revival

What an awesome season and postseason run for the Royals. It was great to see how many people (non-Royal included) joined in to root for this team in the postseason. This team brought baseball back to this baseball town. As Ken Rosenthal of Fox sports said, “This has been a revival for Kansas City baseball”

revival

• a period in which something becomes popular again after a long period of time
• the growth of something or an increase in the activity of something after a long period of no growth or activity
• renewed attention to or interest in something 

It was a great series. One of the best in a long time. Good ball clubs, well managed. A high level of sportsmanship. Two teams doing their best at what they are good at and conducting themselves in a manner that we all can admire. It’s what we like to see. It makes the game worth a little more….

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man 

fuel

I give thanks for Richard Rohr and some other things I have been reading and listening too lately. I have been a little “flat” and searching for interesting and inspirational things to share. Yesterday morning a little fuel for my tank was provided by a talk given at the Men’s Gathering. One of the many good points for discussion brought up was a poll that listed Latin America having the happiest people as a whole. Hmmm. Go figure. With all we have here in the USA we aren’t the happiest! This stuck with me because the night before I was searching for something of interest. I was browsing through a favorite book of mine “How Big is Your God” by Paul Coutinho. I ran across this underlined piece of the book. Cool how stuff like this works…..

Coutinho writes, “Our addiction to possessions does not allow for any quality time with ourselves, our families, our friends, or the Divine. Lost in the mire of this material world, we lose sight of anything spiritual. We become so engrossed in our material possessions that we lose our identity as spiritual beings and our freedom to fullness of life.”

I guess less equals more. Speaking for myself only…I couldn’t agree more.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

docta ignorantia

Ok I realized this is an easy out for me to copy and paste these posts but this is good stuff worth sharing.

“When you don’t balance knowing with not knowing, you get into the kind of religion and politics we have today which is very arrogant, falsely self-assured, can never admit when it’s wrong, and can never apologize because “I know!” According to the great spiritual teachers, ignorance does not result from what we don’t know; ignorance results from what we think we do know! Anybody who knows, knows that they don’t know, especially when they’re talking about God! Medieval Catholic theology called this docta ignorantia or learned ignorance.” - Richard Rohr

Personally, I struggle with people who know. I don’t want a confrontation and I believe some of this “knowing” will pass as they grow in their faith so I let it ride. Another problem I have is being open about what I struggle with or maybe don’t know when around this type of person. I find the situation suffocating at times. It’s tough. Love, I believe, is my best response.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

connected

From Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditation

“Most of us were not raised to understand that we are participating in something that is already happening. Rather, we were given tasks to accomplish individually and completely. This placed the entire burden on the single isolated person. That’s not participation. That’s perfectionism—thinking I have to do it all or that I can do it all (the American myth). I’m convinced that’s why we have so much of what we call negative self-image in the West—because of this impossible spiritual burden put on the separate individual. The Good News is that it’s not about being correct. It’s about being connected. When the Spirit within you connects with God’s Spirit given from without, you are finally home. Now you know that your deepest you is God, and Christ is living his life in you and through you and with you.” - Richard Rohr

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

positive words

I had a good exchange with a friend yesterday. It was his birthday, he was traveling so I sent a greeting to him via e-mail. He has had a positive impact in my life and so I shared a little of what that meant to me. In return he responded with a similar message. I admit it felt good to hear his thoughts.

It made me wonder how many opportunities I have missed where I could have taken the time to let someone know how much they have meant to me or others.

Everyone needs to hear a little of that from time to time and there is no time like the present.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

do you see it

I had to head home a little late last night and I stopped by the grocery store on the way. It was 7:30. The game had started. The place was virtualy empty. Everyone, it seemed, was watching the game. I heard several people comment about how busy the roads, the restaurants and the stores were on Thursday night. It was a travel day, no game so many were out…together. There is a buzz in the air. Cool stuff is happening as a bi-product of this baseball postseason. Time is being shared that hasn’t been share between friends in a while. Conversations are happening between strangers. Smiles are being exchanged between many. Common courtesies are on the rise. Pretty cool what happens when the good that is in life is seen and shared. Seeing the good, seeing the joys and participating in life is so important. The good is here every day, even after the post season. Look for it!

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

certainty

I don’t know about you but I have doubts about things regarding what I should believe and not believe. Well perhaps not doubts, but more so questions. So I seek answers. I have found some answers, but honestly most answers really just take me to a place where I ask more questions and so on and so on. I think if I didn’t have this need to ask questions, if I were so certain, my faith would not be alive and thriving. I believe my faith gains strength the more I dive into the unknown. I have to believe that God not only welcomes this pursuit, but desires it for all of us. What I am certain of is that I will never have all the answers, at least not in this life.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

how do you use it

I have been reading a few different books and devotionals lately. I wrote this one down to share.

