This Beautiful Mess

I came upon a book that I read a few years ago.  The author is Rick McKinley the book is titled This Beautiful Mess.  I had made some notes about it at the time.  The thoughts seem timely to me.  Here are the thoughts.....

I have been trying to stay up with what I think a pastor's brain should be doing -trying to get smarter.  What if God just accepted me as I am? Is that enough? Have I been reading to be accepted by God or to find the approval of people?

 The Beautiful Mess says, – Stop trying to do everything….Stop trying to please everyone or at least stop worrying about it all.  The kingdom is here now, in me – in my kids.  How is God present in this ordinary, broken, goofed up life that I’m living now?

 You have to invest in people.  Give them your time. It’s time.  Page 56: “Spiritually we tend to think in levels too. Everything depends on what we do.”  Page 57: “He simply invited His followers to see it, embrace it, believe in the unfading reality of it – and join in what His Father was already doing in the world.”

There is something that I am fighting in my life – it is the notion that I have to keep doing something. What if the most spiritual people just rest in his love?  The kingdom just is.  Page 61: “It dawns on me that the weight of the climbing up levels just about killed me. For the first time in my life, I begin to sense the possibility of a new way to just be in the kingdom.”

 Every week the pastor says, “Go in peace”, but are we at peace?  What if we are so at peace that the kindness just flows from our life?

 Page 86: “Practicing the presence of the kingdom changes how we see the world, our neighbors, and ourselves. It changes the way we use money, understand children, and play in creation. It causes us to stop and listen, see, touch, taste, and feel. The kingdom is found in justice breaking in all around us, in beauty in the midst of the mess.”

You can’t be salt or light because you are trying. Jesus makes us salt and light. Relax. Then live.

Page 129: “This is a place to start: to wake up to the million mysteries that unfold in us and around us every day. Why are so many who call God Father passing their gift of days behind drawn shades? We must come alive. We must say with every breath and every act, “Look! The world!”

history

I love history.  I am not sure why.  Why do we love the things that we love?  I am just very interested in history and archeology.  Somehow, when I think of what people did and thought and built hundreds of years ago, it puts my life into perspective.

This is a picture of a Roman aqueduct from Sergovia, Spain.  My friends Fred and Irene are in Europe and they are sending me pictures.  I am going to have to make my own visit there some time.

History reminds us that we are not as smart as we may think.  It also reminds us to apply ourselves to life because we will not be here for ever.

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

I believe

I believe.  I believe in you.  You may not be sure about what is going on, but I believe in you.  I have seen you.  I know what is inside of you. 

It is time.  Stand up.  Stand up! Fulfill your potential.  I know that you have insecurities, but the time is here.  Stand up.  Be who God has created you to be.  Every time that you hold back, you limit God's work. 

He has called you.  He loves you.  He is with you.  Step up to the plate and get your swings in for Jesus.

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

three things

People often ask me what they can do for their church beside pray.  Here is my answer, and it comes in three parts.

First, talk to people about your church.  Tell them about the missions and ministries that you like.  Be positive.  Tell folks why you like your church.

Secondly, invite folks to join you.  Invite them to sit with you in worship.  Invite them to join you in mission.  Invite them to give.  Invite them to love what you love.  They don't just join your church, they join you.

Finally, each person needs to work to add value.  The church at its worst is when the members go to church, sit in the pew and then expect the pastor and staff to do the work of ministry.  The church at its best is realized when the members are actively engaged in kingdom work.  It is interesting as well that when a person is actively working to add value, they are usually doing steps one and two, talking to others about their church and inviting others to hop in.

Healthy churches thrive from the ground up.  Every member in ministry, mobilized and working for the mission of Jesus Christ.  Talking, sharing, inviting, doing, going.  I want to go to that church.  Don't you?

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

random thoughts on Fathers

Jim T used to say that on Mother's day I would praise mothers, and on Father's day I would chastise fathers.  I am sure that he was right.  Somehow in my brain that makes sense. 

Since I have never been a mother, there is this mystique about them.  A mythology maybe, it goes like this.......Mothers always know what to do, or were supposed to know.  They just do it.  They instinctively sacrifice themselves for their children. They can't do anything but do the right thing.  Maybe this is why I praised mothers on Mother's day.

Fathers I know about.  I know about how hard it is to get up every day and try to do the right thing.  I know about how hard it is to sacrifice, and I know what it takes to get the job done.  Not an easy thing.  Anyone can father a child, being a Father is really hard work.  I think this is why I have goaded fathers along, hoping to encourage or motivate them, but I guess fathers should be praised too.

Peter Pan had a happy thought.  In the movie Hook, he rediscovered his ability to fly when he remembered his happy thought, which was, "I'm a Dad!"  It is indeed a happy thought.

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

birds

Every now and then someone shares a picture with me that just has to be passed on.  These little guys are too beautiful not to share.  They were visitors to the yard of my friend Betty N.

Can you hear the birds sing?  It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

my sisters

I have two sisters. One older and one younger.  One lives here in KC and the other lives in Northern California. I left my heart in both places. Kansas city and the bay area.

We are in our fifties and we are just finally getting close.  That is both sad and good. Sad that it took so long but good that we are getting close.

If you have a brother or sister that you are not close to, I urge you to reach out to them.  They are your blood, your family, and life is very short.  Very previous and very short.

It is a gift to have family. Make it the best that you can.  Keep working on it. It's worth it.

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

filter

Sometimes things just don’t make sense.  We get in the way of what is good…say things that are only true to ourselves and poof a good thing turns bad.  We are so caught up in our understanding of things that we can’t see the truth from truth’s perspective. Or sometimes, as a another has put it, “Our need to control how others see us is like a god we’ve been bowing down to for so long we don’t even realize it.”

So a happy place turns sad. A relationship turns sour. Hurt and resentment enter the picture. Someone leaves with an ugly feeling and the other has no clue that there is a problem.

