A new friend

I met a new friend yesterday.  Well, we have known each other for a few years, but we had never talked before.

Yesterday we sat down and talked.  Sometimes, it takes time for people to trust each other.  And I am a firm believer in the idea that you have to earn the right to be close to someone.  You have to be invited in.  Christians can't just run around out there and barf their stuff on others.  If you want to be close to people and hope to touch them for God, you have to be patient and kind and the door will open at the right time.

Anyway, my new friend confided in me that they had had moments of, thoughts of hurting themselves.  Some years ago, I had such thoughts too.  Thankfully, they have been getting help and are in a much better place.

I reminded them of what I remind myself of every day:  Life is good.  There is so much good.  We just have to see it.  We just have to lift up our eyes and see that life is amazing.  It is such a gift to be alive.  

If you are depressed or despondent, please remember that God loves you!  The sun came up today.  Did you see it?  It was beautiful!  In spite of what you may be going through, life is still good.  It's ok, you are not alone.  You are deeply loved by God.

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

ambiguity

I am thinking about this more and more lately.  In a world filled with ambiguity, humans prefer certainty.  We would prefer black and white but so often in life there are gray areas.

Ambiguity is that movement in life that causes us to feel like things are just a bit out of kilter.  Change brings distress.  Complicated lives rob us of peace.

We want things to go back to the way that they were.  Remember when so and so was president?  Remember when everyone went to church?  Remember when the stock market was good?  We wish for the old days, but I suggest to you that the old days had their moments as well.

Life is fluid.  Life is moving.  Our society is big, complicated, technical and mobile.  Literally, before we can acclimate to one change, another is coming along.  And so I keep reminding myself and others:  we prefer certainty, but there is going to be ambiguity.  Learn to be comfortable in a world that is not static.  Learn to be comfortable with change.  Learn to be comfortable with lose ends.

Our comfort in this life cannot be based on everything going and being just the way that we want it to go and be.  Our comfort must be found in trusting in God.  Keep the big picture in mind.  Stay focused.  Stay on track.  Everything is OK.

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

emotions

Emotions are fickle.  we are happy one day and sad the next.  And why?  Sometimes we can point to circumstances, but sometimes we just don't know.

I was reading a man the other day who said that the soul/mind is at rest.  The soul/mind in it's natural state is at rest.  When emotions come along, they can pull the soul towards happiness or sadness, but it's natural state is peace and rest.

We can choose to bring the soul back to a place of rest by refusing to be blown by the wind of emotions.  Ecstatic? Depressed?  This too shall pass.  We don't have to ride every roller coaster of emotion up and down the hill.  It is all good.

I find help to do this by thinking of God when I face a struggle.  Since our soul is the part that connects with God, thinking of him is the best tool to bring my mind to peace when the emotional winds of life start to blow.

You are a soul.  You are at rest.  Make a conscious effort to resist the winds of emotion by resting in God.

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

world view

Today is world communion Sunday.

In Jen Hatmaker's book Interrupted, she says, It's one thing to acknowledge a different world view- it's another thing to absorb it. 

I find this to be quite profound. Many people understand that there are opinions and life experiences out there that are different than theirs. But few people really listen and try to understand how other people think.  Few people really try to take in the world view of another person. 

Until we learn to do this we are stuck.  We are doomed to continue to repeat the patterns of our own lives, insisting that we are right and everyone else is wrong and we deserve what we have in America.  

Until we open ourselves to really understand and empathize with how others live, it is hard for God to reach us and teach us. 

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

more from Hatmaker

In Jennifer Hatmaker's book Interrupted, she talks about a tipping point. This is the notion that we can learn a lot of things and think about a lot of things but often they go in one ear and out the other. 

Hopefully there comes a time when we have digested a thing long enough and we begin to tip toward the other direction.  We can finally, after a while, begin to sway in another direction and our lives actually begin to take on the characteristics of what we've been learning.  Finally after thinking about an idea, we tip over and real change can come to a person.

Of course this is the hope of every pastor- that you teach and preach and invite people to change. And then one day they tip- they lean over to the other side- they change- away from a selfish life and more toward a generous life, a selfless life.

For a pastor there is this constant invitation of pulling us away from what comes naturally to us and inviting us into a new kind of life. This is certainly what I hope and pray for in me and you.   I pray that you find tipping points on a regular basis and that you are constantly moving away from what comes naturally to us and ever more toward the life that God calls us towards.  Think about change for a while, sure, but at some point, we actually have to tip on over and make the change.

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

baseball memories

I was thinking about baseball the other day....... imagine that!!

I was thinking about my first memories of baseball.  I got to go to a game at the old municipal stadium with my mother.  The Kansas City Athletics.  The "A's" The mascot: Charlie O the mule.  Catfish Hunter was my favorite player.  Charles Finley the owner who took the team to Oakland. Boo.

Then no baseball for years.

Then we got the Royals.  It was the spring of 1969 and I remember listening to the games on my transistor radio at night.  I was not allowed to take the radio to bed, but I did it anyway.  It had an earphone with one earpiece.  It was so much fun to listen to the games in bed.  I always fell asleep and in the morning the battery would be dead.  Mom never understood why I went through so many batteries.

Good memories.  Today, we watch baseball on HD tv sets.  And it is all very exciting.  I love baseball and I am happy for the Royals.

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

KC sports

The other night the Chiefs lost and the Royals lost.  The Chiefs lost in an embarrassing fashion to the Green Bay Packers.  The Royals lost 1-0 in 11 innings and no longer hold home field advantage for the playoffs.

And I feel a bit drab.

Why are our egos tied up in the success of our sports teams?  Why do some of us feel the need to demean Denver Bronco fans or KU fans?

It is all kind of silly.  When a certain player played at Truman High school, we loved them.  Then they went to KU and we didn't like them.  Then they were drafted by the Chiefs and they were back in our good graces.  Then they were traded to the Raiders and we hated them.  It is all very silly.