“The gospel can’t be protected; neither can it be destroyed or confiscated.”

I liked it. I think it speaks volumes. Through time how often have we read about or witnessed man trying to control God’s message and use it in ways it was never intended to be used.  It happened before Christ came and it happens today. This writer went on to say, “Beware of those who take the flesh and want to turn it back into words.” Christ came to set us free. He came to provide clarity to what we could not understand. I think it is hard to put all of that back into words. I think seeing the words in action is a powerful thing and shows God we get it….

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

to lose

No one likes to lose.  But, in this life, we are all going to lose at one time or another.  The question is, when you get knocked down, what do you do? 

There was a song some years ago, the lyrics were, "I get knocked down, but I get up again."  It is a theory of life that I have been trying to teach my children from day one.  Bad things are going to happen.   It is a fact.  A person has to decide how they will respond.  Will you fold or will you get back up?

The Royals have this choice to make.  So do each of us, every single day.  Get up, go on.  Give it your best.  Never measure today by yesterday.

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

to bad mouth

One of my least favorite things in this life is when someone needs to bad mouth another person.  It is not necessary and it pollutes the air.

If you don't agree with the President, who ever it is, that is fine.  Don't say hateful things about him or her.  Don't make it personal.

If you don't like your boss, if you don't like the coach of the team, if you don't like the teacher, if you don't like the pastor [imagine that], if you don't like the author, that is all fine.  You don't have to like everything that a person says or does.  You don't have to like what they stand for. 

But it adds nothing to the day when we use our God given mouths to slam someone.  You can disagree and be civil.  It does not have to be hurtful. 

Hurtful speech hurts both those who hear it and those who deliver it.  Gracious speech on the other hand, is good for the soul.  Offer your mouth to praise.  It will lift your soul.

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

appearances

"Half of the work that is done in this world is to make things appear what they are not."
                                                                                   Elias Root Beadle


I understand that a little make up is needed or desired from time to time.  But life should be lived transparently.  No games.  No pretending. 


I have a friend that runs a contracting business.  One of their themes is "no short cuts."  They take a project down to the bones and make sure the work is done right.  No short cuts.  No covering over things that should be fixed.


What if we really let people see inside of us?  Maybe we would work harder on being kind and nice if everyone could actually see all the way in.


Jesus chastised the Pharisees for looking like a clean cup on the outside, but having hearts that were dirty and wrong.  May that never be said of us.


Some of my favorite people are what you see is what you get people.  No games.  No pretending.  Life is too short for any of that.


Be who you are.  Everyone else is already taken.


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

Go Royals!

Our City is infected with Royals fever!  It is so exciting.  It looks now as if Jesus may be a Royals fan.

No seriously, I want our church to be normal and relevant.  These banners go right to the heart of that.  I do not know whose idea this was... maybe Rachel Upp?  But it is brilliant.

A church that celebrates with the community is a great place indeed.

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

to believe in someone

Everyone needs someone to believe in them.  Everyone needs someone to give them a chance.  Every person that hired you along the way, gave you a chance. 

Not everyone has a proven track record.  Sometimes you have to give someone a chance.  I have met so many people who were filled with potential, and were just waiting for an opportunity.  If you have the power to do so, give some people the opportunity to thrive.  The world is a better place when everyone has a chance to be all that God made them to be.

And if you are looking to become more than what you currently are, do not shrink back from the opportunities that come your way.

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

More Bugs

Every fall when the weather gets colder the box-elder bugs come to hang out at our house.  They like to crawl into all sorts of places to stay warm.  Bugs beware.  I am the box-elder bug killing expert.  I am like a god to them.  I let them live or I wipe them out.


Last night I sprayed a bunch of them with my special concoction.  4% Dawn dish detergent and 96% water.  It works like a charm.  So if you are annoyed by these little dudes, find an almost empty spray bottle and mix yourself up some box-elder bug killer.

Is it wrong to be happy when I kill bugs?

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

the stars

I used to love to play softball but age and bad knees do take a toll.  I used to love to play softball, but I was not a very good hitter.  When I would come up to the plate, all of the outfielders would move up because I could usually only hit little dink shots. 

But three times in my life, the stars lined up and I got the bat on the ball just right and hit it over the left fielder's head.  Boy were they surprised.  So was I!  I remember their names and we joke about it to this day.

Every now and then the stars line up.  Your hard work pays off and the machine runs better than you ever thought it might.

Here is to the World Series bound 2014 Kansas City Royals!  They have worked hard, and the stars have lined up for them!  How exciting!

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

The town that wouldn't sleep

Do you remember when you were a kid and you could not sleep the night before your birthday?  Maybe it was Christmas eve and you were so excited that you could not sleep?

Kansas City is the town that cannot sleep.  At least I cannot sleep for watching and thinking about the Royals!