When we believe so strongly in ourselves nothing good happens. Our truths are not always His.

Filtering our thoughts before they become words is necessary and prayer is the best filter.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

 

slow down - part two

Well I couldn’t agree more with Jeff’s post yesterday.  Slowing down.  Balance.  Unfortunately if your scale is tipped to the side of the busy, hectic, frantic then it often takes a lot of deliberate effort to bring things back to even again. I can relate Jeff. A lot of us can relate. And most, if not all, wish it were not that way.

Reading a book tends to slow me down a bit. Funny thing is what I read the night before the "slow down” post was this...

“(Knowing) God has made my life better. I move more slowly than I used to because I don’t want to miss anything.

I find more and more beauty and meaning in everyday, average moments that I would have missed before.

I need fewer answers because I see more.

I find more people fascinating than ever because I’m more and more used to being surprised by the mystery that a human being is.

I’ve discovered more and more events are less about the events themselves and more and more about me being open to whatever it is that’s going on just below the surface.”

So I ask myself the question. Do I respond to the thoughts this writer shared in the same way because of my relationship with God? If not then what do I need to do to make that happen...

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

slow down

Slow down.  I have to slow down.  I have so much going on that I am catching myself coming and going.  I have forgotten the dog's name.  He has forgotten me.  He barks at me when I come in the house.

I am sure that I am not the only person who feels this way.  We get so busy.  At annual conference last week, someone reminded us that "busy" is not a spiritual gift.

The only way I know to get less busy is to do fewer things.  It means that I can't meet with everyone who asks.  It means that I can't answer every single email.  It means setting boundaries and learning to say no.

Just yesterday it was my birthday.  Now here comes by birthday again next month.  Busy is the enemy of a beautiful day.  Let's all slow down so we don't miss it.

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

what a person knows

I am convinced that the older I get, the less I know.  When I was young I knew it all.  My Dad used to say, "those who say, don't know.  Those who know, don't have to say." 

John Wesley said, "When I was young I was sure of everything.  In a few years, having been mistaken a thousand times, I was not half so sure of most things as I was before.  At present, I am hardly sure of anything but what God has revealed to me."

Somehow, it is easier for me to relax now that I know that I don't have to know everything.

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

engaged

Engaged.  Connected.  On it.  I like to talk about prayer as something that helps us to be "spiritually engaged."  Praying for your church means more than just lifting up the pastors and staff.  True prayer helps us to be spiritually engaged.  That means that when something happens that we don't like or don't understand, instead of complaining to a friend in the foyer, instead of calling someone to gossip about it, we pray.

"God, help me to understand why the service went that way.   God help me to understand why that staff person seems to be fighting what I want to do.  God help me trust in you.  God help me to get past my feelings of frustration.  God help me to be engaged with my church in a positive way."

Spiritual engagement does not put an end to disagreements, but it radically changes the way that we go about disagreeing.  Prayer drives us to keep a matter as private as possible and allows the people in the mix to resolve it without others being drawn in unnecessarily.

When something happens in your life that you don't like, is your first inclination to complain, to be angry, or to pray?  Prayer grabs hold of our humanness and helps us to be a part of a constructive dialogue and resolution.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.  And if you can't see it, don't complain, pray about it until you find a better place because it really is a beautiful day.

summer radio show

Woods Chapel will have a summer radio show beginning June 11th.  It will air on KCWJ 1030 AM on Tuesdays at 4pm.  For those of you who miss the live broadcast, it will also be available on the internet through the church web site.

The format will feature at 14 minute talk by me or one of the other pastors and then a 14 minute focus on some ministry aspect of the church.

This will be a great tool to invite your friends to listen and learn a bit more about who we are, what we do, and how we go about it.

Thanks for all that you do to support the ministry of Jesus through Woods Chapel.

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

quote

From the book "Fish" by Stephen C. Lundin.

"There is always a choice about the way you do your work, even if there is not a choice about the work itself."

And so our attitude is so very important.  Are we working for our boss or are we working for the Lord?  When we do our work as if it were for God, everything changes, and everything is beautiful.

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

ha ha

Maybe it wasn't so funny, but I thought it was funny and it didn't seem to bother the bride and groom. 

So last week I am doing a wedding away from the church.  Cramped space where only the bride, groom and minister can fit in the front.  I have my wedding service outline in one hand, I am holding a microphone in the other [no lavaliere] and it is time for the rings.  The best man and maid of honor bring me the rings.

Now I have my notes folder, a microphone and two rings in my hands.  Do you see where this is going?  I am clever though, so I drop the groom's ring into my suit pocket.  We go on.

We get the bride's ring on her finger and I reach into my pocket for the groom's ring.  Uh Oh.  And this suit is less than a year old.  There is a small hole in the corner of the pocket and his ring has fallen through and made its way to the bottom of the inside of my coat.

I have to set down my notes and the microphone and fish around to get the ring back up to the bottom of the pocket and out.  It took a couple of minutes, but it felt like much longer.

None worse for the wear, the bride and groom finally got married.

I need to get my pocket sewed up.

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

no fix

Sometimes in life we come upon things that we don't seem to be able to fix.  How we hope something will go, is not how it turns out.  You do everything that you can to make it different, but you can't.  The thing is beyond your abilities.

What to do?  Keep trying.  Keep at it.  You keep going.  And, you trust in God.  You lean on Him.  In fact, these kind of things tend to force us to lean on Him.  That is at least one positive result of the things that seem broken beyond repair.

God is with us!  There is always hope.

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

if you really knew

If you really knew the worst about someone?  Could you still  love them?  I run into people all of the time who have big giant secrets.  They can't bear to tell anyone because they think that they would be rejected.  So they wander in this life, hunched over with the burden of guilt on their backs.

When someone tells you the worst that they have done, are you able to still love them?  Are you able to look past their dirty laundry and love them?

This is God's kind of love.  God looks at us, knows all that we have ever done, and still loves us.  He still sees the good in us.  If God can do that for us, maybe we can work harder on releasing others.  To err is human to forgive is divine.

