.

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

what to do

Sometimes in life I have these moments that can only be summed up with the thought, "well what do you do with that?"  There are moments that leave me dumbfounded.  I have seemed to run into something that just leaves you shaking your head.

The other night I had a dream.  Dreams are a funny collection of things.  Here is the dream:  Sunday morning church was full.  Lots of people.  The power went off so everyone left.  I couldn't get the folks to understand that we could still have church without electricity.  Now the strange part.  A woman called me and suggested that we start a ministry of doing laundry for people. She would be willing to buy two washers and dryers to get it going.  I liked the idea.  For the homeless, for the elderly, what a great ministry.  Then the kicker, the caveat, the followup.  She wanted her 15 year old son to be in charge of the ministry and to be paid to do the laundry.

I am not sure what to say to her.  Something about a conflict of interest.  Something about the concept of mission usually does not include payment.  Something about volunteering or giving.  I was dumbfounded.  I didn't know what to say. 

Fortunately for me, the alarm rang.  I was only a dream.  It was time to get up and deal with real life, which is only slightly more crazy sometimes than what I find in my dreams.

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

important things

Important things.  We decide what  is important by how we use our resources, how we spend our money and how we spend our time.  If you run though my check book you can total up what we spend on various things and see what our family values.

Humans are funny.  Christians are funny.  We talk about what we love.  We talk about what we think is important, but we spend a good deal of our time and money on those things that will not satisfy.

Today I encourage you to release yourself from worry about the things that are not that important.  Just for one day lets not worry about how we look or if we have new clothes.  Lets not worry about entertaining ourselves or others.  Lets turn off the TV.  Lets not worry, period.  Maybe that will free us to to do some of the really good things.

Ride a bicycle.  Sit in the afternoon with a friend.  Call someone who has been on your mind.  Say thank you to someone unexpectedly.  Attend worship.  Go to the park.  Walk the trails at church.  Spend some quiet time with our Father.  At the end of the day I think we will all look back and say it was a beautiful day.

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

arrogance

Arrogance.  Not one of the fruit of the spirit.  Arrogance is so bad, it isn't even a nice word.  Just to see it in print gives me a queasy feeling.

Arrogance is defined as an "offensive display of superiority or self-importance; overbearing pride."  

I trust that you have none of this within you.  I trust that you flee from this at every turn.  It is bad in a human.  It is worse in a Christ follower.  It is inexcusable in a pastor.

Let us with joyful hearts pursue our Father and His interests.  Let us always consider the feelings and needs of others.

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

if a tree falls

If a tree falls in the woods and there is no one there to hear it, does it make any noise?

Here is another way to look at that.  While you and I are totally self absorbed by our life, what is God doing in nature?  While I am driving a car, sitting in front of a computer, buying groceries or sleeping, what is God doing?

While I am engaged in all of those busy human behaviors, God is up to some pretty cool things.  Trees are blowing in the wind.  Grass is growing.  Flowers are budding out.  Stars are exploding.  Planets are spinning around.  The sun is baking.  Birds are flying.  Cats are taking a cat nap.  Trees are falling in the woods and making noise.

While I am blithely going about my human chores, God is doing His work.  I may not be thinking of Him and His actions, but He is still up to His work.  He never takes a day off.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to look up from your tasks and see the good.

surgeries

From the department:  random things to blog about:  surgeries that I have had.

1993- Ring finger on my left hand was cut open under local anesthetic to remove chips of wood.  Seems that if you hit your hand with a hammer hard enough, you can drive all sorts of things into your tissue.

2001- Right shoulder, rotator cuff.  Tried to do it orthoscopically, ended up having to cut me open.  Seems that sliding headfirst into home plate can tear up a shoulder pretty badly.

2004 - Cataracts.  Both eyes.

2005 - Right knee scoped.  Cartilage removed.  Arthritis removed.  Bone spurs cut off.

2008- Gall bladder removed.  Again, tried to do it laproscopically, ended up having to cut me open.  The scar tends to scare young children.

2012- no surgery.  That makes it a beautiful year in God's world, be sure to see the good.

older

When I was younger, I wanted to know more about God.  I wanted to learn all of the right doctrine.  I wanted to be sure that I was right all of the time and had all of the right answers.

Now, I am older.

The more I know, the more I know that I don't know.  I am no longer content to know doctrine.  I want to know God.  I realize that my thoughts about Him can never contain or capture him.  Instead, I want to get lost in the wonder, the joy, the goodness, the glory of our Father.

I know now that I do not and will never have all of the right answers.  But I can point you in the direction of the one who shares our burdens and loves us unconditionally.  For me, that has become enough.

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

surprise

The surprise of hospitality.  It is odd, but when someone is nice to us, when someone is kind or hospitable, it can almost be surprising.  We are so used to being stepped on by others and ignored, sometimes kindness is unexpected.

Try it yourself.  Start practicing radical hospitality.  Go out of your way to be kind to everyone.  They will be pleasantly surprised, and you will find life much more enjoyable.  It is surprisingly fun to be hospitable.

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

the last time

Do you remember the last time someone talked to you?  They left you with a feeling.  A good feeling or a bad feeling.  Someone talked to me a couple of years ago- it was rough.  I remember it well.  It has left a painful feeling with me for several years.  Every time I think of them, I remember the last time we talked and what they said.

I suspect that it can be a positive thing as well.  If someone leaves you feeling joyful and happy, then your last encounter with them will always be remembered as a good one.  You will think of them and be happy.  [Betty you are this kind of a person.]

Now, imagine who you will talk to today.  You are leaving an impression.  Are you touching them with grace or with judgment?  Will your words mark them for good or ill?  You have a chance today, and so do I to bless everyone that we come in contact with.  I'm in.  Let's go love someone for Jesus.  Two years from now, they will remember what we said and how we said it.

