standards and values

Standards. We all have them. Well, I guess most of us have them. I keep hearing about people that will do anything, or will allow anything at any given time. I guess someone like that would have standards and values based on their selfish whim of the moment.

My Dad said it, and you have heard it, "the right thing to do, is the right thing to do, even if you are the only one doing it, and the wrong thing to do is the wrong thing to do, even if everyone is doing it."

You have a right to set standards for yourself, for your family, and for your life. I think good people respect others who exhibit values. In healthy homes, kids don't get to do whatever they want. In healthy homes, everyone sacrifices for the good of the unit.

You may experience some persecution and rejection. You may be accused of being old fashioned, but those who make their values clear and hold to them are going to be happier in the long run.

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

Sermon ideas

Well, I am getting some new sermon ideas from some of the preachers in the news. Just kidding. I guess Sunday, I could make fun of some political candidate, demean Catholics or talk about how bad our country is.

I think I will just stick with what I had in mind. I was going to talk about Jesus. I was going to talk about how his sacrificial death opened the door for us to have a right relationship with God. Yes, I am going to talk about Jesus this Sunday. I hope that is ok with everyone. We probably won't make the news, but maybe someone will hear the message and choose to become a follower of Jesus Christ. Silly me, I just think that is what a sermon is for.

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

bosses

Today I am having breakfast with my boss. One of my bosses, that is. If you are a Methodist preacher, you have lots of bosses. There is the Bishop. There is the District Superintendent. There is the church personnel committee chair. There is the church personnel committee members. And for that matter, in some ways, every member of the church is your boss.

I have lots of bosses, but I have good bosses. They are all awesome. They are some of the finest people that I know.

Occasionally I hear or read a story about someone who has a bad boss. I am sorry for them. The chance to be a boss is the chance to care about someone. It is the chance to comfort them in their distress and encourage them in their opportunities. A boss must help a person do their job well, and protect the person as much as possible from unfair practices. To be a boss is a great responsibility.

You may say, I am not a boss. Well, if you have a child or a pet, much of what I said above applies to you as well. Almost all of us have relationships where we have some degree of power. Always remember, God gives us this power to do good, to care about others, to love them, never to be the "big shot."

Whatever power you have, use it for doing good in every way that you can.

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

friendships

Friendships must be cultivated. If you have a friend and you don't stay in touch, eventually, things change. Yes, there are people that you may see once per year and you feel like you just pick right up where you left off, but that is the exception, not the rule. In most cases, friendships must be cultivated.

if you know someone that you would like to be friends with, call them up. Go to dinner, go to the Royal's game. Sit with them at church. So skiing or something. Maybe the feeling that you have for that person is God's way of telling you that you are brothers or sisters.

I know a woman who was interested in dating a man. Being a bit shy, she felt unsure about what to do. She told me that she had a feeling about him. I told her to go talk to him. Today, they are married. Friendships need to be cultivated.

If you are lonely, step out of your comfort zone. Reach out. Be a friend. If a man would have friends, he must show himself to be friendly. Prov 18:24 KJV

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

bearing pain

Well, as much as a person tries to stay positive, there are going to be days or weeks when you find yourself bearing pain. It may be physical, emotional or spiritual pain. It is all pain none the less.

Things change, people change, I change, circumstances change. Pain results. Someone asked me to preach a sermon some time about how to live with chronic pain. Although I have been in pain for a month now, since this surgery, this pain will leave eventually. Relational pain also tends to come and go. We find ways to resolve the hurt and loss. I guess I don't really know anything about chronic, ongoing, forever pain, but any pain that we have feels pretty bad at the time.

During times of hurt and pain, I remember two of my favorite scriptures of hope.

Psalm 27: 13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Psalm 30:2 O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. 3 O LORD, you brought me up from the grave [b]; you spared me from going down into the pit. 4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. 5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

If you are hurting today, I pray that these scriptures bring you hope. We are Christians, we have a place to go. When I think about the goodness of God, I am swallowed up in his amazingness. My problems and my pain diminish. In his presence I think of him, not of me, and I am healed.

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

Memorial Day

Today we will do what we do every year. We will drive to Mt. Washington Cemetery in Independence. We will drive to the Rosehill Gardens section to visit my family. My parents and grandparents, my great and great great grandparents are buried there in the Toll plot. After we hang around a bit and pay our respects, we will leave through the north entrance, go to Dairy Queen and get an ice cream cone. It has become the regular Brinkman thing. Go to the cemetery, then get an ice cream cone.