Our egos and our value does not lie in the success or failure of our sports teams.  Winning does not make us better or more valuable than others.  Every person matters, every life matters and you matter whether your team wins or not.

It is God's world and he says that it is all good.  Be sure to see it.

hatmaker

I told you that I would be posting some quotes and thoughts from Jen Hatmaker's book Interrupted.   In the early part of the book she talks about change and how difficult most people find change to be.  But if you think about it, change is a fact of life. 

Change sometimes feels like a threat, but it's not a threat, and if we would grow we must be willing to change.  Life is constantly changing and those who insist that things remain the same are doomed to be stuck in unhappiness.  Things just never stay the same.

The whole gist of her book boils down to the notion that if we really let Jesus come into our lives, our lives would change dramatically.  I don't mean that you would stop dancing and playing cards, I mean the kind of change where we begin to live missionlly.  A missional life is the way of Jesus and it is how he taught people to live, seeing God and seeing others, and giving ourselves away for them.

If we look at the way he gave himself away, it should inform and radically transform our existence. In other words if we really did everything that Jesus taught, it would interrupt our comfortable lives.  That is something to think about.

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

movies

I think from time to time about some of my favorite movies.

Harold and Maude - classic movie from the 70's about the meaning of life and the choices that we have to make to enjoy it.

The Tree of Life - obscure Brad Pitt movie about finding God in the midst of sorrow.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail - funny funny, sometimes off color.

Young Frankenstein - funny funny, sometimes off color.

A river runs through it - 90's film about a pastor's family and the struggles that we have.  Sometimes you get what you want and sometimes you have to keep pushing on with life.

Into the Wild- true story about a young man who goes  looking for adventure, who refuses to live the boring, dysfunctional suburban life.

Saving Private Ryan- realistic reminder of the sacrifices of the greatest generation.

Awakenings- true story of a group of people who wake up to the amazing joy of living.

Patch Adams - A true story of a man who refused to be crushed by life, but looked for ways to live with joy.

What are some of your favorites?

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

depressed

I woke up one day last week and I was depressed.  Little d depressed as I like to call it.   I had been to the Chiefs game when they lost in the last minute and it was just difficult.  I had an argument earlier that week with one of my kids that I felt bad about.  I just woke up that morning and I just didn't feel very good and I was depressed - little d depressed. 

I was looking for something to help me turn the corner and three things happened to help me do that.  Number one- I got a lecture from Jennifer Dancy explaining that I needed to think about investing in people instead of feeling sorry for myself.  She did it very kindly.  Secondly I had lunch with Paul Mcclain.  Third I listen to Fernando Ortega music.  So if you are reading this and you're depressed today go have a talk with Jennifer, have lunch with Paul  listen to some Fernando Ortega music. 

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

Your comfort zone

Your comfort zone-  it's what were familiar with,  it's what were comfortable with. It's also the place where God may visit to console us but it is not the place where God normally lives. Think of the God who brooded over creation. Think of the God who called Saul, a murderer of Christians to be a leader of the church!  Think of Moses hearing God in the burning bush.  On and on the stories of call could go.

 If we would find God's purpose and God's will in this life we must we must be willing to travel to the edge of our comfort zone. There we are met by the Holy Spirit who takes us and lifts us up and leads us into God's plan and God's preferred future. If we are never outside our comfort zone then what we do is within our own parameters in our own strength.  God's plans for us require his strength and that means we need to put ourselves in positions where we feel weak so that he can be strong.

Never be afraid to step outside your comfort zone it's the most exciting part of living the Christian life!

I hope to see you at church later this morning.

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

40,000 meals

I had the privilege of participating in the Sunday food packing event on September 13th. It was amazing. Over 450 people helped pack 40,000 meals for hungry people. One of the things that touched me so much was the sense of singleness of purpose.

Everyone knew that what we were doing mattered.  

Everyone knew that that this was of of utmost value in God's kingdom.  

There was a singleness of purpose.  

It didn't matter if you were a Democrat or a Republican, a KU fan or a Tiger fan - everyone jumped in and joined together and there was a bonding amongst the folks.   Young and old, everyone worked  together and it was delightful. 

I hope the next time we do this you'll be able to join in. 

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

Nicaragua

Victorino is the vice president of the village of Los Pinos. I went to visit him in his home on our last trip and he was not there. I had a nice talk with his wife. Through a translator, he sent this note to me:

To Pastor Jeff, the pastor of the group that always visits the community of Los Pinos, San Ramon.
From Victorino Barrera, Vice Coordinator of the Los Pinos Committee for Rainbow Network

My wife told me that you came looking for me at our house and did not find me. It was a surprise when I heard the news. I was looking forward to talking with you because my heart feels a great friendship with you and the others from your brigades that come from the US to work here.

Victorino in striped shirt

I send thousands of greetings and hugs to you, your family and the brigades that come with you. May God bless you and your church and may you all receive many blessings from the Almighty God. I will be waiting here in my country, in my municipality of San Ramon. We will be waiting for everyone with open arms and we hope that you will come visit my family in our little home like always. Amen. Glory to God.

It is so nice to make friends, and so valuable to make friends in a poor village so very far away. I will look forward to visiting him again in the future.

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

Hacked

I've been hacked. You may or may not have noticed but my Facebook page had an inappropriate picture posted on it. It's very embarrassing.

Someone that I am friends with on facebook was hacked and it tagged about 60 members of our church in an inappropriate picture. They didn't mean to do it but it is very embarrassing.

 I'm sorry if you saw the picture. we took it down as soon as we became aware of it. Crazy things happen in this electronic age.  Thanks for understanding.

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

seeing the good

I am grateful but I need to be more often. So much is so very good. Wendy Minshall has been posting for over 1000 days about being grateful…probably one of the reasons why she has such an uplifting spirit.