We are game away from the world series!  The last time this happened, I was serving a church in Oklahoma and was one year out of seminary.  There have been so many exciting plays!  It has been amazing.

I have gone to the games for years.  I generally try to hit all of the afternoon games.  There are usually 4 of them during a year.  We would joke that it's pretty nice - there is only about 5,000 people there.  You can park up close, buy a ticket for $10 and sit where ever you want.

All that is different now, and it may be different in the future.  General admission may go up to $20 per ticket.

I don't care.  I am excited for the Royals, for baseball, for all of my friends who love baseball and I am excited for our home town.  Right now, we are the town that cannot sleep.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to

see the good.

Second Chance Iris

It's a miracle.  It's a late bloomer.  It's a double bloomer.  It's a promise of grace.  It's a reminder that God is in control of the seasons.  It is a sign of hope.

This little group of Iris is blooming in October!  How exciting!  It's rainy and cold in Kansas City.  It feels like late fall, early winter, and these guys don't care.  Bloom baby, bloom!

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

spending

"Life begets life.  Energy creates energy.  It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich." 
                                                                                 Sarah Bernhardt

I hope that you are finding the joy of the generous life.  Anytime we try to hold onto something too tightly, it falls through our fingers.  It is in giving that we receive.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see, and be sure to give the goodness to others.

life

I keep running into people who think that life should be problem free.  I have to cut them some slack because I used to think that way as well.

Here is the truth.  If you live long enough, you will have to deal with being a teenager.  Dating, acne and all of that.  If you live long enough, you will have to deal with being an adult.  Yikes.  Somewhere along the line, you will upset your parents.  Then you will have kids.  Maybe.  If you do, they won't be perfect.  You will vacillate between joy and feeling like a failure. 

Then they will graduate and go to college - or not.  Then they will move out.  Then they will want to move back in.  You will look back on your life and wonder if it is possible for you to go home and be a child again. 

Here is the good news..... along the way, through the ups and downs, God is with us.  We are not alone.  Remember to love others and keep trying to do the right things -  and God is with us.  That brings a smile to my face.  He is the heartbeat of a life, he is the foundation of the house, he is the core of the philosophy.  When everything else seems fleeting, we can depend on our Father.  You can lean on him.

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

I can't watch

These extra inning games and these close games make me so nervous.  I can't sit and watch.  I have to get up and wander around.  Back and forth I go, hoping, but unable to sit still through it all.  We pray for our team to win, they pray for their team to win.

The winners are giddy, the losers are glum.  Does God even care who wins baseball games?  Johnny Damon is a Royal and we love him.  Then we trade him to the Yankees and he is no longer loved. 

Sports are entertaining, but we have to remember, they are not the main thing.  If your team doesn't win, you don't have to quit your job.

No matter how these games come out, life is good and God is with us.  Baseball is after all, a game.

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

ha ha

This is kind of gross, but its also kind of funny.  I hate tomato worms.  They are disgusting, and they do nothing but harm to our tomatoes. 

I had heard about this malady that befalls the tomato worms, but I actually saw it the other day.  The white things on the back of the hornworm are the larvae of a particular species of wasp.  They lay their eggs into the back of the worm and then the eggs hatch and eat the worm from the inside out.  Poetic justice.

Why am I sharing this with you?  I am taking a little joy in the downfall of this garden pest, and I am also again marveling at the complex and amazing nature of our Father's world.

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

help

Do you need help?  What if you needed help and no one ever came?  Some years ago I was out of town on Christmas Eve, trying to get home and the water pump went out in my car.  A trucker picked me up, drove me to the nearest town.  An auto parts store man opened his store on Christmas eve for me.  A mechanic put in the new pump and only charged me for the parts.

Every now and then, we need help and it is so nice to receive that help.  Did you help someone yesterday?  Will you help someone today?

There is a joy that comes in life when we help another.  So if the opportunity presents itself, be sure to lend a helping hand.  Go the second mile.  You will be glad that you did, and so will the person that you assisted.

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

wrong

There is nothing worse than insisting that you are right about a thing, and then finding out that you were wrong.  That was me yesterday.

So today, I have someone that I need to find and make an apology to.  A big apology.  For being wrong, for being insistent, for making them feel badly - at least all of that.

The only good to come from this is that I know the person will accept my apology.  Maybe I won't be so insistent in the future.

To err is human, to forgive is divine.  To admit you are wrong and apologize if pretty good too.

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

my son

My son Scott is coming home for a visit!  He has been working on the road for several months, mostly in Arizona and California.  We have all missed him so much.  This is a picture of him when he was roofing the Unity Village tower.  Yikes!

Even when they get big and all grown up, it is amazing how much we miss them.  Love is a wonderful thing.

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

to disagree

To agree to disagree is a wonderful thing.  To be able to say to a person, we don't agree, but I still love you and it won't come between us, that is a delightful gift.