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

feeling good

Having had a bout with a bad knee has reminded me of something very important in life.  The gift of health.  We take it for granted all of the time.  We just expect that we will always feel good.  Then when we are sick, we sometimes even feel resentful that we are under the weather.

Good health is a great blessing.  Although being sick helps us to appreciate being well, we should always appreciate and be thankful for feeling good.

Thank you Lord that I am healthy today.  I do not have a cold, and my knee is feeling much better.  Thank you.

What do you have to be thankful for?

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

my knee

Several have asked what is going on with my knee.  Well, me and my knee have 55 years of history together.  The first 21 were very good.  The last 34 have been touch and go.

I hurt my knee when I was 21, playing intramural football in college.  I went out for a pass, dove to catch it, and was landed upon by the defender, who later became my room mate and dear friend.  In that encounter I am sure that cartilage was torn.  I ended up at the hospital.  They told me that they could cut me from mid calf to mid thigh, but that I was so young, they wanted to give me some time to see if it healed.  Arthoscopic surgery did not exist back in the dark ages.

Well, it did heal, sort of.  It has never been right.  I have hurt it several times over the years.  Several times in softball, and several times painting the house.  Five years ago I had it scoped.  They told me then that if I came back to them, they would want to replace the knee.

So, it has been so long since I hurt it, and I have been feeling so good, I totally forgot how fragile it is.  When I was on my reading week in the California redwoods a month ago, I decided to exercise every day.  So I got up early and ran every day.  It felt great.  Until I woke up on the 4th day and my knee was as big as a watermelon. 

I have been on steroids to keep the swelling down.  I have been icing it. It is feeling better.  I know that I did not hurt it, I just aggravated it.  So, all is well, it is feeling better every day.  And now you know, the rest of the story.

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

sleep

Lately I have been having trouble sleeping.  It is unusual for me.  I find myself going to bed at 10 or 11pm and waking up at 3:30 or 4am.  Sometimes when you wake up, you know that you are done sleeping.  This is what has been happening to me.

I am not sure what to think about it, or what it means, but I am getting a lot more done during the day, simply because the days are longer.  Maybe that's not a bad thing.  Every cloud has a silver lining.

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

maturity

I no longer remember where I read this, but it has become one of my favorite quotes.

"Spiritually mature people are those who have learned to set aside their own comfort and personal preference for the sake of the mission."

How do you deal with change?  How are you interfacing with the mission?  Is your life mission aligned with God's mission, or do you prefer something different?

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

church growth

I have two thoughts on church growth.  The first thing that is needed for your church to grow, is for the church to be doing the right things.  Good preaching, solid programs, strong missions, all taking place within a healthy culture.  The concept of healthy culture we will discuss another day.

If all of that is taking place, I believe that most churches will grow unless something gets in the way.  There are all kinds of things that can get in the way and be a barrier to growth.  If you don't have enough places to park, enough seats at the prime service times, if you don't have adequate access to your building, all of these will hinder growth.  Barriers must be removed, at any cost.

Sometimes folks ask me why growth is important at all.  The answer is that growth is about reaching people.  Humans.  Souls.  Jesus asked us to go and make disciples.  Not just enough so that we can pay the bills, not just enough that we feel comfortable, but to win everyone that we can, every time that we can.  That is our mission.  It is what Christians are supposed to be doing.

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

annoyed

I am annoyed.  Annoyed with myself.  Because, occasionally, for no particular reason, I get annoyed.  Over the smallest things, the dumbest things.  I can feel it coming on, and I try, but usually I cannot stop it.  Somewhere down inside, it is still about me, I guess.

Life is too good and life is too short to be bothered by the little things.  Don't sweat the small stuff.  I have to keep reminding myself of this.  An hour from now, I am going to be embarrassed because I allowed this thing to annoy me.

Keep at it.  Don't give up.  Today is another day.

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

Heartache

Since I spilled my guts yesterday, let me tell you something else.  What do people think of pastors?  Are they cool?  Boring?  Irrelevant?  Do they have an easy job?  Do they have a hard job?  Whatever people think about pastors, sometimes there is a lot of heartache.

When you have to visit with someone who had a terminal illness.  When you visit with someone who has a sick child.  When you visit with someone who is dealing with unfaithfulness or divorce.  When you have to bury those that you personally love, there is heartache.

I thank God that His shoulders are big.  Big enough to cry on.  I thank God that He is always there, always ready to comfort us.  He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.

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

our pasts

Our pasts affect us.  Sometimes, what we do today is a result of what we have experienced in the past.  It's like if you see a dog that shies away from people, you wonder who beat him when he was a pup. With that said, I have something to share.

I spent a few years, during my formative years, in and around churches that practiced or delivered the following: 
1.   Heavy layers of guilt
2.  casting supposed demons out of people
3.  believing that they were [myself at the time] superior to non-believers and most other Christians.
4.  Everyone was expected to raise their hands during worship.
5.  No one could ever question the pastor.
6.  During prayer meetings, people would be literally pushed over so that they laid on the floor.
7.  Everyone was expected to come for the customary altar call. 
8.  If you did not receive Jesus in the prescribed manner, then you were told that you were not a true Christian.
9.  Spiritual gifts were to be exercised and put on display in a very specific manner.
10.  There was only one way to look at the second coming, and if you didn't agree with that, well, again, you didn't fit in.

Wow.  There I said it.  Is that a lot of baggage or what?  Does that explain a few things about why we do what we do?  Here is the end result of these experiences from my past for me/us today.

