squatters

This happens all the time in Nicaragua.  People that don't have a place to live, just pick a place and build a shack. 

This hill is next to the hotel that we stay at in Matagalpa.  It is up a very steep hill.  In April when I was there, you could hike to the top of the hill for a nice view.  Now just a few months later, the hill has been taken over by the poor.  There is no water or electricity on the hill so the people carry 5 gallon buckets up the hill from the valley below.

Makes me wonder why I have ever complained about anything in my life.

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

Nicaragua Team

Now you know that I love the people that go to our church.  You all are awesome and amazing.  It was such a blessing to go with 14 fine WCC folks to Nicaragua last month.  Here are a couple of pictures of some of the team.

Melissa and Teresa checking out the flowers.

Scott presenting shovels to the village president.  Ron and Kathy in the background.

Michelle, Chris, Becky, Pam and Kathy in a local church.

I was so pleased with the heart, compassion, kindness, hard work, industry, creativity and on and on I could go about these folks.  I made some new friends.  My heart is still warm thinking about seeing their souls on display.

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

flowers of Matagalpa

Last month I travelled back to Nicaragua with a team from our church.  One of the hotels that we stayed at had some beautiful gardens.  Things grow in the tropical countries that we can't keep alive in the states.

Enjoy.

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

food scarcity

The thing that haunts me over and over about the Los Pinos village in Nicaragua is the food scarcity.  We can read online all sorts of statistics about how many children will go to bed hungry around the world, but when you see the faces of the people, and hear their stories, it is heart breaking.



The food pantry in the village president's home.

I asked the village president about her meals.  She was glad to tell me.  For breakfast, a piece of bread if they have it.  For lunch a tortilla and beans if they have it.  For dinner a tortilla or piece of bread with beans and rice.... if they have it.

The village is 20 miles from a modern town.  The bus comes right by the village, but few have been to see the modern town.  They can't afford the 50 cents to ride the bus.  Any money that they have, they need for food.

I am thinking about this almost every day.  It just breaks my heart.

What did I have for breakfast today?  What will I eat for lunch?  For Dinner?  Oh, and maybe I had a bed time snack.

I can't write my usual ending.  It is a beautiful day and I would like to help other people in the world feel that way about it as well
.

music

I am thinking back to the night that I was getting ready to fly home from Nicaragua.  I am sitting by the pool listening to my mp3 player.  The air is cool and it is an atmosphere of enjoyment around the patio and pool.

I start thinking about some of the songs that I am hearing and how songs can take you back to a certain time in your life.  I am in 7th grade and Elvis Presley is singing "Suspicious Minds."  I am at my senior prom and the band is playing the Moody Blues, "Knights in White Satin."  I am driving my 73 Chevy Vega in college at San Jose State and the song, "Bad Blood" comes on by Neil Sedaka.  On and on the list could go.  Phil Collins, Fastball, Neil Diamond, Maroon 5 so many bands with so many songs that take me to a certain place and time.

Then I remember that I am in Nicaragua.  The people in the village of Los Pinos have probably never heard any of those songs.  In fact, other than the music that the children sing, the village is void of music.  Wow.  A life void of music as we know it.

Man, we are blessed.  Put on a song and give thanks for the gift of music.

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

coffee

This is a left over story from the redwoods trip.  It is my last night of the trip and I have gravitated to a hotel in San Carlos.  It is morning and I am going to get some breakfast.  I want to bring it back to the room to eat so that I can log in and watch our worship on live-streaming.  [which was pretty cool.]

So I am heading up to the door to my hotel room.  A plate of eggs and sausage, a bowl of fruit sitting in the plate......... in my other hand, two cups of coffee one on top of the other.

Do you see what is getting ready to happen?  It is the moment of truth.  I can do this.  I cradle the two coffees on my left arm while holding the plate of food in my left hand.  I reach in my pocket for the room key. 

Oops.

It all comes apart.  I save most of it, but one cup of coffee pops open, spills down the only clean pair of jeans that I have left and crashed to the floor.  Of course there happens to be a family of four walking down the hall as this happens.  I can hear them snicker.......

I get in the room, collect myself and put on a pair of shorts.  I let the pants dry, thinking that the coffee wont stain the jeans.  [my wife laughs at that part]

Breakfast was great, the live stream worship was great, and the jeans are stained.  Now this is where the story takes a turn for the better.

I want to wear these jeans home.  The others that I have are too dirty to be wearing on a plane all day.  So I am thinking Laundromat.  I look some up.  I think about how to get there and the amount of time all of that will take.  Then I remember....... lots of people still wash their clothes manually.  We saw some of that in Nicaragua.

So, I filled up the hotel room sink, got the stained part of the jeans very wet and soaped it up with a bar of soap.  I scrubbed and scrubbed.  Then I rinsed them out and let them dry.  A few hours later, you would have never known that I embarrassed myself in the hallway of the hotel by spilling coffee all over myself- except that I have just told you.

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

there is something else

There is something else going on here.  It is bigger than me.  It is beyond my senses.  I can't quite put my finger on it.

There is something mystical, something amazing going on right here and now with you and with me.  I know that my soul does not rest inside my belly, but it sure feels like it does.  More in my chest really.  Somehow, in ways that we are unable to explain, we are created in God's image.  We can feel it.  We know it's true.

That is why there are always going to be parts of life that we can't understand.  Parts that defy explanation.  Let's stop trying to figure it out and just bow down to the Mystery.  God is amazing and it is a real blessing to have Him in our lives.  Some things are better savored than understood.

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

pain

Pain.  We all have it.  Some people try to drink it away.  Some try to drug it away.  Some try to jog it away.  Some shop to reduce the pain.  Some exercise their anger to overcome their pain.

