Warren Buffett, Reforming Congress
Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the best quotes about the debt ceiling:
"I could end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told CNBC. "You just pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election.
The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months and 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971—before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc.
Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven took one year or less to become the law of the land, all because of public pressure.
Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of 20 people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise. In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.
Congressional Reform Act of 2011
1. No Tenure / No Pension.
A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no
pay when they're out of office.
2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social
Security.
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the
Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into
the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the
American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.
3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all
Americans do.
4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise.
Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
5. Congress loses its current health-care system and
participates in the same health-care system as the American people.
6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the
American people.
7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void
effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract.
Congress made these contracts for itself. Serving in
Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers
envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their
term(s), then go home and back to work.
If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S.) to receive the message. Don't you think it's time?
THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Hard Work Equals 10,000 Hours
HARD WORK = 10,000 HOURS
October 30, 2011 9:00 & 10:45 a.m. Ecclesiates 3:1-8
San Luis Rey Valley United Methodist Church
Today I have selected as my sermon title,
“Hard Work = 10,000 Hours.”
I need your help!
(Select three people; tools: shovel, crescent wrench, bucket
Shovel—dig a hole; crescent wrench to remove plug to crank
of car; bucket to pick blue berries
Music: “Chain Gang” Sung by Sam Cooke
Let me first say: “Hard work doesn’t hurt anyone.”
…And they say: “There is no free lunch.”
When I was a young boy growing up in Hawaii, we were all poor.
I came from a family of three boys and three
girls. To make ends meet, my dad also raised a lot of vegetables.
My older brothers and I helped my dad load manure from
horse stables. My dad was a true gardner—we always
had fresh vegetables on the table: cabbage, lettuce,
carrots, beets, and the best string beans. I learned the
value of hard work and sacrifice.
When I was in high school, for two summer, I worked in the pineapple fields.
One summer I worked on the island of Molokai. The field was full
of ripe pineapples. One evening we harvested 52 truckloads of
pineapples. I learned that money does not grow on trees.
When I was in college in Iowa, that first summer, I worked for the Toledo
Construction Company. It was a really good paying job.
We were tearing down old fiber glass furnaces. We worked with
air hammers,
steel bars, and sledge hammers.
My parents were right: Get your college education!
Hard work is just a part of how life is.
It all started in the Garden of Eden.
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they were thrown out
of Paradise.
God cursed the ground and told them, your days will be
days of toil and sweat.
That’s how it all started. Any question?
The book of Ecclesiastes that was just read says: 2
There is a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to pluck up what
is planted.
There is a saying:
My grandfather had a farm,
my father had a garden,
I have a can opener.
There song that says, “Oh, the times they are changing.”
That is true.
Today, our economic situation is bad.
Unemployment is 9.1%
In the October 10, 2011 Time Magazine, it gives a breakdown
on how we each budget of funds.
In 1950 -- 22% of our budget went for food;
2010 it’s 7%
In 1950 --13% of our budget went for housing,
2010 it’s 18%
In 1950 --3% of the budget went for health care;
2010 its 16%.
Several years ago, at the Get Motivated Seminar I heard
Suzy Orman, the financial whiz. She had one suggestion:
“Get your credit card balance down!”
The point of my sermon today is, we have a lot of work to do.
Jesus told us a parable where one man
was give five talents and he invested it and he made five times more.
The second man had three talents, invested it and got three more
The third man had one talent, was afraid so he buried it
and it was taken away. (Matt. 25:14-30)
Malcolm Gladwell in his book, Outliers, says that to succeed
in anything, we have to put in the time.
It will take hours of work.
Take Bill Gates. He was a math whiz. He was drop out from
Harvard. So how did he become so successful? When
he was in junior high, his parents sent him to private
school in Seattle called Lakeside. At Lakeside his mother 3
and some parents raised funds to open a computer
center. When gates was in high school, the University of
Washington opened an all night computer center. Gates
says, “I skipped athletics. I went up there at night.” He
got really good at computer programming. Then he and some
friends got hired by TRW, a technology company. Then he
started his own company. Any hear of Microsoft? That’s Bill Gates.
Bill Gates became good at computers, because he put in
10,000 hours. Malcolm Gladwell calls this:
“the 10,000 Hour Rule.”
And then, there are the Beattles:
John Lennon, Paul McCarthy, George Harrison, and Ringo Star.
They came to America in 1964. In 1960 they were just a struggling
high school band in Liverpool.
They didn’t develop their repertoire of music until they were
invited to a club in Hamburg, Germany. Most bands will be
for two to three hours and they will play the same music. But
when the Beattles went to Hamburg, they had to perform for
eight hours every night, seven days a week. They had to come
up with new music. For example, on their first trip they had to
play 106 nights. They got good when they got to 10,000 hours.
Listen! (#26 “Let It Be” The Beattles)
Wisdom: Yes, in this age, we need wisdom.
Proverbs 13:11-12 “Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle
but those who gather little by little, will increase.”
….little by little
Jesus came to teach us to develop our spiritual nature.
God gave to us three gifts:
the mind
the body and the soul.
Wisdom: yes, in this time, we need wisdom.
John 6:27-34 “Do not work for food that perishes,
but for food that endures for eternal life,
which the Son of man will give you.”
Then Jesus said: “I am the bread of life.” “Seek first the kingdom of God.”
Wisdom: Attitude is Everything. 4
Jerry was the manager of a restaurant and he always
told his workers—always look for the positive side.
Jerry says, “every morning I wake up and say to myself, ‘Jerry,
you have two choices today: you can choose to be in a good
mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.”
Jerry says that each time something bad happens, I can choose
to be the victim or I can choose to learn from it.
One day, Jerry did something he should never had done.
He left the back door to the restaurant open. Three robbers
came in and had him at gun point. When he was opening
the safe, he was so nervous, the robbers panicked and
he got shot.
He was taken to emergency. He thought he was okay until he
saw the faces of the doctors and nurses and he got
scared. A big burly nurse began shouting at him with
questions: “Are you allergic to anything.” He said, “Yes.”
The doctors and nurses stopped everything. He said,
“Yes, bullets.” Everyone started laughing. Then he said,
“Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead!” After 18 hours
Jerry survived.
In these dire times of the economy: Attitude is Everything.
The disciples lived with Jesus for some three years.
They saw him feed the 5,000 with five loaves
and two fish.
They were with him in Bethany when Jesus raised Lazarus
from the dead. Lazarus was dead for four days.
When Jesus was crucified, they all fled. They still
had doubts about Jesus.
When Jesus was resurrected and appeared to them, they finally believed.
They believed that Jesus is the Messiah! They were with him 10,000 hours.
Amen!
(Mozart Medley, #8, Andre Rieu in Concert)
Video Station: …..Start playing softly ….
Mozart began composing music at the age of six. But psychologist
says, his early works were not outstanding. His early pieces
were probably written by his father. His first master piece was not
composed until he was 21. A music critic says, Mozart developed
late. His greatness started after he put in 10,000 hours.
October 30, 2011 9:00 & 10:45 a.m. Ecclesiates 3:1-8
San Luis Rey Valley United Methodist Church
Today I have selected as my sermon title,
“Hard Work = 10,000 Hours.”
I need your help!
(Select three people; tools: shovel, crescent wrench, bucket
Shovel—dig a hole; crescent wrench to remove plug to crank
of car; bucket to pick blue berries
Music: “Chain Gang” Sung by Sam Cooke
Let me first say: “Hard work doesn’t hurt anyone.”
…And they say: “There is no free lunch.”
When I was a young boy growing up in Hawaii, we were all poor.
I came from a family of three boys and three
girls. To make ends meet, my dad also raised a lot of vegetables.
My older brothers and I helped my dad load manure from
horse stables. My dad was a true gardner—we always
had fresh vegetables on the table: cabbage, lettuce,
carrots, beets, and the best string beans. I learned the
value of hard work and sacrifice.
When I was in high school, for two summer, I worked in the pineapple fields.
One summer I worked on the island of Molokai. The field was full
of ripe pineapples. One evening we harvested 52 truckloads of
pineapples. I learned that money does not grow on trees.
When I was in college in Iowa, that first summer, I worked for the Toledo
Construction Company. It was a really good paying job.
We were tearing down old fiber glass furnaces. We worked with
air hammers,
steel bars, and sledge hammers.
My parents were right: Get your college education!
Hard work is just a part of how life is.
It all started in the Garden of Eden.
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they were thrown out
of Paradise.
God cursed the ground and told them, your days will be
days of toil and sweat.
That’s how it all started. Any question?
The book of Ecclesiastes that was just read says: 2
There is a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to pluck up what
is planted.
There is a saying:
My grandfather had a farm,
my father had a garden,
I have a can opener.
There song that says, “Oh, the times they are changing.”
That is true.
Today, our economic situation is bad.
Unemployment is 9.1%
In the October 10, 2011 Time Magazine, it gives a breakdown
on how we each budget of funds.
In 1950 -- 22% of our budget went for food;
2010 it’s 7%
In 1950 --13% of our budget went for housing,
2010 it’s 18%
In 1950 --3% of the budget went for health care;
2010 its 16%.
Several years ago, at the Get Motivated Seminar I heard
Suzy Orman, the financial whiz. She had one suggestion:
“Get your credit card balance down!”
The point of my sermon today is, we have a lot of work to do.
Jesus told us a parable where one man
was give five talents and he invested it and he made five times more.
The second man had three talents, invested it and got three more
The third man had one talent, was afraid so he buried it
and it was taken away. (Matt. 25:14-30)
Malcolm Gladwell in his book, Outliers, says that to succeed
in anything, we have to put in the time.
It will take hours of work.
Take Bill Gates. He was a math whiz. He was drop out from
Harvard. So how did he become so successful? When
he was in junior high, his parents sent him to private
school in Seattle called Lakeside. At Lakeside his mother 3
and some parents raised funds to open a computer
center. When gates was in high school, the University of
Washington opened an all night computer center. Gates
says, “I skipped athletics. I went up there at night.” He
got really good at computer programming. Then he and some
friends got hired by TRW, a technology company. Then he
started his own company. Any hear of Microsoft? That’s Bill Gates.
Bill Gates became good at computers, because he put in
10,000 hours. Malcolm Gladwell calls this:
“the 10,000 Hour Rule.”
And then, there are the Beattles:
John Lennon, Paul McCarthy, George Harrison, and Ringo Star.
They came to America in 1964. In 1960 they were just a struggling
high school band in Liverpool.
They didn’t develop their repertoire of music until they were
invited to a club in Hamburg, Germany. Most bands will be
for two to three hours and they will play the same music. But
when the Beattles went to Hamburg, they had to perform for
eight hours every night, seven days a week. They had to come
up with new music. For example, on their first trip they had to
play 106 nights. They got good when they got to 10,000 hours.
Listen! (#26 “Let It Be” The Beattles)
Wisdom: Yes, in this age, we need wisdom.
Proverbs 13:11-12 “Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle
but those who gather little by little, will increase.”
….little by little
Jesus came to teach us to develop our spiritual nature.
God gave to us three gifts:
the mind
the body and the soul.
Wisdom: yes, in this time, we need wisdom.
John 6:27-34 “Do not work for food that perishes,
but for food that endures for eternal life,
which the Son of man will give you.”
Then Jesus said: “I am the bread of life.” “Seek first the kingdom of God.”
Wisdom: Attitude is Everything. 4
Jerry was the manager of a restaurant and he always
told his workers—always look for the positive side.
Jerry says, “every morning I wake up and say to myself, ‘Jerry,
you have two choices today: you can choose to be in a good
mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.”
Jerry says that each time something bad happens, I can choose
to be the victim or I can choose to learn from it.
One day, Jerry did something he should never had done.