In some churches, everyone is expected to agree.  Everyone must see it the same way, if you don't, then you are guilted and run out on a rail.  At Woods Chapel, you don't have to agree with the Pastor, or anyone else for that matter, to be a part of our fellowship.

John Wesley said, "on the essentials, let us agree, but on everything else, let us think and let think."  The kingdom of God is a big place with lots of different kinds of people in it.  Not all of them agree on everything, but they all love God and are glad to be in his family. 

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

confidence

Here's to confidence.  Where would we be without it?  I don't mean arrogance.  May we all flee from arrogance.  But in this life, a person needs a sense of "we can do this."

I was listening to the announcers of the Royals game on Thursday night.  They were so pro-Angels!  It was like they thought that these little wild card Royals will never win against the team with the best record in baseball.  What would have happened if they Royals thought the same way?

They were scrappy.  They were tough.  They stayed in the game.  They found a way to win.  Now we are 2-0 against those Angels.  I am praying that we keep doing well.

Someone one said, "work like everything depends on you and pray like everything depends on God."  We all need a dose of confidence in this life.  Otherwise, nothing would ever get done.  Rise to the challenges of this day and put your game face on.  Get in there and give life all that you have.

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

Gross

These bugs are gross.  They are technically known as Phasmids.  When I was a kid we learned to call them walking sticks, because they look like sticks.

We have several that live in our back yard and crawl on our deck.  I almost put my hand on this one that was on the hand rail.  It totally freaked me out.

I am sure they fulfill some role in God's plan.  I wonder if they are afraid of me.  I hope so.

It's God's world, not mine, and he can put in it, whatever he chooses.  And it is a beautiful, but scary day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

plastic wrap

One of the smartest tricks that I ever learned was to wrap a paint brush in plastic wrap.  If done carefully, a person can paint one day, wrap up the brush and go back several days later and unwrap the brush and continue painting.  It does not work with oil paint, but it saves a ton of time on washing out brushes.  You can also stick a paint roller inside a couple of plastic grocery bags and roll them up tight.   It will keep the roller soft and ready to use.

I used to hate to paint.  Now I love to paint.  And the change in feelings hinges on a few tricks learned along the way.  Sometimes learning a few convenient angles can make a huge difference in how we feel about a thing.

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

are we moving?

There is a rumor out there that the Brinkmans are moving.  Here is the scoop.

My wife travelled for 7 years.  On the road every week.  Leave Monday morning, return Thursday or Friday.  We had a weekend marriage for 7 years.

Two years ago she came off the road.  For a number of reasons that I am not going to go into here, she is talking about going back on the road and being based in Florida.  This means that we would sell the house here, she would get an apartment in Florida and I would get an apartment here.  When she found a town, a neighborhood and a house in Florida, we would buy it as our retirement home.

I would not join her until I retired, which is several years off.
I hope that clears up some of the discussion.

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

stories of Woods Chapel

I hear stories about Woods Chapel all the time.  Then I forget them.  I would love to start collecting them in writing so that we can remember our story.

I hear stories about softball teams, barbeque cook offs, the first Grace Place, old Camino stories, selling the old building, dreaming to add a gym to our building, installing the playground, planting the pine trees on the south property line, a child who collected presents for Spofford in lieu of birthday presents.  Someone was touched by a song.  Someone's life was changed on a mission trip.

What are your favorite Woods Chapel stories?

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

Go Royals!

Well this is a bonus post for today.  I usually only post once, but I have to add this one.

Go Royals!  I love baseball and I love going to the games.  Win or lose, it is fun to go and watch them play. 

But tonight is going to be very special.  We have not been in the playoffs since I was 28 years old.  If we have to wait that long for the next time, I will be 85 the next time they are in.

I thank my friend for inviting me to the game tonight.  It is very exciting!

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

things that I like reading about

World War 2.  Christian Saints.  Monks.  St. Francis.  The siege of Stalingrad.  Ancient battles.  The Arab-Israeli conflict.  How the mind works.  Books of short stories.  Tolstoy.  G.K. Chesterton.  Rob Bell.  Auto repair manuals.  Collections of sermon illustrations.  Early explorers.  The Mayan civilization.  Christian self-help.  Go-Dog-Go.

What do you like to read?

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

questions

This coming Sunday night we are having an evening service at 5pm in the worship center.  It is the last of a series of three.  The first week we talked about the mission, vision and values of Woods Chapel.  Last night we talked about Revelation, the second coming, and baptism.  Next Sunday night I am planning a question and answer time.

What would you like to know about the church?  What would you like to know about the Bible?  What are you interested in that you might like me to comment on?  Please email me with your questions or just post them on the blog.

The session will be livestreamed so you can watch it online, or I will post the responses to your questions on the blog if you indicate that is your preference.

Thanks for your help.