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

Bible jokes

If God has a sense of humor.........

When was baseball mentioned in the Bible?
In the big inning.

When were loud motorcycles mentioned in the Bible?
David's triumph was heard throughout the land.

When was tennis mentioned in the Bible?
When Moses served in the courts of Pharaoh.

How does God make tea?
Hebrews it.

Who is the shortest man in the Bible?
Nehemiah [Knee  High Miah]

What kind of man was Boaz before he got married?
ruthless.

Lot's last words to his wife.....
"honey are the kids behind us?"

How do you know that God likes cars?
Jesus was a car painter.

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

Sales

Sometimes people ask me about the weather.  Hey, today is the golf tournament.  Can you get us some good weather?  Jeff, can you get the rain to hold off?

I like to respond, "I am in sales, not management."

This reminds me of another saying that is often used, "opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of the management."  It seems to me that there are a lot of Christians, and a lot of Pastors who have forgotten this.  They come to think that their ideas about God are the only right ones.  When we get to feeling this way, we can become a very heavy burden to those around us.  No one likes an arrogant Christian.

None of us are as smart as we think.  We all need to be in submission to our Father.  None of us know as much as we think we know.  I have come to believe that when we die and fly up towards the pearly gates, about 80% of what we think we know is just going to fall off.  We will be left with some very simple truths. 

Did I love God?  Did I love my neighbor?  Did I do for the least of these? 
Well done good and faithful servant.  Enter into the joy of the Lord.

Opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of the management.  And I find some consolation in that.  I don't have to know everything.  I can trust in God.

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

A bigger God

The following is my experience, it may or may not resemble yours.....

I was raised in the church.  When we were children, and first believed, our God was smaller, but big enough to resolve the issues in the mind of a child.

When we became teenagers, we started to have problems.  Some of us gave up on God during this time, because we thought that we shouldn't have problems, or we decided that we couldn't believe in a God who would allow such painful things.

Those of us who survived adolescence and returned to the church as adults, have learned that a child sized God or even an adolescent sized God is no longer big enough.  Adults can run into some pretty difficult stuff.

The only consolation that I find from adult problems, is that God needs to get bigger.  Our capacity is increased, the hole in our life is larger, and we need a bigger God.  Thankfully, he is able and willing to rush in and fill the void.

Bigger problems?  Bigger God.  He is there.  He is waiting.  He is trustworthy.

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

Father's Day

Father's day is coming up in a few weeks, but lately I have been thinking about the kind of father that I have been.  Being a father is a funny thing.  I used to work really hard taking care of kids, teaching them and raising them.  Then one day they grew up and moved out.  Now they have taken responsibility for their own lives.  I am in effect, out of a job.

It is a funny feeling.  Not needed anymore.  Not thought of.  Poor me!  Time for a pity party.  The empty nest thing takes some time to transition.  You look back and wonder what you might have done differently, you think of mistakes that you made.  I wish I could have those moments back and have a redo.

Mostly I just look at my kids and feel proud.  They are all going to be fine.  They have good hearts.  Maybe one day soon, I will have grand kids to invest in.  Now there is a happy thought!

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

thou shall not steal

Do you recognize this man?  He was caught on surveillance cameras at the church.  On Memorial Day at about 9:20am he broke into a trailer in broad daylight.  The trailer was loaded with supplies bound for tornado victims in Moore, Oklahoma.

I don't know that he was able to take much, but the audacity of stealing from a church or stealing from the needy is a sad thing indeed.

Unfortunately for the man, we have a good picture of him.  His truck too, is a bit unique.  Although it is a white Chevy pickup, it is a regular cab as opposed to an extended cab.  You will also notice a dent on the passenger side right behind the rear wheel.  If you recognize this man, please call the Lee's Summit police department.

As discouraging as the behavior of some can be at times, it is still a beautiful day in
God's world, be sure to see the good.

from our recent week in California

I lived in San Jose, California for 7 years.  I went to Jr and Sr high there and started college at San Jose State.  So I have grown to love the bay area.  As the song goes, I left my heart.........

The weather is amazing and so are the sights.  Here are a few pics from our recent trip.

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

from our garden

Some of my favorite moments of the year are when the flowers start to bloom.  It is so wonderful and amazing.  God has blessed the world with such beauty.

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

i can't find my phone

It is morning.  I roll out of bed, shower and dress.  I carry all of my things into the living room.  I sit down with my cup of coffee.  The cat comes and camps next to me so that I can scratch her head for the first time in the day.  She thinks that is why I live, so I can scratch her head and back.  So I scratch her head and I watch the morning news.  I finish getting ready for work.  Then I am collecting my stuff.  I can't find my phone.  I look around for it for about ten minutes.  Then I finally decide to call it from the home phone.  It is on vibrate, but I can hear it buzzing.  I look and I look and I look and finally I realize that it has been smothered and covered up by a lonely cat.

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

no complaints

Ok, so sometimes we  humans tend to think about what is wrong.

Well what if we take a moment and stop complaining long enough to give thanks.  What if we took a moment to celebrate instead of grouse.  What if we actually did count our blessings, what would we come up with?

I got to watch three babies be born.
I got to snow ski.
I have listened to a fountain dribble its water.
I have felt the heat and warmth of a fireplace.
I have stood at the ocean.
I have waded in the ocean.
I have body surfed in the ocean.
I have laid on the ground and watched the clouds blow by.
I have wondered what the clouds looked like.  A rabbit?  an airplane?
I have looked past the clouds to see the blue sky.
I have made some wonderful friends.
I have owned a car.
I have owned lots of cars.
I have lived in houses with running water.
I once rode a bicycle 120 miles in one day.
I learned how to change disc brake pads on a car.
I have added memory to a computer.
I have stood in the redwood forest and smelled the beautiful air.
I have see the grand canyon.
I have seen crater lake.
I have been to the petrified forest.
I have learned about aged cultures of the past.
I have learned to eat and enjoy seafood.
I celebrated the first earth day in 1972.
I made peace with hair loss when I was 28.
Although  I am 55, I still have plans and dreams.
I have loved and been loved.