He left the back door to the restaurant open. Three robbers
came in and had him at gun point. When he was opening
the safe, he was so nervous, the robbers panicked and
he got shot.
He was taken to emergency. He thought he was okay until he
saw the faces of the doctors and nurses and he got
scared. A big burly nurse began shouting at him with
questions: “Are you allergic to anything.” He said, “Yes.”
The doctors and nurses stopped everything. He said,
“Yes, bullets.” Everyone started laughing. Then he said,
“Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead!” After 18 hours
Jerry survived.
In these dire times of the economy: Attitude is Everything.
The disciples lived with Jesus for some three years.
They saw him feed the 5,000 with five loaves
and two fish.
They were with him in Bethany when Jesus raised Lazarus
from the dead. Lazarus was dead for four days.
When Jesus was crucified, they all fled. They still
had doubts about Jesus.
When Jesus was resurrected and appeared to them, they finally believed.
They believed that Jesus is the Messiah! They were with him 10,000 hours.
Amen!
(Mozart Medley, #8, Andre Rieu in Concert)
Video Station: …..Start playing softly ….
Mozart began composing music at the age of six. But psychologist
says, his early works were not outstanding. His early pieces
were probably written by his father. His first master piece was not
composed until he was 21. A music critic says, Mozart developed
late. His greatness started after he put in 10,000 hours.
I Was Hit By A Semi
HIT BY A SEMI
by Dennis Ginoza November 3, 2011
As they say, “There is always a first time for everything.”
It was about 5:20 p.m., November 2. On highway 15, traffic was moving northward from Escondido toward Fallbrook and Temecula. All the vehicles came to a crawl. Although we could not see, it appeared that there was an accident up ahead.
With the traffic so bad, I decided I would make an earlier exit at Old 395 rather than the 76 exit to get home to Fallbrook. I was in the far right lane. We were moving slowly, maybe about 2 or 3 miles per hour.
All of a sudden: BOOM! A semi truck rear ended my 2007 Camry. I couldn’t believe it. It was a jolt, but the impact was not cause for injury. Luckily we weren’t moving at rapid speed.
I pulled off to the shoulder. So did the semi. I got out. The driver got out. I said to him, “You weren’t paying attention, were you?” I added, “You were on your cell phone, weren’t you?” “Yes,” he nodded.
I proceeded to call 911 for a report. Then I couldn’t get through.
I must say, however, the driver was cooperative. He showed me his driver’s license and documents. I got the information I needed. He was from Norman, Oklahoma.
Then I got on my soap box. I said to him, “You should never use the cell phone driving again. First of all, it is against the law in California.” Then I went on, “Just think, you could’ve killed someone and you would be put in jail.” I asked, “You have a family, don’t you?” “Yes,” nodded. Then, I said, “You would lose your job!” “Don’t ever use the cell phone while driving!” He listened and I could see remorse on his face.
Then we proceeded on our way. The traffic was so bad, it took me about an hour and a half to get home. This is usually a 35 minute trip. I learned from my neighbor that the accident up ahead was a jack knifed military truck.
One of the first questions I was asked by the insurance company, “Are you okay?” Then, “You were wearing your seat belt, weren’t you?” I was and I always do.
Ironically, for the past three months, my wife and I have traveled over 12,000 miles by van to such cities as Denver, Omaha, Chicago, Cincinnati, Lexington, St. Louis, Helena, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, without incident. They say, most accidents occur close to home.
Some thoughts.
*Always leave some space between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of you while
driving on the freeway. (I was hit, but did not hit the vehicle ahead of me.)
*Do not use the cell phone while driving. Many accidents today are caused by cell phone use.
*Always wear the seat belt. Under every circumstance.
*You can be a careful driver, but then, you don’t have control over someone else’s driving.
Nevertheless, be as careful as you can.
*When examining the damage on a vehicle, do it several times. Under stress, there are things
you will not see. The next day, I found further damage I didn’t see at first.
*Do not take a chance by not having insurance coverage. Just one time can break you.
*When tired or sleepy, don’t take a chance, get off the road and rest, have a cup of coffee,
or simply, take a walk. Best yet, have someone else take over driving.
“Life is too precious to take a chance.”
by Dennis Ginoza November 3, 2011
As they say, “There is always a first time for everything.”
It was about 5:20 p.m., November 2. On highway 15, traffic was moving northward from Escondido toward Fallbrook and Temecula. All the vehicles came to a crawl. Although we could not see, it appeared that there was an accident up ahead.
With the traffic so bad, I decided I would make an earlier exit at Old 395 rather than the 76 exit to get home to Fallbrook. I was in the far right lane. We were moving slowly, maybe about 2 or 3 miles per hour.
All of a sudden: BOOM! A semi truck rear ended my 2007 Camry. I couldn’t believe it. It was a jolt, but the impact was not cause for injury. Luckily we weren’t moving at rapid speed.
I pulled off to the shoulder. So did the semi. I got out. The driver got out. I said to him, “You weren’t paying attention, were you?” I added, “You were on your cell phone, weren’t you?” “Yes,” he nodded.
I proceeded to call 911 for a report. Then I couldn’t get through.
I must say, however, the driver was cooperative. He showed me his driver’s license and documents. I got the information I needed. He was from Norman, Oklahoma.
Then I got on my soap box. I said to him, “You should never use the cell phone driving again. First of all, it is against the law in California.” Then I went on, “Just think, you could’ve killed someone and you would be put in jail.” I asked, “You have a family, don’t you?” “Yes,” nodded. Then, I said, “You would lose your job!” “Don’t ever use the cell phone while driving!” He listened and I could see remorse on his face.
Then we proceeded on our way. The traffic was so bad, it took me about an hour and a half to get home. This is usually a 35 minute trip. I learned from my neighbor that the accident up ahead was a jack knifed military truck.
One of the first questions I was asked by the insurance company, “Are you okay?” Then, “You were wearing your seat belt, weren’t you?” I was and I always do.
Ironically, for the past three months, my wife and I have traveled over 12,000 miles by van to such cities as Denver, Omaha, Chicago, Cincinnati, Lexington, St. Louis, Helena, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, without incident. They say, most accidents occur close to home.
Some thoughts.
*Always leave some space between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of you while
driving on the freeway. (I was hit, but did not hit the vehicle ahead of me.)
*Do not use the cell phone while driving. Many accidents today are caused by cell phone use.
*Always wear the seat belt. Under every circumstance.
*You can be a careful driver, but then, you don’t have control over someone else’s driving.
Nevertheless, be as careful as you can.
*When examining the damage on a vehicle, do it several times. Under stress, there are things
you will not see. The next day, I found further damage I didn’t see at first.
*Do not take a chance by not having insurance coverage. Just one time can break you.
*When tired or sleepy, don’t take a chance, get off the road and rest, have a cup of coffee,
or simply, take a walk. Best yet, have someone else take over driving.
“Life is too precious to take a chance.”
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Getting Down to Basics: Virtues
SERMON: “Getting Down to Basics” 1
Psalm 23, Romans 8:28-30
October 16, 2011 (Monserate Mobile Home Park, Chapel) 2:00 p.m.
Rev. Dr. Dennis Ginoza
Is there any here who went to school at a one
room school house? Anyone? …And where was that?
A few weeks ago my wife Sylvia and I were visiting with a
friend in Vacaville, in northern California.
Our friend Elaine said, “Dennis, I have something from you.
It’s an old bell from your elementary school (on island of Maui).
Ring! Time for school. Recess. Lunch time. School’s over.
Those were the good old days.
We were taught the three R’s – Reading, ‘Riting, and ‘Rithmetic.”
In that era we were taught three values.
Respect for our teachers.
Respect for property.
Respect for our elders.
What happened to all those values?
Everyday we recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.
I remember the day when we added, “One nation under God.”
Today I have entitled my sermon:
“GETTING DOWN TO BASICS.”
For over 3,000 years the 23rd Psalm has reminded us that
we are sustained by God. God is the good shepherd.
God looks after us day and night.
In time of death we have nothing to fear.
When Jesus came he said,
“I am the good shepherd.”
“I am the door of the sheep.”
Remember some time ago, on television, the high school kids
would say, “Hey, what’s happening?”
In 2009 three million homes were foreclosed.
The unemployment today nationwide is 9.1%
and it’s not getting any better.
Unemployment with teenagers is at 24.6% 2
Hey, what’s happening?
John Kenneth Galbraith, an economist wrote:
“The salary of the chief executive of the large
corporations is not a market reward of achievement.
It is frequently in the nature of a warm personal
gesture by the individual to himself.”
Today we have a problem. The economy is faltering.
In a word: GREED.
It’s time to get back to basics.
We need to go back to the virtues that hold
society together, if you will, and our civilization.
Greek philosophers held up four cardinal virtues:
1. Prudence
2. Justice
3. Restraint
4. Courage
The apostle Paul, who met Jesus on the road to Damascus,
who filled his heart with the spirit of Christ,
came to these three theological virtues:
Faith, Hope, and Love ….but the greatest of these is love.
Mahatma Ghandi, the spiritual leader of India said,
“We must be the change we wish to see in the world.”
His family said, Ghandi said this many times.
In her Diary, Anne Frank wrote:
“In spite of everything I still believe that people
are really good at heart.”
Several years ago, I heard Elizabeth Kubler Ross, in Brawley,
California. Before 400 people—doctors, nurses, teachers,
pastors, social workers, she gave us insights about
death and dying. Really, it was about life.
“One thing,” she said, “that you don’t want to
take away from a person dying is—HOPE.
Each person always has hope there might be a cure.
For over 30 years no, as a pastor, I have concluded that there 3
are three tasks that I had.
One—to receive new spirits in the world. We
celebrate their coming, and we baptize them.
Two—we to help people grow, to learn, and to live.
Three—prepare people to get ready for the next life.
You see, life is eternal.
I was talking to a man the other day. A few
years ago, his wife died of cancer, and he lives
alone. He said to me, “You know, I’m ready to
go anytime. I’ve had a good life.” I understood.
Death is not end;
it’s just another door.
We live in a tough world.
The apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans says,
“All things work together for good, for those
for those who love God.”
But the question is: Who can we trust? The banks?
the politician? Benjamin Franklin says:
“God works wonders now and then;
Behold! a lawyer, an honest man.”
Poor Richard’s Almanac, 1733
Jesus said: Look at the birds of the air, they don’t store
in barns yet the Heavenly Father feeds them.
Look at the lilies of the field, how they grow, they neither toil nor spin.
How much more God will care for you.
Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all
these things will be given to you. Matthew 6:25ff
We need a paradigm shift from self to others.
Dale Carnegie, the guru of human relationships, wrote a book
called, “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”
He says, there is a law of human contact. If we obey
that law, we will never be in trouble.
The law: “Always make the other person feel important”
If we take interest in other people, we will use every power
to make life better for them. There will be no place
for greed or selfishness.
Carnegie says, philosophers for centuries have been 4
speculating about human relationships.
Zoroaster in Persia, Confucius and Lao Tse in China.
Guatama Buddha in India, Hinduism in India---
they all taught the same principle.
Jesus summed it up in these words:
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Dale Carnegie says, one of his students decided to put the law
to a test: Always make the other person feel important.
A business man from Massachusetts went to Long Island
to visit his wife’s aunt.
The man: “This house was built in 1890, wasn’t it? “Yes,” she
said, “that’s precisely the year it was built.” He says,
“It reminds me of the house I was born in; it was beautiful,
well built, roomy.” “You know, they don’t build houses
like that anymore.”
“You’re right,” says the aged aunt “The young folks nowadays
don’t care for beautiful homes. All they want is an small
apartment, an electric ice box, and they go gadding about
in their automobiles.” Then she showed him the rest
of the house, treasures they collected from the travels—
paisley shawls, English tea set, French beds and chairs,
Italian paintings, silk draperies that once hung in a French chateau.