1.  I get very nervous when I see anything that smacks of manipulation at a church.  I have become a strong believer in the power of the Holy Spirit to illicit a response from someone without a pastor or worship leader forcing the issue.  In fact, some of my favorite stories of conversion happen to people away from the church and with no pastor present!
2.  I despise guilt.  Jesus didn't use it and it is a terrible motivator.
3.  I have become a big believer in the fact that we cannot press God into formulas, bullet points or little boxes.  He works with people in various ways and we cannot contain him or create the perfect recipe.  Those that try to do so always end up looking silly.
4.  I believe in complete honesty and full disclosure.  Whatever you want to know about our church, its programs, finances, and ministries, if you attend WCC, this information is available to you.
5.  I want our commitments to Jesus and our practice of the faith to come from a place of absolute, complete freedom, clarity and sincerity.

Sometimes the pain and craziness of our pasts help us to live a healthier today.  I hope this has been the case for me.

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

the best commitments

Commitments.  What are the best ones?  I suggest to you today that the best commitments are those that are made with complete clarity.  No pressure, no worries.  We choose to do what we do because we are deciding it on our own without any outside interference.  No manipulation, no tension.  We are choosing to do what we want to do because it is flowing out of who we are.

Somehow, I think that God is pleased with such decisions.  Clean commitments.

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

change

Prayer changes things.  Beware of those who think that prayer is going to change or manipulate God.  Prayer changes things, and I am the thing.  The whole point of prayer is that it draws me away from myself and closer to our Father.

Someone asked for the quote from Bob Fillmore- here it is.

"The Conversion of the Heart is a metamorphosis.

In the beginning we are indeed the subject and center of our prayers. 
But in God’s time and in God’s way a revolution takes place in our heart. 
Slowly, almost imperceptibly, there is a shift in our center of gravity. 
We pass from thinking of God as part of our life to the realization that we are part of His life. 
Mysteriously, God moves from the edges of our prayer experience to the center. 
A conversion of the heart takes place, a transformation of the spirit. 
It is a wonderful work of Divine Grace"

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

prayer

Someone asked that I post the prayer from the sermon on Sunday.  Here you go.

"Father, I thank you for the people in my life who seem to bring more pain than joy, for I believe you have let our paths cross for important reasons. Thank you for the good things you want to do in my life through the things that bother me.

I'm so glad that you are also working within me to make me more like Jesus -- more patient, more gentle, more loving -- through the very things that I dislike.  Amen."

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

wounds

The wounds we carry.  Someone hurt you.  Someone rejected you.  The betrayal of a friend.  We all have these hurts.  And, lets be clear- they hurt.  They really hurt.

It takes time to heal such wounds.  However, just because it takes time to heal such wounds, does not give us an excuse to ignore them or not work on them.  It does not give us an excuse to lash out at others because we are hurt.  It is never fair to hurt back.  We must also be careful about delivering collateral pain to others.  They are not guilty by association.

I hope that you will join me in the pursuit of forgiveness every single day of the year.  Those folks did hurt you, they did hurt me, but they are still loved by God.

Oh, yes.  There is God.  When I think of Him, I realize that I have to let Him be bigger than any hurts that come my way.  Jesus set the example.  "Father forgive them." 

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

A Tribute

Three weeks ago we held a memorial service for our dear friend, Lynn Woodruff.  Ken and Lynn's nephew Eric Keller is a pastor in Enid, Oklahoma.  He writes a blog and this is what he shared about the service for Lynn.

Blessed By a Funeral

What a crazy week. I've driven about 1,500 miles this week as I went to KC, MO to my aunt's funeral on Monday and went to Arkansas for a conference on Wednesday. Lots of miles, but lots of blessings too.

I was deeply impacted at my aunt's funeral. There were many things that were impressive about the whole experience there. First of all, this church (Woods Chapel) was so loving to my uncle and the family there. You could feel it and sense it. They had their guest services team there. They were opening doors, greeting, directing people. I asked someone if this was normal. They said yes. They do it for most funerals for church members. That was really impressive. A long line formed to offer condolences to my uncle. It went on for about 90 minutes. Person after person expressing concern and love for my uncle and his loss. I must admit, it was not what I expected at all, but it was really neat to watch.

The funeral service was equally impressive. You talk about a life celebration service! That's exactly what it was. If you knew my aunt, then you knew that she was the epitome of kindness and goodness and love. She just had that way about her. It wasn't how she acted, it was who she was. She lived out her faith and commitment to Christ everyday. At the funeral there was story after story after story that people wrote in or shared at the mic about her impact and Christian example. Friends and acquaintances alike shared how they were touched by my aunt's life. It was amazing.

Several take aways for me. First, this church expressed love and care in a big way. The guest services team was even there and this was one of the most well attended funerals I've ever attended. The church lavished concern and caring on my uncle and the family. This is how churches should respond when someone among them loses a loved one. Just showing up so the family knows you care is huge. When in doubt...if it's someone in your church family...show up. Just showing up says we love you and we care for you. It means a lot to a mourning family or individual.

Another take away is that a Christian's funeral should be joyous. I really enjoyed celebrating her life at the funeral. Christians should not mourn as those who have no hope. (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13) There will always be mourning at any funeral, but the Christians should remember that the deceased is with Christ and there is no better place to be. Knowing this, we find a celebration of Christ's love for us is appropriate.

Overall, let me just say...well done. The whole experience was well done. I saw Christian brothers and sisters serving, loving, and sharing life together in such a way that it made me think, this is what koinonia (deep fellowship) must have been like in the early church. To Woods Chapel, I commend your Christlikeness. It blessed my soul. Thank you Lord for this example of the way things ought to be when you're a part of the family of God.

http://eric-keller.blogspot.com/2012/08/blessed-by-funeral.html

Today I simply share this with you to again celebrate the life of our friend, Lynn and to celebrate the fine Woods Chapel family.  I am blessed to have you in my life.