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

choosing

Life is full of choices.  Sometimes we make choices that hurt the people that we love.  Over time, distance can grow between people that were once deeply in love.

Years ago, when I was in my 20's I asked my mom about her relationship to Dad.  She did not have much good to say.  I asked her if she could try to make it better.  She said that she had tried and tried for many years and that she was just not going to try anymore.

How sad!

Friends, we don't have to settle for pain and distance.  We can keep working on relationships.  Every Sunday in church we can go to our Father and ask for help.  In fact, we can ask him for help, anytime, anywhere, any day.

Please don't ever give up on an important relationship.  They can usually get better if we stay after it.

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

the devil

I have to bring this up from time to time.  Some people talk like the devil [little d devil] is the opposite of God.

What ever we think about the devil, he is not the opposite of God.  He is a created being.  He has a beginning.  He is not eternal.  He was an archangel just like Michael and Gabriel. 

What do we think about Gabriel?  Do we think Gabriel knows everything?  Do we think he is everywhere all at the same time?  No we don't.  We think he is an angel.  So is the devil, he is a fallen angel.  He can't be at everyone's house, tempting all of us at the same time.  We are usually tempted by our own lusts and we need to take responsibility for that and stop blaming a big D Devil.  Some people just like to have someone else to blame.

We have to decide whether we live in a world dominated by an evil spirit or whether we live in a world that still belongs to God.  Let's stop talking about angels, good or evil, and focus on God.  As for me, this is my Father's world!!  The fight with the devil was won on the cross.  We have the right and the opportunity now to live our lives focused on God and his love.

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

change

Ahh, the angst of change.  Someone moved my cheese.  I am uncomfortable.  I don't like it.  I want to go back to Egypt.

We all feel this way from time to time.  Our world is changing so fast.  Dial phones that only came in black, push button phones, phones with long cords, cordless phones, big expensive cell phones, smaller phones, iphones, androids, texting, the internet, the cloud....... what is next?

Gosh, this world goes by in such a blaze of change.  War in Europe, in Israel, in Korea, in Vietnam, in Panama, in Grenada, in Bosnia, in Israel, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Ukraine.  It is enough to make a person's head spin.

My family is changing, my church is changing, my job is changing.  Everything that I knew and loved about yesterday is piled in a heap somewhere.  What can we do?

old cell phones

Well, we can't stop things from changing.  Nothing stays the same anymore.  Organizations that don't adapt to changing times cease to exist.  Family members that don't adjust to kids growing up and moving out just make themselves miserable. 

In the World, in the nation, in the church, and in the  family, good leaders help people be comfortable in the midst of change.  Everything is ok.  Everything is ok.  We don't have to go back to Egypt.  God is with us.  He is unchangeable.  Let's take a deep breath and put our trust in him.

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

economic collapse

Speaking of worry, I have heard voices my entire life that are warning of economic collapse.  Occasionally over the years, that voice has been mine.  I just don't understand how we can continue on as a nation, spending more than we take in.  It seems like something will have to give.

Well, I am 57 years old and I will bet that I have thought of this weekly for 37 years.  And to date, no economic collapse.  Changes?  Yes of course.  But no collapse.  And so I wonder what I might have been able to accomplish with all of the time that I have wasted worrying.

And what if there is a collapse?  There have been many around the world through history.   People continue to live, to eat, to have families, and even go to church.  My Dad tells me the story of when he asked his father the question, "Dad, what will we do if bread goes to 5 cents a loaf?"  The answer from my grandfather to my father to the question of what will we do if bread is 5 cents per loaf was "son, we will find a way to buy bread."

In short, we will figure it out.  It will all be ok.  We survived the depression.  We survived WW2.  Nations have survived invasion by the Romans, the Greeks, and a host of others.  Putin will come and go.  So will Tiger Woods, Justin Bieber and all the rest of us.  The trick is not to lose sight of what is important along the way.

Life is good.  We are surrounded with many great people.  Let's worry less and live more.

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

I was worried

I was worried about something the other day.  I knew that I shouldn't worry about it, but I just couldn't help myself. 

I watched the thing that I was worried about.  I looked at it from different angles.  I considered it.  I wasted time on it.

A couple of days later, it was gone.  The issue had resolved itself.  I was worried for nothing.  How many things in this life that we are worried sick about will take care of themselves in time?

Life is too short to be worrying all the time.  Life is too good to be worrying all the time.

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

we need each other

I have a dear friend who I meet with every month.  We talk about life and ministry, he is a mentor to me.  It is an honor to know him and be his friend.  He writes a column for the Lees Summit Journal.  You may have read some of them.  He has a very unique way of writing.  His name is Hubert Neth and he is one of the greatest men that I know.