So, you see, I don't have much to complain about in this life.
Next time I start to complain, remind me of this list.

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

tornado

The recent tornado in Moore, Oklahoma reminds us of the Joplin tornado of two years ago. Many have asked what we can do to help. After checking into what we can do, we have run into a few issues that you should know about.

1. Moore is not in our conference. It is in another state. We don't know or have relationships with the people or the systems in the Oklahoma Conference. There is always some bureaucracy to dance with and in this case, it is not our bureaucracy.

2. Although Missouri has little experience recovering from tornadoes, Oklahoma has lots of experience with this.

3. Finally, the population of Joplin is 50,000.  They needed our hands and our feet.  The population of greater Oklahoma City is 1.3 million.  There are lots of people right there who are ready and willing to help.

Having said these things, there are several things that we can do.  Money can be donated right away.  Just memo your check "tornado relief." We also have a family in the church that has a connection at OU in Norman.  They are organizing the loading and delivery of a trailer of supplies for relief.  The list of items needed is:  Walmart, Target and Visa gift cards.  Work gloves, trash bags, batteries, cleaning wipes, diapers, baby wipes, baby formula, sunscreen, hand towels, deodorant, shampoo, laundry soap, socks- new, underwear- new, dog and cat food, rakes, and shovels.  It is also possible that we will be organizing trips in the future.

And as always, you can pray for the victims and their families.  Coming on the two year anniversary of the Joplin tornado, this tragedy strikes close to our hearts.  Be sure to have an emergency plan for your family and lets keep the good folks of Moore in our prayers.

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

 

 

tornado

The recent tornado in Moore, Oklahoma reminds us of the Joplin tornado of two years ago.  Many have asked what we can do to help.  After checking into what we can do, we have run into a few issues that you should know about.

1.  Moore is not in our conference.  It is in another state.  We don't know or have relationships with the people or the systems in the Oklahoma Conference.  There is always some bureaucracy to dance with and in this case, it is not our bureaucracy.

2.  Although Missouri has little experience recovering from tornados, Oklahoma has lots of experience with this.

3.  Finally, the population of Joplin is 50,000.  They needed our hands and feet.  The population of greater Oklahoma City is 1.3 million.  There are lots of people right there who are ready to help.

Having said these things, there are several things that we can do.  Money can be donated right away.  Just memo your check "tornado relief."  We also have a family in the church that has a connection at OU in Norman.  They are organizing the loading and delivery of a trailer of supplies for relief.  The list of items needed is: Walmart, Target, and Visa gift cards, work gloves, trash bags, batteries, cleaning wipes, diapers, baby wipes, baby formula, sunscreen, hand towels, deodorant, shampoo, laundry soap, socks (new), underwear (new), dog and cat food, rakes, and shovels.  It is also possible that we will be organizing trips in the future.

And as always, you can pray for the victims and their families.  Coming on the two year anniversary of the Joplin tornado, this tragedy strikes close to our hearts.  Be sure to have an emergency plan for your family and lets keep the good folks of Moore in our prayers.

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

just do it

Discouraged?  Tired?  Disgusted with some part of life?  Tired of fighting some thing?  Want a break?  We all feel this way from time to time.

One thing that I come back to every time is this... you have to get up every morning and do the right thing.  You have to stand up and act.  You may have just gotten knocked down, but you have to get right back up and get on that horse.

The world is not going to stop for me to have a pity party.  Life awaits and it really does not care how I feel about what must be done.  However, when I get up and do what must be done, I usually do feel better.

It's a simple thing that seems to be true.  Some of the best days are when you can lay your head back on the pillow at night, and know that you just got up and did the good things that day.  You may not have felt it, you may not have had a visitation of angels that day, but you engaged life and did what needed to be done.

That is good stuff.

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

book quotes part 2

If you liked those quotes from yesterday, here are some more.  If you did not like them, then I am sorry, but they are making me think, so here are some more.  my comments in [brackets]

"people want you to be a rock star...give them the back lot tour" [let them see the broken parts of you and the church, then if they love the church, they will own it for what it really is. their commitment will matter, they will take ownership]
"sometimes the right decision breaks all the rules that you have come to know" [we read too many books on leadership.  sometimes you have to make a call that is outside of the box.]
"do you remember when ministry was fun?" [it still is for me, but it is a great question]
"quit whining about passion" [sometimes you wont feel the passion, but you still have to go to work.  sometimes you won't sense the Holy Spirit, but you will still have to get up and do the right thing.]

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

book quotes

I have been reading a book on leadership.  It is about being yourself.  Not bad advice probably.  If you can't be yourself, who can you be?

There were some great quotes in the front cover.  Here are some of them.  I am posting the rest of them tomorrow.  Collectively they are too much to think about all at once.

"No guts- no story." [or life is too good to take the easy way]
"Creative collaboration is dumb" [or sometimes, you actually need to lead]
"Far too many leaders carry guilt for not meeting every whiny or spoiled child's demands." [or, care enough about others to invite them to live as adults in a difficult world]
"The way YOU see the world counts" [or, stop trying to be someone else, you have something to bring to the table]
"Leaders can't waste time and energy as imposters." [that speaks for itself]

I don't know if any of that helps you, but these thoughts spoke to me.  And believe me, I need to be spoken to from time to time.

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

another miracle

Monday afternoon Scott went to the neurosurgeon.  This is a one week appointment after breaking his t-10 vertebrae.

The doctor released him to do a lot of normal life.  Shower, bathe, drive among other things.  He can work at a sedentary job, but you have to have a job to work so I am not sure when that will happen.  He can only lift 20 lbs, but that is an improvement.  He gets an x-ray in two weeks and will wear the brace until then.