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

Logan's

Breakfast, lunch, dinner.  It is more than a part of my day, it is often a part of my job as a Pastor.  When people want to talk, I often end up with a Breakfast or a lunch on the schedule.  I am glad to do this.

Since I have been on my diet, I have been looking for places to eat that have healthy food.  Subway is wonderful.  Also Applebees and Logan's Road House have several tasty, yet healthy meals.

So, having said all of that, I would like to apologize to a member of our church.  I was at lunch at Logan's a couple of weeks ago with a woman from church and her mother.  We were engaged in some discussion, and another woman that attends our church came to the table.  She just wanted to say hello, she told me that I probably did not know her name, but she comes to Woods Chapel.

Since we were talking at the table, the whole moment took me a bit by surprise.  Looking back, I am sorry if I looked startled, I am sorry that I did not know your name, and I am sorry that I did not handle the whole thing better.  Please forgive me.

It is important for all of us to remember that every person is important. For example, that is not just a neighbor walking back from the mail box.  That is a precious child of God that matters very much to Him.  To the extent that we remember this, we are seeing people as our Father sees them.

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

trips

Trips and vacations.  Do you know the difference between a trip and a vacation?  If you take the kids, its a trip.  Ha ha.

I think about places that I like to go.  Northern California.  Florida.  New Orleans.  Where do you like to go?

Now I am going to change the subject.  I am driving down the road, thinking about the cars that are coming the other direction at 55mph.  If one of them crosses the center line, I am going to be going on a trip.  A trip to eternity.

It is a trip that all of us are going to take.  It is not optional.  We are all going to make the journey.  We forget how fragile our bodies are, but in one careless moment, our souls can so easily become dislodged from this earthly house. 

Take care of yourself, and enjoy today.  Enjoy your trips and vacations, and enjoy the gift of this day.  We have a limited number of them left, you and I.

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

for each other

Do we go to worship for ourselves, or for others?  Do we stop going when we begin to feel like we are not getting anything out of it?

Sunday the pastor reminded us that sometimes we sing, not for ourselves, but for others.  For those who have shown up that are broken and crushed.  For those who cannot muster a smile much less a song.  We sing for them.  He encourage them by our singing. 

Sometimes worship is about what we give to others, and about what we give to our Father.  The moment we get this, everything changes.  I recently received this comment from a dear friend.  "Before my Christianity dropped 12inches (from my head to my heart), I did not need to be in church. I thought it was all about me, my needs. Now I understand that others in the Church need me to be there, that we all need the Community worship."

May we all come to a greater understanding of how our lives interface with others.  May we all learn to see that we can be a blessing to others.

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

a great day

Labor day was a great day for me.  One great moment after another.

It began with a trip to a friend's home where we did a guy thing.... we shot guns.  Very nice.  Lots of fun.  It is hard to explain why this is enjoyable, but it is

Then another friend picked me up and took me out to Blue Springs Lake where we rode in his boat and sat in the water for a couple of hours.

I arrived home to find a 1970 corvette in my driveway.  A friend stopped by to show me his acquisition.  I got to drive it.  Awesome. 

Top it off with a dinner out with my wife.  I am on top of the world.

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

visible sins

I once read a story about a group of people that were very mean and judgmental.  They were always looking at others and commenting on their sins.

Then one day an interesting rain storm hit the town.  The rain washed away the ability of people to hide their sins.  Colored marks would appear on the face of the person corresponding to their sin.  Red for adultery, green for lust or envy, black for hatred, orange for gluttony, etc. 

Suddenly everyone looked at each other a little differently.  Now there would be no pretending.  Anyone that focused on the sin of another, had to know that their sins were completely visible as well.

That is the end of the story.  What does it mean for us?  Well, our sins are completely visible to God.  Also, most normal people understand that everyone has their sins.  Healthy people don't spend time gossiping about the faults of others.

Seeing the good means looking at others and focusing on their strengths, not their weaknesses.  It means seeing the best in people, not the worst.  It means doing unto others as we would have them do unto us.

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

Happy Day

For seven years my wife Cathy has travelled with her job.  She got on a plane every Monday and flew to some town.  Sacramento.  LA.  San Antonio.  Chapel Hill.  Tampa.  Miami.  Billings.  Denver.  New York.  DC.  And then there were the really cool places that she went to like Wheeling West Virginia and Hazard, Kentucky.

I would go about my business during the week and look forward to her coming home on Thursday or Friday.  As you can imagine, it took years to get used to her being gone so much.  It was also impossible to get together with anyone.  Someone would invite us over for dinner and it was impossible.  When she was finally home, the last thing that she wanted to do was to go somewhere.

Well, all of this is coming to an end.  It has come to and end.  Cathy is on vacation this week, and starts a new job in town later this month.  Her travelling days are over.

This is a happy day and I invite you to rejoice with me.

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

elevators

There are many life lessons to learn from elevators.

First, always stand back so that others can get off, before you try to enter.  There isn't room for everyone, and it is just good manners to let others get off before you try to enter.

Second, do not talk on your cell phone on an elevator.  It is not your private phone booth.  Make your calls in private, later.  Same goes for in line at the grocery store by the way.

Third, if you are on the elevator with your friends as well as others that you don't know, respect the space of the others and hold off on your conversations with your friends until later.

Finally, this is shared but personal space.  The people that are on the elevator do not need to be looked at or engaged in conversation.  Frankly, it may scare them.  Just a simple hello is plenty.

