no one to love

I was talking to someone the other day who bemoaned that "they have no one to love."

Maybe you are single.  Maybe you are in a dead end relationship.  Maybe you feel unloved.  Maybe you feel that you have no one to love.

I disagree.  Although you may not get to hug or kiss them, there are tons of people around you to love.  You can show love to people every day in thousands of ways.  It is just a matter of a choice.  Will I reach for them and care for them or will I make our encounter about me?

The server, the UPS man, the person behind the counter, the checker, the neighbor, the cousin, the person on the end of the phone call, the client, the bank teller, on and on it goes.

All of these people need love.  So do you, but the best way to feel full of love is to give it away.

When I was at Woods Chapel, I received a Christmas card a number of years that had the Rogers and Hammerstein quote in it:

A bell's not a bell till you ring it.
A song's not a song till you sing it.
Love in your heart wasn't put there to stay.
Love isn't love till you give it away.

No one to love?  Wrong.  Get out there and get in the game.  Hundreds of people are waiting for you to love them.

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

Paying attention

There is an intersection not far from our home in Vero Beach where US 1 and Old Dixie parallel each other and at this point they are maybe 40 yards apart.  There have been some bad wrecks on the corner of 65th and Old Dixie.  I think people come up to the intersection but their focus is on the US 1 intersection.  And if you don't stop at Old Dixie, you can find yourself in a real jam because the cross traffic does not stop.

So I was in Kansas City last week, driving on Lees Summit road towards Woods Chapel Road by the Baptist Church.  I wasn't thinking about that intersection, my brain was thinking about turning on Colbern road.  I roll up to the intersection at 45 MPH and I notice this car pulling out in front of me.  Then I realize that there is a stop sign that I completely missed.  I hit the brakes.  They stopped.  Disaster avoided.

Sometimes it is good to think ahead, but other times it is really important to pay attention to what you are doing right now.  This moment matters.  The people in this moment matter.

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

Don't hurt back

Ok, it happened.  Someone hurt you.  Yes it happened, yes it was said, yes it was done.  It hurts for sure.

There is this human response to want to hurt back.  Sometimes we want to hurt the person who hurt us and sometimes we don't want to hurt them because we love them, so we end up hurting others.  We humans sometimes carry hurt like a wet blanket hung over our backs.

[It took me years in ministry to realize that some of the angry people that I ran across were not angry at me, there was just something else going on in their life and I was an easy target.]

Anyway, you are hurt and you want to hurt back.  Don't do it.  Nothing is gained by you hurting that person back.  Your feelings will change.  Feelings always change.  They are a lovely valuable person created by God.  Don't hurt them.  You will come out on the other side.  Keep looking for people to love.  See the good, do the good.  Things will get better.

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

That's it!!!

Lucy says, "you have pantaphobia, the fear of everything."
Charlie Brown says, "That's it!!!"

That's it!!!

Tumble with me through this post. I am trying to explain something that is hard to explain.

There is a strange phenomenon that occurs when you read or hear an idea. Sometimes I get this feeling, "that is exactly what I was thinking!"

So you have a thought- maybe like it is a bit out of the norm. Maybe you feel that the thought is borderline or not accepted by the larger group. You have been struggling with a thing and looking for a way to express your feelings.

You refrain from saying it, from sharing it, because maybe you’re the only one that thinks this way.

Then you read the thought somewhere else and you get a big smile on your face! You feel validated. I’m not the only one that thinks these things! I’m not the only one who feels that way!

You want to reach out to the person and say, thank you for saying that, it is exactly what I was thinking.

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

Gaping hole

I was talking to someone the other day who was really hurting. They suddenly have a gaping hole in their heart.

I think that most of us have felt this at one time or another. The death of a loved one, a divorce, the loss of a friend.

And there is this gaping hole.

I thought of the words from the Coldplay song, Fix you: Tears stream down your face - when you lose something you cannot replace.

Most of the time when people hurt, I don't know how to fix it for them.  So you sit, and you listen and you hug them.

If you are hurting today, my heart goes out to you.  I am so sorry for your loss.

But please remember, it is still a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

If you could hear how you sound

If you could hear how you sound. 

When I was young my mother would say that to me.  Evidently I had a bad tone of voice. As I grew older I would think "mother, if you could hear how you sound."  But I could never say it, that would result in a slap across the face.

How we say something is as important if not more important than what we say.  We can just blurt something out and deliver our information or we can think about how we carry ourselves. We can look for ways to phrase a thing or explain a thing that is less difficult and less hurtful. 

We don’t have to deliver a zinger to someone because of some misfortune or some perceived slight. 

• We had to wait too long for a table - zinger.  
• Someone said something that we didn’t like - zinger.  
• I don’t like the way this is going - zinger.

Or instead of zingers we can deliver kindness. People matter and our tone of voice says a lot about whether we are delivering selfishness to them or love. 

Do you know how you sound?

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

How much of life is about me?