He gave me to share this recent column that he wrote.

the supermarket

stays open

all night

there are

nurses in

emergency

rooms

hear

the garbage

trucks early

morning stops

somebody is

working

raising

the food

repairing

the motor

cleaning

the restroom

submitting

the lesson plan

spreading

the asphalt

meeting

the deadline

programming

the computer

making

the decision

closing

the sale

baking

the potato

changing

the diaper

we know

what it means

to work

have no

work

not be able

to work

or stop

working

do you realize

what a bag

of groceries

costs

did you ever

worry about

monthly payments

experience

long illness

after insurance

expires

buy gas

to commute

outfit children

for school

try to satisfy

customers

gamble on

the weather

spend hours at

a tiny screen

realize

you may never

have enough

to retire

feel so weary

you cant stay

awake

we are

laborers

and nobody

makes it

through

a single day

of life

without

the efforts

of others

                   h.

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

careful

If the Apostle Paul had known that we were going to turn every single word that he wrote into scripture, he would have chosen his words a little more carefully.  He would have taken the time to clarify which words were just for Corinth, and which words were for everybody.  He would have offered his opinion on what might be cultural and what might be universal.  He might forsee a day when slavery would be no more and when women were treated with respect.



Another interesting thing about Paul's letters is that he expected Jesus to return soon.  He never thought that 2,000 years from now people would still be reading his writings.



Those thoughts give me a little bit of peace when I read some of the difficult things that he writes.  May you all have a little peace with the difficult sayings in the Bible.



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

what a treat

I have a dear friend who told me this story and I think about it often.

He was at the bedside of his grandfather who was dying.  He was holding his grandfather's hand and his grandfather looked into his eyes and said, "life- what a treat."

Life has its ups and downs, its joys and concerns.  And yet, through it all, runs a river of joy.  Life is amazing.  It is good.  It is surely a treat.  I thank God everyday for the gift of life and for the joy of knowing each of you.

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

dealing with pain

There is an old saying - "you can be in pain and suffer or you can be in pain and not suffer."  The saying simply reminds us that life is going to have pain.  Period.  It will have pain.   Our response to the pain is up to us.  You can let the pain eat your lunch or you can work to put it into perspective.  And sometimes it takes lots of hard work to make friends with painful situations.

Some of the difficulty that we experience in this life is self-inflicted.  We must be open to hearing our mistakes and learning from them.  Often the pain that others direct towards you and me is really a measurement of their own pain.  We have to be careful to value their pain without taking it on personally.

Life is too short to be dominated by pain.  Life is also too good to be dominated by pain.

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

more beyond

I have always loved this story.

 

In Valladolid, Spain stands a monument to the great explorer Christopher Columbus. Its most interesting feature is the statue of a lion destroying one of three Latin words – three words that had been part of Spain’s motto for centuries.

On his first voyage, Christopher Columbus sailed through unknown waters to an unknown destination. Before his voyage, Spain’s standards carried three words in Latin. The same words were written on the left edge of the maps of that day. Even the Straits of Gibraltar carried the same three words, chiselled into stone.

What were the words?

“NE PLUS ULTRA – No More Beyond.”

While the world was convinced there was nothing more beyond, Columbus was not. His ships returned and the discovery of a land of wealth and opportunity “beyond” marked the dawn of a new age.

The world was forever changed. So much so, the king of Spain changed the motto of the land to read as it does today. One word on the famed monument is torn away by the lion making it: ” PLUS ULTRA – More Beyond! ”

With new worlds just over the horizon, the belief that there was nothing more was replaced by the confident claim that there was, indeed more beyond.

 

And there is more beyond.  More beyond this life, we have eternity in heaven.  More beyond my way of thinking, there is the perspective of others, yet to be discovered and considered by us.  More beyond.

 

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

Soul Connections

What do you do with the funny feelings that we have about people sometimes?  I mean good feelings.  Feelings that you love them, that you know them, feelings that there is a soul connection.  What do we do with those feelings?  How do we understand them?

I have them for Lions Den Man.  I have them for my friend Dan from California.  I have those feelings for many of you.  It’s like we met before and there is more to the story than the conscious mind can explain.

I have a friend who says that when you meet someone and there is a connection like this, it is a sure sign that you knew each other in Heaven before you were born.  Maybe we were neighbors or cousins or something.  But there is a real connection.

I hope that you have many people like this in your life.  The soul pulls our brain into understanding that there is more.  More beyond.

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

Old Friends

Old Friends

Dan and I were best friends in 1975.  We were 18 years old.  I moved to Kansas City with my family.  Dan met Sharon and fell in love.  I drove back in 1977 for a visit.  He came through town in 1982 and I met him at the airport.

 

The years came and went.  Marriage, children, jobs, life.  I found Dan last year on Linked-in.  Dan lives in Livermore, California on the East side of the bay.  Last week we were on vacation in Santa Rosa.  Dan drove up to spend the day with us.

 

I was a bit nervous.  What would we find?  Would it still be the same?

