The power of gratitide

A little thankfulness can go a long way to change a person's attitude.  It is hard to be melancholy when we find something to be grateful for.  Gratitude can change the entire trajectory of a person's day.

Gratitude is an inner light that clears out the cobwebs and shows us the way to a life of joy.  The more gratitude we ingest, the more peace and joy come our way.

If you find one thing to be thankful for, it will change the moment.

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

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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

Announcing Ireland Trip 2024

Good Morning,

Several of you have mentioned wanting to travel to Ireland.  I have set up a trip for October 15-24, 2024.  The price on the brochure includes airfare from your home airport.  

Besides having a wonderful time hanging out, on the trip we will see some of the amazing sites of Ireland.  Churches, Monasteries, Castles, great places to eat, and beautiful scenery!

Cliffs of Moher

Town of Galway

Blarney Castle

The rock of Cashel

Here is the link to the brochure...

click here for brochure

If you have any questions, you can email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com

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

waiting for God

Some people sit around waiting for God to talk to them.  They are hoping for, praying for, the voice from above that will tell them the right thing to do, the right thing to think, even the right person to date.

We can waste our entire lives waiting, when all around us there is a hurting world that is waiting for someone to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

My friend Sherry G found this quote... "If God is making you wait, then do what waiters do...serve."

Don't waste your life waiting.  Use every day and every moment that you can to reach out in the name of the lord.  Share his love, show kindness and serve.  What more could we be waiting for???

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

Joy

On July 16th, my friend Joy passed away.  I don't know what to say.  I loved her so much.  We all loved her so much.

Her dearly loved husband, Chuck, passed in December of 2021 from covid.  Since then, Joy has struggled to find the joy of living.  Her world just did not make much sense without Chuck.

Well, now they are together again.

Joy was fun and funny.  Joy sang in a rock and roll band.  Hundreds of our friends would go to hear her sing 70's music.  She had an awesome deep voice like Mamma Cass.  She sang at church too.  For years I did a sermon during lent about the crucifixion.  At the end of that sermon, Joy would come up and sing "The Blood will never lose it's power."

When friends get together now, Joy will come up, and everyone will feel a sense of loss.  A chair at the table that should be filled, will sit empty.

Dear Joy, I love you and I miss you and we all hurt for your passing.  I am glad to know that I will see you again some day.

And it is still a beautiful day in God's world, enjoy your friends and be sure to see the good.

taking people in

A few weeks ago Richard Rohr wrote a post titled, "We create exclusion or belonging."

Think of the power that you and I have.  

Exclusion means...

• turning your back on another
• leaving them out
• treating them like a number instead of a person
• taking no interest in a person
• rejecting them, shunning them

Exclusion happens when we

• put ourselves first
• don't see others as valuable
• get too busy in life.
• settle for a shallow Christianity

Belonging occurs when

• we bring another chair to the table
• when we scoot over and make room for others
• when we learn another person's name
• when we take the time to visit with and care about others
• when we remember their name the next time we see them
• when we value their opinions and thoughts

In your life are you excluding people or taking people in?  What did Jesus do?  The lovely thing about helping people belong is that it is a new skill that we can learn very quickly, and we can start today.  What did Jesus do?

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

Surgery Update

Today I am one month, post total knee replacement.  I used a walker for a week.  Then a cane for 10 days.  Now I am walking around and gaining mobility and flexibility.

Here are some take aways from the experience...

• The first three days are pretty brutal, it gets tolerable after that.
• One must strike a balance between rest and exercise. Too little exercise and you won't get the range of motion. Too much and you will swell up like a pumpkin.
• Sleeping is impossible. The knee pain wakes you up every hour or so. I have had to switch my brain to 24 hour clock living. Awake when you are, sleep when you can.
• If you get this surgery done, you will probably gain some weight because there isn't much to do besides watch tv and eat.
• I wish I wouldn't have waited so long to have it done. The longer you wait, the worse it is.

I guess I would comment on the importance of sacrificing something, going through some pain for the common good.  No discomfort is ever easy, but we have to keep the ultimate outcome in mind.

Finally I want to thank everyone for their cards, prayers and well wishes.