Focusing on being grateful removes that nasty plank in the eye. We see so much better then…

Peace, 
Lion’s Den Man

man of means

Heard the song "King of the Road" by Roger Miller the other day. My dad loved that song. I heard it often as a boy. Great little story about life. The key line being, "I'm a man of means by no means, king of the road." A man who had very little to his name but possessed more freedom and happiness than most. Something worth thinking about.

Peace,

Lion's Den Man

without excuse

My wife and I took a vacation a few weeks back and explored nature. God is good at all things but I think he may have been having a really good day 3 when he came up with things like waterfalls.

Romans 1:20

20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

a favorite idiom

“Wipe the slate clean” - to forget all past problems or mistakes and start something again.

Whoever came up with that one - thank you. I use the phrase a lot but I need to practice it more. Too often we hold ourselves and others back by simply not wiping the slate clean. Our do-overs should start asap.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

hope

Hope: to want something to happen or be true and think that it could happen or be true.

I can’t imagine not having hope. I am sorry for those who have struggles and cannot think in this manner. The world can rob us of great things like hope. Don’t let it. Take it back. It is a gift. Use it. It can take you to better places.

“Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies”- The Shawshank Redemption

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

Dear Father,

Dear Heavenly Father,

I was reflecting on my life and I wanted you to know that If I die today I have no regrets. I have loved as few people get to love. I have three wonderful children that I'm very proud of. I have a gazillion friends and I just am having the time of my life thank you God for the gift of this life! Help me to savor it more with each passing day.

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

Quote

Waking up this morning, I smile.
Twenty-four brand new hours are before me.
I vow to live fully in each moment
and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.
                                                        --Thich Nhat Hanh

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

open my eyes

Open my eyes that I might see.........

"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous."  - Aristotle

Open my eyes that I might see what I am missing.
O Lord, may I be aware of what you are doing in this world, all around me.

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

softball

My mom was a softball player when she was in high school.  My Aunt Jewell Wagner was the pitcher and my mom was the catcher.  I remember as a child playing baseball in the neighborhood with her mask, glove and chest protector.

My cousin Rob Wagner came across these photos of my mom and his mom and sent them to us.

In the top photo which I guess is a club team or it might be the Kirkwood High School team, my mom is the smiling one on the right end of the second row.  My Aunt is on the back row, third from the left.  In the second picture, my mom is on the back row next to the coach and Aunt Jewel is two to her left.  This second picture is their church team... church softball, how about that!  L for Lutheran!  What fun.  And I guess that the church couldn't afford as nice of uniforms as the club or school team.

So, I have to tell you that my heart is so full of joy looking at these pictures.  To see my mom so young and so happy!  How exciting.  I may blow them up and have them framed!

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

Hatmaker

I have been reading a book by Jen Hatmaker.  I love the last name.  This book is available for purchase in our bookstore.  I will be encouraging some of our Sunday School teachers to lead studies on this book.

The title of the book is Interrupted - when Jesus wrecks your comfortable Christianity.

Over the next few weeks I am going to post some thoughts from her book, but what a beginning.  Jesus hereby interrupts your life and your comfortable Christianity to get us back on track.  Are you living a comfortable Christianity?  Was Jesus discomforted for us?  What would our lives look like if we were discomforted for him?

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

this is the day

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24

Today is the day.  Today may be the only day that we get.  Tomorrow is a maybe.  We have today.  This day.

Let us thank God!  Let us love one another!  Let us forgive each other!  Let us deliver grace.
This is the day that the Lord has made for us to live with him and for him.

Let us receive it with joy and give it back to him, moment by moment, with heartfelt thanks!

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

this too shall pass

I was searching for something on my computer the other day and I ran across an email that was about ten years old.  In the email, there was a very pointed back and forth between me and another person.  At the time, I would have told you that the relationship would never recover.  I would have told you that it would be a miracle if the relationship ever recovered.  Ever.

All that is water under the bridge today.  This too shall pass.   The river of forgetfulness has washed it all down stream.

Thanks to a general belief that the other person was a good person [on both sides] the relationship has been restored.  The posturing is over and the anger has all been forgotten.  It took time of course, but I am so glad that we still have each other.

I tell you this to remind you that we don't have to hold onto a thing forever.  Things that are really broken today can get repaired.  God can do amazing things if we let him in and give him some time.  It doesn't have to be over.  Give that person some time.  Who knows where this all may shake out in ten years.

Weeping may last for a night but joy comes in the morning.

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

resolving a thing

Sometimes we have problems or issues that are difficult to resolve.  We work and struggle and ask our friends for advice, but it seems like we are stuck in a predicament.  How long can this go on?  How long will I be stuck not knowing what to do?

Sometimes we have to make peace with ambiguity and make friends with our issues that are not easy to resolve.  But I have noticed another thing that I find to be amazing, and that is that sometimes these issues resolve themselves.  It's like we wake up one morning and just see it a little more clearly, or you wake up in the morning and something inside of you has healed. You had been praying, "Dear Lord, show me the way." And it's like He did!!

There is the amazing thing that the Holy Spirit can do sometimes that helps us to find peace in the midst of a storm.  If you are in a dilemma, talk to your friends, see a counselor, keep working on it, put pray that God will bring clarity.  You just never know what might happen.  Tomorrow you may wake up and just see the thing in a completely different way. 

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

it's a thing of the heart

I have a friend that is very very smart.  Sometimes I am around people and I can tell that they are in another league mentally from me.  Actually most people probably are, but this person is quite brilliant.

A few weeks ago she said something to me that settled in, it was like I had been thinking things like this but she just said it so well.  She said something like, "so I am seeing that faith, this Christian thing, is rooted in the heart, it springs from the heart, it is lived from the heart."

I loved it.  You know, outward action is great, and it is needed.  But if it does not spring from a right heart, then it is just good works.  Faith begins in the heart.  The psalmist prayed in Psalm 51 "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."

How is your heart?  It is never too late to change the course of your life, and it all begins with decisions of the heart.

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

rule three

Rule three- stay in love with God.