Elevator manners say a good deal about who we are.

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

investment

I posted last week and referred to the concept of investment.  Investing in others.  The post gathered some comments, so I wanted to clarify further.

When I speak of us investing in others, we do not do this to get something in return.  When we invest in the stock market, we hope to receive a return, but people are not our "projects."  The best human investments are completely self-less.  Just simply doing good to another with no thought that they must reciprocate or do something back to us.

Now of course, this can be taken too far out of context as well.  When I invest in my children, I really hope that they take in what I am saying and follow it.  When I invest in a sermon, I hope it reaches the hearers and they make positive responses.  When God invests in us, he hopes that we will respond with love.

But in our daily life, to invest in another without expecting anything in return is a true gift.

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

witness

A few years ago, the United Methodist church added the word witness to our membership vows.  Prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness.  Witness scares most people.  I am supposed to do what?

Witness does not mean that you run around scaring people to death.  It doesn't mean that you become an annoyance to others.  It doesn't mean that you leave your normal life to corner folks and talk to them. 

When we are living the Christian life, we are a witness.  Our word and our actions, are a testimony to Christ.  We don't have to tell people that we follow Christ, they can see it.  They can tell that there is something loving and joyful about us.

Our goal should not be to rush out and witness, our goal should be to follow Christ and then just do what comes naturally.  You will know when it is right to talk with someone, and you will know when it is weird.  Stay close to your Father and love Him with all your heart.  If we do that, we can't help but be a witness.

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

helping orphans

Someone asked me the other day what they could do to help orphans.  This is what I told them....

Helping orphans is not the answer.  Helping orphans is a symptom of a life that is lived beyond one's self.  Begin to see every person as valuable, every person as a gift from God.  No one is an interruption, no one is an annoyance, no one is in your way.  Every one is God's child, everyone is an orphan.  Everyone is needing of care.

Do this, think like this, every day.  Over and over again.  Then to volunteer or reach out to help orphans in some specific way is simply an out growth of who you are and what you do.  You don't step out of your normal life to help someone, you are constantly helping someone and the recipient this time happened to be orphans.

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

what ever I am doing

What ever I am doing now.  What are you doing now?  What will I be doing, what will you be doing in an hour?  At 5pm?  Tomorrow?  Whatever we are doing, there is this thought that occurs to me from time to time...........randomly.

I am working on a sermon, I am watering flowers, I am talking to a child, I am talking to a staff member, I am doing something about the church or my family or my home.  I am having lunch with a friend that loves history.

And the whole time that all of this is taking place, the entire time, I am rushing about with my life, people in the Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and Mozambique are starving to death.  Starving to death.  Starving.   Sorry to depress you, but what is wrong with me that I am not consumed by this reality?  Is what I am doing really more important that people starving?

Is it a beautiful day for them?

If this post takes you by surprise, then you may be as lost in your own life as I tend to get.  How can this be?  I go blythely on my way, and people are dying.  I am so glad for our missions program at church and the chances that each of us have to help others.  I want to do more of that.

repentance

Repentance means to turn around.  To stop one action or behavior and turn to another.  I wonder if the Christian church has missed this.

We tend to think of repentance as turning from sin.  But, what do we turn towards?  Do we say that we are sorry and let it go at that?  Repentance is more than saying we are sorry.  Repentance also must mean that we turn towards our Father.

Not just turning away from sin, but turning towards.  Towards our Father.  Is it enough to say sorry for the bad things that we do?  Is that where we want to leave it?  Or is the story that we really want to leave about us moving towards our Father.

I repent.  I want to stop the bad behavior, but I also want to move towards the great lover of my soul.

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

I like you

I realized an odd thing last week.  Here it is......when I like me, I am easier on you.  They say that we are the worst on the people that we love.  The folks that we love tend to get the worst of us. 

So, I am nasty to my wife and kids when I have a problem.  Let's turn that around.  When I am feeling good about myself, then I am more kind to those that are close to me.  I love them better when I am happy with myself.

{Lord, is it still all that much about me?}

Take a deep breath and feel good about yourself today.  Will that prepare you to be more kind to your family?  When I like myself, I bring so much more positive things to my family.  Let me work harder on liking me so that I will be more kind to those that I love.

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

believer

I have been thinking lately.  That is usually good.

Am I a believer or a Christ follower?  [by the way, there is no guilt here, I am just having a discussion.]  Believers tend to punch their ticket and then go on with their lives.  Christ followers think every day about who they are emulating. 

This is not about who the good ones and the bad ones are.  It goes like this- I love Jesus and I want to follow Him.  So, what did He do?  He loved, he cared, he invested in people.  He didn't judge anyone.  Christ followers are intentionally working to live like Jesus did, because we want to follow Him.

To the extent that we are able to do this, it is a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

oppression

Each of us have the choice in this life to be lovers or haters.  Lovers or users.  Too often we select our course of action, insisting that we are right, with no thought of the effect upon others around us.

What did the Aztecs think when they were being starved and slaughtered by Cortez?  What did the American Indians think when they were being hunted and systematically exterminated?  Did they pray to the Great Spirit? 

What did slaves think when they were kidnapped from their tribes in Africa and smuggled to America in the belly of a boat?  Their familes were split up and they were sold in chains.  They worked hard and they sang songs like, "swing low, sweet chariot, coming for to carry me home."  They looked for a time when God would save them and release them from the pain of this life.

Are we inflicting pain on the lives of others or are we bearers of hope?  Are people glad to see you and me coming or does it cause them distress?  We have a choice to make each day.  May we always be thinking about how our actions affect others around us.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, make it one for those around you as well.  Help them see the good.

worship

It is the Lord's day.  Why do we worship?  We go to worship because we love God and because God loves us.  We go because something happens when we are together in God's house.  There is an encouragement that comes to us that is hard to explain.