We humans have an uncanny way of making everything about me.  Someone is telling us a story about their surgery, and before they can finish we start telling them about our surgery.  When I am driving, everyone should get out of my way.  I should have the best job.  I should have the best of everything.  I, I, I, me, me, me.  It's all about me.

The journey of the Christian life is to learn to make it less about me and more about others.  This begins with taking a fearless moral inventory of our own selfishness and seeing it for what it is.  The next big step involves seeing others as valuable.  Noticing other people and seeing that they matter.  They have a right to drive a car on the same road as I do.  They have a right to get warm fuzzys from me instead of cold pricklys.

How much of your day to day is about you?  Can we make an intentional effort to see others and care for them?

My worst moments are when I make it about me.  My happiest moments are when I am doing for someone else.

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

Doctrine or Love

Churches are too full of doctrine.  Doctrine is the ideas and beliefs that men and women [but almost exclusively men] have decided are important.  People can say that their ideas come from the Bible, but they still choose which ones to hold onto and they shape them.  There are lots of doctrines that are just plain hurtful.

There are very few doctrinal ideas that come from Jesus, and the few that you find, he often superseded with love.  In other words, when Jesus saw an opportunity to love, he set aside rules and beliefs because love was more important.

We don't know if our doctrines are right.  People insist that their doctrines are right, but we don't, we can't know.  Doctrinal disputes have led to the creation of over 33,000 different denominations, all claiming to have the market on truth.  People are crazy!

We can't know if our beliefs are right.  But what we can know is that love is right.  We humans should spend less time trying to believe it right and just love people.

Relax.  Live and let live.  Live and love.

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

Dealing with anger

I am sure we all get angry from time to time.  I know some people that are eaten up with anger.

Someone did you wrong.  You got fired.  Someone doesn't like you.  Someone doesn't want to be with you anymore.  You were rejected.

It all hurts and anger can be the result.  I too have collected some wounds over the years.  Some of them still sting from time to time.  Here are things that I do to combat anger when it rears it's ugly head.

1.  I don't dwell on the memory.  Since you can only think about one thing at a time, I choose to think about something else.

2.  I think of those who hurt me and I pray for them.  I see them standing next to Jesus and I see that Jesus loves them.  I remember that much of what they did was not intentionally done to hurt me.  The hurt was a byproduct of something that they said or did.

3.  I refuse to let negativity dominate my day.  I remind myself that no matter what happens in my life, it is my job to give my day to God.  If I am angry about something, I am no good to anyone that I meet during the day.

4.  I spend time with good people.  When I am with people that I like, it makes me happy and it takes my mind off of the hurts.

I hope those little ideas are helpful to you.

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

It's the church's fault

I was talking to a lady the other day and she was bemoaning the fact that people don't want to go to church anymore.  I told her that I thought much of it was the church's own fault.  She asked me why I thought that.

These are generalizations, but here is why I think that many people are not interested in many churches.

1.  Pastors and members guilt people to come, to stay, to give and to behave in certain ways.  This creates a sense of fear within a person.  Fear of God and fear of being "wrong."  When people grow up, they get tired of this.

2.  Hidden information.  Members have questions and they should be answered but often are not.  Why did that family stop coming?  What happened?  How much did that project cost?  Who approved that thing?  Why wasn't that committee involved?  Why is just one person or a few people running things?  On and on the questions go.  The problem with not answering questions is that it gives people the message that they don't need to know.  We want you to give us your money and come to church, but don't ask any questions.  When I was the Pastor, I believed in full disclosure.  You want to see the budget?  Sure.  You want to know something?  We told them everything that we could.  When you answer people's questions, you build a culture of trust.

3.  Theology that hurts.  Don't question the Bible.  God is mad at you.  You must do this or you are going to hell.

4.  Irrelevant simplicity.  Blindly going on with the same approach when the world is falling apart around them.  When my parents were going through a rough patch with their adult children [imagine that] their church's pastor told them to keep praying, keep coming to church, keep reading the Bible, and keep giving their money.  They received no practical help and no empathy.

If that is not enough, I think that the list could go on.

To avoid this from sounding like a negative post, let me say this.  If you are a Pastor or a member, make sure that your church is not doing these things.  You have a choice, you have a chance to speak health into your organization.  And when we do that, and ineffective practices are turned around, people will want to return to the organization.

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

Take me to church

Happy Mother's Day, one day late.

We had some old friends in for the weekend.  Old friends.  Great friends.  We picked up right where we left off.  Amazing.  Beautiful.  Awesome.

We talked of many things.  We talked of church.  They are not currently going.  Neither are we.  She said that reading my blog was like going to church for her.

That got me to thinking.  Gosh, if she thinks that, I should work harder on posting to the blog.  I have been worried that too many of my ideas were repeats.  But you know what, if someone is looking for something to think about, maybe I should repeat.

Maybe I should just write about whatever is on my heart no matter how redundant.

Aaron I love you.  [random, but true.]

So yesterday was Mother's day.  It was a day that we dreaded when I was a child, because we were supposed to honor the person who shamed us.