Oh how important this is and how difficult.  First let us recognize that how we feel about love is very interesting.  If you have been married to a person for a long time, you will notice that love evolves.  I remember the first time I saw my wife, my heart jumped a mile.  The early years are intense and passionate.  Then you start to get to know each other and become a part of each other's lives.  It feels different, but you still love them.  Later, the relationship feel like an old shoe.  It feels differently but you can't imagine life with out them.

Some Christians, get freaked out a few years after an awakening.  They think that their faith is starting to wane.  They don't feel the same.  And sometimes they go off looking for that intense, passionate feeling that they had at the beginning.  They have failed to recognize that God is simply becoming a part of their every day lives.

How can we stay in love with God?  Read the Bible.  Subscribe to daily devotionals.  Attend a Bible study.  Have a friend that you can talk about spiritual things with.  Mostly, stay in love with God by talking to him.  I don't mean ask him for things.  I mean the kind of prayer where we are just spending time together. Start saying thank you to God for everything that you see.  Start asking God to show you people that you can help.  Get into the practice of enjoying giving yourself to him.  Stay in love with God.

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

rule two

Rule two- do no harm.

There are so many ways that we hurt people.  We scowl at them or give them a dirty look.  We deride them, demean them and shame them.  Our mouths are so destructive.

We withhold our heart of love and do not help the needy - harm.  We do not support a worthy cause - harm.  You know we can't take it with us.  Here is a story- A billionaire died and went to heaven.  How much of his money did he leave behind?  Answer= All of it!

Any selfish action usually is hurting someone.  But most of what I see in terms of people hurting people is a lack of kindness.  Not respecting people.  Not listening to people.  Passing on gossip.  Saying mean things.

We can't always change how we feel inside, but we can close our mouths.  It is a start.  Let's admit that for the time being we are going to feel the same, but lets also agree to not act on how we feel.  In time, I believe our hearts can change.  Let us not give voice to the feelings.  Do no harm.  Do no harm.  Do no harm.  It's a start at making things better.

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

rule 1

John Wesley's rule number one:  Do all the good that you can. 
What does this mean?

Wesley recognized that all of our life belongs to God.  Our time, talents and treasure are his.  It is not our time, it is not our talent and it is not our money.  As soon as we recognize that God has given us these things for His purposes not ours, the journey to healthy living begins.

How much of my time am I using to help others?  And I don't mean my family.  Helping your family is fine, but it is almost self interest.  Jesus expects us to help the least of these.  How much time have we used for them?  Do all the good that you can.

Talents.  We all have them.  We are not supposed to just use them for ourselves.  How can you use the gifts that you have to do good for others?  If you are good with money you might become a financial counselor for hillcrest ministries.  If you like to cook you might make food for the Westport homeless ministry.  If you can drive, you might volunteer to take sick people to the doctor or those who can't drive, to church.

Money.  How much of it do you use for yourself?  How much of it do you use to help others?  And I don't mean your family.  Helping your family has the scent of self interest.  How much of your money do you use to help the least of these?  What percentage?  There are countless missions programs that could steer your gifts to help the needy.

So, how are we doing?  How is my life?  Am I finding the joy?  Do all the good you can.  Every day, in every way to every person.  Wesley also said, do all the good that you can to all the people that you can in every way that you can.

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

3 rules

John Wesley had 3 rules for living.  We would do well to follow them.

rule one:  Do all the good that you can.

rule two:  Do no harm.

rule three:  stay in love with God.

Think on these three rules.  How is your life going?
It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.

to agree

Do you agree with a thought?  If you do, then you are likely to nod your head and feel good about life.  What if you don't agree?  We often feel unsettled and combative.

Why do you feel one way about a thing and someone else feels another way?  You were raised by your parents.  You went to your kind of church.  You read the books that you read.  That is why you agree or don't agree. 

But what about those on the other side of an issue?  What about them?  Why did their parents teach them what they did?  What did they learn at their church?  Why?  What books did they read?

There is much to learn from those with whom we disagree.  Sometimes when we learn where they are coming from, when we walk in their moccasins, we have a very different opinion of their way of looking at things.

We may not change our opinions, we may not adopt their thinking, but we can often at least understand them, and it tends to make us a little more calm when we hear things with which we, at first glance, do not agree.

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

societal changes

I am not an expert on any of this, but I do have a theory.  During the depression times, everyone worked together, you had to, to survive.  Everyone helped each other simply live. 

During WW2 a generation of Americans sacrificed to end tyranny and make the world a better place.  Things went pretty smooth after that- for a while. 

Here is my theory- as we became more affluent as a nation, we also got lazy.  Instead of sacrificing for the common good, we wanted it OUR way.  In fact, that is the burger king slogan.  We indulged in drugs and free love, and we reaped the consequences.

We want more, we expect more and we reject things that do not line up to make us happy.  We throw away spouses, we throw away churches, we throw away about anything that doesn't do it the way that we want it done.  And we are a mess mentally because we were not designed to simply be demanding consumers.

This is so the opposite of Kingdom thinking.  In the Kingdom of Jesus, we go the second mile, we turn the other cheek.  In the Kingdom of Jesus we lose our lives to find them.  A far cry from the self indulgent messages of our culture today.

What can we do?  Resist the desire for more.  Maybe we already have enough.  Resist the desire for more.  Give yourself away.  Spend yourself for the children of God.  Love all of them that you can.  Invest in every person that comes your way.  For this we were created.  Folks that live outside of themselves are pretty adept at seeing the good.

It's not too late for American and it's not too late for you and me.  We just need to start living the selfless lives for which we were created.

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

Leonard Pitts, Jr.

This was posted in a blog by Leonard Pitts, Jr.

In faith, a baker refuses to bake a cake for a gay couple's wedding. In faith, a minister prays for the president to die. In faith, terrorists plant bombs at the finish line of a marathon. In faith, mosques are vandalized, shot at and burned. In faith, a televangelist asks his followers to buy him a $65-million private jet.

And no one is even surprised anymore.