Then she took him into the garage. Propped up blocks was a car, a Packard.
(It was almost new).
“My husband bought that car just before he died,” she says.
“I have never ridden since his death.” Then she says,
“You appreciate nice things; I’m going to give you that car.”
“What about your relatives? I’m not even a relative.”
“Relatives, yes I have relatives who are just waiting till I die so they
can get the car. But they aren’t getting it.”
Jesus teaches us, we don’t live for ourselves,
we live for others.
What will it profit you, if you gain the whole world, but
lose your soul?
We need to get back to basics. (Ring the Bell)
Psalm 23, Romans 8:28-30
October 16, 2011 (Monserate Mobile Home Park, Chapel) 2:00 p.m.
Rev. Dr. Dennis Ginoza
Is there any here who went to school at a one
room school house? Anyone? …And where was that?
A few weeks ago my wife Sylvia and I were visiting with a
friend in Vacaville, in northern California.
Our friend Elaine said, “Dennis, I have something from you.
It’s an old bell from your elementary school (on island of Maui).
Ring! Time for school. Recess. Lunch time. School’s over.
Those were the good old days.
We were taught the three R’s – Reading, ‘Riting, and ‘Rithmetic.”
In that era we were taught three values.
Respect for our teachers.
Respect for property.
Respect for our elders.
What happened to all those values?
Everyday we recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.
I remember the day when we added, “One nation under God.”
Today I have entitled my sermon:
“GETTING DOWN TO BASICS.”
For over 3,000 years the 23rd Psalm has reminded us that
we are sustained by God. God is the good shepherd.
God looks after us day and night.
In time of death we have nothing to fear.
When Jesus came he said,
“I am the good shepherd.”
“I am the door of the sheep.”
Remember some time ago, on television, the high school kids
would say, “Hey, what’s happening?”
In 2009 three million homes were foreclosed.
The unemployment today nationwide is 9.1%
and it’s not getting any better.
Unemployment with teenagers is at 24.6% 2
Hey, what’s happening?
John Kenneth Galbraith, an economist wrote:
“The salary of the chief executive of the large
corporations is not a market reward of achievement.
It is frequently in the nature of a warm personal
gesture by the individual to himself.”
Today we have a problem. The economy is faltering.
In a word: GREED.
It’s time to get back to basics.
We need to go back to the virtues that hold
society together, if you will, and our civilization.
Greek philosophers held up four cardinal virtues:
1. Prudence
2. Justice
3. Restraint
4. Courage
The apostle Paul, who met Jesus on the road to Damascus,
who filled his heart with the spirit of Christ,
came to these three theological virtues:
Faith, Hope, and Love ….but the greatest of these is love.
Mahatma Ghandi, the spiritual leader of India said,
“We must be the change we wish to see in the world.”
His family said, Ghandi said this many times.
In her Diary, Anne Frank wrote:
“In spite of everything I still believe that people
are really good at heart.”
Several years ago, I heard Elizabeth Kubler Ross, in Brawley,
California. Before 400 people—doctors, nurses, teachers,
pastors, social workers, she gave us insights about
death and dying. Really, it was about life.
“One thing,” she said, “that you don’t want to
take away from a person dying is—HOPE.
Each person always has hope there might be a cure.
For over 30 years no, as a pastor, I have concluded that there 3
are three tasks that I had.
One—to receive new spirits in the world. We
celebrate their coming, and we baptize them.
Two—we to help people grow, to learn, and to live.
Three—prepare people to get ready for the next life.
You see, life is eternal.
I was talking to a man the other day. A few
years ago, his wife died of cancer, and he lives
alone. He said to me, “You know, I’m ready to
go anytime. I’ve had a good life.” I understood.
Death is not end;
it’s just another door.
We live in a tough world.
The apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans says,
“All things work together for good, for those
for those who love God.”
But the question is: Who can we trust? The banks?
the politician? Benjamin Franklin says:
“God works wonders now and then;
Behold! a lawyer, an honest man.”
Poor Richard’s Almanac, 1733
Jesus said: Look at the birds of the air, they don’t store
in barns yet the Heavenly Father feeds them.
Look at the lilies of the field, how they grow, they neither toil nor spin.
How much more God will care for you.
Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all
these things will be given to you. Matthew 6:25ff
We need a paradigm shift from self to others.
Dale Carnegie, the guru of human relationships, wrote a book
called, “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”
He says, there is a law of human contact. If we obey
that law, we will never be in trouble.
The law: “Always make the other person feel important”
If we take interest in other people, we will use every power
to make life better for them. There will be no place
for greed or selfishness.
Carnegie says, philosophers for centuries have been 4
speculating about human relationships.
Zoroaster in Persia, Confucius and Lao Tse in China.
Guatama Buddha in India, Hinduism in India---
they all taught the same principle.
Jesus summed it up in these words:
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Dale Carnegie says, one of his students decided to put the law
to a test: Always make the other person feel important.
A business man from Massachusetts went to Long Island
to visit his wife’s aunt.
The man: “This house was built in 1890, wasn’t it? “Yes,” she
said, “that’s precisely the year it was built.” He says,
“It reminds me of the house I was born in; it was beautiful,
well built, roomy.” “You know, they don’t build houses
like that anymore.”
“You’re right,” says the aged aunt “The young folks nowadays
don’t care for beautiful homes. All they want is an small
apartment, an electric ice box, and they go gadding about
in their automobiles.” Then she showed him the rest
of the house, treasures they collected from the travels—
paisley shawls, English tea set, French beds and chairs,
Italian paintings, silk draperies that once hung in a French chateau.
Then she took him into the garage. Propped up blocks was a car, a Packard.
(It was almost new).
“My husband bought that car just before he died,” she says.
“I have never ridden since his death.” Then she says,
“You appreciate nice things; I’m going to give you that car.”
“What about your relatives? I’m not even a relative.”
“Relatives, yes I have relatives who are just waiting till I die so they
can get the car. But they aren’t getting it.”
Jesus teaches us, we don’t live for ourselves,
we live for others.
What will it profit you, if you gain the whole world, but
lose your soul?
We need to get back to basics. (Ring the Bell)
9/11 Thoughts -- Fruits of the Spirit
FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT ON SEPTEMBER 11 1
Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Galatians 5:22-23 (Lighting Candle for 9/11 Remembrance)
September 18, 2011 Chapel Service
They say, “There’s nothing like being a grandparent.”
Well, ….. We are now grandparents. Yeah!
On August 11 at 10:38 a.m. our first grandson, Kenan Jacob
was born in Yakima, Washinton to our son Jeremy and his wife Melanie,
8 pounds, 6.4 ounces, and 21 inches. Jeremy who is a medical
doctor received his son into this world. What a privilege!
Kenan is a biblical name, he is the son of Enosh, the son of
Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve. (Genesis 5:9)
Kenan is the forefather of Noah and he lived for 910 years.
How many of you have actually seen a bear?
For over 30 years we’ve been looking—at Sequoia, Yosemite,
Yellowstone, and we never saw one.
On August 10 in Glacier National Park we finally saw our first
bear. The next day a bear ran right in front of our van
and I almost hit it; I had to hit the brakes. …And the
car behind me hit his brakes. I say Wow! In four days
we saw a total of 12 bears. August 2011 was a good month.
Good Morning! Bon Jour! Buenos Dias! And Aloha!
The psalmist says, “This is the day that the Lord has made,
let us rejoice and be glad in it!” Psalm 118:24
Some people say that evil is the absence of good.
Sometimes we say, “Oh, the devil made me do it.”
Have you ever taken a rock to break a window,
just for the fun of it? As children we do things,
bad things, out of our innocence.
Genesis teaches us that evil is personified in Satan.
Evil manifests itself when we separate ourselves
from God. So today, let us always remember,
God is our strength and God is our refuge.
The psalmist writes:
Those who love me, I will deliver.
I will protect those who know my name,
When they call me, I will answer them,
I will be with them in trouble,
2
I will rescue them and honor them,
With long life I will satisfy them and show
them my salvation.
This morning I want us to remember those who we lost
on 9/11. We lost 2,819 people
fire fighters 343
NYPD 23
Port Authority police officers 37
3,051 children lost a parent
those who lost a spouse or a partner 1,609
Let us be in a moment of SILENCE.
The apostle Paul says in Romans 5:5: “But we also boast in our sufferings,
knowing that suffering produces endurance, endurance
produces character, and characters produces hope, and hope
does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured
into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”
The prophet Isaiah teaches us that our true worship is God, not
things we make, not ideas we claim, and nothing in human form.
In time of trouble, God will make our bones strong. Then he
leaves us this promise:
Isaiah 58:12
Your ancient ruins shall be
rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of
many generations;
you shall be called the repairer
of the breach,
the restorer of streets to live
in.
On September 11, 2011 the firm of Cantor Fitzgerald lost 658 of its 960
employees. This is a remarkable story of heart.
Their offices were located on the 101th to the 105th stories
of the World Trade Center, just above the impact of the
hijacked plane.
Because of such a great loss, Cantor Fitzgerald was not expected to
survive. But the CEO, Howard Lutnick, decided to keep his
3
company going. Lutnick thought surely his employees in
Los Angeles would leave his broken firm. His heart was
pounding when the Los Angeles delegation knocked on his
apartment door. They said, “We’re never leaving.”
Within a week, Cantor Fitzgerald was back on line. Now Lutnick had
a great purpose—to help the families of 9/11. He decided to
give 25% of his profits back to those families for five years
and health insurance for 10 years. By 2006 His company
had given out $180 million to the families. Before 9/11
his company traded primarily bonds. Today this company
had grown into a full-service investment bank. Before 9/11
Cantor Fitzgerald had a total of 2,100 employees, today it
has 4,500.
The reason CEO Howard Lutnick was not in his office at the World
Trade Center that morning was, his son was beginning kindergarten.
He and his wife decided to be there with their son Kyle on his
first day of school.
How Cantor Fitzgerald was going to recover, Lutnick wasn’t sure.
But he believed.
They had lost most of their files and hard drives.
And walla! Cisco Systems sent a dozen 18 wheelers full of
routers, cables and other hardware to Cantor’s office in New Jersey.
Microsoft Corporation sent in 50 employees to help Cantor break
into the password protected computer accounts of all the workers
who were gone. Lutnick says, “Our motivation was to help the
victim’s families.”
When we find ourselves in dust and ashes, our first thoughts are,
How can this be? Why is this happening to me?
All of us, I am sure, at one time or another felt that we came to
the end of the road. Or we find ourselves in a pit. I know I have.
When I was reading Paul Tillich in seminary, he explained we can
find ourselves in a time of emptiness and hopelessness.
But something deep inside of us won’t give up. It drives us.
He calls it, the courage to be.
Jesus knew this courage to be -- total trust in God. On the cross, he said,
“Father, into they hands I commend my spirit.” (Lk. 22:46)
Moses found the same and he led the people out of Egypt.
Deut. 30:9 “I call heaven and earth as 4
witnesses against you, that I have set before you life
and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life,
that both your descendants may live.” I say: Choose life.
On 9/11 the airspace over the United States was shut down.
Thirty eight planes with 6,595 people landed in
in Gander, New Foundland. Schools, churches,
grocery stores, fire stations pharmacies, clubs etc. opened their
hearts for those they called, “the plane people.”
One family invited a couple to their home to use their shower, and said,
“Stay here as long as you want to rest,” and then, they left.
At the country club, they opened the door people who wanted
to golf. They ran out of golf clubs so people brought in more.
At the emergency center, ong tables were set up with land phones
so people could call home.
The Canadian military sent in 5,000 cots.