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

from here on out

You probably know that I had a rough childhood.  I blamed my parents for everything for years.  I groused and was sour about what had transpired.

When I was 28, I had a revelation.  "What was in the past was on them... what is in the future is now on me."

This is a wonderful thought.  It opens the door for me to forgive my parents.  It opens the door to healing.  It opens the door to my future possibilities.

Whatever you have done in the past, what ever has happened to you in the past, well the past is the past. What happens from this day forward is on you. Make it all good.

My friend Bruce sent in this quote... "The good news is that we have the power to choose who we become from here on out. We can change and we must. Change is about winning the war in our hearts."           
                                           John R Wood

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

God's will, our will

In my life I have heard lots of interesting things about God's plans and God's will.  I can't tell you how many times two love birds told me that God brought them together - later, they somehow found divorce.  I know of pastors that will say that God gave them a vision to build a building... then they left and moved on, leaving the congregation with millions in debt.

If we believe in free will, and I do, then God gives us leeway to make our choices.  The road of life is not a straight line where we follow the lightning bolt will of God.  The road of life is more like a tree.  We are born on the trunk and as time goes by we have choices to make.  Will I branch off this direction or the other.  Sometimes our choices are good and sometimes, well, sometimes our choices bring regret.

My point is this.  We can't sit around and wait for a revelation from heaven about our life choices.  Our life is our responsibility to live to the best of our ability.  We must get up every day and give thanks to God for the gift of the day.  Then we need to make the best choices that we can.  God is with us, no matter what direction we may go.

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

Why I remain a United Methodist

I think Sue Blume sent this to me.  I love it!!!


Why I am United Methodist:

Because we see flowers where others see weeds.

It’s all about grace and seeing people as children of God; it’s not about “us” and “them”, and a God that needs defending, but a world that needs to be loved.

It is about open hearts, open minds, and open doors, and though we are not perfect we are on that road to perfection.

We hold as our mentors, Good Samaritans and Prodigal sons, faithful prostitutes and generous widows, unclean lepers and thieves on a cross. We realize we are all that strange mixture of Saint and sinner.

It’s never about being right but always about doing right. Our mission is not to defend the church but simply to do all the good we can, to all the people we can, in all the ways we can, for as long as we can.

We see flowers where others see weeds, because we figured out long ago that we were weeds that someone watered with grace and love.

In a world that sees only weeds to be pulled, I am thankful for a church filled with God’s grace that sees things in a different light.


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

Appreciating the small things

So when I was an active preacher, I had a bible that I used every Sunday.  The same one for 30 years.  In the front I put a sticker that said, "open my mouth with worthwhile stuff and close it when I've said enough."

I still have that Bible.  It also has two bookmarks in it.  One was given to me by the children's department in 1994.  The other I received in 2002 from Denise Lehmer.  Not sure why, but they were the two bookmarks that I kept for all of those years.

On my last trip to KC I ran into Denise at Tiff N Jays.  It was great to catch up.  I told her about the bookmark.  I told her that it was special.  I thanked her.

Saying thank you is always good, always appropriate and always appreciated.

Still have the bible.  The stand I have as well, was 
given to my by Bill and MaryAnn Wiley in 1994

bookmark

 Denise out side of Tiff N Jays 2023

Thank you for your kindness!

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

7 gold jars

Yesterday's post reminded me of this story...

A barber was passing under a haunted tree when he heard a voice say, "Would you like to have the seven jars of gold?" He looked around and saw no one. But his greed was aroused, so he shouted eagerly, "Yes, I certainly would." "Then go home at once," said the voice. "You will find them there."

The barber ran all the way home. Sure enough, there were the seven jars - all full of gold, except for one that was only half full. Now the barber could not bear the thought of having a half-filled jar. He felt a violent urge to fill it or he simply would not be happy.

So he had all the jewelry of his family melted into coins and poured them into the half-filled jar. But the jar remained as half-filled as before. This was exasperating! He saved and skimped and starved himself and his family. To no avail. No matter how much gold he put into the jar it remained half-filled.