In America, what we call faith is often loud, often exclusionary, sometimes violent and too frequently enamored of shiny, expensive things. In faith, ill-tempered people mob the shopping malls every year at Christmas to have fistfights and gunfights over hot toys and high-end electronics.

You did not hear much about faith last week when Jimmy Carter held a press conference to reveal that he has four spots of cancer on his brain.

The moral of the story is that the best moments of our faith are not combative, not hateful, and not necessarily noisy, but instead are lived out day by day in the quiet hearts of good people who just keep plugging away at loving God and loving others.

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

view point

One of my favorite authors is Richard Rohr.  He writes a daily devotional that is dynamite.  if you want to subscribe, here is a link

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Recently he used the phrase, "every view point is a view from a point."  This reminds me that my opinions are just that.... mine.  Yours are as well.  If we put on someone else's moccasins, our viewpoint would likely change.  It is time that we stop worshipping what we think and give what we think over to God.  What would God say about our viewpoint?  What self-centeredness would he point out in it?  What arrogance?

Richard Rohr wrote -
Unless there is something strong enough to rearrange our worldview, call our assumptions into question, and also engage our heart and body.... we will seldom move to new interior or exterior places. God has a hard time getting us to join Abraham and Sarah in "leaving your country and your family for a new land that I will show you" (Genesis 12:1-2). Yet that is our foundational paradigm for the journey of faith.

The Dalai Lama said it well: "Every change of mind is first of all a change of heart." I would add: "Every change of heart is soon a change of mind." This is the urgently needed work of mature spirituality.

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

abundance

Simon Sinek in his book, Leaders Eat Last says that abundance destroys value.

If you only have one apple to eat all day, and that is it, you savor that apple.  You cut it into small bites.  You spread it out.  You protect it.  You enjoy it.  You thank God for it.  You hope that tomorrow there is another apple.

But if you inherit an apple orchard, your house is full of apples.  There are so many that they cannot be harvested quickly enough.  Some of them rot on the ground.  You may even grow sick of the sweet taste of an apple.

And so when we have too much of anything, we lose an appreciation for it.   Abundance destroys value.  We waste time, money and food because we think we have too much of it.  Our lives begin to take on the characteristics of blind consumers, upset that we cannot get more.

Waste is still wrong.  I remember a saying from my hippie youth "live simply so that others may simply live."  We can probably give much of what we have to the needy, and still have plenty ourselves.  Wouldn't that be better than wasting it?

What seems like one apple among a million to you, may be the only apple that someone else is going to receive today.

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

Getting over yourself

It is quite a challenge in life to get over one's self.  In fact, it is a lifelong journey that many never undertake.

A man who took great pride in his lawn found himself with a large crop of dandelions. He tried every method he knew to get rid of them. Still they plagued him.

Finally he wrote to the Department of Agriculture. He enumerated all the things he had tried and closed his letter with the question: "What shall I do now?"

In due course, the reply came: "We suggest you learn to love them." 

Sometimes in life we get what we want, and sometimes in life we get what we get.  

In spite of life's dandelions, it is a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

remote

A salesman travelled across the country plying his trade along the way.  One night he sat in a diner in a little town out in the middle of nowhere.  He was amazed that he had travelled this far and that anyone would live in a place so far away from everything that he knew.

He said to the server, "This place is so remote."
She replied, "Remote from what?"

Again we see that our way of thinking is completely clouded by our own agenda.  We have a paradigm that marks all of life.  But ours is not the only agenda, ours is not the only paradigm.  Would you find wisdom in this life?  Seek to know and understand the views of others.

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

what will you become?

I remember a discussion in seminary where the work of pastors was described as a series of waves on the beach.  There are many little waves that do their work, and then from time to time there is a tsunami- a Billy Graham, or a Robert Schuler.

All the seminarians quietly wondered what size of wave they would become.  The incident has  perturbed me over the years because it demands that we compare ourselves to each other.

Recently I came across a story from the book, Tuesdays with Morrie. 

The story is about a little wave, bobbing along in the ocean, having a grand old time. He's enjoying the wind and the fresh air - until he notices the other waves in front of him, crashing against the shore. "My God, this terrible", the wave says. "Look what's going to happen to me!"

Then along comes another wave. It sees the first wave, looking grim, and it says to him: "Why do you look so sad?" The first wave says: "You don't understand! We're all going to crash! All of us waves are going to be nothing! Isn't it terrible?"

The second wave says: "No, you don't understand. You're not a wave, you're part of the ocean."

I like it.  It is something to think about.  It can't always be about me. 
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

if it's easy

I have a friend who is a long time church consultant and on the board of the Lydia Patterson institute.  In response to a recent blog post, he sent me a note that I thought was wise...........

He wrote:
Every church has that "lets go back to Egypt" group.  As my old pastor used to say, "if it is easy, it is probably not God's will."

I am just going to tag onto that and remind everyone, that God takes us so far out of our comfort zone...... I think the Holy Spirit lives on the edge of our comfort zone.  We may go years and never feel the leading, simply because we were not brave enough to go to the edge of the world that we know.

What is God calling you to do?  To be?  If it makes you uncomfortable, that is probably a good thing.

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

have we met?

I embarrassed myself at church a few weeks ago.

I have learned to stop asking people if they are new........ it's always embarrassing to find out that they have been attending for years.

Instead I have started asking, "have we met?"

A few weeks ago, I got the same answer, "yes we have met a couple of times, we have been attending here for five years."

I was mortified.  I am so sorry.  I hope they read this and know that I feel terrible when I can't
remember a face.  You are all so precious and delightful, and I want you to feel that you are valued here at Woods Chapel.

Please wear your name tags and please keep helping me learn your names.  Thanks.

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

two great questions

There are two great questions that I was reading the other day:

1.  what was I created to be?
2.  how can I become what I am capable of becoming?

Interestingly, I find the answer to both of these questions to be found in God and God alone.

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

where were you born?