I thought I would take a moment in the blog today to catch my parents up on what has been going on since last year.

Dear Dad and Mom,

Here we are again. Thank you for taking me to the cemetery on Memorial Day. It has continued as a tradition for my family as well. Let me catch you up since last year. Scott has grown two inches in the last year and will be a senior in high school. He wants to go to college and study engineering. Jenny just finished her first year at CMSU. Alli was recently accepted into nursing school. They are all doing real well and you would be very proud of them. Cathy will finish her college degree later this year. She wanted to get that done before the kids finish. I wish you were here to celebrate that graduation. it will be a big day.

As for me, well, I had my gall bladder out a few weeks ago. I am doing alot better. I have become quite the gardener. I love how God speaks thru the things that grow. The church is good, and the people are great. All is well.

We all miss you but we take comfort in knowing that God has prepared a place for those that love him. We look forward to seeing you again. I think that you will be glad to know that the pain of losing you has been replaced with a joyful appreciation for all the ways that you both enriched my life. I thank you for all of the good, all of the love, and all of the wisdom that you worked so hard to pass down.

Your loving son, Jeff

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

live

Yesterday, I went to the funeral visitation for a 21 year old young man. We are not used to attending funerals for young people.

On display in the foyer were the posessions of a young man. His guitar, his tools, his favorite football jersey. Pictures of him growing up. Pictures of him with his cars. Pictures of him with girlfriends.

In the sanctuary, grieving parents. Grieving young people.

It is so hard to see a young face in a casket. Friends, we are not supposed to bury our children. They have so much of life ahead of them, and life is so good.

Today, tell everyone that you see. Tell them that you love them. Tell them that life is good. Tell them that you are proud of them. Look in the mirror and tell yourself. You need to remember too. We can never forget.

There is more good than bad. There is more joy than pain. There are reasons to live. Let's live, you and I. Lets stand up on our rooftops and tell the world that God is good and his mercy endures forever.

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

shirt and tie.

Today is Saturday, and I am wearing a shirt and tie. Saturdays usually entail mowing clothes and sermon honing, but today is different. Today there is a funeral.

Many of you remember Steve M, the pastor at Woods Chapel before me. Steve's wife is Margo. A few days ago, Margo's 21 year old son, Steve's stepson, took his own life.

When you are used to comforting those who grieve, it is an odd feeling to have people coming to comfort you. Many pastors will visit Steve and Margo today to love on them and to remind them of God's love.

Life is short, but God is good. You can trust him. All the time. When things happen that we don't like, when things happen that we don't understand, we put our trust in God. Please pray for Steve and Margo.

It is raining today, but there is still plenty of good in God's world if we can just see it.

prayer for today

Dearest Lord,

It occurs to me that I have no right to today. No right to my plans, no right to my appointments. If I am allowed to do anything on my list for today, it will be a blessing from you. Today is not mine, it is yours, so, I give it to you. Help me to speak kindly today. Help me to do things that are good for my family today. I reject busyness. I reject hurry. I reject anger and vengeance. Help me to reflect your amazing grace today.

I pray for daily bread and I thank you for daily breath. I thank you for my friends. I have won the friend lottery. I love you, I appreciate you and I thank you for today.

In Jesus name, Amen.

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

When pastors move

When I entered the ministry, you could count on moving every four years. Since then, things have changed. The Bishops have adopted a philosophy that goes like this: if you are happy and the church is happy, then they do their best to leave you where you are at.

I am so thankful that our church appears to be happy with me. I sure am happy and fulfilled at Woods Chapel. Just in case you wondered, I am not moving. That is not what this post is about.

Every year, some of my friends move, and some of them leave the ministry. From my ordination class of 12, I only know of two others that are still in the ministry. Some moves are happy. They are good for the pastor and good for the churches. Other moves are sad to me. They follow a prolonged period of suffering on the part of the pastor and or the church. I heard about a couple of these yesterday. It is sad when people that you care about are hurting.

Please pray for pastors and churches that are experiencing appointment changes this year.

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

the feeling that you want to preach

There is a funny feeling that a preacher gets when he or she has not preached for a long time. I think that other preachers get the feeling. I assume that they do. It is like something inside of you just yearns to talk to people about faith in Jesus Christ.

One time Jeremiah was mad at God. The work of a prophet was not going so well for him. He tried to stop speaking for the Lord, but he could not. The word of the Lord was like a fire in his bones.