None of it works.

The only way that a person can begin to overcome their pain is to discover it, face it, embrace it, make peace with it, and then when the pain has nothing left to say,  let the voice of God tell you that you are loved. 

When that happens, it's a beautiful day in God's world for sure.

Ten Reasons

At the end of my redwood trip, I scheduled a stay at a hostel.  I usually spend the last day 1/2 in San Francisco and the cheap Marina District hotels that I stay in have become more expensive each year. 

So.... I went on line and found this hostel.  It was $50 a night cheaper, even with a private room.  I arrived to check in and found one disaster after another.

Ten reasons why I will not stay at a hostel again:
1.  the parking is free, but it is four blocks from the building.
2.  there are signs everywhere about securing your belongings, so much so that you now are worried about who is staying in the place with you.
3.  lockers are provided to lock up your valuables, but you must buy a lock from them.
4.  The private room that I rented was about 10 x 10 and I think the ceiling was 7 foot.  There was no desk in it, so the whole purpose of my trip [reading and writing] was a bit derailed.
5.  Breakfast is free if you are ok with a bagel and a banana.  Be ready to wash your own dishes.
6.  The room they gave me was under the cafeteria, so at 5am when breakfast starts, you can hear the chairs sliding and banging above your head.
7.  The room they gave me shared a wall with the men's room.  All night long when a toiled flushed, you could feel it vibrate the walls.
8.  The rest room is shared, which did not bother me until I went to shower, then all of my wife's germa-phobe stories came to my mind.
9.  Since your room is next to the bathroom, all night long you get to listen to people walking by the your door, some laughing to use the bathroom.
10.  The final straw was the stairway that ran outside the room.  I should have taken a picture.  It was comical.  The windows in my room were high, but there was a stairway that ran from a patio out back to the cafeteria.  Anyone climbing the stairs could see right into your room, and they did.
11.  No air-conditioning.

That's the last straw.  I called my wife.  She set me up in a Fairfield in San Carlos.  It cost $50 more to stay there, but oh my, it was well worth it.  Isn't it funny when some of our worst moments are self-created, self-inflicted.

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

Holiness

There is a holiness in the redwood forest.  It is a feeling that is beyond description.  I wonder if the tall canopy gives us a sense of space or a sense of awe.  We build high ceilings in our churches, they somehow provide a sense of the holy.  In the redwood forest, there is a natural sense of awe, an awareness of the holy.  You can feel that we are a small part of something so much bigger.  It is amazing to think that some of these trees have been here for 1500 years!  And they will be there long after I am gone.  God is big.  Really big.  And he owns some really big beautiful trees!

 

 

 

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

Wildlife of the redwood forest

[by the way, I am back in town, I wrote these posts last week]

Nature is amazing.  Animals are amazing.  Before the Bible was speaking to us about God, creation was telling us how amazing he is.  Here are some of my animal pictures.

there are lots of deer here. There were four of them walking up the road when I took this picture.
They had absolutely no fear of me.  Isn't that nice?



I came back from dinner and I hear someone pounding on a sliding glass door.
I am on the second floor, and the pounding was below me and off to the side.
I thought, "Oh someone needs help."
When I looked over my balcony to see who it was, there were five turkeys
pecking on the sliding glass door!

These signs are posted all around the area.
I have not seen one yet, and I hope I don't.
That encounter would make a beautiful day less likely.
 

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

Redwood Forest-

I arrived at the camp at 1045pm, 1245pm California time.  I was tired.  It was late to be driving on those curvy roads.  I saw a 12 point buck standing alongside the roadway.

I am immediately impressed with the quiet that is here.  No TV, no radio, no cell service, no voices..... it is good.  Like a 24 hour a day silent prayer.

Since it was dark last night, I could see very little.  When I woke this morning I took this picture from the balcony of my room.

Breakfast was a welcome spread of scrambled eggs, sausage and blueberry yogurt.  Most exceptionally welcome since I did not get any dinner last night.

I am off to the forest to read.

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

7 day stretch

Well this is the end of what I think is the longest stretch I have ever filled in for Jeff.

At times this is a challenge for me to pull together enough thoughts to share. And even though I have been doing this since 2007 I still am worried about what I say and how I say it. (See yesterday’s post which is one of my concerns) This week went a little different. I was on vacation the week prior. I knew this was coming and so I prepared…I read more….took notes…read old notes from my journal….and prayed. Prayer led me to being open which led to the posts that were on my mind. Posting brought me peace.

If you know me you know I am big on being open and transparent. It is necessary to move forward in our faith, clean up our misdirection’s and heal our brokenness. I wish our Stephen Ministers were buried…not that I want people to be in need of that type of help, I just know there are lots of people in need that just fear what getting that type of help may require from them….

So, where is this all going? Nowhere actually…just my final thoughts to end a great week and say thank you Jeff for your trust in me to do this from time to time. I have grown so much because of this. Which leads me to praise God for the way he moves us and me…

Peace,
Lion’s Den Man

breathe

Do you ever have questions about God?

Does he remain a mystery?

I appreciate when people answer yes to those questions and better yet when they are willing to expose themselves by sharing those questions and or doubts they may have. There are some authors who do the same and I find my connection to God grows stronger when I have the chance to digest their thoughts and questions. Unfortunately being open and sharing things like your questions or understandings can be risky depending on your circle. And the bigger your circle the more exposure you have and the opportunity for someone to take you on or take you out is greatly increased. So often we keep it to ourselves or we keep it clean and neat and only talk about the things that everyone else agrees with…..