Thanks for your prayers.

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

river, part 2

Have you seen the movie, "A River Runs Through It"?

There is this theme of fly fishing.  The cadence of the arm casting the rod, over and over, again and again.  The solid humble family practice of fishing.  Two boys and a Dad.  Fishing, casting, raising kids, over and over.  Practice, muscle memory, consistency.

Life needs more of this.  Those things that remind you that everything is ok. Those things that strike a pose in your heart.  Those things that have somehow reached into you and made their mark.  A river runs through it. Your history still speaks to you.  Our upbringing never leaves us.  The seeds that are planted just keep growing.

It is an interesting spiritual feeling, an interesting sense of God's work in our lives.  These things from our youth keep coming around.  Appreciate them.  Cherish them.

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

a river runs through it

And so I go to church, almost every Sunday of the year.  I want it to feel fresh, but there is also an interesting thing that I am appreciating more and more as I grow older.  That is the feeling of ritual.  Doing the same things over and over.  Saying the Apostle's Creed, singing Grace Alone, praying over the offering, standing for the scripture reading, and on and on we go.

I guess inside of myself, there is this feeling of comfort, of being grounded, of home, when we do some of those things.  I think that that is ok.  When I was young, I wanted to throw out tradition, now I want to hold onto it.  My Dad would laugh to hear me say that.  He would belly laugh.

I hope that there are things at church that just feel good to you.  You can't explain it, but saying the Lord's Prayer, greeting one another in the name of the Lord, and singing Amazing Grace all just feel like good stuff to you. 

I like it.  There is something good about it that makes me feel whole.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.  Even if you are just doing the same things, over and over again.

spiritual

I was having breakfast with a friend who was bemoaning the fact that his spiritual life isn't what it used to be.  He was remembering when he was younger and read the Bible more.  Many of us grew up this way:  read the Bible, say your prayers, and then you are spiritual.  Get those things done and then get on with your life.  In fact, we often forgot about the spiritual part during the rest of our life.  Give Jesus his moments of prayer and study, then live life the way you want to, that was my mantra as a youth.

There is an alternative.  For a Christian, there are no secular moments, unless you make them so.  No Christian has a secular job.  Every day that you walk into that school, that factory or that whatever, you walk in with the chance to love souls created by God.  That sounds pretty spiritual to me.  Imagine asking Jesus, "how is your spiritual life?"  For Jesus, all of life was spiritual.

How about instead of spending time feeling badly, we start to look at all of life as a gift.  It is all a blessing, it is all a chance to love someone for Christ.  When we do that, it is all spiritual.

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

Dear Child

Dear Child,
I love you.  Simple words.  Spoken too often?  Can they be?  Even though we have had our moments, I do dearly love you.  The greatest day of my life was the day you were born.  All three of you have brought such joy to my life.

When we brought you home from the hospital, we were given a new purpose in life.  Now you are all gone, out of the house and it is an adjustment.  I miss you.  I miss hanging out with you and being invested in your life.  I am however, we are, very very proud of you. 

I want you to know that I would do anything to help you.  I would give my life, I would take a bullet for you.  Today.  Now.  You are so very very valuable.  I love you so much.
Dad

[for those of you not in my family, I suspect there is a spiritual moral of the story here.... if I feel this way about my kids, how must God feel about us?]

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

I don't know

So it has been a heck of a week.  I had six days of vacation last week, but had to preach the Sunday before and after.  I have some challenges at church that I am working on.  You have to keep working on the challenges so that things stay on track.  A young man died this week and we will hold his funeral this coming Monday.  My son fell off the roof and broke his back.

All of a sudden, I am thrust into multiple situations that are beyond my control and outside of my abilities to resolve.  You start to stress out, then you finally realize that there isn't anything to gain from that.  So, you go with the flow.  You lean into the river and let the current take you.  I can't fix it, I don't know what to do, so I just have to get up every day and put one foot in front of the other.

And I get to trust God.  Actually trusting in God means more, it means a great deal more when there is nothing left of your strength to trust.  And so maybe I thought I was in a bad place, but really, if I can rest in God, I am in a good place.

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

I heard a story

I heard an amazing story the other day about a person who was healed of an unbelievable illness.  The story brought me to tears.  The speaker said, "with God, all things are possible."  I was so glad to be reminded of that.  Sometimes, I think that my problems are so big, but none of my problems are as big as this persons problem, and God healed them.

If God can heal that, then God can do anything.  If God can help them, then my problems have hope.  With God, all things are possible.

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

why I love our church

A woman walks into my wife's office and asks if it isn't her church in Lee's Summit that does the prom dresses?  Cathy says yes it is, what's up?  Well evidently there is a cancer patient that needs a prom dress.  The prom dress ministry is over for 2013, but the question is asked if the church will help.  Cathy says, she will see.

She calls the church.  She has an "in."  I find the person in charge of that ministry and tell them the story.  Prom dress ministry is over for 2013, but we have this girl with cancer.  Can we help.  Of course the answer is yes.  YES.  YES!!  The staff person calls Cathy and visits with her. 

Within 30 minutes of asking the question in my wife's office, the other employee is told by Cathy that our church will roll out the red carpet.  The ministry may be over for 2013, but a cancer patient will get whatever she needs.   I was not surprised.  I love this place.  I am the most fortunate pastor that I know.

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

T-10

T-10.  It's a vertebra in your back.  In the middle.  Not lower lumbar, but middle.  Yesterday, my son Scott fell off a roof and broke his back.  T-10.

He could have been killed.  I went to meet him at the job site and called the ambulance.  When you hear the siren coming for your child, there is a fearful shaking in your soul.  It was horribly traumatic.  I saw the place that he fell from.  14' from the gutter to the ground.  His side hurts, his mouth hurts, his teeth hurt.  Everything hurts. He could have broken his neck, he could have been killed. 