I was born in Kansas City, MO.  St. Luke's Hospital on the Plaza to be exact.  In fact, back then, it was the only St. Luke's in the city.

Where were you born?

Ok, got that place in your head?  Good.  Here is the question..... why was I born in KC instead of Russia or Nicaragua or Mozambique?  Why were you born where you were born instead of Russia, Nicaragua or Mozambique?

Think about it for a few moments.  There is no good answer.  We were just very very fortunate.  May we never take for granted our blessings, and may we always remember our responsibility to the rest of those who for no fault of their own were born in impoverished countries.

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

someone left

Someone left our church because they thought the church was too big.  Who should we throw out to make the church smaller?  Heaven is going to be a very big church.  I wonder if those folks will want to leave there as well?  Too many people?

Someone left because I won't preach on social issues.  Well, I am sorry about that, but I was not called into the ministry of Jesus to get you to agree with me on social issues.  We have differing opinions and we should get over it and lock arms to do the Lord's work.  I am not going to preach on social issues.  I am going to preach about the God who loves us and forgives us and welcomes us.

Someone left because they got busy with life.  Sports, work, some hobby began to take up their time, and then they were gone.  I see them from time to time.  They aren't unhappy with me, they just got busy with life, and church fell to the side.  If this is you, there is a seat available for you on Sunday morning and we would love to have you back.

Someone left because they are tired of being asked to help with missions.  Wow!  So I want a church that doesn't ask me to give myself away for the sake of Jesus Christ?  I have no idea of what to say to that.

Someone left because the pastor does not preach the Bible in the same manner as the church they were raised in.  And to this I quote the famous theologian Terry McCarty who said, "The Bible is not a hammer."

People leave churches for many reasons.  I wish that no one ever left, but they do.  There are somethings that I cannot fix.  Thankfully at the present time, your church is doing well and is very healthy.

I just have to trust that the majority of folks, not only see the good at Woods Chapel, but are actively engaged in keeping our church healthy.   There is plenty of good to see and to be a part of in almost every church.

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

friends for life

I was visiting with a couple the other night and they told me that when I finally do retire, that they are going to come see me all the time.  They said that I was going to get sick of them coming to visit. 

Their words made my heart happy.  Over the years I have had, and unfortunately lost a few very good friends.  I don’t want to lose anymore in my lifetime.  The thought that they were saying that we would be friends as long as we live, made me very happy.  In fact, I am smiling as I type this.  J

Value your friends.  They are among the most important things to have in this life.  A man rich in friends, is rich indeed.  And by the way, a great place to make friends is at your church.  And last time I looked, it is Sunday.  See you at the big house.

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

choice

You have a choice.  You are not a robot.   You are not forced to take a certain action.  You can choose.  Choose to love or choose to hate.  Choose to welcome or choose to judge.  Either way, you choose.  Choose to be mad at the boss, or choose to accept the change.  Choose to trust or choose to worry.

You have the power, you have the choice to make.  Choose well.

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

Raytown and Blue Springs Pt. 2

Here is another reason that we have taken these other churches into the Woods Chapel family.  They needed someone, someone to help them.

There have been times in the past when Woods Chapel needed help.  We forget this but we have needed the help of others in the past.  Other churches helped start us.  Other churches helped us buy the property on Woods Chapel road.  Other churches trained our ministers.  Other churches led training events for us.  Other churches contributed a $400,000 grant to help us get started at the 291 property.

We would never be the kind of church that we are today if none of the other churches stepped up to help us.  And so, we have friends in Raytown and Blue Springs that need our help.  It is not a crime to need help.  Things happen, and sometimes, we need to help each other.  As long as we have the ability to help others, we need to do so.  It is the kingdom work.

If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?  Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.  1 Jn 3:17-18

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

Raytown and Blue Springs

A member asked me why in the world we would take on other campus churches in Raytown and Blue Springs.  Didn't we already have enough to do?  Isn't it just more work for everyone?

The answer to those questions is yes.... we do have plenty to do, and yes it is more work.  Then why do it?

The answer is bigger than "the conference asked us to help."  The real answer lies in potential.  Not how much are we doing for Jesus Christ, but how much can we do for him?

I was never a very good softball player, but I loved to play and I played hard.  I left all of my ability on the field.  I never held anything back.  I ran as hard as I could and I did my very best.   We should approach our spiritual life in the same way.  When we die I don't want to say to the Lord, "here is the one talent back that you gave us."  I want to do everything that I can, I want us to do everything that we can to multiply the kingdom, to fulfill our potential, and to use our God given abilities for God's purpose.

The moment that we shrink back from God's work, we have made life about us.  Yes it is crazy busy, yes it is a lot.  Yes it is more.  But as long as we have breath and strength, let us use it for God's work.

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

50

Something happened to me when I turned 50. [8 years ago]  I began to worry less and I began to find more joy in life.  I began a journey of deciding to be content instead of being upset by so many things.  Now I still have a long way to go, but I am on a different journey than I was before.

 

Today I am aware that most of my life is behind me.  What ever time I have left, I want to spend it being positive, not negative.  I want to engage my energy in what I am for, not what I am against.  Life is much too short to waste any time focusing on what I am unhappy about.  So much of it is beyond my control anyway.

I want to grow in my ability to accept and welcome pain instead of fighting it.  I want to learn to make friends with things that make me uncomfortable.  Think of how many things we used to be so upset by, but now we are ok with them.  Maybe the things that I want to be unhappy about today can become my friend as well.

On my death bed I want to look into the eyes of my children and tell them that they are good and that life is a treat.  Why did it take me so long to start thinking like this?  I don’t know, but I do know that the last eight years have been so much more delightful.

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

I am the problem

So you are not feeling well and you go to your doctor and ask for help.    Your doctor sends you home with a prescription for someone else.  It makes no sense. 

But that is how we live and that is how we think.  We are unhappy but we think we will become happy if someone else changes.  I am troubled but if my wife will change, then I will be happy.  I hate my job but if my boss will change then I will  be happy.  We are asking for prescriptions for others when we are the one who is ill.