The problem is now the circle really becomes a circle but this time like when a dog chases his tail and the mystery of God and the pursuit of truth have been suffocated…….I think God likes it better when we breathe.

Peace,
Lion’s Den Man

do it

There was a great UPS commercial several years back where a pair of consultants come visit a company and lay out a great plan to help the company change, grow, get better etc. The owner of the company responds to their plan by saying “great, do it”. Their response was…”well sir we don’t actually do what we propose we just propose it……”

It makes me wonder how often I know what I should do, yet I do not do it, I only talk about it…

James 1:22

22 But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.

Peace,
Lion’s Den Man

a good day

Ephesians 4:26

26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.

Can you have a good day knowing, at days end, that you are not at peace with those in your life? I can’t. The day just falls short. I agree with whoever first said, “Life is too short’” So…why not make each day a good day.

Peace,
Lion’s Den Man

spiritual growth

I’ve been reading a book by John Ortberg called “The Me I want to Be”. Reading always seems to keep me in the flow and I feel more in tune with things around me. But, that’s not the case for everyone. By design we are different, unique and have certain things that put us in that “zone” where we feel in tune with the Spirit.

Ortberg writes, “How often do we get burdened because we try to weld weapons that have helped someone else in the battle? We hear about how someone else prays, or reads Scripture to start or end their day, or worships, or studies, or serves—and we feel guilty if we don’t do the same. We get frustrated because what works for someone else is not helpful to us. We are like David trying to walk around in Saul’s armor.”

I believe there is a place set aside for each of us by God where we find ourselves very alive and very close to Him. If you haven’t found it…..keep looking you will.


Ephesians 2:10

10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.


Peace,
Lion’s Den Man

at peace

Proverbs 14:30

30 A heart at peace gives life to the body,
but envy rots the bones.


Envy. It is spoken about because it is real and every person experiences it to some degree. Why? .......A lack of peace. Peace in being who you are and what you are. The kind of peace that frees you to be you and move forward.

Find your pain, examine it, understand it, then hand it over and be at peace.

Peace,
Lion’s Den Man

a perfect plan

Ephesians 4:16

16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

I love how doing good things not only helps someone else but makes me feel good and helps me as well. I use to think that was a selfish thing until I came across this verse.  I now see it as God’s plan. I do my part, play a role in His plan and in doing so He feeds and grows me in the process.

A perfect plan by the perfect plan maker….

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

unconditional

God loves you.  Unconditionally.

Jesus loved the lepers.  Unconditionally.  Jesus loved the tax collector. Unconditionally.  Jesus loved the children. Unconditionally.  Jesus loved the woman at the well.  Unconditionally.  Jesus loved Nicodemus.  Unconditionally.  Jesus loved the prodigal son.  Unconditionally.

No conditions.  No rules.  Love.  Unconditional. 

The amazing thing about this is that love changes people.  What you can't do by pouring guilt on people, love can accomplish.  Love reconciles.  Love reaches.  Love forgives.  Love welcomes.  Love heals.

Jesus loved the lost sheep unconditionally.  Jesus loved the hungry, unconditionally.  Jesus loved the prostitute, unconditionally.  Jesus loved the sinner.  Unconditionally.  Jesus loved the thief on the cross, unconditionally.

And let's not forget this- Jesus loves you, unconditionally.

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

the message

So what is the message of the Christian faith?  So many churches offer so many answers to this question.  Some will tell you that:

-God loves you if you straighten up
-God loves you if you believe just right
-God loves you if you stop sinning
-God loves you if this
-God loves you if that
-God loves you if

None of that is good news.  But the true gospel is good news.  And there is another way to describe the message of the Christian faith.  Here it is:

God loves you.
There is no if.
God loves you.
no if.
none.
God loves you

It is not one of many views on the Christian message.  It is the Christian message.  The moment someone adds and "if" to it, the message has been perverted and it is no longer good.

Grace isn't an alternative message of Christianity.  It is the message.

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

Book

My favorite book of all time is Walking on Water by Anthony Demello.  It is for sale in the church bookstore for $2 over our cost.  Demello died at the age of 56 in 1986.  He was a Catholic priest from India.  He grew up around Buddhists, Muslims, and the very poor.  His book is a delightful picture of a life paradigm that offers busy Americans more peace, freedom, happiness and joy.  If you are looking for a book to read, this one changed my life.

I put this book in the hands of many people.  Here is what one reader recently wrote to me about the book.  And yes, the book is really this good....

The book you shared with me is amazing! I can see why you re-read it a couple of times a year. I wish I had had it about 6 years ago. It answers many questions I have had for a long time. I was able to identify with a lot of the difficulties mentioned in the book. I very much appreciated the answers and illustrations to assist me. I definitely had lived the "robot" life while being in a state of fear and anxiety.... just trying to holding on .......

I am trying to figure out who I am and who God created me to be. Because I was in turmoil and numb for so long, in some ways I feel like a child just learning about the world around me...a kind of re-birth. I don't know if that makes any sense. It has been so long since I have been able to stop and smell the roses (live in the present) and even know what it is like to be truly loved by someone who accepts me for who I am. ....... I am going to have to work at re-framing my thoughts as I know that God's purpose for my life is still being revealed. I believe the exercises in the book will help me reconnect with God in a way that I have never been able to do before. That is exciting!

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

bookstore

One of the things that I love about our church is our little bookstore.  We offer some of my favorite books for sale.  There are also some nice Christian cards and gifts.  Used books are priced at $2.

What ever we buy a book for, we mark it up about $2.  That is to cover the cost of items that just disappear from the bookstore.  Yes, some folks take things and don't pay.  We are not in it to make money, but to get great literature into the hands of our members and friends. 