If you are a mother, I hope that shame is not in your arsenal of how to raise children.  Jesus never shamed anyone.

The Jews hated the Romans.  But Jesus, with no judgement, healed the Roman Centurion's son.

Jesus never shamed anyone.  Shame on the church for shaming people.  For heaven's sake.

The woman at the well in John 4 had had 6 husbands.  Jesus did not shame her.

It is time for the century, the decade, the year, the month, the day, the moment of shame to come to an end.  I don't care who a person is or what they have done, Jesus has no litmus test.   No one is shamed, ever.

Everyone is loved.  Everyone is welcomed in Jesus' Church, just as your are.

No more shame.  Never, ever.  Everyone,  everyone is welcome here and in God's kingdom.

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

River Cruise to Belgium and the Netherlands

Ghent Cathedral

 

Amalucia

Kinderdijk UNESCO World Heritage Site

Good Morning.  After discussions with several of you, I am looking at booking a river cruise in March of 2022.  The trip would visit several historic and beautiful places and you would get to hang with some great folks.  After the pandemic and getting my vaccine, I am ready to get back out into the world.

Here is the info on the trip.

click here to view the brochure

If you wish to sign up, my tour host number is 17768.
Let me know if you have any questions.

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

When someone knows that they are loved

One of the positive things that has come from my son's injury is that he is starting to understand in a deeper way than he ever has, that somebody loves him.  I have watched him open cards with well wishes.  I have watched him open cards with checks from people that he barely knew, but loved him deeply.  I have watched him being moved to tears by all of this.

When someone knows that they are loved, everything changes.  When someone knows that they are loved, the clouds recede and the sun shines brighter.  When someone knows that they are loved, they wake up in the morning with a hop in their step.

I hope that you know that someone loves you.  And just in case that you are not sure, let me say it...

I love you!  You matter to me!!!

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

They just want someone to talk to

My handyman work is booming right now.  That is one of the reasons that it is hard to post blogs.  In Florida, if you are working outside, you want to do it early.  So the time when I would normally write, I am loading up tools and heading to the job.

And I have noticed something lately.  Many, many, most of my clients are lonely.  They want me to come inside and take a break.  "Sit at my table and have some water," is a common comment.  Especially if they find out that I was a Pastor, they want to talk.

And so I sit at their table, and we talk.  About kids, about life, about everything.  And it occurs to me that many other people in life, whether I am working for them or not, probably need someone to talk to as well.

Be on the look out for those who need a friend, a hug, or a listening ear.  Take a break from your busy life and sit with them.

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

An update on Scott

Good morning. Scott saw the wound doctor yesterday. The doc is happy with his progress. He took out Scott's stitches. This was very painful, as the stitches were deep and evidently the body grabs onto them. They were not the self disolving kind. yikes!

The doctor told him to start putting weight on it as he was able. He gave him a post surgery "shoe!"

Scott posted a very nice update on the go fund me page...

"I am on the mend and healing well. Thank you all so much for the prayers and support over the last few weeks. I never would have thought that this many people would have donated. The money is helping so much with rent and medical bills. I am very grateful and humbled by this experience. I will be sure to pay it forward in the future. Thank you all so much again and continue being the amazing people you are."

new shoe!

leaving the doctor's office.
[He did not want me to take this picture
he hates being the center of attention!]

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

Am I in the right place?

 Those of us who have undergone a major life change often ask the question, "am I in the right place?"  Job change, retirement, and other situations can bring about a questioning of our role and status.

I was staining a fence on a handyman job.  The man of the house told the lady of the house that I used to be a Methodist Minister.  She came out to talk with me.

We talked about many things.  She wanted to know if it was hard to "stop" being a minister.  This is what I told her... "I was not put on this earth to be a minister, or a cook, or a bus driver, or a handyman.  I was put on this earth to love God and love people."

She started to cry.  She told me, "well today, you are exactly where you need to be."

Odd thing too, I didn't want to take this job.  The husband originally rubbed me the wrong way.  But it all turned out ok.

It is important every day that we make a point of remembering our purpose.  Why are we here?  Love God, love people.

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

My brain doesn't always think right

If you’re like me you commonly find yourself thinking about things

maybe you are even stuck thinking on things that you shouldn’t be thinking about
I have always been a rule follower. I was raised by strict Lutherans to follow the rules. This morning I took a drive around the neighborhood and was frustrated and upset by two families in our neighborhood of 64 homes who just can’t follow the rules- trash cans are out visible and there’s usually piles of trash or construction debris just general junk out for everyone to see. I wanna knock on the door and say why don’t you move to a neighborhood that doesn’t have rules if you don’t wanna follow them here???

Later Cathy and I went to the beach. I read the sign of the rules no fishing no pets no alcohol. And when I immediately got out to the beach I noticed a lot of people fishing and a lot of people with dogs. And I thought why can’t people just follow the rules.