Instead, he has a broken T-10.  Wear a brace for 6 weeks.  heal. Rest.  Then back to normal.

I just want to take a moment to thank God.  THANK GOD!  Will you thank God with me?  Oh, the sobbing fears of a parent were so on display today.  Thank God, it is only a broken T-10.

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

discrimination

Lately I have experienced some discrimination and I have to tell you, I don't like it.  I have experienced a bit of what I would call "elder discrimination."  I have found myself in situations where young people greet one another and love one another and are excited about seeing one another, and when they got to me, they saw an old man.

Now I know that I like to dress down.  On my day off I don't like to shave.  I wear hats and jeans anytime that I can.  My skin is old and I could be a member of AARP if I wanted to be one.  But that does not mean that I am not a person. 

I would like to be welcomed with the same joy, the same excitement, the same happiness that you greet your young friends with.  If they deserve the extra attention, so do I.

There.  I said it.  Now my pity party is over.  And I have to ask myself... do I do the same thing to others?  Are there those who feel like they get more or less attention from me than someone else?  Probably so I would bet.  Let us just take this moment to be mindful of every person, every human being, every soul,  regardless of their age, height, weight, etc.  They are all of them, everyone of them, delightful, valuable, children of God worth loving.

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

Mom

Happy Mother's Day.  To my mom who died in 1995, to my dear mother in law, to my sweet wife, and to all of you mothers out there.

Motherhood is not an easy thing.  Childbirth isn't easy [not that I would know] but the larger heartaches of life tend to be delivered to parents by their children.  There is an old saying, "when they are young, they steal your heart, when they are old, they break your heart."

Here are some words of encouragement for every mother that has ever felt that she did not do a good job.  For every mother who spends too much time in her doubts.  For every moment of discouragement, for every moment of regret.

Mom, we know you weren't perfect, but you have given us an amazing gift.  Life.  L-I-F-E.  LIFE.  I can wake every morning and live because of you.  That is pretty cool.  And yes, you weren't perfect, but when I was 24 it finally dawned on me that my life had become my responsibility.  My problems were then of my own making, and I know I have dealt you some grief.  That does not mean that you are not loved.  Speaking for children everywhere, I would like to say that I appreciate every thing that you have done for me.  Every effort, every thought, every kindness, every prayer. 

A mother truly is a gift from God.  Thanks for being you.  I am here today because of you!

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

maybe they need you

So there is this person that doesn't hang out with you anymore.  Maybe a group that has left you behind.  You have felt a bit of rejection, you have felt set aside.  You wonder if you did something wrong.  Sometimes you have felt a little mad about it.  You wondered what happened.  Something turned in the relationship and now things are different.  You wondered what you did, you wondered if it was you, or your other friends, or your family or what.

You have thought many times about moving on.  Just let it go, you heard yourself say.  You might even have engaged in ignoring it.  You have begun to heal from the pain and the circumstance has a sense of distance to it.  You are feeling better. 

Today you have a new thought.  Maybe they are not rejecting you.  Maybe they are out there living life, and they feel funny too.  Maybe they moved on in their minds, but in their hearts they have not moved away.  Maybe they still love you and still need you.  Maybe one day they will lean back into your life.  If they do, what will your response be?  Will we hurt them back as we were hurt?  Will we ignore them so that they can enjoy the feeling?  Or is there a place in our hearts where Christ dwells, where he helps us understand that sometimes things change.  Sometimes change is beyond our control.  People need to be loved, whether they are hanging out with us or not.  They need our time and care.  I am sure there are many people that don't talk to God for a while and then after a time they ring him up to spend some time.  I am sure also that God opens the door and embraces them as an old friend come home.

Random thoughts.

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

copy and paste

I love this feature. Although it sometimes makes me a little lazy it does have its place. Today is a day like that. Back in 2007 Jeff make a comment regarding my user name. The underlined part has stuck with me ever since. I hope you find comfort in it as well.

Yesterday, I read a comment that someone posted to the blog. I don't know who it is, but the user name struck a cord with me.

Lion's Den Man.

Wow! I make an inspection of the picture that conjures up in my head. Not just Daniel in the Lion's Den, but I am the man in the lions den. Lions, me, and the protecting hand of God. What an incredible message this person is sending about their life: "I have troubles, I find myself among the lions, but I am always protected by the unseen God!"

Thanks Jeff.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

a tough thing to ask

Ever wonder how people view you? Your good and bad. Your strength and weakness. Are you open to that kind of information? Would you hold harmless the person you asked to provide such information? If you took the step would you be willing to ask another for a second opinion and so on… When I hear the word humble I think of this. I wonder how open I am to change the things that need to change. To discover those things I may or may not be aware of. To drop my guard and listen and then do a self-evaluation. Although God accepts me for my flaws I believe he wants better for me. If I choose to not look for flaws and then work on them then how can I walk humbly with the Lord?

Proverbs 27:21

²¹ The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
    but people are tested by their praise.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

what i need

I was listening to a song the other day and it brought to me a reminder.  I need to have these words written down.

“What I want is what I’ve not got and what I need is all around me”. 

Simple words that carry a lot of weight and truth.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

bad read

It happens sometimes. We think we know…. we think we have it or them figured out. We are working off our instinct or a past circumstance or a past relationship.  Our experiences guide us and that isn’t always such a good thing. We can never really know the entire story. The where or the why behind what made that person seem that way to us. We tend to forget it could be as simple as they are having a bad day or week etc….. It could run deeper.  We forget the time we were there ourselves. Bottom line is we don’t know. But it affects us. So it is our response that we need to consider before we make a mistake, a judgment….. a bad read.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

three words

I watched a movie the other night. The story revolved around a man’s struggle with an addiction. Many destructive things can surround such a problem. The turning point was when he finally came to terms with the fact he could no longer do it himself.... Do the addiction, do the lies and deceit. He knew his character and integrity were no longer intact. He realized he could no longer make the right choice on his own and so he paused and said three words, “God help me”……Then everything that he and God knew came to the surface and he began to heal. The movie wasn’t based on a true story but this part was very real. Everyone has a story, everyone can heal…..  