If you are looking for something to read, check our the bookstore.  Good stuff, great values.

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

plagiarism

Do I even know how to spell plagiarism?  Let's just call it, "it" for the rest of the blog.  Plagiarism, it, will get you fired, it will get you flunked out of a class.  It is writing verbatim someone else's ideas and claiming them as your own.

The other day, I posted on the topic of the "drug of approval."  A reader was right to call me on this.  It is an idea that is discussed in Anthony Demello's book, Walking on Water.  Which by the way is one of my favorite books.

Well, I don't ever mean to plagiarize the work of others.  Fact is, according to the old testament book, Ecclesiastes, "there is nothing new under the sun."  I have no new ideas.  I have no original ideas.  Everything that I know, or think I know, I learned from someone else.  From Anthony Demello, Bob Tuttle, Jim Ireland, Paul Brinkman, Bob Fillmore, and the list goes one.

I will often write about some idea, I don't always think to credit the person I heard it from.  Sometimes I don't even remember who I heard it from, but I will never tell you that it is my original idea. 

So, the drug of approval, and about 40% of everything else that I think, came from the writings of Anthony Demello.  If you have not read any of his books, I encourage you to do so.  Walking on Water is available in our bookstore at church.

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

radio show

You are invited to tune in on Tuesdays at 4pm to 1030am for our radio show, "Welcome to Woods Chapel."  We have done this now for about six weeks.

Topics have included:  Grace, atheism, forgiveness, guilt, change and when bad things happen.  We have tried to offer topics that nonbelievers and nominally Christian people might benefit from.  If you want to listen to them you can find them at:

http://www.woodschapelchurch.org/#/worship/wcc-radio-show

Also we are looking for more ideas.  If you have a good idea for a theme for a weekly radio show, please post a comment.

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

denominations pt 2

Someone posted this comment.  Let me comment on the comment.  Also, as a side note, sometimes when I cut and paste items into the blog they don't show up very well, so I am working on a way to highlight the pasted items so that they are readable both in an email and on the blog.

Here is the comment.

As I began to ask you some questions that mentioned non-denominational churches and their growing popularity, I began to Google the question, and here's what seemed key. The main reason for their popularity is that they are meeting needs. Jeff, do you find that busy people today are eager to have what they do matter. In addition to a church meeting needs in the member's own life, I think when they spend their time they want to be sure they are meeting needs and not going through perfunctory rituals that have become "sacred tradition." Do you find this in the people you minister to at WCC? I personally think the reason WCC is so vital and alive, is that our church is meeting needs all the time

Now my comment on the comment.
Do churches meet needs?  Some churches meet the dysfunctional needs of congregants to feel right and superior.  Some churches meet the needs of congregants to learn or worship or find friendship. 

I agree that people want to have what they do matter.  I want us to teach people to live beyond themselves.  To find a life that is full because we have given ourselves away.  To me, this kind of missional living provides for the needs of others, and we are filled along the way.  It is a healthy fullness of joy.  Doing that for which we were created.

Some do just settle for rituals and sacred traditions.  Others are energized by them.  One of my favorite moments of Sunday morning is to sing the doxology at 8am.  "Praise God from whom all blessings flow.  Praise him all preachers, I mean creatures, here below."

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

denominations

Someone asked me to write about the purpose of denominations.  Let me write about the role of Methodism, not all denominations operate the same.  Some keep a strong connection over churches and pastors while others are very loose affiliations of churches.

1.  The Methodist denomination serves as an ordaining body to verify the ability of a person to be a pastor.  Sometimes churches that are not connected to a denomination ordain anyone they want, with no concern for their educational requirements.

2.  The Methodist denomination holds together various forms of doctrines and beliefs.  They say in effect, "this is who we are and what we believe."  Churches that do not have this covering can believe in all sorts of things. For example the Westboro Baptist church.

3. The Methodist  holds its pastors accountable for doctrine and behavior.

4.  The Methodist denomination is a place where churches can work together.  We are a part of a larger connection.  Think of all the work that was done in Joplin by the Methodists.

5.  The Methodist denomination provides systems and structures to help pastors and churches be successful.  We are in effect, a part of a family.  The Methodist family.

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

quote

A friend shared a quote from a writer named Robert Brault.

"Today I bent the truth to be kind, and I have no regret, for I am far surer of what is kind than I am of what is true."

I love it.

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

movies

So I watched one of my favorite moves the other night, Harold and Maude.  Filmed around 1972 in the San Francisco bay area, it stars Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort.  It is one of those movies about growing up.  It is about coming of age.  It is about deciding to live.  I got to thinking about so many other "coming of age" movies, and I came up with a list:

Harold and Maude
Stand by Me
The sisterhood of the travelling pants
Sandlot

I am sure that there are more that you can think of, please help me add to the list.

These movies somehow just stick right in our hearts. I am glad for them.  I think of them and they make me happy.  It is comforting to know that we survived growing up.

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

I loved this, Part three

While I agree with the comment from the other day, [see the post from Wednesday] I do feel that I made some good points. 

Yes we are Christians before we are Methodists, but, not all churches are the same.  In fact, some denominations are so brutal, I want to shrink back and hide from their theology.

I love grace because guilt is so painful.  So many churches are filled with guilt.  A young man that started going to our church was asked why he left his past church and landed here.  He said, "I got tired of feeling bad when I left church on Sunday."

I love the essentials because they really matter, and God is not going to give us a test over doctrinal peripherals when we get to heaven.  Some churches get lost in the minutia and actually think it is important, and that they have just the right spin on it.