Start looking past circumstances.  Stop measuring your life by your circumstances.  Life is good.  See it.  Live it.  The problem is not everyone else.  The problem is almost always me- my attitudes, my worries, my dysfunction.

The moment that I realize this and admit it to myself, everything begins to change.  I begin to work on me and I begin to accept that being uncomfortable is just a part of being alive in this world.

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

grace

Marriage can be difficult.  I was talking with a friend the other day about this.  We have all seen couples throw each other away when we thought the marriage could be saved.  We have also seen people stay with a spouse and make it work when it seemed to us to be beyond repair.

To me, the mitigating factor, the x-factor is grace.  Do you have grace for him?  Do you have grace for her?  If so, then God is ready to go to work.  There is still HOPE.  By grace, the power of the Holy Spirit can heal broken hearts and restore the joy of a relationship.  I have seen it many times.

Don't give up.  God is stronger than we think.

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

waking up

If one would see the good, they must wake up to life.  They must open their eyes and see what God is doing.  My favorite author, Anthony de Mello says that the core of spirituality is waking up.

Here is a quote from his book titled Awareness:

I have not known a single person who gave time to being aware [awake] who didn't see a difference in a matter of weeks.  The quality of their life changes, so they don't have to take it on faith anymore.  They see it.  They're different.  They react differently.  In fact, they react less and act more.  You see things you've never seen before. You're much more energetic, much more alive. 

Today I invite you to look and see what God has done in the world around you.

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

how many weeks in a row

Last Sunday, I was at church, but not preaching.  Anytime this happens, I get complaints.  "If you are here Jeff, why aren't you preaching?"

Many churches have Sundays where the Central Methodist College Choir or some other group sings.  Many churches have associates that preach once per month.  That gives them an opportunity to preach, and the Sr Pastor a break.

Preaching week after week is exhausting, exhausting to the soul.  To have something ready that is heartfelt and moving is very difficult to do week after week.  When you are a preacher it feels like Sunday comes 3 times per week.  This is why I insists that our associates that are preaching in our various venues do not preach more than 3 times per month.  I am trying to take care of their souls.

From June 14 thru Aug 2, I preached eight weeks in a row.  So on the 9th, last Sunday, I was here, but not preaching.  Actually, we recorded the sermon on Thursday that was played in the Worship Center on Sunday Aug 2.  So I didn't deliver it live, but I did prepare a sermon.  My point is this, a preacher needs a break from time to time for their souls to catch up.

I will be preaching tomorrow, the Lord willing.

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

lost

Tagging on to yesterday's post, many Christians talk about the lost.  Anyone who does not believe in Jesus as I do, well they are lost.  The problem with this, is that quite often, the Jesus that is being held out by Christians is not a good reflection of who Jesus really is.  Instead of teaching that God loves you and forgives you and welcomes you, their Jesus is angry.

It kind of makes you wonder who is really lost.  Many Christians need to lose the angry Jesus and find him all over again.

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

I don't believe

Some people tell me that they don't believe in God or Jesus or both.  I think that often, what they really mean is this - they don't believe in the God or Jesus that many Christians portray.  Many Christians hold out a God and a Jesus that is angry, judgmental, wears a suit and tie, and is a bit uppity.

I don't believe in that  God or Jesus either.

When Christians begin to hold out the God and Jesus that are loving, gracious, and welcoming, I think there will be more believers in this world.

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

a note from a dear friend

In the book the Shack, God kept saying how fond he was of everyone.  I am fond of so many people.  This is from a dear friend that I am very fond of.

Jeff, I watched a pair of cardinals build a nest in a hydrangea tree outside my laundry room window.   They fussed at me when I checked on them.   I saw them feed their scrawny offspring until one morning last week  I saw the baby atop the tree with the parents loudly  coaxing it on to a new life.  When I checked the empty nest I found one egg still there, sadly not hatching. I know I will enjoy their red coats at my feeder when it's snowing.

I hope you get my message or metaphor of life.  Some days are more difficult than others, but I always hear the birds singing when I first wake up.  

Let's keep hearing the birds sing.

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

surgery

Several have asked me, so here is the story.......

About six years ago I had my gall bladder out.  For whatever reason, the surgeon was not able to remove it laproscopically and I was cut open the old fashioned way.  Big long pirate scar.

Fast forward to about six months ago, and I started to have abdominal pain.  It was an interesting sensation that seemed to get worse the longer that I was on my feet.  After about three months we finally got a cat scan and a diagnosis.  Since all the internal organs were fine and the pain was centered on the scar from the previous surgery, it was either in incisional hernia or adhesions.  Adhesions are little bits of scar tissue that try to attach your abdominal wall to your guts.  The pulling and tugging can be painful.

Yesterday I went in for laproscopic surgery.  Everything went great.  The doctor was very pleased.  It took a little over an hour.  It was not a hernia, but a good bit of scar tissue and adhesions.  The largest section of scar tissue looks to be about the size of a danish roll.  I have pictures if you want to see them.

They cut out the scar tissue and cotterized all of the connections.  Then they took an after picture.  I am all fixed up.  For the first time in a long time, I don't have this odd bump below my rib cage, and when the little entry holes heal up, I will be pain free!

 It is nice to live in a time where God has given doctors the ability to do such things.
I am glad to be on the other side of this story.

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

decisions

I had to make a decision the other day.  It was a difficult one.  Usually I am very methodical about such decisions.  [Aren't all Methodists methodical?]  I usually take a sheet of paper, draw a line down the middle and list the pros and cons.

This was a tough one.  I did not know what to feel or think.  100 thoughts crowded my mind about all the facets of the situation.  Fortunately, underneath in all there was a lingering sense of what the right action was.  And so I was able to make a choice, even though I had many issues about the choice and many unanswered questions.  It just seemed to be the right thing to do.