So one day be begged the king to increase his salary. His salary was doubled. Again the fight to fill the jar was on. He even took to begging. The jar devoured every gold coin thrown into it but remained stubbornly half-filled.

The king now noticed how starved the barber looked. "What is wrong with you?" he asked. "You were so happy and contented when your salary was smaller. Now it has been doubled and you are so worn out and dejected. Can it be that you have the seven jars of gold with you?"

The barber was astonished, "Who told you this, Your Majesty?" he asked.

The king laughed. "But these are obviously the symptoms of the person to whom the ghost has given the seven jars. He once offered them to me. When I asked if this money could be spent or was merely to be hoarded he vanished without a word. That money cannot be spent. It only brings with it the compulsion to hoard. Go and give it back to the ghost this minute and you will be happy again.

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

Enough

"The secret to life is to know when enough is enough."
                                         Dr. Vincent Ryan

Oh, we poor Americans. Most of us are infected with the disease of wanting more. Don't we realize that 98% of the people in the world would trade their lifestyle with ours in a heartbeat?

But we want more. More TV's better TV's the latest TV's. New cars. [nothing wrong with the old one] We want the best food. We complain when we don't like the service. We want money. More of it.

Years ago, a survey indicated that most Americans would be happy if they had 20% more than what they currently have.

Why not choose to be happy now? Why not choose to be happy in our present circumstances? It is hard to enjoy the moment when you are clamoring for more.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1 Timothy 6:10

It is a beautiful day in God's world. Beautiful, just the way that it is. I don't, we don't need more. Stop, take a moment and see the good.

a distraction

I was reading a note from my friend John who reminded me that "worry is a distraction." Yes it sure is. Most of what we worry about, never comes to fruition. Most of what we worry about will be forgotten soon.

Even if we worry, we cannot fix a thing by it. Jesus made that clear:

Mt. 6 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

Every moment that we worry is a moment that we cannot be kind and gracious to another. Every moment that we lose to worry, we can never gain back. Worry is a diversion.  It keeps us off mission.  It makes sure that we are focused on our loss instead of reaching back to the world with love.

Don't waste your time with worry.  Instead, engage positively with life.

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

Golden Rule

When was the last time that you thought about the golden rule? Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?

We should think of this one from time to time. It should be pasted on all of our refrigerators. The golden rule is present in one form or another, in all major religions. Yet religions tend to focus on, and embrace, doctrines, and write beliefs that distract people from the golden rule. This ultimately causes divisions and attitudes of separation.

What if we all went back to the golden rule?

And we can one person at a time. It starts with you and me. Stop worrying about and stop arguing about all the other crap. Just focus on the central theme of Jesus life.

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

Friendship part 2

I am fortunate to have two friends named Bruce. Bruce M and Bruce L.

Bruce L and I have had many discussions over the years regarding friendship. Recently he shared these thoughts with me...

A friend is one who loves unconditionally. With this understanding, I ask, do we need friendship? Do we, as part of the human experience, need to be, or have a friend? Do we need to share ourselves with or have more than one friend? Are there emotional and physical benefits to friendship?

Science research professionals have studied these questions in depth and have presented outcomes that support the benefits of friendship both physically as well as emotionally. Some of these benefits include: healthier bodies that lead to longer lives, reducing stress and strengthening self-esteem that enhances our psychological well-being, and increases feelings of joy and happiness. Also, studies show that the quality of friendship is more important than quantity of friends.

With this information, I am thinking that there is more to friendship than I would have imagined. That, on a deeper level than my shallow understanding, as part of our existence, I need, we all need to be a friend and build friendships. We need friendship because we need love!

It’s a beautiful day in God’s world, be sure to be a friend.

Alan Arkin

Well known Actor Alan Arkin passed away a few weeks ago.  I find it interesting that we see people on TV or in a restaurant, we make judgments about them, but we actually know very little about them.

My friend Bruce M sent this Alan Arkin quote in to me.  If it is accurate, then it appears that Mr. Arkin was more than an actor.  He was a kind actor.

What ever your role in life, what ever your station in life, at the end, may it be said, not just that you were a teacher, but that you were a kind teacher.  Not just a janitor, but a kind janitor.  Not just a pastor, nurse or taxi driver, but the kindest person ever in these professions.