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

Haven

The other day I heard the quartet "His Harmony" sing the song, "there is a Haven."  My online dictionary defines a haven as a harbor or port. Any place of shelter and safety; refuge; asylum. The words were comforting and delightful.  Here are the words, complete with guitar chords:

(G) There is a haven for every weary (D) traveler.
When the storm breaks the stillness of our (G) life.
There is a safe way for all the lost and (D) lonely.
Who’ll find shelter until the morning (G) light.

(C) There is a haven for the weary soul to (G) run to.
When you’re (D) tired of all the guilt and all the (G) shame.
(C)There is a Savior, and His open arms are (G) waiting.
There is a (D) haven and Jesus is His (G) name.

(G) There is a haven of comfort for all God’s (D) children.
You can find it when you speak His name  in (G) prayer.
He’ll give you rest, and from your cares and (D) labor.
There is a haven and the Lord will meet you (G) there.

There is a (D) haven and Jesus is His (G) name (C-G)

When I heard this song it spoke to me so much... we don't need a place to rest when all is well, but when the storms of life break the stillness, we have a place to go.  There is a haven, and Jesus is his name.

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

a man's greatest fear

I don't know if this is true or not, it probably cannot be applied universally to all men.  I also have no idea if women feel this way or not.  But I have this fear or this insecurity sometimes and I talk to so many others that have a similar feeling.  It goes like this.......just yesterday I was a boy...playing.....protected by my parents.....very few expectations.....now I wake up and I have a family and I am working and there is so much to be responsible for.  What happened?  Can I go back and be a little boy again?

What do you do with that?  I don't know.  It is a pain to bear when you feel it.  You have to keep going, you have to get up and go to work, no matter how you feel.  Thankfully it isn't something that I feel everyday.  Some days confident, some days not.  Some days innately joyful, some days not, but all days are good, very good.

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

sorry

To err is human, to forgive is divine.  Apologizing is a pretty holy thing too.  Many humans are not very good at it, but it is very healing and very needful.

A simple apology can go a long way to diffuse a situation.  Even if you think you were not wrong, or if you think you are only 15% wrong, to take some responsibility and apologize will often open the door to reconciliation.  Isn't reconciliation more important than being right?

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

the way

I was  reading a bit of Peter Rollins the other day.  One of the things that he wrote went something like this: it is time that we Christians stop thinking of our faith as a way of believing, and instead think of it as believing in a way.

What does that mean?  Well, many Christians boil the faith down to a list of doctrines.  Believe this, this and this, and you are ok.  Rollins is suggesting that instead, we think of the faith as believing in a way of life.  So that the Christian faith is not a static thing that floats in our brain, but is instead a dynamic, organic thing that is lived out every single day.

Is my faith stuck in my head or is it pouring out of me toward others every single day?  Jesus said in John 4, "but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”


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

Nicaragua Question

Someone sent me a note after the Nicaragua presentation in church.....

 " I cant support this if we are making a material impact only. How will this have a spiritual impact? There was no spiritual content on Sunday. Why be in this line of work if not to proclaim the truth of Christ?"

Let me say a few words about the spiritual nature of the Nicaragua mission.  I guess this person wants us to go to Nicaragua and preach to them.

These people are already Christians.  They have churches.  They are largely Catholic, Assemblies of God and random protestant.

The y have pictures of Jesus on their walls. They pledge to pay back their loans before God and everyone.  They talk about God.  They are conscious of their faith in ways that we are not.

 Will we preach to them?  We will probably do a vbs.  We will discuss faith.  We will have a relationship with them as with other Christian people.  We are not the great spiritual American Christians who have so much to teach the rest of the world.  My guess is that we probably have spiritual things to learn from them.  I think we can learn from people who love God even though they have nothing.

 The gospel is about actions as much if not more than words.  John Wesley said, - "preach the gospel, when necessary, use words."  In the story of the Good Samaritan, the Good Samaritan does not preach to him, he binds his wounds.  Those that wanted to preach passed by on the other side.  He was an example to us all because he stopped his life to help.  In 1 jn 3:17 we find these poignant words, "if you have the world’s goods and see your brother in need, and hold back your heart of mercy, how does the love of God dwell in you?"

Finally in Mt 25- Jesus says, "I was hungry and you fed me."  He does not say I was hungry and you preached to me.

Words of love and acts of love.  They are all spiritual.  I hope this helps.

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

accountability

In seminary they said, "never trust a shepherd that isn't someone else's sheep."  The statement was meant as a reminder to us pastor types that we always need to sit under someone else's ministry.  We always need to have people that see into our lives and can comment freely.  Folks that will hold us accountable.  I think this is good advice for everyone.

So here are some questions to ask yourself.  Do you have a counselor?  Do you have a friend that you tell everything to, that knows the best and worst of you?  Are you reading, growing changing?  Are you in the habit of allowing your thoughts and life paradigms to be challenged?

Actions like this can be difficult and painful, but life is better when we areopen and learning, when we know that we have progress to make and we are not offended by the process.

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

it was cold

It was cold last week.  Unseasonably cold.  There was a freeze warning.  It was raining.  I had been at lunch.  I came outside the restaurant to go to my car.  It was cold and windy and rainy.  The twenty feet from the door to the curb was enough cold and wet for me.  I needed to hurry to my car.  I stepped off of the curb into the shopping center driveway.  That is when we met.

You were well far enough back to stop.  You did not want to stop.  I tried to make eye contact, but you avoided me.  I stepped back out of the street so your car driving by would not splash me.  To you, I was no one, but to me, I was someone.  A cold, wet, wanting to get to my car someone.  I was the pedestrian, you were already in the safety of your car.  It would not have hurt you to stop for me to cross the street.  I thought that was what should have happened. 