Pharmacists from town helped fill new prescriptions for those in need, even
calling other countries to verify the correct name.
There was always th smell of fresh, hot coffee to say, “Welcome!”
Diane Kirschke, a Texan, met Nick Marson, an Englishman and they fell in love.
They got married in New Foundland, on the first anniversary of 9/11.
A woman named Louie said, “I live in Hawaii where aloha is pretty present, but I felt
so much aloha here, so welcoming, so trusting.”
Shirley Brooks-Jones was so touched, when place was leaving, she announced
on the intercom, she wanted to start a scholarship fund in Lewisporte. That
scholarship fund raised some $1.5 million.
Jesus came to teach us,
the most important thing for us is to love,
to love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind;
and to love your neighbor as yourself. (Matt.22:37)
He said, “Walk the second mile.”
And he says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.”
(Matthew 11:29)
In Gander, on 9/11, the spirit of Christ was there, in the
hearts of the people.
Paul says, the fruits of the Spirit are: Love, Joy, Peace
Patience; Kindness, Generosity
Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control.
(Galatians 5:22-23)
Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Galatians 5:22-23 (Lighting Candle for 9/11 Remembrance)
September 18, 2011 Chapel Service
They say, “There’s nothing like being a grandparent.”
Well, ….. We are now grandparents. Yeah!
On August 11 at 10:38 a.m. our first grandson, Kenan Jacob
was born in Yakima, Washinton to our son Jeremy and his wife Melanie,
8 pounds, 6.4 ounces, and 21 inches. Jeremy who is a medical
doctor received his son into this world. What a privilege!
Kenan is a biblical name, he is the son of Enosh, the son of
Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve. (Genesis 5:9)
Kenan is the forefather of Noah and he lived for 910 years.
How many of you have actually seen a bear?
For over 30 years we’ve been looking—at Sequoia, Yosemite,
Yellowstone, and we never saw one.
On August 10 in Glacier National Park we finally saw our first
bear. The next day a bear ran right in front of our van
and I almost hit it; I had to hit the brakes. …And the
car behind me hit his brakes. I say Wow! In four days
we saw a total of 12 bears. August 2011 was a good month.
Good Morning! Bon Jour! Buenos Dias! And Aloha!
The psalmist says, “This is the day that the Lord has made,
let us rejoice and be glad in it!” Psalm 118:24
Some people say that evil is the absence of good.
Sometimes we say, “Oh, the devil made me do it.”
Have you ever taken a rock to break a window,
just for the fun of it? As children we do things,
bad things, out of our innocence.
Genesis teaches us that evil is personified in Satan.
Evil manifests itself when we separate ourselves
from God. So today, let us always remember,
God is our strength and God is our refuge.
The psalmist writes:
Those who love me, I will deliver.
I will protect those who know my name,
When they call me, I will answer them,
I will be with them in trouble,
2
I will rescue them and honor them,
With long life I will satisfy them and show
them my salvation.
This morning I want us to remember those who we lost
on 9/11. We lost 2,819 people
fire fighters 343
NYPD 23
Port Authority police officers 37
3,051 children lost a parent
those who lost a spouse or a partner 1,609
Let us be in a moment of SILENCE.
The apostle Paul says in Romans 5:5: “But we also boast in our sufferings,
knowing that suffering produces endurance, endurance
produces character, and characters produces hope, and hope
does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured
into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”
The prophet Isaiah teaches us that our true worship is God, not
things we make, not ideas we claim, and nothing in human form.
In time of trouble, God will make our bones strong. Then he
leaves us this promise:
Isaiah 58:12
Your ancient ruins shall be
rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of
many generations;
you shall be called the repairer
of the breach,
the restorer of streets to live
in.
On September 11, 2011 the firm of Cantor Fitzgerald lost 658 of its 960
employees. This is a remarkable story of heart.
Their offices were located on the 101th to the 105th stories
of the World Trade Center, just above the impact of the
hijacked plane.
Because of such a great loss, Cantor Fitzgerald was not expected to
survive. But the CEO, Howard Lutnick, decided to keep his
3
company going. Lutnick thought surely his employees in
Los Angeles would leave his broken firm. His heart was
pounding when the Los Angeles delegation knocked on his
apartment door. They said, “We’re never leaving.”
Within a week, Cantor Fitzgerald was back on line. Now Lutnick had
a great purpose—to help the families of 9/11. He decided to
give 25% of his profits back to those families for five years
and health insurance for 10 years. By 2006 His company
had given out $180 million to the families. Before 9/11
his company traded primarily bonds. Today this company
had grown into a full-service investment bank. Before 9/11
Cantor Fitzgerald had a total of 2,100 employees, today it
has 4,500.
The reason CEO Howard Lutnick was not in his office at the World
Trade Center that morning was, his son was beginning kindergarten.
He and his wife decided to be there with their son Kyle on his
first day of school.
How Cantor Fitzgerald was going to recover, Lutnick wasn’t sure.
But he believed.
They had lost most of their files and hard drives.
And walla! Cisco Systems sent a dozen 18 wheelers full of
routers, cables and other hardware to Cantor’s office in New Jersey.
Microsoft Corporation sent in 50 employees to help Cantor break
into the password protected computer accounts of all the workers
who were gone. Lutnick says, “Our motivation was to help the
victim’s families.”
When we find ourselves in dust and ashes, our first thoughts are,
How can this be? Why is this happening to me?
All of us, I am sure, at one time or another felt that we came to
the end of the road. Or we find ourselves in a pit. I know I have.
When I was reading Paul Tillich in seminary, he explained we can
find ourselves in a time of emptiness and hopelessness.
But something deep inside of us won’t give up. It drives us.
He calls it, the courage to be.
Jesus knew this courage to be -- total trust in God. On the cross, he said,
“Father, into they hands I commend my spirit.” (Lk. 22:46)
Moses found the same and he led the people out of Egypt.
Deut. 30:9 “I call heaven and earth as 4
witnesses against you, that I have set before you life
and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life,
that both your descendants may live.” I say: Choose life.
On 9/11 the airspace over the United States was shut down.
Thirty eight planes with 6,595 people landed in
in Gander, New Foundland. Schools, churches,
grocery stores, fire stations pharmacies, clubs etc. opened their
hearts for those they called, “the plane people.”
One family invited a couple to their home to use their shower, and said,
“Stay here as long as you want to rest,” and then, they left.
At the country club, they opened the door people who wanted
to golf. They ran out of golf clubs so people brought in more.
At the emergency center, ong tables were set up with land phones
so people could call home.
The Canadian military sent in 5,000 cots.
Pharmacists from town helped fill new prescriptions for those in need, even
calling other countries to verify the correct name.
There was always th smell of fresh, hot coffee to say, “Welcome!”
Diane Kirschke, a Texan, met Nick Marson, an Englishman and they fell in love.
They got married in New Foundland, on the first anniversary of 9/11.
A woman named Louie said, “I live in Hawaii where aloha is pretty present, but I felt
so much aloha here, so welcoming, so trusting.”
Shirley Brooks-Jones was so touched, when place was leaving, she announced
on the intercom, she wanted to start a scholarship fund in Lewisporte. That
scholarship fund raised some $1.5 million.
Jesus came to teach us,
the most important thing for us is to love,
to love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind;
and to love your neighbor as yourself. (Matt.22:37)
He said, “Walk the second mile.”
And he says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.”
(Matthew 11:29)
In Gander, on 9/11, the spirit of Christ was there, in the
hearts of the people.
Paul says, the fruits of the Spirit are: Love, Joy, Peace
Patience; Kindness, Generosity
Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control.
(Galatians 5:22-23)
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Heaven is For Real
“HEAVEN IS FOR REAL”
Luke 19:1-10 July 17, 2011
Dr. Dennis Ginoza (Preached at Monserate Mobile Home Chapel)
One day at our annual church conference at the University of
Redlands, one of the speakers said, “We all need to learn three languages,
English, Spanish, and Computer.
How many of you have computers? How many of you have
cell phones? Welcome to the age of technology!
I want to begin by sharing these thoughts. I got this in my email
from a friend.
Never look down on anybody, unless you’re helping them up.
Please read the following quietly then send them back on its journey.
To realize the value of a sister/brother:
ask someone who doesn’t have one.
To realize the value of ten years:
ask a newly divorced couple.
To realize the value of four years:
ask a graduate.
To realize the value of a month:
ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of one minute:
ask a person who missed the train, bus or plane.
Time waits for no one.
Treasure every moment you have.
You will treasure it even more when
you can share it with someone special.
God gave to us two precious gifts: the first is life,
and the second is time.
Some people say, “If I only had more time.”
All of us are here for only a short time.
Listen! a house mouse lives for 4 years
a humming bird 8 years
a wolf 16 years
a horse 50 years
a carp 57 years
an elephant 69 years
a parrot 80 years
a giant tortoise 152 years
the jelly fish, however reproduces itself and is the only
creature that is biologically immortal.
In the United States men live till age 75.2, women 80.4.
I wish you all the blessing of longevity!
One day, when Jesus was passing through Jericho and the crowds were
pressing on him. Then he saw a man on a sycamore three—
Zaacheus. Zaacheus was a man of small stature: he was a tax
collector who defrauded people. But Jesus gave him his time.
Jesus said, “Zaacheus, hurry and come down, for I must stay
at your house today.” The people grumbled, because Zaacheus
was a sinner (today we would call him a bad guy). Zaacheus
had a change of heart and told Jesus, I will give back four times
what I took from people. Jesus said, “Today salvation has
come to this house!”
Jesus teaches us today, TAKE THE TIME.
Take time for quiet and prayer.
Tale the time with children.
Take time for a stranger.
Take time for God.
Take time to help someone.
Last February at the Farmer’s Insurance Golf tournament at Torrey Pines, I was
a marshall. Phil Mickelson drove the ball into the crowd along the
fareway and it hit one of the spectators. He walked over to the man to see if
he was okay. Then he took off one of his gloves, signed it
and gave it to the man. …And the crowd cheered.
Phil took the time.
One day, E. Stanley Jones heard a scratching sound at his door.
At that time he was a missionary in India in the
early 1900’s. He opened the door and there was a dog
with a broken leg. Jones brought the dog in, wrapped
his broken leg, and after several weeks, the dog got better.
Then the dog left without saying a word of thanks. “That’s
a nice how do you do,” thought E. Stanley Jones. (That’s
my phrase). A few days later, there was a stratch on the
door, it was that dog. He brought with him another dog with
a broken leg. As a missionary, E. Stanley Jones gave his time to the people
of India. He brought Christ into the hearts of the people of India and
the world E. Stanley Jones was nominated for
the Nobel Peace Prize, in 1963, he received the Ghandi Peace Award.
I have here a pendulum. A pendulum measures time. Time
breaks down in seconds, in minutes, hours, days, weeks, months
and years. It is what we call sidereal time.
It measures the movement of the planets.
Will you count with me?
We’ll count one to ten. Will someone check your clock?
The Greeks teach us there are two kinds of time:
chronos: it is sidereal time – the movement of the planets
and kairos which is the Lord’s time.
I have entitled my sermon today:
HEAVEN IS FOR REAL.
Let me tell you this story.
In Nebraska there is boy named Colton. Colton was almost four
years old and one day, he a pain in his side.
The doctor wasn’t sure what
the problem was, so he waited and he did more tests.
Colton almost died: his appendix had burst.
This story of Colton Burpo is in a book written by his father who
is a Lutheran pastor in Imperial, Nebraska. This book is
coauthord with Lynn Vincent and has
sold over two million copies and was on the New York best seller.
Colton Burpo told his parents, he went to heaven,
he sat on Jesus’ lap and Jesus really loves the children.
Colton says, in heaven there is no darkness, it is just full of light.