I love missions.  There are many churches that are not engaged in missions.  They have forgotten the teachings of Jesus, pulled the wagons into a circle and tend to feel smug.  They have forgotten that faith is not just believing, but also doing.

So, although I would agree that I am a Christian first, I am also a Methodist by choice.

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

I loved this, part two

So regarding the concept of denominations and how we can easily get caught up in them.  I have a joke that I pull on friends that are visiting you from out of town.  Here is how it plays out.

It is after service on a Sunday.  Someone is coming through the line shaking hands.  They introduce me to their relative from out of town.  The relative says, "I'm a Presbyterian."  Then I like to say, "Oh, sorry, no Presbyterians [or whatever denomination they are] in heaven."

They routinely look at me with a puzzled face.  Then I tell them, "no Presbyterians, no Baptists, no Methodists.  We are all finally on the same team."  I like a good joke.

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

I loved this, part one

To what I posted on Saturday about Barry Manilow and such, I received this comment, which I dearly loved.  I am going to write about it for a couple of days.  Here is the comment:

Okay Jeff, I suspect that in your job you are often reminded that you are accountable for holding to Methodist beliefs, and "doing what Methodists do."

From a layperson's perspective, although I'm a member at WCC, I rarely if never spend any time thinking about or defending the fact the I'm a Methodist.

I continually identify with being a Christian in a world where other believers live out their faith in Jesus Christ in various Christian denominations. If someone takes the Jesus factor out and who He is and wants to be in our lives, that's where I would begin to find issues.

I don't even feel like a Methodist, if there's supposed to be something unique about being one. In fact, I cannot find the word Methodist, Presbyterian, Assembly of God, Baptist, or whatever, in the Bible.

Part one- I love how you readers read this blog stuff and are usually smarter than I am.  This person hit the nail on the head!  We must always be open to hearing from and learning from others.  This person's comments were right on the mark.  Who is speaking into your thoughts?  Is your brain open?  Is your life paradigm open?

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

loneliness

So I have written before about Princess Kiki, aka "the fat cat."  We had her for two years and never saw her.  She hid from everyone and everything.  Finally we got her to come out of her shell and overcome her fears.  That might have been a mistake.  Now, she follows me like a puppy.  She has made friends with Lou the dog.  Her desire for attention takes precedence over everything.  In fact, as I type this blog, she is laying on my arm and it is falling asleep.  She can't get enough of the lovin.

I got to thinking..... as much as she loves being loved on now, what were those first two years like?  What was it like to live in fear?  What was it like to not know about love?  What was it like to skulk around in a shadow life?

And then I remember that many humans live like this too.  Afraid to be vulnerable, afraid to be rejected, simply existing in a world turned in.

If this is you, come out of your shell.  Risk it.  Keep risking it, even if you find rejection.  Overcome the pain and the fear and extend some love.  Somewhere, it will be returned, it will come back to you.  Don't waste one more day of your life being lonely.  Life is too good and life is too short.


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

facebook

Facebook warning:  I am not a good facebook person.  Please do not try to email me on facebook or expect me to participate in facebook things.  It is too much for my brain and I am not interested in my phone being blown up with all of the silly things that are sometimes posted by my friends.

I will check facebook from time to time, but I rarely post anything there.  Consequently, I miss parties that I am invited to, I don't reply to email in a timely manner from facebook, and I am often out of the loop on things that people think that I should know about.

If you want me to know something, please email my church account at Jeffb@woodschapelchurch.org
I am sorry, but sometimes it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks.  With writing a sermon every week, writing a weekly radio show, writing a monthly article from the newsletter and a daily blog, my brain is not going to take on facebook.

In fact, I find some of the electronica that has been added to our lives in the last 20 years detrimental to life.  I used to go out to dinner with my family.  Now I go out to dinner with my family and they are all texting on their phones.  I used to stand in the line at the supermarket and be friendly with people.  Now I stand in the supermarket line and listen to them talk on the phone.  Elevators used to be a sanctuary for introverts.  Not any more.  Before email, I used to talk with people in person or on the phone.

Not all technology is good for people.  I for one am reserving some time for the good old life.

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

Psalm 139

From my friend Bill C.


Back in the 70s/80s a book by Leslie Brandt was much loved.  It was called “Psalms / Now” and is a contemporary restatement of the Psalms.  I especially remember Psalm 139: 1-10:

 

O God, You know me inside out,  through and through.

Everything I do,

            every thought that flits through my mind,

            every step I take,

            every plan I make,

            every word I speak,

    You know, even before these things happen.

You know my past;

    You know my future.

Your circumventing presence covers my every move.

Your knowledge of me sometimes comforts me,

            sometimes frightens me;

    but always it is far beyond my comprehension.

 

There is no way to escape You, no place to hide.

If I ascend to the heights of joy,

    You are there before me.

If I am plunged into the depths of despair,

    You are there to meet me.

I could fly to the other side of the world

    and find You there to lead the way.

I could walk into the darkest of nights,

    only to find You there

            to lighten its dismal hours.

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

Barry Manilow

Our brains think of random things.  I woke yesterday morning humming a Barry Manilow song.  It reminded me of a time when some friends made fun of me because I like his music.  It was all in good nature.  Then I got to thinking of other things that I have been made fun of for.....

Not being popular in high school.  Having a crummy car.  Not being a very good athlete.  Being socially awkward.  Having a certain kind of job.  Being old.  Losing my hair.  Having red splotchy skin.  Being a Methodist.

Of all of those things, the only one that bothers me today is being made fun of for being a Methodist.  Actually it doesn't bother me, I am not going to take the drug of approval, [see post from a couple of days ago] but I am not going to shy away from being a Methodist.  I am in fact, proud to be a Methodist.