You went on your way and probably thought nothing of the event.  I waited in the rain for you to drive by.  Then I made my way to my car.  I got in and started it up.  I turned on the wipers and the heater.  I was finally safe from the elements.

What is the moral of this true story?  Poor me.  I had to stand in the rain while someone insisted that their car get to it's destination in a timely manner.  Poor me.  The other moral of this story is that we should never pass the opportunity to put someone else first.  To exercise a little chivalry.  The person that you stop to let cross in front of you just might be someone from church, they may be having a bad week or a bad month.  They may be discouraged.  Don't make them stand in the rain any longer than needed.  Let them find shelter and safety.  Stop your car and let them pass.  A simple act of kindness goes a long way.

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

why I can't be at every event

Many programs will tell their leaders that in order for their program to succeed, they need the direct involvement of the senior pastor.  This can lead to many situations where good folks end up putting lots of pressure on Jeff to show up for their event.

There is too much going on at WCC for me to show up at everything.  If I tried, I would die.  It is also important that I have down time and quiet time and time with family and friends.  All of these things make for a balanced spiritual life.

Just for example, here is what I was supposed to do last evening. 

• Keep score for the church softball team. 
• Visit Disciple Bible Study
• Camino closura
• Choir concert
• meet with a couple about their wedding.

Sometimes life is busy crazy.  I hope everyone understands.  It is hard to be 5 places at once.

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

God

We like to talk about depending upon God.  We also want an easy life.  One of the surest ways to learn to depend upon God is to run into trouble.

I don't mean the kind of trouble that you can fix, or that will fix itself, I mean the kind of situation that is beyond one's self.  You find yourself flabbergasted, at the end of yourself, no clue of what to do, out of ideas, stumped.

Such moments cause us to rely on God in ways that we normally might not.  I don't wish such problems upon you, but if they come to you, at least enjoy the fact that you are leaning on the Lord more than you were before.

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

sanctuary

One of the blessings of living close to the church is that we have the ability to stop by the sanctuary or chapel and pray.  You can find your way into the church most days from 6am -6pm and later in the evening if something is going on, which is almost every night.  Check the Southeast door or look for places that people seem to be coming and going.  Sunday afternoons can be tough and Saturdays are a touch and go, but for the most part, these rooms are pretty available for you to stop and pray.

Sometimes my prayers a simple chit chat.  Catching up with God.  Sometimes my prayers are sorrowful apologies for the ways that I have missed God's call.  Sometimes my heart is pouring out for another person.  Heart-wrenching, soulful crying out to God.

It is an odd feeling, walking into these rooms alone to pray.  It's like God is there, waiting.  I almost always feel that the room is full of His presence, and I walk into this holy, amazing moment.

It's your church.  If you need to pray, stop by on the way to or from work.  Stop by any time.

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

Is it a sign?

Several have asked me if the bombing at the Boston Marathon and the explosion in West, Texas were a sign.  Are these a sign from God of the end?  Are they a harbinger, a sign from God of a judgment on our culture?

My answer is "no."  NO.

The question is very ethnocentric.  The question implies that if anything bad happens to us, that somehow it must be the end.  That America is somehow special from other countries and cultures, and if any difficulty comes to us, it must be a sign of the end.

Was it a sign of the end of the world, when Cortez destroyed the Aztec culture?  Was it a sign of the end when our forefathers kidnapped Africans and made them slaves?  Was it a harbinger of the end when we spent 300 years destroying Native American Culture?  Was the fall of Rome a sign of the end?

All of these things seemed like the end to those in the culture, but we must remember that nations rise and nations fall.  There is an ebb and flow of power among nations and cultures.  The Holy Land has been conquered 26 different times.

The only constant in our world is our God.  Heaven is his throne and the earth is his footstool.  He calls all nations unto himself and invites them to bow the knee.  God alone is eternal and it is to him that we must go, it is upon him that we must lean.  No president, no political party, no comfort level in life can truly satisfy.  Only Jesus can satisfy the soul.

I am very sorry for the violence that has taken place in our country.  But let us continue to look to our Father and invite others to do the same.  The best thing that can come from painful things is a desire on our part to look to our Father.

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

keeping it to yourself

Sometimes I think it is best to keep your problems to yourself.  Sometimes I think that there is nothing to be gained from spilling your guts. How many times have I told someone my troubles and all it did was hurt them?

Yes there is much to be said for getting things off of your chest, and a friend to listen can be a real blessing, but sometimes the opposite is true.  Sometimes I think that we are better off just taking it in and keeping it there.

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

question

A few weeks ago I published something that included the line, "I am working very hard at being a good human being."  Some asked for me to elaborate on that statement.  Here we go.

I would probably point out that there are lots of humans who consider themselves a finished product.  I do not think of myself this way.  I think one of the best qualities that we offer one another is the awareness that we don't have it all figured out.  A number of people work for me and they all have the ability and permission to question me.  I am not always right.

Something else that I think we can do to work on being a good human being is to work on love.  To think on love, to practice love, to give love, every chance that we can.

Finally I would add that it is very easy in this life to simply react to what happens around you.  This can often lead to the worst of us coming out.  I think that being a good human includes working on responding instead of reacting, or acting instead of reacting.  To learn to take a step back when we don't like something, take a deep breath, count to ten, ask you who you are and who you want to be, say a prayer, get centered, then act.  Act out of the best of who you are.  When we do this, things usually go better.

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

quote

I love great quotes.  This was shared with me by a friend.  It's attributed to Mother Theresa.


People are often unreasonable and self-centered.

FORGIVE THEM ANYWAY

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives.

BE KIND ANYWAY

If you are honest, people may cheat you.

BE HONEST ANYWAY

If you find happiness, people may be jealous.

BE HAPPY ANYWAY

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.

DO GOOD ANYWAY

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.

GIVE YOUR BEST ANYWAY.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.

IT NEVER WAS BETWEEN YOU AND THEM ANYWAY.

 

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