Then I got to thinking...
what is wrong with me?
Why do I care?
Do I wanna spend my life always looking and wondering why these people don’t follow the rules???
Maybe I should just listen to the waves and watch the sunrise.



it’s a beautiful day in God‘s world if we’re paying attention. Don't get sidetracked, be sure to see the good

buyer beware

So I was working in Jacksonville and needed to make a hotel reservation.  Two nights in Palatka, FL.

I Googled the Holiday Inn in Palatka.  That turned out to be a mistake.  I thought I was on the Holiday Inn website but I was not.  I was on a third party web site that looked just like the Holiday Inn website.  My mistake, and I was fooled.

Later, my boss told me that I only needed to be there for one night so when I got to the hotel, I tried to cancel the second night.  Oops sorry, you did not reserve through us so you must deal with the third party web site.  I called them.  I talked to someone who lives in another country.  Sorry sir, no refunds.

And to make it worse, they have a $50 per day fee tacked onto the hotel cost.  

Buyer beware.  When making hotel reservations, make sure you are on the correct web site.  Or call the hotel directly.

I don't like feeling dumb, but it does happen from time to time.

A few weeks ago I got a call from an Amazon rep.  Seems that someone had charged a $1200 iphone on my account.  They had flagged the transaction as suspicious.  They wanted to know if I had made the purchase.  NO!  I did not.  We talked for a bit longer, the fellow had a number of questions for me.  I was probably on the phone for 5 minutes when I realized that this was not Amazon, this was someone trying to get my personal information.  I hung up.

But for sure, in this day of electronic transactions, do not open any links in texts or emails that you don't recognize.  Do not send gift cards to friends who are stuck somewhere.  And do not book anything over a site unless you are certain that you are on the app or web page of the actual vendor.

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

a beautiful morning

A few weeks ago I was in Kansas City and I caught up with one of the men's groups.  Covid has made their meetings few and far between, but on this day they were gathered in person at one of the Lakewood pavilions.

Being from Florida, I had on every piece of clothing that I brought with me.  I also brought a blanket just in case.

Well, it was a delightful morning.  Hearts were warm.  Discussion was beautiful.  The sunrise was amazing.  I miss all of these guys so much.  I am so glad that they get together and stay connected.

I hope to get back to visit with them soon.

nobody does a sunrise like the Lord

left to right: me, Paul, Brian, Eric,
Adam, Bill, Michael, John and Jim

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

trips

As the pandemic comes under control several friends have reached out to me about getting back to travelling.

Some have asked to go to the Holy Land.  Some have asked to return to Italy.  Some want to go on a cruise or river cruise.

If you are interested in any of these trips, or have other ideas for trips, please let me know what your interest is and I will see what we can put together.

Many happy faces in the Pergamum amphitheater
on the Journeys of Paul trip.

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

Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

If a picture paints 1,000 words

 I love my friends.  Some of the best stuff that I get to post comes from them.  This picture is from John and Kathy Muller.

The symbolism is obvious...

I love this picture.

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

A workin man

My friend Dave has a steel company.  One of his jobs is near Jacksonville.  This week I got to go up to Palatka, FL and work on steel like the big boys do.  I was near an old coal fired power plant which is being replaced by a new power plant fueled by natural gas.

I loved the ambiance and I loved the work.  The weather was great!  Odd as it sounds, it made me very happy to be involved in this project.

New Natural Gas power plant under construction

Steel for the new plant that I worked on

Big steel toys!

Cooling tower

Old coal fired plant that is being replaced

Steel worker Jeff

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

You matter

My friend Joanne sent this in...

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

Visit to Jacksonville

So ten years ago, Jenny's fiancé tore his achilleas tendon.  He spent a lot of recovery time on a knee scooter.  I drove up to Jacksonville to pick up the scooter for Scott to use and to see my daughters.

The five of us went to dinner.  Alli and Bobby,  Jenny and David, and an old man.

The next day I got to see my granddaughter Isabella.  How lovely!!!

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

depressed

I was depressed yesterday.  Briefly.

It seems that my old truck has a mechanical problem that I was having trouble fixing.  I thought it was the alternator.  I replaced it, but that did not solve the issue.

And then on top of a vehicle issue, I was having a minor medical issue.

I was blue.  In the dumps.

Then I thought, my gosh, what is wrong with me?  What do people feel like that have real problems?  And that brought me back to my senses.  Sometimes it helps to remember that things could be worse.

Update on Scott.  He saw the wound doctor yesterday.  The Doc says that the wound looks good [still scary looking] Scott does not have to go back to the Doc for two weeks.  I am hopeful that in a month he will be able to start putting some weight on it.  We shall see.  Thanks for your prayers.

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

Vaccine

I received my second Pfizer shot last Saturday.  Lots of people warned me about side effects after the second dose.

Well, other than a sore arm where the needle went in, I have had none.  In fact, I barely felt the needle.  I have watched the news for a year about the pandemic.  My daughter and her fiancé got covid.  I know a few people that died of it.

It never touched me.  I feel very fortunate.