Colton had a near death experience and he says,
he was greeted by Jesus. His father wanted to know about
God: he said God is huge. God, he says, is the the Holy Spirit.
Does he sit on a throne? Colton said, “Yes.” Does Jesus sit on his side?
“Yes.” Which side? “The right side.” Who sits on his left side?
Colton says, “The angel Gabriel.”
When they were choosing a title for
this book, his father asked Colton, “What title would you choose?”
He said, “Heaven Is For Real.”
Colton says, the people in heaven are not old, they are young.
He said there will be a battle between Jesus and Satan and
Jesus will win. He saw it.
He said, Jesus really loves all the children. And he says it over
and over again, Jesus loves all the children. In heaven
he says, are a lot of children.
What astonishes his parents, Todd and Sophia, is that his account
parallels the account in the Holy Bible.
Once there was a successful businessman who was celebrating
his retirement with his family and friends. He said,
“Many years ago I had a great boss and mentor. One day he
gave me one of his business cards. On the back were written 17
words.” He said, he would look at the list, close his eyes and the
words would jump out at him. He said, for 40 years these 17 words
never failed him. Would you close your eyes? These 17 words will
never fail you.
Prepare Trust
Listen Change
Smile Persist
Care Accept
Choose Risk
Focus Wait
Believe
Relax --Robert Gilbert
Act
Forgive
Pray You may open your eyes.
I say again, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL.
Rev. 21:3 “I heard a loud voice from the throne saying:
See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them as
their God,
they will be his peoples, and
God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from
their eyes. Three things we
Death will be no more; want to remember:
mourning and crying will be no more, Life is continuous.
for the first things have passed away. God is full of love.
Jesus is still with us, every day!
When I was in Sun City Center, Florida in March, I saw on the
wall in our guest room was an Irish blessing.
Every morning I went for a walk and this
blessing touched me. Let me close with this blessing:
May the road rise to greet you,
May the wind be always on your back,
May the sun sine warm on your face,
May the rain fall soft on your field,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
All God’s people will say: AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American poet, puts this
another way. He writes, “Success is…”
To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people and the
affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to
endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier because
you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
“HEAVEN IS FOR REAL”
Luke 19:1-10 July 17, 2011
Dr. Dennis Ginoza (Preached at Monserate Mobile Home Chapel)
One day at our annual church conference at the University of
Redlands, one of the speakers said, “We all need to learn three languages,
English, Spanish, and Computer.
How many of you have computers? How many of you have
cell phones? Welcome to the age of technology!
I want to begin by sharing these thoughts. I got this in my email
from a friend.
Never look down on anybody, unless you’re helping them up.
Please read the following quietly then send them back on its journey.
To realize the value of a sister/brother:
ask someone who doesn’t have one.
To realize the value of ten years:
ask a newly divorced couple.
To realize the value of four years:
ask a graduate.
To realize the value of a month:
ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of one minute:
ask a person who missed the train, bus or plane.
Time waits for no one.
Treasure every moment you have.
You will treasure it even more when
you can share it with someone special.
God gave to us two precious gifts: the first is life,
and the second is time.
Some people say, “If I only had more time.”
All of us are here for only a short time.
Listen! a house mouse lives for 4 years
a humming bird 8 years
a wolf 16 years
a horse 50 years
a carp 57 years
an elephant 69 years
a parrot 80 years
a giant tortoise 152 years
the jelly fish, however reproduces itself and is the only
creature that is biologically immortal.
In the United States men live till age 75.2, women 80.4.
I wish you all the blessing of longevity!
One day, when Jesus was passing through Jericho and the crowds were
pressing on him. Then he saw a man on a sycamore three—
Zaacheus. Zaacheus was a man of small stature: he was a tax
collector who defrauded people. But Jesus gave him his time.
Jesus said, “Zaacheus, hurry and come down, for I must stay
at your house today.” The people grumbled, because Zaacheus
was a sinner (today we would call him a bad guy). Zaacheus
had a change of heart and told Jesus, I will give back four times
what I took from people. Jesus said, “Today salvation has
come to this house!”
Jesus teaches us today, TAKE THE TIME.
Take time for quiet and prayer.
Tale the time with children.
Take time for a stranger.
Take time for God.
Take time to help someone.
Last February at the Farmer’s Insurance Golf tournament at Torrey Pines, I was
a marshall. Phil Mickelson drove the ball into the crowd along the
fareway and it hit one of the spectators. He walked over to the man to see if
he was okay. Then he took off one of his gloves, signed it
and gave it to the man. …And the crowd cheered.
Phil took the time.
One day, E. Stanley Jones heard a scratching sound at his door.
At that time he was a missionary in India in the
early 1900’s. He opened the door and there was a dog
with a broken leg. Jones brought the dog in, wrapped
his broken leg, and after several weeks, the dog got better.
Then the dog left without saying a word of thanks. “That’s
a nice how do you do,” thought E. Stanley Jones. (That’s
my phrase). A few days later, there was a stratch on the
door, it was that dog. He brought with him another dog with
a broken leg. As a missionary, E. Stanley Jones gave his time to the people
of India. He brought Christ into the hearts of the people of India and
the world E. Stanley Jones was nominated for
the Nobel Peace Prize, in 1963, he received the Ghandi Peace Award.
I have here a pendulum. A pendulum measures time. Time
breaks down in seconds, in minutes, hours, days, weeks, months
and years. It is what we call sidereal time.
It measures the movement of the planets.
Will you count with me?
We’ll count one to ten. Will someone check your clock?
The Greeks teach us there are two kinds of time:
chronos: it is sidereal time – the movement of the planets
and kairos which is the Lord’s time.
I have entitled my sermon today:
HEAVEN IS FOR REAL.
Let me tell you this story.
In Nebraska there is boy named Colton. Colton was almost four
years old and one day, he a pain in his side.
The doctor wasn’t sure what
the problem was, so he waited and he did more tests.
Colton almost died: his appendix had burst.
This story of Colton Burpo is in a book written by his father who
is a Lutheran pastor in Imperial, Nebraska. This book is
coauthord with Lynn Vincent and has
sold over two million copies and was on the New York best seller.
Colton Burpo told his parents, he went to heaven,
he sat on Jesus’ lap and Jesus really loves the children.
Colton says, in heaven there is no darkness, it is just full of light.
Colton had a near death experience and he says,
he was greeted by Jesus. His father wanted to know about
God: he said God is huge. God, he says, is the the Holy Spirit.
Does he sit on a throne? Colton said, “Yes.” Does Jesus sit on his side?
“Yes.” Which side? “The right side.” Who sits on his left side?
Colton says, “The angel Gabriel.”
When they were choosing a title for
this book, his father asked Colton, “What title would you choose?”
He said, “Heaven Is For Real.”
Colton says, the people in heaven are not old, they are young.
He said there will be a battle between Jesus and Satan and
Jesus will win. He saw it.
He said, Jesus really loves all the children. And he says it over
and over again, Jesus loves all the children. In heaven
he says, are a lot of children.
What astonishes his parents, Todd and Sophia, is that his account
parallels the account in the Holy Bible.
Once there was a successful businessman who was celebrating
his retirement with his family and friends. He said,
“Many years ago I had a great boss and mentor. One day he
gave me one of his business cards. On the back were written 17
words.” He said, he would look at the list, close his eyes and the
words would jump out at him. He said, for 40 years these 17 words
never failed him. Would you close your eyes? These 17 words will
never fail you.
Prepare Trust
Listen Change
Smile Persist
Care Accept
Choose Risk
Focus Wait
Believe
Relax --Robert Gilbert
Act
Forgive
Pray You may open your eyes.
I say again, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL.
Rev. 21:3 “I heard a loud voice from the throne saying:
See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them as
their God,
they will be his peoples, and
God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from
their eyes. Three things we
Death will be no more; want to remember:
mourning and crying will be no more, Life is continuous.
for the first things have passed away. God is full of love.
Jesus is still with us, every day!
When I was in Sun City Center, Florida in March, I saw on the
wall in our guest room was an Irish blessing.
Every morning I went for a walk and this
blessing touched me. Let me close with this blessing:
May the road rise to greet you,
May the wind be always on your back,
May the sun sine warm on your face,
May the rain fall soft on your field,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
All God’s people will say: AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American poet, puts this
another way. He writes, “Success is…”
To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people and the
affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to
endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier because
you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
Luke 19:1-10 July 17, 2011
Dr. Dennis Ginoza (Preached at Monserate Mobile Home Chapel)
One day at our annual church conference at the University of
Redlands, one of the speakers said, “We all need to learn three languages,
English, Spanish, and Computer.
How many of you have computers? How many of you have
cell phones? Welcome to the age of technology!
I want to begin by sharing these thoughts. I got this in my email
from a friend.
Never look down on anybody, unless you’re helping them up.
Please read the following quietly then send them back on its journey.
To realize the value of a sister/brother:
ask someone who doesn’t have one.
To realize the value of ten years:
ask a newly divorced couple.
To realize the value of four years:
ask a graduate.
To realize the value of a month:
ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of one minute:
ask a person who missed the train, bus or plane.
Time waits for no one.
Treasure every moment you have.
You will treasure it even more when
you can share it with someone special.
God gave to us two precious gifts: the first is life,
and the second is time.
Some people say, “If I only had more time.”
All of us are here for only a short time.
Listen! a house mouse lives for 4 years
a humming bird 8 years
a wolf 16 years
a horse 50 years
a carp 57 years
an elephant 69 years
a parrot 80 years
a giant tortoise 152 years
the jelly fish, however reproduces itself and is the only
creature that is biologically immortal.
In the United States men live till age 75.2, women 80.4.
I wish you all the blessing of longevity!
One day, when Jesus was passing through Jericho and the crowds were
pressing on him. Then he saw a man on a sycamore three—
Zaacheus. Zaacheus was a man of small stature: he was a tax
collector who defrauded people. But Jesus gave him his time.
Jesus said, “Zaacheus, hurry and come down, for I must stay
at your house today.” The people grumbled, because Zaacheus
was a sinner (today we would call him a bad guy). Zaacheus
had a change of heart and told Jesus, I will give back four times
what I took from people. Jesus said, “Today salvation has
come to this house!”
Jesus teaches us today, TAKE THE TIME.
Take time for quiet and prayer.
Tale the time with children.
Take time for a stranger.
Take time for God.
Take time to help someone.
Last February at the Farmer’s Insurance Golf tournament at Torrey Pines, I was
a marshall. Phil Mickelson drove the ball into the crowd along the
fareway and it hit one of the spectators. He walked over to the man to see if
he was okay. Then he took off one of his gloves, signed it
and gave it to the man. …And the crowd cheered.
Phil took the time.
One day, E. Stanley Jones heard a scratching sound at his door.
At that time he was a missionary in India in the
early 1900’s. He opened the door and there was a dog
with a broken leg. Jones brought the dog in, wrapped
his broken leg, and after several weeks, the dog got better.
Then the dog left without saying a word of thanks. “That’s
a nice how do you do,” thought E. Stanley Jones. (That’s
my phrase). A few days later, there was a stratch on the
door, it was that dog. He brought with him another dog with
a broken leg. As a missionary, E. Stanley Jones gave his time to the people
of India. He brought Christ into the hearts of the people of India and
the world E. Stanley Jones was nominated for
the Nobel Peace Prize, in 1963, he received the Ghandi Peace Award.
I have here a pendulum. A pendulum measures time. Time
breaks down in seconds, in minutes, hours, days, weeks, months
and years. It is what we call sidereal time.
It measures the movement of the planets.
Will you count with me?
We’ll count one to ten. Will someone check your clock?
The Greeks teach us there are two kinds of time:
chronos: it is sidereal time – the movement of the planets
and kairos which is the Lord’s time.