My mom didn't want me to be a Methodist.  For some reason, that was not good enough, not spiritual enough.  Over the years, the rest of the make fun of Jeff for being a Methodist kind of goes like this.  Catholics have mass.  Disciples of Christ have communion every Sunday.  Baptists have the true and only right and righteous method of baptism.  Assemblies of God has speaking in tongues.  What do Methodists have? One friend used to call the Methodists "brand X Christians." 

Well let me say a word about some of why I love being a Methodist.

1.  Methodists focus on the essentials.  They don't fight over peripherals.  Just the facts Ma'am.  Let's not get separated over matters of opinion or get lost in the minutia.
2.  Methodists are focused on grace.  They don't tell others who is going to heaven or hell.  They leave that up to God.  They focus on the remedy [God's love] not the problem of sin.
3.  Methodists are actively involved in mission.  They see the faith as something to be lived, not just something to be believed.

So, I am still losing my hair, I still have red splotchy skin, I do listen to Barry sometimes, and I am proud to be a Methodist.

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

nice night

Last night was a nice night.  We sat on the deck and visited.  After that, I sat out by myself and listened to the birds sing.  Oh, that reminds me of something I read not too long ago.

This would be for someone who feels that they can't do something because they are not the best at it.  Maybe even mediocre at a thing.

"If only the birds with good voices sang, the forest would be a very quiet place."

Is God asking you to use your gifts?  Then just do your best.  Get in the game.  Get your licks in for Jesus.

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

Dad

So I was asked to write about my Dad as well.  My Dad was a good man.  He worked hard his whole life.  He struggled with addiction but kept at it.  He raised three kids and paid the bills.  He was hard on us, but he was trying to prepare us for the difficulties of life.

There are a lot of things that you don't appreciate when you are young, that later in life, you see what your Dad was trying to teach you.

Dad was an engineer at Ford Motor Company in Claycomo.  After Mom died, he joined our church.  That was a great day for me.  After 9-11 I called him up and asked for his advice. 

ME:  Dad is this anywhere close to Pearl Harbor?
Dad:  Son, it is worse.  Pearl Harbor was military on military.  This was done to innocent civilians.
ME:  Dad, there are going to be a lot of people in church on Sunday.  I am nervous about what to say.
Dad:  Son, look into your heart and you will find the words to say.

To my dying day I will remember watching my Dad wander in the back on the sanctuary on the Sunday after 9-11.  It meant the world to see him there and feel his support.

Dad had a routine.  Coffee at home for breakfast.  Lunch and dinner were at Romanelli's in Waldo.  When he was 18, he has his first beer there, so he remained a loyal customer.  On February 2nd, 2002 Dad had a stroke and died coming out of Romanelli's.  He was 74.  I was 44.

The funeral was at Mt. Moriah at 105th and Holmes.  I did the service.  I will never forget being at the visitation and the number of my friends that came in the back door and wandered up to pay their respects.  Those moments just stay with you.

I miss my dad.  Still.  I really did not get to know him until after Mom died.  Dad was a great guy. 

So the moral of this story is...... Hug the people that you love.   Appreciate them.  Meet them for lunch.  Spend time caring for them.  You will be glad that you did.

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

Mom

Someone asked for me to write about losing my mom.  I have been putting it off, but here goes.  Mom died July 17, 1995.  She was 62.  I was 37.

In March of 1995 mom went to the doctor for a routine exam.  He noticed that something was protruding from under her rib cage.  She had not been feeling badly, it was a random find.  They sent her for a CT scan.  Liver cancer.  Later to be diagnosed as lung cancer that metastasized to the liver. 

We tried to get Mom and Dad to go to M.D. Anderson in Houston, but they did not want to do so.  They were content to stay with their local doctors.  Mom took chemo and went through lots of tests and procedures. 

Mom went to a church that taught that if you had enough faith, you could be healed of anything.  She believed that she was  going to be healed.  Consequently, she really was not interested in talking through some of the things that you might want to talk with someone about who might be dying.  Whatever our issues were, she left them to us to resolve on our own.  Mom died on July 17, 1995.

The funeral was held at the Muelbach funeral home at 6700 Troost.  A group from our church sang "It is well with my soul."  I did the memorial message.  My friend David Van Giesen led the grave side portion.

It was strange to lose your Mom.  It was the first time that I had lost a person that close.  Your brain thinks about a lot of things.  Fortunately, we were raising three small children at the time and they kept us pretty busy. 

I still feel badly when I talk to people who are 75 years old and they are going to visit their mom.  I did not get to have my mom as long as I would have liked, but everyone loves their mom.  Sometimes I wish that she had been allowed to see my children grow up.  She would have been so proud.

So, the moral of the story is that we all need to appreciate the people that we have in our lives.  No one lives for ever, and we should be grateful for our loved ones.  Take a moment now to pray for them and give thanks to God for them.

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

the drug of approval

Most everyone I know, at one time or another, has been addicted to the drug of approval.  We want the approval of our father, we want the approval of a friend, we want the approval of a partner. 

A ten year old girl walks into the room wearing a pink dress.  We say, "Oh, my you look wonderful!"  She beams with joy.  The next day she walks into the room wearing a green dress.  We look at her and say, "Green?  It's not your best color."  Her countenance falls and she is crushed.  She is addicted to the drug of approval.

All of us would prefer to be liked.  We would prefer to be approved of.  We would prefer praise to criticism.  There are some people that it is pretty important to have their approval.  Your boss would come to mind.  If he or she doesn't approve, it could mean a job change.