I encourage everyone to get the vaccine.  I am surprised at people that I know that think it is some kind of conspiracy.  Some churches are saying that it is the mark of the beast if you get the vaccine.

Silliness.

We have the opportunity to be healthy.  Let's be healthy and get this virus behind us.

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

Scott update

Many of you have asked about Scott.  He continues to convalesce at our house.  We are all getting along well because we want nothing more than to help him get better.

I told him the other day, for all the times that I tried to get you to stand up and take responsibility for your life, we are not going to have that discussion now.  Your only job is to heal.  Our job is to help you make it through this.

We are seeing the wound doctor on Thursday.  There is a process called "granulating" that happens to an open wound over time.  We will see on Thursday how he is progressing.  Lots of pain meds, and still some pain.  But he is being a trooper.

Several asked about his bills.  We have set up a go fund me account for him.  If you are interested in helping, here is the link.  I share this with no expectations.  Thanks for your friendship and interest in his recovery.

Click here for Scott's go fund me

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

Thoughts from the monastery

 In 2004 I took my first renewal leave.  I visited many places and people and considered their spirituality.  The other day I was looking through the 20 page report that I wrote about the leave.  One of the things that struck me was the thoughts from a monk that I visited with at the monastery in Ava, MO.

Here are some questions that I had for Brother Francis with his answers.

Do monks stay here forever? No, usually not. 90% of monks will leave the monastery. You must be here for 7 years before you make your vows. Almost all of those that leave, do so before their vows. After vows are made, hardly anyone ever leaves.

Do they ever go to town? No. Only the monk who serves as the purchasing agent goes to town. Others could go if they wanted to, but no one wants to. Monks crave silence and solitude, not hustle and bustle.

Is there a secular side to a monk? Monks joke when making fruitcake.   Life is funny. Look at us. Monks are funny. Some of the world’s best humor resides right here in the monastery.

They seem to crucify their passions? Yes, they work very hard at this. It takes a good deal of praying and self discipline to be a monk.

It looks like a hard way to live, but a good way to die? We enjoy our way of life, and when we get old and sick, we take care of each other. The 20 monks that are buried behind the monastery are truly at rest.

I had a good deal of thinking time at the monastery. Here are some random thoughts.

What if in life if I were better at crucifying passions?
no more fights over the last can of coke
I am not addicted
I am not attached to anything
No need for new clothes
I only focus on
Loving others
Doing Gods will
Being a part of a caring community

The results of this might be:
I never feel guilty for wasting time
I have all there resources that I need
I am truly doing good
I am doing God’s will
I understand life

Thoughts from the monastery 2004.  Still good for today.

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

Address

Several have asked about sending a get well card to Scott.  By the way, they sell Hallmark cards at the Dollar Tree for $.50.  If you ever get a card from me, I spent 50 cents...

Anyway, if you are so inclined, our address is
6463 55th Square
Vero Beach, FL 32967

Scott saw the wound doctor yesterday.  The doc was surprised at the size and seriousness of Scott's wound.  But, he said that it looked ok for 8 days into the experience.  He gave Scott some pointers on care and wants to see him next week.  So all that is good.

But he told him, this is going to be a long haul.  And so Scott and Scott's parents need to get prepped for the long haul.  Sometimes in life we want things quick and easy.  Sometimes in life we get what we want, and sometimes in life we get what we get.  I think that it is a spiritual gift to stand in a moment of trial, for the long haul.  Tribulation worketh patience.

Thank you all for your prayers and support.

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

to bear another's pain

So here is an update my son.  I am withholding the graphic details.

His wound is gruesome and they were not able to close it.  In my mind it needs a skin graft, but who knows?  He is seeing a wound specialist today so hopefully we will learn something.

Worker's comp has denied his claim because he supposedly signed something at the hospital.  We will see about that.  He has run out of pain meds because doctors are not prescribing OxyContin like they used to.  

Regardless, in the morning, he has to shower and change the bandages.  This is a very painful process and my 30 year old, tough as nails son cries out in pain.  It is the most terrible thing for a parent to listen to.  I think, if only I could take the pain of my son, I surely would.

Think about that for a moment.  Wouldn't you, wouldn't any parent take the pain from their child and bear it themselves... but alas, we cannot.  Life just doesn't work that way.

But the next time you hear of some tragic thing, some thing that makes you say, where was God when that happened?  Just remember, God is there, hearing our cries, wishing he could take the pain.  Wishing he could hold us.  

Jesus said, come to me, all ye who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Good Friday

Good Friday.

First of all, several of you have asked for an update on Scott.  He is home from the hospital and convalescing with us at our house.  Though he does want to get back to his apartment.

He will be out of work for 1-2 months.  Should I start a go fund me page for him?  Ha ha.

He met with the Workers Comp team.  We will see how that goes.

You never want your kinds to be sick or injured.  Our first priority is his health.  Making sure that his wound stays on track.

Back to Good Friday.

The birth, life, teachings of Jesus and his death are evidence of one thing.  God loves us.