I have entitled my sermon today:
HEAVEN IS FOR REAL.
Let me tell you this story.
In Nebraska there is boy named Colton. Colton was almost four
years old and one day, he a pain in his side.
The doctor wasn’t sure what
the problem was, so he waited and he did more tests.
Colton almost died: his appendix had burst.
This story of Colton Burpo is in a book written by his father who
is a Lutheran pastor in Imperial, Nebraska. This book is
coauthord with Lynn Vincent and has
sold over two million copies and was on the New York best seller.
Colton Burpo told his parents, he went to heaven,
he sat on Jesus’ lap and Jesus really loves the children.
Colton says, in heaven there is no darkness, it is just full of light.
Colton had a near death experience and he says,
he was greeted by Jesus. His father wanted to know about
God: he said God is huge. God, he says, is the the Holy Spirit.
Does he sit on a throne? Colton said, “Yes.” Does Jesus sit on his side?
“Yes.” Which side? “The right side.” Who sits on his left side?
Colton says, “The angel Gabriel.”
When they were choosing a title for
this book, his father asked Colton, “What title would you choose?”
He said, “Heaven Is For Real.”
Colton says, the people in heaven are not old, they are young.
He said there will be a battle between Jesus and Satan and
Jesus will win. He saw it.
He said, Jesus really loves all the children. And he says it over
and over again, Jesus loves all the children. In heaven
he says, are a lot of children.
What astonishes his parents, Todd and Sophia, is that his account
parallels the account in the Holy Bible.
Once there was a successful businessman who was celebrating
his retirement with his family and friends. He said,
“Many years ago I had a great boss and mentor. One day he
gave me one of his business cards. On the back were written 17
words.” He said, he would look at the list, close his eyes and the
words would jump out at him. He said, for 40 years these 17 words
never failed him. Would you close your eyes? These 17 words will
never fail you.
Prepare Trust
Listen Change
Smile Persist
Care Accept
Choose Risk
Focus Wait
Believe
Relax --Robert Gilbert
Act
Forgive
Pray You may open your eyes.
I say again, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL.
Rev. 21:3 “I heard a loud voice from the throne saying:
See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them as
their God,
they will be his peoples, and
God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from
their eyes. Three things we
Death will be no more; want to remember:
mourning and crying will be no more, Life is continuous.
for the first things have passed away. God is full of love.
Jesus is still with us, every day!
When I was in Sun City Center, Florida in March, I saw on the
wall in our guest room was an Irish blessing.
Every morning I went for a walk and this
blessing touched me. Let me close with this blessing:
May the road rise to greet you,
May the wind be always on your back,
May the sun sine warm on your face,
May the rain fall soft on your field,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
All God’s people will say: AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American poet, puts this
another way. He writes, “Success is…”
To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people and the
affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to
endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier because
you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
“HEAVEN IS FOR REAL”
Luke 19:1-10 July 17, 2011
Dr. Dennis Ginoza (Preached at Monserate Mobile Home Chapel)
One day at our annual church conference at the University of
Redlands, one of the speakers said, “We all need to learn three languages,
English, Spanish, and Computer.
How many of you have computers? How many of you have
cell phones? Welcome to the age of technology!
I want to begin by sharing these thoughts. I got this in my email
from a friend.
Never look down on anybody, unless you’re helping them up.
Please read the following quietly then send them back on its journey.
To realize the value of a sister/brother:
ask someone who doesn’t have one.
To realize the value of ten years:
ask a newly divorced couple.
To realize the value of four years:
ask a graduate.
To realize the value of a month:
ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of one minute:
ask a person who missed the train, bus or plane.
Time waits for no one.
Treasure every moment you have.
You will treasure it even more when
you can share it with someone special.
God gave to us two precious gifts: the first is life,
and the second is time.
Some people say, “If I only had more time.”
All of us are here for only a short time.
Listen! a house mouse lives for 4 years
a humming bird 8 years
a wolf 16 years
a horse 50 years
a carp 57 years
an elephant 69 years
a parrot 80 years
a giant tortoise 152 years
the jelly fish, however reproduces itself and is the only
creature that is biologically immortal.
In the United States men live till age 75.2, women 80.4.
I wish you all the blessing of longevity!
One day, when Jesus was passing through Jericho and the crowds were
pressing on him. Then he saw a man on a sycamore three—
Zaacheus. Zaacheus was a man of small stature: he was a tax
collector who defrauded people. But Jesus gave him his time.
Jesus said, “Zaacheus, hurry and come down, for I must stay
at your house today.” The people grumbled, because Zaacheus
was a sinner (today we would call him a bad guy). Zaacheus
had a change of heart and told Jesus, I will give back four times
what I took from people. Jesus said, “Today salvation has
come to this house!”
Jesus teaches us today, TAKE THE TIME.
Take time for quiet and prayer.
Tale the time with children.
Take time for a stranger.
Take time for God.
Take time to help someone.
Last February at the Farmer’s Insurance Golf tournament at Torrey Pines, I was
a marshall. Phil Mickelson drove the ball into the crowd along the
fareway and it hit one of the spectators. He walked over to the man to see if
he was okay. Then he took off one of his gloves, signed it
and gave it to the man. …And the crowd cheered.
Phil took the time.
One day, E. Stanley Jones heard a scratching sound at his door.
At that time he was a missionary in India in the
early 1900’s. He opened the door and there was a dog
with a broken leg. Jones brought the dog in, wrapped
his broken leg, and after several weeks, the dog got better.
Then the dog left without saying a word of thanks. “That’s
a nice how do you do,” thought E. Stanley Jones. (That’s
my phrase). A few days later, there was a stratch on the
door, it was that dog. He brought with him another dog with
a broken leg. As a missionary, E. Stanley Jones gave his time to the people
of India. He brought Christ into the hearts of the people of India and
the world E. Stanley Jones was nominated for
the Nobel Peace Prize, in 1963, he received the Ghandi Peace Award.
I have here a pendulum. A pendulum measures time. Time
breaks down in seconds, in minutes, hours, days, weeks, months
and years. It is what we call sidereal time.
It measures the movement of the planets.
Will you count with me?
We’ll count one to ten. Will someone check your clock?
The Greeks teach us there are two kinds of time:
chronos: it is sidereal time – the movement of the planets
and kairos which is the Lord’s time.
I have entitled my sermon today:
HEAVEN IS FOR REAL.
Let me tell you this story.
In Nebraska there is boy named Colton. Colton was almost four
years old and one day, he a pain in his side.
The doctor wasn’t sure what
the problem was, so he waited and he did more tests.
Colton almost died: his appendix had burst.
This story of Colton Burpo is in a book written by his father who
is a Lutheran pastor in Imperial, Nebraska. This book is
coauthord with Lynn Vincent and has
sold over two million copies and was on the New York best seller.
Colton Burpo told his parents, he went to heaven,
he sat on Jesus’ lap and Jesus really loves the children.
Colton says, in heaven there is no darkness, it is just full of light.
Colton had a near death experience and he says,
he was greeted by Jesus. His father wanted to know about
God: he said God is huge. God, he says, is the the Holy Spirit.
Does he sit on a throne? Colton said, “Yes.” Does Jesus sit on his side?
“Yes.” Which side? “The right side.” Who sits on his left side?
Colton says, “The angel Gabriel.”
When they were choosing a title for
this book, his father asked Colton, “What title would you choose?”
He said, “Heaven Is For Real.”
Colton says, the people in heaven are not old, they are young.
He said there will be a battle between Jesus and Satan and
Jesus will win. He saw it.
He said, Jesus really loves all the children. And he says it over
and over again, Jesus loves all the children. In heaven
he says, are a lot of children.
What astonishes his parents, Todd and Sophia, is that his account
parallels the account in the Holy Bible.
Once there was a successful businessman who was celebrating
his retirement with his family and friends. He said,
“Many years ago I had a great boss and mentor. One day he
gave me one of his business cards. On the back were written 17
words.” He said, he would look at the list, close his eyes and the
words would jump out at him. He said, for 40 years these 17 words
never failed him. Would you close your eyes? These 17 words will
never fail you.
Prepare Trust
Listen Change
Smile Persist
Care Accept
Choose Risk
Focus Wait
Believe
Relax --Robert Gilbert
Act
Forgive
Pray You may open your eyes.
I say again, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL.
Rev. 21:3 “I heard a loud voice from the throne saying:
See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them as
their God,
they will be his peoples, and
God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from
their eyes. Three things we
Death will be no more; want to remember:
mourning and crying will be no more, Life is continuous.
for the first things have passed away. God is full of love.
Jesus is still with us, every day!
When I was in Sun City Center, Florida in March, I saw on the
wall in our guest room was an Irish blessing.
Every morning I went for a walk and this
blessing touched me. Let me close with this blessing:
May the road rise to greet you,
May the wind be always on your back,
May the sun sine warm on your face,
May the rain fall soft on your field,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
All God’s people will say: AMEN!
FOOTNOTE:
Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American poet, puts this
another way. He writes, “Success is…”
To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people and the
affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to
endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier because
you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Coincidence
COINCIDENCE
“Just Another Day, So We Thought”
by Dennis Ginoza
It was just another day of travel. We had been on the road for some five weeks and were on our way home to California. Our trip took us to Colorado, and Iowa for my wife Sylvia’s class reunion, and visits with friends in Chicago, Cincinnati area, St. Louis, and back in Iowa (Oskaloosa, Des Moines, Clear Lake). Now we were homeward bound in our Toyota van.
It was a long day on the road, some ten hours, and we arrived at North Platte, Nebraska for a night of rest. We knew very little about North Platte other than, it was a city along highway 80, in the middle of farm lands along a river.
As we travel, the question always arises, “Where are we going for dinner?” We were told, the Quality Inn had a restaurant so we thought we’d check it out. Approaching the restaurant doors, which were closed, we quickly judged, we’d look for another restaurant. Ruby Tuesday popped into our minds. We so enjoyed dinner with friends in Hamilton, Ohio, Ruby Tuesday it was; just a walk across the parking lot.
“Where would like to sit?” asked the hostess. We chose a booth with comfortable seats, across from the window tables. As we took our seats, we had no idea that the evening was going to be an experience of surprise, an encounter that was lined with a silver thread called, coincidence.
Webster defines “coincidence” as “the occurrence of events that happens at the same time but seem to have some connection.” It also defines “coincide” as “to correspond in nature, character, or function.” What happened that evening, July 6, also was a serendipity.
Serendipity is defined by Webster as, “the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for.”
Now at the table, we decided on what we would order. Sylvia chose an item from the menu, I selected the salad bar. In the next booth were two women having their meal, two friends who often dined out together. Their conversation, after we sat down, took a turn in time. The one woman said to the other, “I think I know those folks.”
I had gotten up to get to the salad bar. Unbeknown to us, much curiosity filled the other booth. The woman saw my Spring Training, San Diego Padres T-shirt, “They’re from San Diego!” the added clue. The woman came up to Sylvia (I was getting my salad), “I think I know you. Is your husband a minister?” “Yes,” replied Sylvia. “Hi! I’m Janie, your husband married us--Carl and me!” The moment turned into joy, lost friends finding each other in a most unsuspecting place, Ruby Tuesday in North Platte, Nebraska, hundreds of miles from California.
Yes, in February of 1993, in Chino California, Janie Beth and Carl were married in Carl’s family home, as with weddings, a time full of joy, hope, and love. Carl worked as a security guard at the Pomona Public Library and met Sylvia who worked as a reference librarian. I was studying at the School of Theology at Claremont and also found friendship with Carl and then, with Janie.