He walked in our hotel lobby at 8:30am.  I smiled.  We hugged.  The rest of the day was spent catching up and remembering when.

The entire experience was completely delightful.  What a fine man Dan has become.  I am not surprised; he was quite a fine teenager. 

 

When it was time to part, I told him thank you.  I meant it.  It was such a blessing to see him and catch up.  His stories of our youth [some I remembered, some I did not] were heartwarming.  It was a gift to be with him.  I hope that we can meet again.

If you have an old friend that you have not contacted in a while, based on my experience, it is well worth the effort.

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

Against

There are many things in life that we should be against.  I am against child abuse.  I am against ISIS.  I am against hatred.  I am against selfishness [though I do practice it more often than I wish.]

But there are so many other things in life that we are against that we should not be against.  We waste our time judging others and hurting them, simply because we don't agree with what they are doing or what they look like.

Life is short.  We should spend our time on the positive.  There is no time to be wasted on being against little things that are not ours to control anyway.  Every moment that we spend thinking about how bad a thing is, is a moment that we have lost to glorify our Father.

Don't waste your life being against.  See the good and celebrate it.

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

I'm a mechanic

You know that I love cars.  I love to work on cars.  We have a 2005 Honda Civic.  It has had a rattle for quite a while.  It developed slowly but has become worse over the last year.  I had suspected that it was the catalytic converter.  You could lay on the ground next to the car and almost see it rattling.

I love mechanics, but I hate to pay them.  So I did some research on the internet.  The internet is amazing isn't it?  You can rent a car, email a friend, read about far away places, and look up Honda Civic problems.

By the way, do you know where we bought this Honda?  At the Civic Center of course!

Back to the story.

So I am reading on the internet that the catalytic converter has a heat shield around it.  That after some time, the bolts that hold it on rust through.  There is a pretty simple fix- you jack up the car and put some big hose clamp straps around the heat shield to hold it tightly in place.

So I went to Oreilly's and bought a bunch of clamps.  I jacked up the car, way way up, and I went to work.

Success!! No more rattle.  No mechanic bill.  And I did it myself!

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

loving others

The scriptures ask us to love.  To love our enemies.  Part of that is wishing them well.  Hoping that good things come to them.  Seeing the best in them and praying for them.  It is never right to hope that bad things happen to people who have hurt you.

Do not gloat when your enemy falls;
    when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,
or the Lord will see and disapprove
    and turn his wrath away from them.  Prov 24:17-28

Even if someone has hurt you, God still loves them.  God still considers that person his child.  Look past what they did to you and love them- that is exactly what God is doing- to them, and to you.  He looks past the wrong that we have done and loves us.

love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,  that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.    Mt. 5:44-45

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

Toe

What do you do when you stub your toe?  Call a tow truck!

My toe had a couple of unfortunate encounters recently with a bed frame.  I was working on a window repair and for some reason my foot kept finding the bed frame.  Ouch!!!

To do it one time is bad.  But to stub your toe repeatedly in the same place, well that is just plain foolish. 

I had a thought about this.  It is not the bed frame's fault.  That bed frame has sat there for years.  It has not moved.  It did not jump out at me or slide over when it saw me coming. 

As in most situations, I was in a hurry.  I was not being careful.  Human nature is to blame the bed frame or something besides myself, but lets face it, when we stub our toe, we do it to ourselves.  We must take responsibility.  Self inflicted pain is a very humbling thing.

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

Chiefs games

I guess that one of the biggest parties in Kansas City is the tail gate before every Chief's game.  I like to tell people that on game day, they can still come to the 8am or 905 service and still make the game on time.

They tell me that that they can't miss the tail gate party and that the party starts at 8am.

Let's all laugh at ourselves for a moment.  The rest of the year I can't get them to come out at 8am, but the Arrowhead parking lot can!  A good party is like that!

I know that you can watch online, but I think it makes a statement to yourself and your family when you make a collective effort to go to church before a chiefs game, or kids soccer game.

You can pray for the Chiefs.  Besides, that just might be the day that you hear something that really touches you.

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

bad drivers

I took this picture at the Oreillys on 40 highway near the old Blue Ridge Mall.

I would like to tell you that my wife did this, or that one of my kids did this, but no one is owning up to it.

Obviously someone did this.  My concern isn't that someone hit the pole.   I have backed into poles before.  We all have.  My question is this- how hard do you have to hit a pole to do this to it?

I would love to have seen the car.  I hope that the driver's worst injury was his or her ego.

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

honor

Russell Crow in Gladiator

Honor is an interesting word.  We can honor people or dishonor them.  To dishonor someone is to not appreciate the value that they bring to a situation.  To dishonor someone is to set aside the contribution that they have made in the past.

Enough on dishonor.  It is painful.