To love God and be loved by God is the greatest truth in this life.  To express our grattitude to Him is the most holy prayer.  Worship doesn't start at 9:05 or 10:10, worship has been going on for eternity.  When we get to church on Sunday, we are simply joining in a song that has been being sung for ages.

Sunday.  The Lord's day.  A time to rest from our concerns and celebrate life in Him.

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

framiliarity

Framiliarity breeds contempt.  If you are around something long enough, you can forget how wonderful it is.

A man loves the beach so much that he moves from the mid-west and buys a home on the ocean.  He goes out to fish in his boat every day.  After a while, he allows his life to be overcome by the same things that bothered him in the mid-west.  His worries and insecurities take over his brain.  Pretty soon, he stops noticing the wonder of the ocean, the waves and the beach.

A person gets married and is so excited about their spouse.  After a few short years of living in close proximity, the good things are forgotten and the painful things are exagerrated.  The person wonders how it got to be like this.

A family gets a pet.  They are so excited. The new pup is so cute.  One year later, after feeding it and cleaning up it's waste, the same family that so loved the dog, now moves through it's life, barely noticing.  The dog is left wondering what happened.

You and I.  We lived for years before we actually noticed the miracle of a sunset.  Once we caught on, we spent some time savoring the beauty of sunsets, day after day.  Then we got busy.  Today we know that sunsets are beautiful gifts from God, but we rarely take the time to enjoy them.

I think this is a sin.  To be so close to something that you love, that you no longer recognize it's wonder.  Take another look.  Look at that spouse, that pet, that home, that ocean, that sunset.  Take another look.  See the good, it is still there.

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

what do you love?

One way to tell what we love is to see the amount of power that we give to it in our lives.  I love my dog, but he doesn't get to chew up my car.  There are boundaries.  I love my kids but they don't get to sass their mother. [It's just an illustration, my kids love their mom.]  I love our trees so I protect them from pest infestations.

Now it gets tricky.  I love my money so I protect it from things that want to take it, including God.  I love my time so I resist the invitations from God to give my time.  After all, it is my time and my money, isn't it?

Ask yourself what you love more, your time and money or God.  Are these things submitted to Him or is there a boundary that you have placed up that holds our Father back from speaking into how you spend your time and money?

Answer honestly, and you can tell pretty easily how much we love which things.  The good news is, the moment we put God first, there is a joy and a happiness that we cannot find when we put other things before Him.

Love God!  Love Him with all your heart, your soul, your mind, your strengh, and love your neighbor as yourself.

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

time

Last night I was going through a drawer in my desk and I ran across a copy of a speech that the late Steve Jobs had made. I kept it because it spoke to me and still does.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." Steve Jobs

Each day is a gift. If I don't put that thought into my head each morning then where is my day taking me? to the next day? end of the week? the year? and so on.....

Peace,
Lion's Den Man

do more

From a reading this morning..... "Love pushes us beyond duty, rather than stopping there, and acts when we don't know for sure what the ethical thing to do is. If the ethical question is, "What must be done?" love adds, "I will do more."

If you are like me, sometimes it is hard to go into the day with the attitude I know is best and the one that actually works.

Colossians 3:23 (The Message)
22-25Servants, do what you're told by your earthly masters. And don't just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you'll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you're serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn't cover up bad work.

Peace,
Lion's Den Man

approval

Years ago when I felt more on the "outside" of my faith, I used to think that being a Christian meant throwing everything away...I mean big things like your personality, your humor, and most of the things in life that I could identify with....

Unfortunately, at the time, the people I knew who were working hard at their faith and working hard to gain others into a life centered on Christ just seemed dull and somewhat unhappy. They seemed to lack a spirit...their soul did not soar.

Now, that is an experience with a certain group of people in my past, but there are some, today, for whatever reason that still walk in the shadows and can't quite seem to express fully who and what they are all about. Maybe it is fear. Maybe they feel they need to project a certain image. Maybe we all have a bit of this in our makeup...

What I do know is a fuller life is available when we set our souls free.

Peace,
Lion's Den Man

moving forward

Sometimes I find great pieces of insight in movies.


From the movie HUGO
Hugo Cabret: I'd imagine the whole world was one big machine. Machines never come with any extra parts, you know. They always come with the exact amount they need. So I figured if the entire world was one big machine... I couldn't be an extra part. I had to be here for some reason. Maybe that's why a broken machine always makes me a little sad, because it isn't able to do what it was meant to do... Maybe it's the same with people. If you lose your purpose... it's like you're broken.

Of course broken things can be repaired. Hope is always there. You may not be completely dismantled...maybe just a little off track. Either way it is just about taking the next step. Move forward. As Jeff said in the sermon yesterday, “the rest of my life is mine”. Take that thought and run with it....

Peace,
Lion’s Den Man

cats and dogs

So, here is a long story.  When I was 13 I read a book called In the Serpent's Coil by Farley Mowat.  It was about ocean going tug boats that save ships in distress.  I know that makes me a nerd.  In the past year I have learned that Farley served in Holland during WW2 and has writeen many books and has been involved in at least one movie.  The movie is called, Never Cry Wolf.  I found the movie and recorded it.  I started watching it the other night.  So did our cat, Tyler.  He was very interested in the big white wolf.

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

truth, pt. 2

Truth Part Deux.  I mentioned yesterday that we like truth.  I need to readdress that.  I think we like truth when it is convenient, when it is what we like to hear.  I think we hate truth and ignore truth when we choose to.