The Christian faith was never intended to be centered around sin.  It was to be, from creation, about love.  There is no greater teacher about love than Jesus.  His death is a sign of how much he loves you and me.  He laid down his life for us, we can lay down our life for others.  And when we do that, we come to understand why we are here.

That is why we call it good.  Good Friday.

Love is on total display.  I can learn to love in a radical way.

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

the post that you never want to make

So I am in Kansas City working on Dave and Gina Harris's deck.  It is a big job and it is taking a long time.  Good news is that I am working with my long time friend Bruce Letner.  Such a great man.

So today we are on the deck and my phone rings.  It is my wife, Cathy.  We have already talked earlier [our morning talk] so I am wondering what is up.

There was an accident this morning at Scott's work.  He was cutting a board and the circular saw kicked back.  It went out of control.  It entered his right foot and crawled up his calf.  Several veins were cut and he was bleeding pretty badly.  The ambulance came and took him to Lawnwood Hospital in Ft. Pierce.

Initially there was some question about if his foot would be lost.  Thank God, the trauma surgeon saved his foot.  He will be in the hospital for several days.  He will be off work for I guess a month.

My friend Aaron Israelite reminded me that a parent's biggest fear is having something happen to one of their kids.

Good news.  He will be ok.  Life will go on.  And in his convalescence, his mom and dad will have the
opportunity to show him how much we love him.

Pray for my son Scott.

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

Do I miss being a pastor

 People ask me from time to time if I miss being a Pastor.  The short answer is "sometimes."

But there is a bigger answer.  A life issue kind of answer, and it goes like this.  I have come to recognize that I was not put on this earth to be a pastor, or to be a school teacher.  I was not put on this earth to own a company or be a real estate agent.  I was put on this earth to love people and be kind.  And so were you.

Whether we are engaged in a vocation or not.  Whether we like our work or not.  This basic principle holds true for all humans.  We were put on this earth, first and foremost to love others and to dispense kindness.

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

random friend helps the needy

I have some friends who are always helping the needy. I have other friends where it kind of surprises me, in a good way to hear that they are helping the needy.

So my friend is driving in downtown Kansas City. The temperature is 10 degrees below zero. He sees a man on the side of the road with a sign asking for help. The man is wearing no gloves. My friend rolls down his window and says, "get in my car." The man gets in the car.

My friend takes him to Quick Trip. "Buy whatever you want to eat," he says.  Then he takes him to a motel and pays for three nights.

The man says, "I can't tell you when the last time was that I slept in a bed." He said thank you 30 times at least.  He said, "I can't tell you how long it has been since I have had a shower."

I have always loved this friend. But his stock went up in my book over this story.  Whatever you did for the least of these, you did it unto me.

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

freedom

One of the greatest freedoms that we have is how we choose to react to what is happening around us.

Too many people love to play the victim.  Complaining that the world has some how cheated them.  Complaining that the world has not aligned itself to make them happy.

Broken arm?  Wrecked car?  Trouble at home?  Loss of a friend?  All of life's traumas are there for us to react to, either positively or negatively.

Why choose to be unhappy about something that is beyond my control?  This trauma is here and I can do nothing about it, except learn to bear it.

I personally would rather be a happy person bearing a difficulty, that a giant complainer bearing a difficulty.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, trauma and all.  Be sure to see the good.

Grace

Grace is good for everyone.  Grace is not just for the righteous.  Grace is not just for those who have done it right.

Grace is for those who messed up.  Grace is for those who did not listen.  Grace if for those who have failed.  Grace is for those who want to blame others.  

Grace is for those who cheated on their taxes.  Grace is for those who took the candy from the 5 & dime.

We have all failed.  We have all shot ourselves in the foot.  And when that happens, those are the times that we need grace the most.

You can never go wrong by offering grace to another.  Even if, especially when they are down.

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

From my friend Kim...

“The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor. But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, and our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have a potential to turn a life around. It’s overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt.”- Leo Buscaglia (1924-1998)

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

when one suffers

 Human compassion is the art of connecting to others.  It is the ability to forget one's self long enough to feel what the other is feeling.  

When we grow in compassion, we exercise it more often.  We feel the pangs of people that we once thought nothing of.  When we grow in compassion, we consider the "why" of what a person said or did.  We don't excuse bad behavior, but we can surely come to a heartfelt understanding when we exercise a little empathy.

When we exercise compassion, we hurt when they hurt.  We hurt with them.  When we exercise compassion, we celebrate with them.  Godly compassion even shows warmth toward them, and celebration for them, when their team wins.... even wins over our team.  That is because compassion demands that we forget ourselves for a bit.

The other day one of my friends was hurting.  I hurt for them.  I hope that you have people that you hurt with and that you celebrate with.  May we all learn to be compassionate even toward the stranger.

"I was a stranger and you welcomed me."  Mt. 25:35

"Bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ." Gal 6:2

"If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it." 1 Cor 12:6

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.  See the people so that we can do the good.  The good loving stuff.

gloves

My friend Mary has worked with the marginalized for many years. She has a big heart. In response to my post earlier this week, she shared this story with me.