Our contact with Carl and Janie faded some in time. They had moved to Seattle where they lived for several years. Carl’s untimely death brought a sad moment of change in Janie’s life as it did for her family, for many friends and for us. Our Christmas letters kept us linked together in the bond of friendship, a bond, neither time nor geography can sever. This, one learns, when hearts are bound by love. Janie remembers: she told me, you said in the in the marriage ceremony, “Let love, love, love, love bind you together.” Eighteen years have gone by and love still is the binding force.
Coincidence? Yes, on the one hand. On the other, hidden somewhere is a divine lesson, old friends will once again share the common path of life, of love, of surprise. Carl Jung offers the term, “collective convergence,” when people appear in the same time and space. Some things we cannot explain, but like fruits on a tree, they are to be shared, they are given as a gift.
North Platte was just a city along highway 80, a blink on the fast track. But that evening, it was a city that came to life for us. Janie said, “After dinner, I want you to follow me to my home so we can visit over a glass of cold lemonade, and talk.” That sounded like a real treat. (We visited with her good friend Carla who marveled over this encounter).
Janie is a delight, full of enthusiasm, and shares an excitement about life. She gave us a tour of North Platte. Here is the home of Buffalo Bill who helped settle the wild west, a memorial park built in his memory. We saw his home from which he could see the movement of the Indians (Native Americans) in their early prairie battles. North Platte was the route of the Intercontinental Railroad, the Central Pacific (from California) and the Union Pacific (building from Omaha), the tracks which joined to complete a transportation system that helped change America. We drove by the museum with a high tower where the golden spike is kept, the symbol of completion of railway in the 1860’s.
The evening renewed our friendship with a great joy and wonder. We met Janie’s mother, a superb musician who played selections on her organ and her piano, to our benefit. We traveled back in time to the wedding, how our families are doing, and anyting and everything. We were old, lost friends who found each other in a most unsuspecting place!
Coincidence? Accident? I am learning, some things are meant to be, in the course of divine time.
“Just Another Day, So We Thought”
by Dennis Ginoza
It was just another day of travel. We had been on the road for some five weeks and were on our way home to California. Our trip took us to Colorado, and Iowa for my wife Sylvia’s class reunion, and visits with friends in Chicago, Cincinnati area, St. Louis, and back in Iowa (Oskaloosa, Des Moines, Clear Lake). Now we were homeward bound in our Toyota van.
It was a long day on the road, some ten hours, and we arrived at North Platte, Nebraska for a night of rest. We knew very little about North Platte other than, it was a city along highway 80, in the middle of farm lands along a river.
As we travel, the question always arises, “Where are we going for dinner?” We were told, the Quality Inn had a restaurant so we thought we’d check it out. Approaching the restaurant doors, which were closed, we quickly judged, we’d look for another restaurant. Ruby Tuesday popped into our minds. We so enjoyed dinner with friends in Hamilton, Ohio, Ruby Tuesday it was; just a walk across the parking lot.
“Where would like to sit?” asked the hostess. We chose a booth with comfortable seats, across from the window tables. As we took our seats, we had no idea that the evening was going to be an experience of surprise, an encounter that was lined with a silver thread called, coincidence.
Webster defines “coincidence” as “the occurrence of events that happens at the same time but seem to have some connection.” It also defines “coincide” as “to correspond in nature, character, or function.” What happened that evening, July 6, also was a serendipity.
Serendipity is defined by Webster as, “the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for.”
Now at the table, we decided on what we would order. Sylvia chose an item from the menu, I selected the salad bar. In the next booth were two women having their meal, two friends who often dined out together. Their conversation, after we sat down, took a turn in time. The one woman said to the other, “I think I know those folks.”
I had gotten up to get to the salad bar. Unbeknown to us, much curiosity filled the other booth. The woman saw my Spring Training, San Diego Padres T-shirt, “They’re from San Diego!” the added clue. The woman came up to Sylvia (I was getting my salad), “I think I know you. Is your husband a minister?” “Yes,” replied Sylvia. “Hi! I’m Janie, your husband married us--Carl and me!” The moment turned into joy, lost friends finding each other in a most unsuspecting place, Ruby Tuesday in North Platte, Nebraska, hundreds of miles from California.
Yes, in February of 1993, in Chino California, Janie Beth and Carl were married in Carl’s family home, as with weddings, a time full of joy, hope, and love. Carl worked as a security guard at the Pomona Public Library and met Sylvia who worked as a reference librarian. I was studying at the School of Theology at Claremont and also found friendship with Carl and then, with Janie.
Our contact with Carl and Janie faded some in time. They had moved to Seattle where they lived for several years. Carl’s untimely death brought a sad moment of change in Janie’s life as it did for her family, for many friends and for us. Our Christmas letters kept us linked together in the bond of friendship, a bond, neither time nor geography can sever. This, one learns, when hearts are bound by love. Janie remembers: she told me, you said in the in the marriage ceremony, “Let love, love, love, love bind you together.” Eighteen years have gone by and love still is the binding force.
Coincidence? Yes, on the one hand. On the other, hidden somewhere is a divine lesson, old friends will once again share the common path of life, of love, of surprise. Carl Jung offers the term, “collective convergence,” when people appear in the same time and space. Some things we cannot explain, but like fruits on a tree, they are to be shared, they are given as a gift.
North Platte was just a city along highway 80, a blink on the fast track. But that evening, it was a city that came to life for us. Janie said, “After dinner, I want you to follow me to my home so we can visit over a glass of cold lemonade, and talk.” That sounded like a real treat. (We visited with her good friend Carla who marveled over this encounter).
Janie is a delight, full of enthusiasm, and shares an excitement about life. She gave us a tour of North Platte. Here is the home of Buffalo Bill who helped settle the wild west, a memorial park built in his memory. We saw his home from which he could see the movement of the Indians (Native Americans) in their early prairie battles. North Platte was the route of the Intercontinental Railroad, the Central Pacific (from California) and the Union Pacific (building from Omaha), the tracks which joined to complete a transportation system that helped change America. We drove by the museum with a high tower where the golden spike is kept, the symbol of completion of railway in the 1860’s.
The evening renewed our friendship with a great joy and wonder. We met Janie’s mother, a superb musician who played selections on her organ and her piano, to our benefit. We traveled back in time to the wedding, how our families are doing, and anyting and everything. We were old, lost friends who found each other in a most unsuspecting place!
Coincidence? Accident? I am learning, some things are meant to be, in the course of divine time.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Everything I Learned, I Learned in Kindergarten
SERMON: “Everything I Learned, I Learned in Kindergarten”
Matthew 20:20-28
May 8, 2011 Mother’s Day Dr. Dennis Ginoza
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
Remember Michaelangelo? This is what his mother said to him:
“Michael, why can’t you draw on the walls like the
other children? Do you know how hard it is to get
the stuff off the ceiling?”
John Wilmont says, “Before I got married, I had six theories
about brining up children; now I have six children
and no theories.” HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
You heard the Jewish proverb: “God couldn’t be everywhere
so he made mothers.” God is Good! All the time!
My mother was a gentle soul and she was wise.
She lived in a borrowed house,
we had no hot water,
she never learned to drive a car,
we didn’t have a television,
she washed our clothes by hand,
and hung them on the line.
My mother raised six children, three boys and three girls.
My dad wanted to buy a house, but my mom
said, “Daddy, we need to educate our children. If we buy a house
and the house burns down, we have nothing.” (I think that she said).
When our son Jeremy and his wife Melanie were visiting with
my mother three years ago, she told him, “I am satisfied. All my
children went to college.” Last November, the day
after Thanksgiving, she died at the age of 95.
The book of Proverbs, chapter 3: verses 13-14, 16:
Happy are those who find wisdom, …her revenue
is better than gold. …Long life is her right hand, in her
left hand are riches and honor.”
When I was a little boy, what I see today, she was dropping little
pebbles in the pond. When you drop pebbles in a pond,
the whipples move from the center all the way to the
edges. She would say: “Dennis , cod liver oil is good for
you.” Every day after school we had a tea spoon of cod liver
oil. She would say, “Dennis, be humble, humble, humble.”
I learned from her that , honesty, humility,
and sincerity are true virtues.
Oliver Wendell Holmes says: “The real religion of the world comes
from women much more than from men—from mothers
most of all—who carry the key of our souls in their
bosoms.”
I want to hold before you the image of a pond. What I have
learned is that throughout our lives, different people
will drop little pebbles into our pond. They are for us,
insights, learnings, and forces that shape us.
When I came to this church in 1994, one of the first questions that
I was asked was: “Dennis, tell me, do you believe in the
Resurrection?” (Appaprently there are some pastors that
don’t believe in the Resurrection.) My answer: “Of course!”
Furthermore, I can tell you, “Of course, without a doubt.”
Without the Resurrection, you would not be here, I would not
be here, and the Church would not be here.
If the resurrection never happened, everything would have ended
and the disciples would have gone back to fishing. In the ancient world,
in the first century, there was a document that was circulating.
It is found in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, Ch. 15. Let me
make reference to it. “…Jesus was
raised on the third day in accordance to the scriptures,
and he appeared to Cephas, then to the 12. Then he
appeared to more than 500 brothers and sisters at one
time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.
Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last
of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For
I am least of the apostles.” I Corinthians 15:4-8
If there is one greater evidence of
the risen Christ, it is the changed lives.
Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!
Jesus dropped many pebbles in the pond, in our consciousness.
Jesus said the kingdom of God is in the midst of you,
it is right here, but it is not yet.
He taught us that unless we become like a child, we
cannot enter the kingdom of God.
He taught us, the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed,
it is the smallest of seeds but it grows into a tree and
becomes a tree where birds will nest.
The words that we speak,
every action that we take,
every thought we have,
they are like little pebbles dropped in the pond.
I have entitled my sermon today:
EVERYTHING I LEARNED I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN.
Actually I never went to kindergarten.
I skipped kindergarten and went straight to first grade.
Robert Fulghum puts it this way: “Everything I Really Need to Know,
I Learned in Kindergarten.”
Share everything.
Play fair.
Don’t hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life—learn some and think some and draw and paint
and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic,
hold hands and stick together.
Be aware of wonder.
Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down
and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why,
but we are all like that.
Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the
Styrofoam cup—they all die. So do we.
And then remember the Dick and Jane books and the first word you
learned – LOOK.
Everything you need to know is in there somewhere.
The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation, ecology and politics
and equality and sane living.
take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms
and apply it to your family life or your work, or government or your world
and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would
be if we all – the whole world – had cookies and milk about 3 o’clock in
the afternoon and lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments
had a basic policy to always put things back where they
found them and to clean up their own mess.
And it is still true, no matter how old you
are – when you go out into the world, it is best
to hold hands and stick together.
Are there any children here? Let me put it this way, if you have a child in you,
say hold up your hand. Let us make some rain drops. (With one finger, two
fingers, three and four and five: clapping really loud). As we make rain
drops, may they fall upon us as blessings of God. RAINDROPS!
Charles Dickens said: “It is the best of times, it is the worst of times.”
The trouble with the world is we’re not quite there yet.
Our egos still get in the way.
We all want to be first,
We want the best seat in the house.
Abraham Lincoln said there are two boys. “I have three pieces of
candy, and each boy wants two.”
When Jesus lived on this earth, the twelve disciples walked with him
for three years. They heard him teach, they saw him
feed 5,000 with five loaves and two fish; the saw him
heal Bartimaeus, the man who was born blind. They saw him
raise Lazarus from the grave (and Lazarus was already dead for four days.
But there were some things they didn’t understand at first.
In the book of Matthew, the disciples James and John wanted to be
first. So their mother came to Jesus and asked, “Will you
declare one son will sit at your right and the other
one will sit at your left? Their self-importance got in their way.
James and John thought they were better than the other disciples.
The last week Jesus was here, he wrapped a towel around his waist,
got down on his knees and washed the disciples’ feet.