We see the hypocrisy in the other candidate but refuse to acknowledge the very same practices in our candidate.  We easily identify the shortcomings of our spouse, but have a deaf ear to our own.  We like the part of Jesus that makes me feel saved, but we are not interested in the truth that asks us to live differently.

What is the truth about how I treat my spouse?  What is the truth about my standard of living?  What is the truth about my eating habits?  What is the truth about my level of generosity?

Living a Christan life means living a congruent life.  It means that we allow the Spirit to reach in and change us, even in, especially in the ways and places that make us uncomfortable.  It means that we finally come clean and are honest with God and with ourselves about who we are.

When we begin to live like this, it is a beautiful day in God's world.  Be sure to see the good.

truth

Truth.  We all know it and we all like it.  We all identify truth and take it in.  Sometimes we think that we have the truth market cornered.  But, how much is there in the world that I don't know about?  How much is there in the world that you don't know about?  Isn't there a lot of truth out there that we have never heard, and will never hear?

Now don't get uncomfortable, but if there is truth out there that we don't know about, doesn't that mean that there is a lot about God that we don't know?  Jesus said I am  the way the truth and the life.  That cannot be defined by our tiny grasp of truth in the world.  What that tells me instead is that Jesus is a whole lot bigger than I thought, and a whole lot bigger than even the church thinks.

The God that we serve is immense and amazing.  Although He is beyond our ability to control and manage Him, He has made himself known to us.  That is pretty wonderful.

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

being there

Someone was there for me.  I am going to be there for them.  It is a life principle.  Sure we need to take care of everyone that we can, but there are those people that have loved you for a long time.  Sometimes they need help, and when they do, we must be there for them.

It is not done out of duty, though it could be, it is done out of love.  To stand with someone when they need your help is a very good thing to do.  I owe a lot of people.  You may as well. 

We should all count ourselves as lucky to have people in our lives that have had our backs.

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

rejection

You have to put rejection into perspective.  There is always going to be someone that does not like you and does not agree with you.  If it is a serious discussion, then I love to entertain them, but if it is just criticism, then sometimes you have to put rejection into perspective.

How hard is it to let something roll off of your back?  Don't let the arrow stick.  Love everyone, especially those who seem to enjoy hurting you.  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.  I think Jesus said that.

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

my latest disaster

My latest disaster occurred about five days ago.  I was going to write about it, but I was so angry that I couldn't.  Finally today I sit down to write about what was bothering me so much, and I cannot remember what happened.  Do any of you remember why I was so upset?  It seemed so important at the time.

How many times has something happened to me and I thought it was the end of the world.  But just a few days later, I couldn't remember what all of the commotion was about.

Maybe much of what we get bothered about really isn't worth being upset over.

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

bike ride

Last night I went for a bicycle ride.  Six miles.  I saw several friends from church out for a walk or a walking of the dog.

The thing that impressed me the most about the ride as compared to driving in a car were the smells.  I loved the smells of the trees that I caught along the way.  It was wonderful.  It was so nice to have a day to be outside in God's world.

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

Don't give up

You may feel that you are behind.  You may be in trouble, and not see a way out.  It is very easy to get discouraged in this life.  Don't give up.  Keep after your goals.  If you are overwhelmed by 5 problems, then work on them one at a time.  God makes a way where there seems to be none.

Don't fret that today does not look quite the way you wanted it to look.  The world is filled with countless stories of those who persevered difficulty to overcome.  In fact, the only great stories of victory belong to those who came from behind to win.  Does anyone even care if the Yankees win the World Series?  They have the best team that money can buy.  Oh, but if the Royals win the World Series, that is a sweet victory indeed.

Keep smiling, keep loving, keep going.  The race is not always to the swift, nor the victory to the strong.  Get up every day and put one foot in front of the other. 

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

Three favors

Sorry that today's post is late.

I have this theory that you get about three favors with most people before they get sick of you.  Consequently we have to be careful how much we ask of the people around us.  Sometimes we get in trouble at church because I think I have only asked a person  who may be looking for help.

Take care not to over burden those whose help you need.  Also, feel free to say "no I can't help with that."  And don't feel guilty about it, if you are the one being asked.

Where are you and I on the three favor thing?  Have I exhausted you or are you pretty open to my asking for help?

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

internment camps

I am reading a book called "The Invisible Thread" by Yoshiko Uchida.  Someone recommended the book to me, so I ordered it.  Unfortunately the book they were wanting me to buy was a different book of the same name. 

I will have to get that invisible thread book another day.  This one is the autobiography of a Japanese- American woman who was 24 or so when WW-2 started.  Of course, she and her family lost all of their possessions and were put into an internment camp as all  Japanese- Americans were for the duration of the war.

The stories from her book are so terrible, so unfair and so unconstitutional.  I am not going to chase any of them in this blog, but it does cause me to stop and ponder a question:  "Are we oppressing anyone?" "Are you oppressing anyone?" "Am I?"

Anytime we hurt another person, we crush them down and force them to live in a prison of fear and worry.  How do you treat your employees?  Your co-workers?  The annoying cousin? 

It is far too easy for us to ignore injustice and just go about our merry way.  May we all learn from the lessons of the past and refrain from actions that hurt.

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

hearing and seeing

The bible is filled with comments about how the people had ears but did not hear, or eyes but did not see.

"Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember?"  Mark 8:18
See also, Jeremiah 5, Ezekiel 12, Psalm 135, Mark 4, Isaiah 6, Deuteronomy 29 and there are many more.
And how many times does Jesus end a story with, "he who has ears, let him hear."