But for the most part, we are way too worried about getting others to like us.  What if we spent our energy living and loving, instead of worrying about if everyone liked us?  Maybe they act that way because something is wrong with them instead of you?  Maybe they will never be pleased.

Live well.  Do right.  Love all.  But spend your days in celebration and joy instead of worry.  Don't buy the drug of approval.  God approves already and he is the only one that ultimately gets a vote.

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

Annual Conference

The Annual Conference of the Missouri United Methodist Church was held this year on June 7-10.  The conference is a time of reports and voting and worship and rekindling of friendships.  This year, I was asked by the Bishop to deliver the Sunday morning sermon to the conference. 

The service was held at the Juanita Hammonds center on the campus of Southwest Missouri State in Springfield.  I have now had several members give me grief over the fact that no one was informed of this.  Good natured grief, but a disappointment that no one was told.  Some would have prayed for me, others said that they would have gone to participate had they known.

I apologize to you, and this is my fault.  It was quite an honor, and I just could not find a way to tell you that I was asked to do this, without it sounding self-promoting.  It still feels a little funny to post this. 

So some of our musicians went down and led worship, and I got to preach, and here is the link if you want to listen.  The topic for the conference was "praying hands and dirty fingernails."  This topic was from a blog the bishop wrote about how true prayer drives us to the work of the kingdom.

Here is the link if you would like to listen:

https://new.livestream.com/woodschapel/events/2189022

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

quiet

Quiet.  Shh.  Sometimes quiet is good.  It is peaceful.  It is good for the soul.  When I was a child, my father used to tell me that I talked too much.  Imagine that!  When I was a teenager, he would sometimes say, "Jeff, you just don't know when to shut up."

That always kind of bothered me, until I got older, and then it started to make sense.  Imagine that!  Something that my father said, made sense as I got older.

Sometimes words don't help.  Sometimes walking away from an argument is better.  Sometimes a hug to a friend who is hurting is better than untimely words.  Pat answers never help.  At times, your presence may be more important than your opinion in a marriage.

Quiet.  There are many good reasons for it.  Most of us need more of it.  Shh.  Be still and know that I am God. Ps. 46:10

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

self vs selfish

Selfishness sure is ugly isn't it?  I watch people work to take care of themselves, to the detriment of many others, and I am just amazed.  Healthy people are willing to make sacrifices for the common good.  They never hurt others intentionally and apologize if it should ever happen on accident.

Broken people are anxious and are consumed with self.  Healthy people still have a self, but they are not selfish.  They are able to live outside themselves and care for others.  Have you noticed when all is well in our world, we are much better at being nice to others?  And conversely, when we are consumed by some problem, we don't even see other people.

Every now and then it is a good idea to tell yourself that all is well.  Tell your self to relax.  Take a chill pill.  It will all work out. 

The moment we get our eyes off of our own mess, we can start to love others.

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

life

Today I am 56 years old.  Happy Birthday. 

I am thankful for every birthday.  I am thankful for every day.  My mom died when she was 62.  My sister and I talk about this quite a bit.  She is 58.

This ride of life isn't going to last forever. 

But now back to happier thoughts.  Today I will do some wonderful things.  Since it is my day off, few of them will involve church.  I will work on a sermon today, but mostly I am going to do cool things.  I am going to sleep in a bit [already did that part.]  I am going to walk in the yard, I am going to clean the garage [which actually is a treat for a tool guy] I am going to go on a bicycle ride and I am going to say thank you to God a bunch for the gift of this day.

God is great.  Life is good.  Very good.

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

4th of July

Today is the 4th of July.  I am proud to be an American.  I am more proud to be a Christian.  I have to remember on the 4th, that there are Christians in every country in the world, not just here.  We also must remember that in addition to being citizens of this land, we are citizens of God's kingdom.

I am also proud to be your pastor.  It is a great privilege.  I count it one of my life's greatest joys.

Enjoy today with your family and friends.  You are wonderful.

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

yard

I find much joy in the garden of our yard.  Here are some more pictures of the beautiful things that God is growing at our home.

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

surprise!

Every now and then we get a very big surprise.  I had one the other night.  My entire family of five went out to dinner at La Fuente.  Anytime we do this, I end up with the bill and it is usually $80 or so.

The other night when we were done, I asked for the bill.  The server said that our bill had been paid.  I asked by who.  He looked at my daughter Jenny.  She smiled.

JENNY PAID THE BILL!!  Jenny is 24. 

This is so exciting for me on several fronts.  First of all, Jenny has a job and makes enough money to pay the bill.  Secondly, Jenny manages her money in a way that she is able to pay the bill.  Finally, and the biggest thing of all is this:  Jenny wanted to pay the bill.

I was a very proud parent.

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

Jaguar

I saw a Jaguar dodging through traffic.  It caught up to me and popped into my lane.  There was a fish emblem on the back of their car.

If Jesus required a certain driving decorum before people could put fish on their cars, I wonder if there would be fewer fish on cars?

Personally, I would rather simply drive like a Christian.

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

as the deer

Behind our home is a little meadow and a water retention pond.  The retention pond is full of trees.  Sometimes the pond is dry, but routinely, especially when it has rained, there is a little brook that wanders through.

Deer drop by from time to time to drink the water, eat the grass and rest in the meadow.  After dodging cars and jumping fences all day, I am sure that it is a peaceful rest for their souls.

"As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs for you O God."  Psalm 42:1

May you find a place of rest for your soul today.

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

pulling weeds

Jesus separated the weeds from the wheat.  He recognized that there was some good stuff and some stuff that had to go.  It is probably true for all of us, parts of us are great and parts of us need some work. 