When I served the homeless in Miami and offered haircuts, one guy started to sit in his chair, stood up again and stared at me. “You’re not wearing gloves?” he asked. “No, sir.” I replied. He gave me the biggest smile I have ever seen, sat down with that huge smile still on his face and said to the guy standing next in line, “Lordy, she’s not wearing gloves!” What a difference a caring hand makes.

Oh, the blessing of human touch...

Random Devil Thoughts

 It breaks my heart to have to post this from time to time.  But, when I hear Christians talking with a "BIG Devil theology"  I feel the need to speak up.  Here are some past blog posts on the topic.

Random Devil Thoughts

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2008

random devil thoughts

A few random devil thoughts today. Does your talk about the devil accurately depict his level in creation or have you made him an equal with God? The devil is a created being, he was Lucifer, an arch angel. If you must compare him to someone, he is an equal to Michael and Gabriel, other archangels.

The devil is not everywhere. This is not Biblical theology. God is, and only God is omni-present. To speak of the devil as if he is an equal with God is not only not true, but what we end up doing is spending our time glorifying evil instead of glorifying God.

If you are depressed, it is probably not because you are being oppressed by the devil. Humans get depressed sometimes. If your home really has demons in it, you could not live there. It would be like the Amityville Horror.

We get into the habit of speaking of evil in ways that are not Biblical. The result is that we spend too much time fighting enemies imagined instead of glorifying God. Is your home a place where God is King and Jesus is Lord, or is your home a place where the devil and his helpers reside. You must decide what you believe.

I will probably write more about this in the days to come. Your comments and questions are welcome of course. I just wanted to get you started thinking today about whose world it is. It is God's world, we are his children and the sheep of his pasture. Lets not cower in darkness, but let us live in the light of his glory and presence.

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

POSTED BY PASTOR JEFF BRINKMAN AT 8:58 AM 

 

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2014

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.

POSTED BY PASTOR JEFF BRINKMAN AT 5:30 AM

 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 2018

The devil has a plan

I was talking to a friend the other day and they told me that God had a plan for everyone and so did the devil.

Let's think about that for a moment.
God can have a plan for us because God is infinite, all knowing and all present.

The devil has a plan for us?
That implies that the devil who is a finite created being somehow knows every single person on the earth.  And boom, we have made him the opposite of God.

It sounds interesting to say that the devil has a plan, but there is no way that a limited creation of God can know and have a plan for everyone in the world.
We have made the devil way too big.
Whatever he is, he is not the opposite of God.

God has a plan.  Bank on that.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2010

A Christian Theology of evil

I may have posted this before, but it comes up so often I feel the need to get it out there again..........

A Christian Theology of Evil
An Outline

The basics.
Many Christians speak of God and speak of the devil but do not know who they are. They act as if we live in a dualistic world where two equal powers struggle for control. No question, there is struggle in the world, and there is sin and evil in the world, but God and Satan are not opposites.

Qualities of God:
All Knowing, All Present, All Powerful, Eternal

Qualities of Satan [the devil] and demons
Not all knowing, not all present, not all powerful, created.

What does this mean?
This means that God is in control. Remember Satan is a created being, an angel that fell from heaven. He is not from the beginning, God is. He is not everywhere in the world….God is. Satan is probably not at your house, he is probably working on Ussama Ben Laden. He cannot be in both places at the same time.

Prov 16:4 The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.
Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
Jn 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

Only God deserves the attributes of a god. Satan is not equal to God and he is not the opposite of God. God made him and has allowed him to do his work for a short time. He does not deserve the attention that God does. He is operating in this world for a short time and will receive judgment in the end..

Gen 3:14-15 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Isa 14:12-15 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
2 Pet 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
Jude 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

The limited created evil beings in the world are fighting a losing battle against the almighty power of God that works in the world through the Holy Spirit and those who call upon the name of the Lord.

Being led by the Holy Spirit and being possessed or oppressed by demons.
How does one become a Christian?
You choose to ask Jesus to come in.

How does one become possessed or oppressed by evil?
You choose to ask it to come in.

What does this mean?
It means that evil cannot come in and control you without you having opened the door. He/they cannot just sneak up on you and suddenly inhabit your life. You let in Jesus if you want to and you let in demons if you want to. Let me be clear, there is not room in the soul of a Christian for the Holy Spirit and demons. If you have accepted Jesus, you are infilled with the Holy Spirit. You cannot then be filled with the demonic. One or the other, never both.

Psa 91:9-11 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
1 John 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.
Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

So is the devil real?
Yes the devil is real, but he is not the opposite of God. See above description. People can be possessed by him or by his demons. These are horribly frightening people. If you have ever met someone who was in such a state it would make a tremendous impression on you. Many people will live their entire lives and never see or meet someone who is possessed. Believe me, you don’t want to meet such people.