Jer 20:7 O LORD, you deceived [b] me, and I was deceived [c] ;
you overpowered me and prevailed.
I am ridiculed all day long;
everyone mocks me.
8 Whenever I speak, I cry out
proclaiming violence and destruction.
So the word of the LORD has brought me
insult and reproach all day long.
9 But if I say, "I will not mention him
or speak any more in his name,"
his word is in my heart like a fire,
a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in;
indeed, I cannot.

Here is one of my little secrets.............I left the ministry once as a young man. The church was driving me crazy and my life was a mess. I shouldn't blame the church, I had a very unrealistic life view....nothing made sense to me at the time. I thought I would not miss preaching, but the fire in my bones was almost more than I could stand. I didn't care how long it took or how much minimum salary was, I wanted another opportunity to be a minister.

I am very grateful for second chances. If ever I get discouraged, I remember what it was like to be out, and want so much to be back in.

It's only been three weeks, but I have that feeling. A fire in my bones, a deep desire to talk to God's people. I am excited for Sunday.

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

When I am gone

Come let us reason together. When I am gone, please do not skip church. Worship attendance is important, no matter who is preaching. I am sorry that I have been out of the pulpit, but I have been sick. I plan to preach this Sunday, May 25th. I hope that you will be there. If you are at the lake for Memorial day, find a church to attend at the lake.

When we join the church, we promise to be loyal to our church and to support it by our prayers, presence, gifts and service. The presence part is what I am talking about today. When we say we will be present at church, we are saying that we will be in worship unless we are sick or out of town. We want to avoid the attitude that says, "oh, should I go to church, or should I not?"

Your church family is very important. We are a fellowship. We are the body of Christ. Everyone matters and your presence is very important.

Come to worship. Sing. Pray. Meet people. Make new friends. Share God's love. Get something from the sermon, regardless who is preaching.

You have done well the last three weeks. Attendance has held up well, but I heard a story the other day about someone who skipped church because Jeff was not doing the sermon. Hmm......... This is not the kind of people that I want us to be. Let's teach our children that worship is important. Let's be a person whose presence makes a joyful difference to others. We can only do that if we are there. We have four services this Sunday: 8:00, 9:05, 10:10 and 11:15.

We have an awesome church, because the people that attend WCC are awesome. Our church is an important place because you make it so. I am planning to preach on Sunday, but that really should not matter. Let's encourage one another to make important that which is important.

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

Graduation Season

It is that time of year. Changes. Milestones. Goodbye to high school, hello to whatever is next. It is such an interesting feeling to view our graduates each year in church. They get a chance to say their name and what they will be doing after graduation.

Many of these young people, I met when they were five and six years old. We have had the great privilege of watching them grow up. More than that, we have played a role in raising them.

The church. Sunday after Sunday, Wednesday after Wednesday, worship service, club 56, youth group, missions trip, and casual times that we see these young people. We have the chance to touch the lives of young people. Make no mistake, when given the chance, it is working. We are sending some awesome kids out into the world.

If you have children, do not underestimate the important role that the church and it's programs play in raising our children. Remember, all of us have an awesome opportunity to reach out to young people, to hug them, to mentor them, to be the church. Take full advantage of any opportunity that you have to care about young people. We are the church, and we are making a difference, one life at a time.

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

Thanksgiving

If you are a Christian, everyday should be thanksgiving.

I want to give thanks today. I just can't help it.

I thank God for all of the graduation parties that we went to yesterday. I thank God for the myriad of friends that I enjoyed seeing. I sat on the deck and celebrated God's creation. Trees, flowers, blue sky, and birds in flight. For the first time since April 29th, I ate an entire plate of food for dinner. For these things and so much more, I give thanks.

What are you thankful for today? Pause and take inventory. Surely there is something going on for which you can thank our bountiful, wonderful Heavenly Father.

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

little flowers

Let me thank Mommy McTriplet for her posted comment on May 15th, "feeling better," which I now most joyfully borrow or plagiarize.

She said, "one time I drove by a church whose marquee read "Set-backs pave the way for come-backs..............[she went on] .......To appreciate the good - we can't always have the good. The bad makes us appreciate what we have when things are going well."

Her words reminded me of a song that was popular in the 80's when I was in seminary.
From The Archers "Keep Singing that Love Song" album

Little Flowers never worry, when the wind begins to blow,
And they never, never cry, when the rain begins to fall.
though, it's wet and oh so cold, Soon the sun will shine again,
Then they'll smile unto the world, For their beauty to behold.