I have been pulling weeds at home lately.  Volunteer elm trees and volunteer red buds.  Milk weed, thistles, chickweed, and weedy weed.  They all just show up from time to time.  My friend in the Lawn business, Jon, tells me that if you don't get something good to grow on bare ground, nature is going to make something grow there and you may not like it.

From time to time we need to take a look at ourselves and admit to the weeds that are in our gardens.  Be honest with God and let God pull them.  The Holy Spirit is always working to make us sweeter and it will happen if we allow room for it.

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

reread

Reread that classic.  I read good things and am very impressed by them.  I think that the ideas will stick, then a month later, I have forgotten them.  I may even read them again somewhere else and recognize the information but forget where I first heard it.

Consequently, I am going to be on a bit of an unofficial quest to reread some of the books that have made a difference in my life.  I am hopeful that their insights will come alive to me again.  We all need new insights.

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

Titles

If you are  looking for something to read, I want to offer some titles.  And by the way, I would encourage everyone to read, not just for enjoyments sake, but to read to learn.  To read to open up the paradigm of one's mind.  I love a good book of stories, but I also love the books that cause me to stop and rethink my path.  We never grow when all we read simply reinforces what we already think.  The best books cause us to really think about who we are and how we live.

Here are some pretty good titles, most of them are available at the church bookstore.

The Pursuit of God, by A.W. Tozer
The Orthodox Heretic, by Peter Rollins [coming soon]
Total Forgiveness, by R.T. Kendall
The Velvet Elvis, by Rob Bell
Walking on Water, by Anthony Demello
What's so Amazing about Grace, by Phillip Yancey

If you have not read all of these, I encourage you to pick one of them up.

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

weathered pages

I love books.  I love old books.  I have a collection of old books.  It used to be larger, but keeping books around can become very troublesome.  Very heavy.  Bordering on hoarding.  So I have given many of my old books away.

I have a set of Charles Dickens from the 1860's.  I have an old Dante's Inferno.  I have the Works of Wesley.  [not the originals]

One of the things that I found odd about old books was how they weathered, greyed, became brittle and smelly.  Sometimes old books just fall apart in your hands.

The other day, I opened up one of the oldest books that I purchased new in 1984.  It was a copy of The Road less Travelled.  To my surprise, the pages are getting dry, brittle and smelly.  My book is now an old book.  It is after all, almost 30 years old.

I am no longer a spring chicken, but that is ok.  The good news about that, is that I was thinking and reading 30 years ago.  I hope you have something good to read.  Reading opens our mind and helps us solve our problems.

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

see the good

Someone is bothering you.  If you focus on that, it will just keep hurting.  If you did something wrong, apologize, but if you didn't do anything wrong then stop worrying about it.  Life is too short for us to worry about every single thing that we can't fix. 

We have to decide everyday.  Will we look down or will we look up?  Behind every cloud is the sky.  What do you see when you look?  The clouds or the sky?

God has given us a wonderful gift of life, and it is passing faster than we think.  Yesterday is gone, all we have is today.  Let's not waste any more time feeling bad.

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

Paul

Friday is my day off.  Sometimes I get free time and sometimes I have to work.  That's just the nature of the beast.  Last Friday I had a list of errands to run:  Harbor Freight Tools, Savers, A-1 Rentals, the gas station, etc.

When I came out of Savers I got into my car.  I was immediately approached by a homeless looking man.  He was saying, "I don't want money, I don't want money."  He looked kind of desperate, so I decided to listen to him.

All he wanted was a ride up the street, from 44th and Noland to 36th and Noland.  He had to get to the barber shop.  I said ok.  He got in my car.  Sorry about this, but he smelled.  Smelled of alcohol.  10 in the morning and he had tied a pretty good one on.  I introduced myself to him.  He told me that his name was Paul.  Paul.  That was my Dad's name. 

On the way to 36th and Noland, I thought about his life, I thought about his future.  I was glad to help him.  I hope he has better things come his way.  We said goodbye and he went into the barbershop.  I drove on to the next place on my list.

There are a lot of people in this world that need help.  A small effort on my part saved Paul a ten block walk on a very busy street on a hot day.

There is always someone to help if we are willing.

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

too complicated

Preparing sermons can be a pain in the neck.  You pray, you listen, and you work.  Routinely I get stuck in sermon preparation and I have to take a step back and look at it from another angle.  Often I see the problem- the sermon is too complicated.  Too many thoughts, too many things for my brain to follow.  And if my brain can't follow it, how can I expect anyone else to follow it?

So I simplify the thing, and it usually goes better.

I think there is a life lesson here.  Sometimes we make things too complicated.  We need to simplify.  We need to find a few really good things and focus on them.  When we try to focus on too much, we lose our focus and are prone to miss some of the really good parts of life.

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

wedding ring

I lost my first wedding ring a couple of years ago.  I went to play softball, I took it off and put it on my watch band, somehow, later that night on the way home, I had the watch but not the ring  I went back to look for it several times and never found it.

I went without a band for a year.  No one seemed to care.  After a year,  I got a new one.  Just the same.  Simple white gold band, no diamonds.

Three days ago, I lost the new one.  I spend several days retracing my steps.  I called several restaurants.  I remember taking it off and setting it down, thinking, "this is not a good idea, you are going to forget it."  And forget it I did.  I spent three days looking for it.  About the time I thought I had really lost it, I found it.

Everything that I lose is somewhere.  In fact, everything that I lose is right where I put it.  Right where I put it.  If I could just slow down and savor each moment, I would lose fewer things.  We are so busy we can't keep track of much of anything.  Time to slow down.  My favorite author says that if you can't remember where you left your keys, you are too busy.

Slow down.

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