Oddly, I am not worried about any potential issues or fallout.  I somehow feel that God is in this and that it will be ok.  Maybe God blesses us in our weakness.

Sometimes our choices are limited.  Pray that you will have direction.  Never stop believing that God loves you enough to help you along through the difficult times.  Yea thou I walk through the valley I will fear nothing, for Thou art with me.

Maybe sometimes we end up doing the right things because we stopped thinking about it and trying to control it.  Maybe sometimes it is ok to just put a thing into the hands of God and just go with it.

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

three difficult things

Someone once said that the three things that are the most difficult for we humans are:

1.  returning love for hate
2.  including the excluded
3.  admitting that you were wrong

Interesting that Jesus taught that we should do all three.  May we all get better quickly at that which is most difficult for we humans.

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

From my friend Joy

I really dislike the "picking & choosing" approach to Christianity - and, at the same time-I'm dreadfully guilty of it.

I "p&c" which Bible verses I believe the most; I "p&c" which stories/laws/Biblical characters/teachings in Scripture I relate to the most; I "p&c" which sin is the worst ( & it's always the sin of which I will never be guilty); I "p&c" the preacher/church/choir director/teachers/folks that are welcome/the place I always sit in church, the acceptable music, etc.  and if my "p&c" doesn't  pan out, I just "gospel shuffle" on out to "p&c" another preacher/church/choir,etc.

Actually, I am working on that  "picking & choosing"  thingy-but it's really hard.

It seems to be almost innate and extremely contagious.

Jesus called it "Judge not, lest you be judged" or "Do not judge lest you be judged yourselves".  Luke 7:1 It seems really important to me to squelch this attitude,  but it ain't easy!

Choose to have a happy day!

Joy

re: demons

I was listening to the radio and a song from an artist I enjoy came on that speaks about dealing with demons.

Jeff posted last week about our demons and how we all have them and to be wary of those who say they do not. I think it takes a strong person to share their flaws. They are willing to be truthful to themselves and to others and to be judged …what a tough combination.

As Jeff wrote, “Use all the will power that you have.  Your participation is important.  But always remember that God is at hand to help as well.  When we are weak, then he is strong.  We may feel powerless, but God can help us make it through a difficult time.”

Here are a few verses from the song:

A wall of denial - is fallin' down

Wo it's fallin' so hard - down to the ground

Never knew something so strong could be washed away by tears

But this wall of denial was just built on fear

We've all had our demons from the garden of white lies

Dressed them amused them pullin' wool over our eyes

Go so far as to love them to keep from letting them go

All the while they we're killin' us but we couldn't let it show

No matter what the trouble we carry round inside

We're never safe from the truth but in the truth we can survive

When this wall of denial comes tumblin' down

Down to the ground

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

learn

“Don’t turn away from possible futures before you’re certain you don’t have anything to learn from them.”-Richard Bach

Is there anything we can’t learn from? Of the things I know the most about I still have plenty to learn and of course there is plenty to unlearn, as well. To ignore these truths would be a travesty. There is so much I don’t know and understand. I need to remind myself to pursue those things, even if I fall short, it will be worth the effort.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

freedom

I think it is important to not undervalue the everyday things we can do. Every place, every person and every situation around us is the Mission field. The field is under your roof, in your neighborhood, at the grocery store, downtown, in other towns, and in faraway lands.

This gentle reminder came to me again in a reading the other day.

"Doing small things with great love. An experience of inner freedom and grace allows you to be more compassionate both with yourself and with others. Every time we choose love, grace, and humility over our habituated brain reactions, we expand our realm of freedom. And love can only happen in the realm of freedom.”

The more we become aware of this and practice it the freer we become. God working through us and in us….

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

laughter

I had a good laugh today. A tearful laugh. A belly laugh. An out loud laugh. It brought attention from those not far away. I shared with them what I was watching and boom a laughter explosion took place.

“You’ve got to laugh at least once a day because a day without laughter is like a day without sunshine, and a day without sunshine is like . . . .night.” - Steve Martin

I need to give credit where credit is due, re: yesterday’s blog post. Laughter has been a big part of why I am where I am now. I am laughing more. I am being deliberate in seeking out things that will make me laugh. It is good medicine. Good for the soul.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

not flat

Many times I have felt spiritually flat. Nothing would seem inspiring. Maybe the world and its ways had taken the front seat. Maybe I had. One way or another it would happen. This came to mind the other day when I began to write down some ideas to share here on the Blog. I was struggling to come up with anything I was passionate about. Only this time I knew it wasn’t because I was “flat”. So I thought about it and came to realize, for now at least, I am content... at peace. It is not because the world is now perfect for me nor am I in control and making everything right. I made a conscious decision a while back to slow down. Maybe that was the catalyst for this change. Whatever it is, it is working and I am trying to not think too hard about it….I don’t want to mess things up and lose where I am. God, I think, is just looking for a little space... a little time, so he can work on us.

See the good.

Peace,

Lion’s Den Man

read this.........

Read this from the top down first, then from the bottom up..........



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

the purpose of the church

Someone suggested in a facebook post the other day that the purpose of the church is to point out sin or call out sin.

While I do believe in sin and I have personal experience with it, this is not the job of the church or the job of the Christian.  That is God's job and God's alone.  When we point the finger at others, all we do is come across as hateful.  There is nothing Christian about that.  We end up driving away the very people that we would have hoped to have won.

Anyone who points the finger at another, better be living a sinless life.  They better not skip church ever, and they better give 10% at least.  Those without sin, cast the first stone.

Over and over Jesus dealt with sinners with grace and compassion.  The only people he crushed were those who were crushing others, the Pharisees.  I said this the other day, too many modern Christians sound more like the Pharisees and not enough like Jesus.

It is not our job to point out the sins of others.  That is the job of the Holy Spirit.

The purpose of the church is to point people to God and to lift up the name of Jesus Christ.  The purpose of the church is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.  The purpose of the church is to offer grace to a broken world.

Grace to you my friends.

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