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

I hate this question

So if you have been a reader of this blog, you know that there is a church not too far from our house that posts things on their marquis sign that I do not like.

Here is the latest sign posting that I do not like...

What have you done for God lately?

I wonder how non-Christians read that message?  "God wants you/needs you to do things for him, and if you haven't been doing the right things to help God out, then he might be mad..."

In my opinion, this is another well meaning human attempt to help God out.  Unfortunately, guilt is not a good motivator.

Does God really need our help?  I don't think so.  If we do nothing, I think that he can still get his stuff done.  But I do think that he likes to use our hearts and hands in his service.

I would rather see their sign post something like:

"share love, you will be glad that you did"

"be the hands and feet of God"

"joy comes in giving"

I think that there are many ways to share the message about loving others without the manipulative pressure.

Guilt is a bad motivator.  Find a way to share God's love and encourage others without piling on the shoulds and oughts.

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

Snake!!!

As Harrison Ford put it in the first Indiana Jones movie, "I hate snakes!!!"

I don't know why I have a phobia of snakes, but I do.

About a week prior to my surgery  I was leaving a client's home in the next subdivision.  There was a crowd of landscapers blocking an intersection with their vehicles.  I was able to slowly maneuver around and through all of them.  I wondered what was going on.  

I slowed to a crawl and did a rubber neck.  And I saw it.   They were all marveling over a very large copperhead that one of their crew had caught and killed.  I joined the party.  I stopped, got out of the car and took a picture.

This is/was a very large poisonous snake.

Why am I writing a blog post about this?  I guess that I would tell you that sometimes we are afraid of things for no reason.  As long as we just let this snake alone, he would have gone on with his life.  But we have irrational fears, and sometimes we act upon them.

Are you afraid of things that are really just a part of God's normal world?  Are you holding fears for no reason?

Let them go.  

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

pastor quote

When I am in town, and not laid up from surgery, I attend church at Ft. Pierce First United Methodist Church.  I love the people there and I love our pastor, Tim Barton.

He is everything that you want in a Pastor.  Friendly, well spoken, thoughtful, welcoming and normal.  In my book, normal is a big deal - especially for Pastors.  Sometimes we pastors and former pastors forget that we are normal people and we forget how to relate to normal people.  So, I love pastors that are down to earth, normal people.

Pastor Tim is a one of the good ones.

On Sunday June 25, my last Sunday in church prior to my knee surgery, he said this in his sermon... "You are not too anything to be welcome here and to find your place here."      

THAT IS SO JESUS!!!  You are not too old, not too young, not too republican, not too democrat, not too white, not too black, not too gay, not too straight.  

You are not too anything to be welcome here.

Why is that idea so hard for some people?

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

We don't know what to say

My friend Kim sent this in...

Most all of us have lost a loved one.

I lost my 12 year-old cousin to a motorcycle accident, and his funeral was my first day of junior high. As we drove to the cemetery, I thought to myself, “Hey, everyone, I just lost my cousin, can’t you all just pause for a few minutes and recognize that?”  But no one did.  No one acknowledged his death.  No one talked about it.  Everyone just kept on going about their business; it was like no one noticed or no one cared.

Then, when my son was a senior in high school, one of his friends was killed on a motorcycle accident. We were all so very sad.

What do we say? What do we do? Is there really anything to say? The planning. The funeral. The flowers. The pictures. The hugs. The "I Love You’s."  It is hard to know what to say or do, so sometimes we say and do nothing.  Or worse yet, we give a bunch of shallow pat answers.

And then … It’s the day after. The week after. The month after. The year after.

Time goes by and we wonder...  Is it too late to share a memory or a story?  Will it make the mom or the dad or the friend too sad to talk about them?  Will we be reminding them, and will they not want to hear our story or our memory?  No. It is never to late to share a story or a memory.  They didn’t forget that the person died.  What we are doing when we are brave enough to share a story or a memory is we are reminding them that they lived.  And that is our gift to them.

It is never too late to celebrate a person's life.  Such a discussion may open up doors to the heart.

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