There is the trait of humans that we just are not paying attention.  It is something that all of us have going on, but we face it in different ways.  Some don't see or hear but they aren't aware of their predicament.  They think they are doing great.  Others know that there is more, but don't ever take the time to explore what it is.  Then there are the brave, those who realize there is more and pursue it every day.  These are the folks that truly live.  They are ever growing, ever changing, ever falling deeper into the arms of our Father.

How are your ears doing?  Are you listening for that which is truly real?  Are you pursuing the life that is truly life?  Our days are too short to just muddle through.  Spirituality invites us to wake up, to be aware of what God is doing all around us.

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

cats and bags

What is it with cats and bags?  Cats and bags, boxes or cartons.  Throw something on the floor for them and they are inside of it in a flash.  Leave something on the counter and they will find a way to climb in.  Is it a source of comfort?  A place of safety?

This cat is named Tyler, and he and his sister were fighting over who got to lay in this bag.  He won this time.  Cute cat.  Good pet.  Pets make us happy.  They too are a gift from our Father.

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

the mystics

mys·tic (mstk)

adj.

1. Of or relating to religious mysteries.

2. Of or relating to mysticism or mystics.

3. Inspiring a sense of mystery and wonder.

      a. Mysterious; strange.

      b. Enigmatic; obscure.

 

Mystical.Right brain, left brain.  Learning or experiencing.

In my younger years I had more answers, in my later years I have more questions.  I would rather have a God that I have experienced, but cannot explain, then a God that I have all of the answers about.

Recently I have been reading a book by Kenda Creasy Dean called "Almost Christian."  Late in the book she encourages her readers to believe in a God that is near and available.  She suggests that we come to know God is this way, more from experience than from knowledge.

"For Christians, the best guides for faithful reflexivity are not scholars, but mystics- contemplatives who understand the necessity of temporary apartness from society in order to become detached [decentered] from self interest, in the service of perceiving God more clearly.  Throughout Christian mystical tradition, detachment serves as a preconditon for spiritual insight."

In other words, when we find a way to break loose from our self interest, we can find our Father.  Most often this comes from a place of prayer that goes beyond head knowledge. 

Take some time.  Savor the God who is above, below, around, beyond and amazing.

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

the pelican

I had the good fortune to spend a couple of days with friends in Florida last week.  They take some great photos which are posted around their home.  Being there allowed me to take this shot of this pelican.  I just love getting up close to God's creatures.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.  And take a picture of it if you can.

rain storm at dawn

In a picturesque moment last week, the author captured this photo, which he named "rain storm at dawn."

You can drive right through many wonderful moments in this life and never see them for what they are, but if we keep your eyes open in this world, there is always something amazing to see.  The art of actually seeing is quite a gift from our Father.

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

growth

Are you growing as a Christian?  Is your capacity for love expanding?  Are you becoming a sweeter person?  Are you going on to maturity?

The Christian faith, and Methodism for that matter has always valued the journey of this life that takes us from a new believer to an experienced believer.  Too often we confuse this with knowledge.  Knowing and learning things is surely a part of Christian growth, but by itself it is not the answer.

Real Christan growth happens when we allow the Holy Spirit to reach into some new part of our heart.  When we join with God in actively working to become better at being loving, joyful or peaceful.

I am all for entertainment, but what are you reading that is challenging you to become more like Christ?  What are you reading that is inviting you to change your life paradigm?  Life is too short to simply skate through.  There are many Christians that have aged chronically but not spiritually.  The spiritual life that is not becoming more loving............ is it really that spiritual?

Sorry that this post is a little heavy.  Don't let it deliver you guilt.  My point is that all of us can read something that will help us become more kind.  Is there any reason not to?

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

Bambi

A few blocks from our home is an open field.  It butts right up to Veile Road which is pretty well travelled.  There is a vacant house with a big yard that has attracted a lot of visitors lately.  I saw these little guys in the field and rolled up to about ten feet from the closest one.  You know how close fire hydrants are to the road - there was no zoom involved in these photos.

There is something about seeing God's creatures up close that just warms the heart. 

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

bragging

brag (brg)

v. bragged, brag·ging, brags

v.intr.

To talk boastfully. See Synonyms at boast¹.

v.tr.

To assert boastfully.

n.

1. A boast.

2. Arrogant or boastful speech or manner.

3. Something boasted of.

4. A braggart; a boaster.

 

Brag.  Bragging.  Bragadocious.  How ever you say it, most of us find the practice to be unattractive at best.  Every time I observe it, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.  I hope that I don't ever do it.  If I do, please punch me in the face.

 

There is an old saying: "those who say, don't know, those who know, don't say."  I would add a couple of words for clarification: "those who say, don't know; those who know, don't have to say."

 

It's like if you know that you are pretty or handsome, you don't have to run around and tell everyone.  They can see it for themselves.  There is no need to blow your own horn.  It's not a very good tune.

 

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

should or shouldn't

Regarding the earlier post today,  I should have written:

  If God doesn't throw this arrogant son away, then maybe we shouldn't.

Thanks to my friend who caught this. 

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

two sons revisited

My post last Saturday raised a couple of questions.  Let me clarify what I was trying to say.

In the story of the prodigal son, there are two brothers.  The prodigal brother has a bad attitude in the beginning and a good attitude in the end.  The other brother, the older brother has a bad attitude at the end. 

At the end of the story, the prodigal is sorrowful and humble.  The elder brother is arrogant and sassy.  It is all about him.  We generally love the humble and loathe the arrogant.  I think that the tone of scripture usually leans this way  as well.  God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

In this case however, both sons are loved by the father.  This picture gives me something to think about.  If God doesn't throw this arrogant son away, then maybe we shouldn't, I should be a bit more gracious to those whom we may have set aside, for any reason.

Grace is amazing.

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