Mark 5:1-20
1They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.[a] 2When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil[b] spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. 4For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. 6When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me!” 8For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you evil spirit!” 9Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. 11A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. 14Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon possessed man–and told about the pigs as well. 17Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. 18As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. 19Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis[c]how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

Are there other sources of evil? Yes! Other sources of evil include: other people, yourself, and the world.
• People can choose to do evil things. They are responsible for their choices and usually they are not possessed when they choose evil. The human spirit is capable of evil choices without the benefit of or help of the demonic.
• Flip Wilson used to say “the devil made me do it.” He was wrong. He chose to do evil himself. All of us make bad choices and choose to do evil things. That is what sin is. It doesn’t mean that you are demon possessed. It means that you are human.
• The world has evil in it. Tornadoes, Hurricanes, earthquakes, disease. These things are common to human existence and are not the work of demons or the vengeful acts of God. The rain falls on the just and the unjust. The flu is the flu and a cold is a cold. It is not the oppression of the devil.

Does our language and our prayer life glorify God or Satan?
This is the real question.

CS Lewis once said that “the best thing that the Devil can do is to convince the world that he doesn’t exist.” Probably the second best thing for the Devil to do would be to get us to overemphasize his role or involvement in our lives, bringing him glory instead of God.

As believers we are called to lift up the name of Jesus and bring people to him. Most Christians will never see a demon possessed person in their life and would not necessary be prepared to deal with it if they did.

When our prayers refer to Jesus, he is lifted up. When our prayers refer to the devil and evil, they are exalted and fear is injected into the believers thought process.

If you are trusting in Jesus, you don’t have to be afraid of such evil. You are walking with the King. Many Christians unintentionally glorify Satan by including him in all of their prayers and daily chatter and banter. You can do that if you wish. Talking about evil fills people with worry. Talking about Jesus fills people with joy. I want to choose to lift up the name of Jesus. What about you?

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

POSTED BY PASTOR JEFF BRINKMAN AT 7:04 AM 

 

I do care.

On Monday, Dick and I did our normal sandwich delivery.  I had a couple of notable human encounters.

Glen is always at the back of the mattress store on "B" avenue and US 1.  On Monday we gave Glen the customary baloney and cheese sandwich, chips, orange and a bottle of water.  When I asked Glen how he was, he said, "thanks to you guys, I am alive."

If you think that Glen should get a job, you should know that Glen is certifiably crazy.  He could never hold a job.  But he appreciated being fed.

Later at Parkview Park we passed out about six sets of food.  A man that I had not seen there before looked me in the eye and he said, "It is nice to see that someone cares."  I paused, looked him in the eye and told him that we do care.  I told him my name was Jeff.  He told me that his name was Robert.  We shook hands.  As I turned to walk away, my eyes filled with tears.

These people just want to know that someone cares.

St. Patrick's Day

My sister moved to Florida in January.  On Sunday night we tried on our St. Patrick's clothes.

Today is St. Patrick's Day.  On this day I am always reminded of the famous Irishman who invented outdoor tables and chairs.

Do you remember his name?

Patty O'Furniture.

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

not much to say

I haven't posted lately because I haven't had much to say.

I'm not reading much and I just don't feel that I have anything that is blog worthy.

I am sure that you have days when you don't have much to say.

Anyway, everything is ok.  When I have some ideas, I will post again.

Send me any ideas that you have for me to write about.

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

Everything is OK

 We are living through a time that is unprecedented for most of us.  A year long pandemic.  Political turmoil.  Riots.

Add to that the normal stuff.  Worrying about our kids.  Changing jobs.  Friends moving away.  

Change is unsettling.  Too much change and our gray matter arcs.  We feel unnerved and we don't know why.  We need to talk to someone but we can't even put our finger on what is bothering us.

We are worried about the lack of stability.

If this is you, I have a message for you:  Everything is ok.  Everything is ok.  Sure, it is changing times, but we still have each other.  We have lived through change before and we can do it again.  In fact we will live through these days and come out on the other side.

I know you feel discomforted.  Relax.  Take a deep breath.  It is well with your soul.  Everything is ok.

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

God loves you

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep."
Genesis 1:1-2

The earth was without form and void. And the void wasn't good enough for God. Void wasn't going to work for Him.  Being a God of love, he needed someone/something to love. And so God created you and me.

God loves you and enjoys you.  Never forget that.

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

Lunch with a friend

 Yesterday I had lunch with a friend at Captain Hiram's in Sebastian.  This little restaurant is situated on the intercoastal.  It is not uncommon to see dolphins and all sorts of wildlife.

It was a peaceful lunch.  A great chicken sandwich.  Good conversation.  The ambiance of the intercoastal.

Having a friend is a wonderful thing.

Here are some of the birds that I saw.

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

Don't miss the parade

Please take time to watch the parade today. Many people have gone to great lengths to prepare for this special event. Your boss will let you off work for it.
What parade you say?

Today is the day when all of the bands from the local high schools line up downtown and march fourth.

[this was my grandmother's joke, passed on to my mother, then to me and now to you.]

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

the value of your caring is bigger than you think

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