Let's talk about honor.  To honor someone is to love them.  To recognize them.  To call them a friend in front of others.  To introduce them to someone else as one of your favorite people. 

You cannot take honor to yourself.  Do you remember in the movie Gladiator when Russell Crow tells the Emperor that the time for honoring himself would soon some to an end?  Honor cannot be taken, it must be given.  Honor must come from someone else, so it is a gift for us to honor another person.

When was the last time you told someone what a good job they were doing?  You are a great employee.  You are a great boss.  You are a great kid.  You are a great neighbor.  You are a great wife.

You are a great ______.  I am so pleased to have you in my life.

To honor someone is to bless them.

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

Mine

It's mine!  That is what children say.  Those are my toys.  Give them back! 

Do you remember the seagulls in the movie Finding Nemo?  Over and over they said, "mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine...."

Someone asked me the other day about my ministry and my church.  [Now, I love this church and I love being here] but I told them, it is not my church, it is your church.  If you are a member here, it is your church.  I am an employee.  Now, I like being an employee, but it is your church.  Pastors come and go.

And my ministry?  It is not mine.  I am pleased to be engaged in the ministry of Christ.  It is his ministry not mine.

Love your church and take ownership my friend! It is yours!

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

Labor Day

Labor Day came and went.  It was supposed to be a day free of labor.  Ha ha.

We are trying to get the house ready to sell.  I made the mistake of going to Lowes and buying a new storm door.  The old one was peeling and the handle was broken.  The new door was advertised as "installs in half the time."

It took me six hours.  I didn't get much resting in on Labor Day. 

By the way, the Brinkmans are looking to downsize.  We are not leaving town.  Does anyone have any moving boxes that they don't want?

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

a happy heart

Sunset in the Ozarks

My daughter went to the lake a few weekends ago.  She was on some friend's boat, floating around, catching up with her buds and enjoying life.  The things that you are supposed to do when you go to the lake.

 She sent me this picture with the caption, "Dad- In case you need some of God's work for your sermon on Sunday, here you go.  Thinking of you."

How absolutely thrilled I was, on several fronts. 
1.  My daughter recognized God's work in the beauty of creation. 
2.  My daughter knows that I struggle w sermon material.
3.  My daughter was thinking of me- when she was out with her friends.

It doesn't get any better than that!

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

4 things

I am sure I have posted this before, and I know I have mentioned it in sermons, but it is on my mind again, so someone may need to hear it.

Ira Byock wrote a book about dying well.  In the book he mentioned the four things that a person should think about and say to others when they themselves are dying.

1. I'm sorry - please forgive me
2. I forgive you - it's ok
3.  I love you.
4. Thank you.

Later, he realized that this is how we should treat each other all the time.  These are the things that we should say to each other all the time. This isn't just how we should die, it is how we should live.  So he wrote a book for the living, called The Four things.  Subtitle: a book about living.


I'm sorry.  I forgive you.  I love you.  Thank you.

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

more on things

pennies on the dollar

B.J. Thomas sang, Using things and loving people, that's the way, it ought to be.  More on things today. 

I volunteer at the Hillcrest Thrift Store.  One of the things that I find interesting is that some of the stuff that we all just used to crave, now goes for pennies on the dollar.  $30 tie? 50 cents.  $900 tube TV?  $2.  $1400 table and chairs?  $40.   What does that say about our values?

Our attachment with things can get us in trouble with people.  Things will come and go.  That wonderful new car is going to be an old piece of junk pretty soon.  The most valuable things in a person's life are not the stuff that you own, but the people that you know.

Love them.  Hug them.  Look them in the eye and say thank you.

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

things - stuff

When I was young, I wanted things.  Well, I still want things, but not in the same way.  When I was young, I wanted a house- a great house.  I wanted TVs and surround sound.  I wanted furniture, cool furniture.  I wanted shoes and tools and motorcycles and cool cars.

All those things are nice, but I just d
on't feel it like I used to.  I actually feel a joyful victory when I keep driving my 10 year old car or when I find a discarded something at a thrift store and make use of it in my life.

Life is more than the things that we possess.  You can't take it with you.  Have you ever seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul?  People are more important than things.

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

all around you

I have a friend who is very interested in helping people.  This is great!  The interesting thing to me about the new direction of their life is that they have just recently noticed the needs of others.  They came upon this awakening, because they themselves went through a time when they needed help.

We are such interesting creatures.  We usually don't see a need, until we have experienced it. We can watch people go through something, and not "get it" simply because we have never walked in their shoes.  But once we have experienced a thing, we become much more compassionate towards those who deal with it.

Compassion is always good.  The guy in this picture has no family.  In this life, we have the chance to be family to those who have no family.  May we humans learn compassion for all, even those who deal with things that we don't understand.  I would rather help one time too many, and be taken advantage of,  than one time not enough, and leave one of God's children in want.

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