So, let it rain, let it rain, let it pour,
Let old trouble just keep knocking at my door,
If we'll learn the right from wrong, It will help to make us strong.
Lord, please help us learn the secret,
Even little flowers know,
If it never, never rains, then we'll never, never grow.

When the clouds begin to gather, And the storm begins to blow,
Little Flowers don't complain, though they're tossing to and fro.
Oh, I guess they've learned the secret, They don't fret because they know,
If it never, never rained, Then they'd never, never grow.

So, let it rain, let it rain, let it pour,
Let old trouble just keep knocking at my door,
If we'll learn the right from wrong, It will help to make us strong.
Lord, please help us learn the secret,
Even little flowers know,
If it never, never rains, then we'll never, never grow.

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

guilt

I have been feeling a little guilty this week. As I have been feeling better, I have been able to do more things. I have returned to work in the mornings, I am able to get out in the yard and water my [God's] flowers, and I have attended a couple of social engagements.

Last night I was invited to a get together of friends. On the way over to this person's home, I felt guilty. My brain thought things like this:

"I don't deserve to feel better. I don't deserve to have fun with friends. What about the other sick people that I know? They don't get to have fun."

If you think that this is odd thinking, so do I. I fully intend to recover my brain and my comfort in returning to normal life. However, the feelings of guilt do drive me to an important thought:

"Do I deserve to be healthy? Do I deserve to have friends? Wow, Jeff, you take so much for granted."

One day soon I will go to a friend's house and think nothing of it. One day soon I will lift over 20lbs and think nothing of it. This is a problem. It is a problem because we take so much for granted. We don't pause to thank God for our blessings. For our friends, for our health.

Are you going somewhere tonight or this weekend? Hanging out with friends? Thank God. Acknowledge him. Do you feel well this morning? Thank God. Acknowledge him. Don't take anything for granted, but instead let us strive to be appreciative and grateful.

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

Feeling Better

Gosh it's just all about me right now. Sorry about that. Well, I am starting to feel much better. The drain has been out for ten days, the staples for five. I am stronger and in less pain every day. I had a hankering to wrestle with my son last night, but I decided to pass.

We should never take our health for granted. Things can change so quickly. Even reasonably good health is a gift from God. The human body is a miracle.

When you are down on the bottom, there is only one way to go.........up! It's all good. It's all better. Thank you for your prayers, cards and the food.

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

comments

Sometimes I think that the comments are the best part of this blog. Be sure to read yesterday's comment from a friend. Only broken people can minister to broken people.

One of Bob Tuttle's sayings is this: "never trust a shepherd who isn't someone else's sheep." The point is clear. Every one needs to be dependent, submitted, listening.

Sometimes people ask me who I am listening to. Well, I have a coach, a counselor, a District Superintendent, a covenant group, a few close pastor friends, and a large group of members that are very good to listen to. I try to stay up on recommended reading, but I am given so many books by so many people, it is nearly impossible to read them all.

Who are you listening to? Do the voices that you hear invite you to depend on God? Are you thinking about the practice of acknowledging him? People that are good for you will invite you to get off of yourself and see the world as an opportunity for Christian service.

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

things happen

This is probably a generalization that cannot be applied to every situation, but the hear the challenge to live beyond circumstances and take responsibility for our actions and choices.

Things happen. On that we agree. On a technical note, do good things and bad things happen? Or do things happen? What if things happen and we decide whether to label them as good or bad?

If that is true, then there is challenge in good things and evidently some good in bad things. The power is no longer in the circumstance, but we have the power and the responsibility for choosing to label something as good or bad.

How many people do you know that had a "bad" experience, but later decided it was a good thing? When Joseph was sold into slavery, he later told his brothers, "you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good."

Christians are constantly challenged to stop worrying and to trust in God. When we take our focus off of circumstances and take responsibility for seeing the good, we take a step towards trusting in God.

What if there are no good or bad things, just opportunities for us to trust in God?

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

the simple things

Ahh, the simple things of life. Once taken for granted, oh now how they are missed and dearly wanted.

The ability to sleep through the night.
Opportunities to exercise.
To soak in the bath tub.
To button one's trousers.
To not flinch when someone pretends they are going to punch you in the stomach.
The ability to get up out of a recliner.
To be able to bend over and pull weeds.
To eat what ever you want.
To eat as much as you want.
For the days when teenagers did not make fun of you.
The ability to hug your wife.

Simple little things that we take for granted. We should take nothing for granted. Life is filled with many amazing miracles. We should give thanks for every single one of them, no matter how small. What good is happening in your life today that you simply received and consumed without giving thanks?

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