He taught them humility. He taught them—the most important
thing you can do is serve others.
One day Mahatma Ghandi got on the train. As he got on, he lost
a shoe. As the train was now moving, he quickly took off
the other shoe, and threw it out. His friend asked him, “Why
did you do that:” Ghandi said, “Whoever finds the shoe will
now have a pair.”
One day at Harvard University, a young rich student, came to campus. He was
unloading his car to take to the dorm. He saw a white haired man
in the parking lot and said, “Hey you there, take these boxes to my
room!” The man didn’t say anything, picked up the boxes and took
them to the room in the dorm. Several days later, at the assembly for
the new students, this spoiled young student sunk low in his seat. That man
with the white hair was now dressed in his suit welcoming the
new class of freshmen to Harvard University. He was the president.
Later the president came across that student and said, “I want to
remember, the most important thing you can do in this life is serve others.”
Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
When we fully understand the essence of God, we will see the things of God.
When Sylvia and I were in Tampa, Florida to visit some friends, we also went
there for baseball
(and yes, we saw four games -- in Bradenton, Sarasota, Kissimmee,
Tampa), and every morning I went
for a walk. On the wall in the guest was an Irish blessing.
I thought it was appropriate. I leave this with you.
May the road rise to greet you,
May the wind be always on your back,
May the sun shine warm on your face,
May the rain fall soft on your field,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
Matthew 20:20-28
May 8, 2011 Mother’s Day Dr. Dennis Ginoza
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
Remember Michaelangelo? This is what his mother said to him:
“Michael, why can’t you draw on the walls like the
other children? Do you know how hard it is to get
the stuff off the ceiling?”
John Wilmont says, “Before I got married, I had six theories
about brining up children; now I have six children
and no theories.” HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
You heard the Jewish proverb: “God couldn’t be everywhere
so he made mothers.” God is Good! All the time!
My mother was a gentle soul and she was wise.
She lived in a borrowed house,
we had no hot water,
she never learned to drive a car,
we didn’t have a television,
she washed our clothes by hand,
and hung them on the line.
My mother raised six children, three boys and three girls.
My dad wanted to buy a house, but my mom
said, “Daddy, we need to educate our children. If we buy a house
and the house burns down, we have nothing.” (I think that she said).
When our son Jeremy and his wife Melanie were visiting with
my mother three years ago, she told him, “I am satisfied. All my
children went to college.” Last November, the day
after Thanksgiving, she died at the age of 95.
The book of Proverbs, chapter 3: verses 13-14, 16:
Happy are those who find wisdom, …her revenue
is better than gold. …Long life is her right hand, in her
left hand are riches and honor.”
When I was a little boy, what I see today, she was dropping little
pebbles in the pond. When you drop pebbles in a pond,
the whipples move from the center all the way to the
edges. She would say: “Dennis , cod liver oil is good for
you.” Every day after school we had a tea spoon of cod liver
oil. She would say, “Dennis, be humble, humble, humble.”
I learned from her that , honesty, humility,
and sincerity are true virtues.
Oliver Wendell Holmes says: “The real religion of the world comes
from women much more than from men—from mothers
most of all—who carry the key of our souls in their
bosoms.”
I want to hold before you the image of a pond. What I have
learned is that throughout our lives, different people
will drop little pebbles into our pond. They are for us,
insights, learnings, and forces that shape us.
When I came to this church in 1994, one of the first questions that
I was asked was: “Dennis, tell me, do you believe in the
Resurrection?” (Appaprently there are some pastors that
don’t believe in the Resurrection.) My answer: “Of course!”
Furthermore, I can tell you, “Of course, without a doubt.”
Without the Resurrection, you would not be here, I would not
be here, and the Church would not be here.
If the resurrection never happened, everything would have ended
and the disciples would have gone back to fishing. In the ancient world,
in the first century, there was a document that was circulating.
It is found in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, Ch. 15. Let me
make reference to it. “…Jesus was
raised on the third day in accordance to the scriptures,
and he appeared to Cephas, then to the 12. Then he
appeared to more than 500 brothers and sisters at one
time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.
Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last
of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For
I am least of the apostles.” I Corinthians 15:4-8
If there is one greater evidence of
the risen Christ, it is the changed lives.
Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!
Jesus dropped many pebbles in the pond, in our consciousness.
Jesus said the kingdom of God is in the midst of you,
it is right here, but it is not yet.
He taught us that unless we become like a child, we
cannot enter the kingdom of God.
He taught us, the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed,
it is the smallest of seeds but it grows into a tree and
becomes a tree where birds will nest.
The words that we speak,
every action that we take,
every thought we have,
they are like little pebbles dropped in the pond.
I have entitled my sermon today:
EVERYTHING I LEARNED I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN.
Actually I never went to kindergarten.
I skipped kindergarten and went straight to first grade.
Robert Fulghum puts it this way: “Everything I Really Need to Know,
I Learned in Kindergarten.”
Share everything.
Play fair.
Don’t hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life—learn some and think some and draw and paint
and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic,
hold hands and stick together.
Be aware of wonder.
Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down
and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why,
but we are all like that.
Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the
Styrofoam cup—they all die. So do we.
And then remember the Dick and Jane books and the first word you
learned – LOOK.
Everything you need to know is in there somewhere.
The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation, ecology and politics
and equality and sane living.
take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms
and apply it to your family life or your work, or government or your world
and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would
be if we all – the whole world – had cookies and milk about 3 o’clock in
the afternoon and lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments
had a basic policy to always put things back where they
found them and to clean up their own mess.
And it is still true, no matter how old you
are – when you go out into the world, it is best
to hold hands and stick together.
Are there any children here? Let me put it this way, if you have a child in you,
say hold up your hand. Let us make some rain drops. (With one finger, two
fingers, three and four and five: clapping really loud). As we make rain
drops, may they fall upon us as blessings of God. RAINDROPS!
Charles Dickens said: “It is the best of times, it is the worst of times.”
The trouble with the world is we’re not quite there yet.
Our egos still get in the way.
We all want to be first,
We want the best seat in the house.
Abraham Lincoln said there are two boys. “I have three pieces of
candy, and each boy wants two.”
When Jesus lived on this earth, the twelve disciples walked with him
for three years. They heard him teach, they saw him
feed 5,000 with five loaves and two fish; the saw him
heal Bartimaeus, the man who was born blind. They saw him
raise Lazarus from the grave (and Lazarus was already dead for four days.
But there were some things they didn’t understand at first.
In the book of Matthew, the disciples James and John wanted to be
first. So their mother came to Jesus and asked, “Will you
declare one son will sit at your right and the other
one will sit at your left? Their self-importance got in their way.
James and John thought they were better than the other disciples.
The last week Jesus was here, he wrapped a towel around his waist,
got down on his knees and washed the disciples’ feet.
He taught them humility. He taught them—the most important
thing you can do is serve others.
One day Mahatma Ghandi got on the train. As he got on, he lost
a shoe. As the train was now moving, he quickly took off
the other shoe, and threw it out. His friend asked him, “Why
did you do that:” Ghandi said, “Whoever finds the shoe will
now have a pair.”
One day at Harvard University, a young rich student, came to campus. He was
unloading his car to take to the dorm. He saw a white haired man
in the parking lot and said, “Hey you there, take these boxes to my
room!” The man didn’t say anything, picked up the boxes and took
them to the room in the dorm. Several days later, at the assembly for
the new students, this spoiled young student sunk low in his seat. That man
with the white hair was now dressed in his suit welcoming the
new class of freshmen to Harvard University. He was the president.
Later the president came across that student and said, “I want to
remember, the most important thing you can do in this life is serve others.”
Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
When we fully understand the essence of God, we will see the things of God.
When Sylvia and I were in Tampa, Florida to visit some friends, we also went
there for baseball
(and yes, we saw four games -- in Bradenton, Sarasota, Kissimmee,
Tampa), and every morning I went
for a walk. On the wall in the guest was an Irish blessing.
I thought it was appropriate. I leave this with you.
May the road rise to greet you,
May the wind be always on your back,
May the sun shine warm on your face,
May the rain fall soft on your field,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Baseball, Spring Training in Florida
BASEBALL AND MORE BASEBALL: Spring Training in Florida
by Dennis Ginoza March 24, 2011
Once baseball gets in your system, it seems to stay. As I travel around ball parks and I meet young and old, I find that the spirit of baseball has traversed generations. As a young boy, playing in the major leagues is a dream. There is much to the excitement of the game.
Last year, in early February, in Peoria, Arizona, I learned that the pitchers and the catchers are the first to arrive for spring training. A week later, the rest of the team arrive for their workouts. The veteran players are joined by many minor league players invited for the try outs. Over 70-80 players engage in every aspect of the game. I also learned that the roster is cut to 40 for the pre-season games and finally 25 for the major league season.
This year in early March, I saw baseball in another region—Florida. The fascination of the game continues. In Sarasota, Sylvia and I went to the home field of the Baltimore Orioles. For many years, It was the old training site for the Cincinnati Reds. There is no major parking lot so you scramble around looking for parking along the street or make shift parking areas made available. We found a dirt lot for $9.00. The Orioles were playing the Boston Red Sox.
As we stood singing the national anthem, the crowd went “Ohhh!” then continued to finish the song. I thought, “We must have missed something on the field when they went “Oh!” I asked the man next to me, “Did I miss something?” He laughed and said, “Here, they stressed the O for the Orioles” (in the line Oh say can you see?)
I was sitting next to two fans of early baseball. This guy next to me lived in New York and was a fan of the Giants. His favorite player was Willie Mays. In 1951, the Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers were tied for the pennant and had a three game play-off series. They split the first two games. In the third game, the Dodgers were ahead 4-1 in the ninth. Dodger pitcher Don Newcombe showed tiredness so Ralph Blanca was called in. Giants Bobby Thompson hit a three run homer. “The Giants win the pennant!” This Giant fan saw it on television. It became known as the “ shot heard ‘round the world.”
We talked about Willie Mays of the Giants, Mickey Mantle of the Yankees, and Duke Snider of the Brooklyn Dodgers. They were three exciting ball players. So I asked him, did you see Stan Musial bat. He said, “Yes. Musial had an unusual stance.” “My friend here,” he says, “lived in St. Louis and went to the game with his father.” The friend said, “I saw Musial hit 5 home runs in two games. In those days, with one ticket you could see a double header. The day was May 2, 1954, against the Giants Musial also walked twice, hit a single, and drove in nine runs. He also told me, it was the Dodgers who gave the name to Musial, “Stan the Man.” When the St. Louis Cardinals came to Ebbetts Field in Brooklyn, the Dodgers fans would say, “The man is coming to town.”
Right there in Sarasota, the glory days of baseball was brought to light. It was an interesting day at the ball park. In the ninth inning, the game was tied, Orioles 4, Red Sox 4. In pre-season games, if tied, they played an extra inning. It remained tied.
When we learned that tickets in Florida are hard to come by, we ordered our tickets online to see the Yankees play. They have the most modern of stadiums with an updated scoreboard. The speed for every pitched ball is displayed, unlike the other stadiums. Sylvia decided not to go so my friend, Walt Prouty and I enjoyed the game from section 216, row O, 19 and 20, with a great view of the field.
Grammy Award Winner Kenny G played the National Anthem on his saxophone and holding a long note was a total treat! (When Sylvia heard this, she wished she had gone.) The Yankees played the Philadelphia Phillies. The Yankees looked good and the pitchers had a perfect game going through the fifth inning. Score: Yankees 7, Phillies 1. Sitting there in the stands, in the city of Tampa, having gone to Kissimmee, home of the Houston Astros, Sarasota, home of the Baltimore Orioles, and Bradenton, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, it was clear to me that baseball, while a great sport, is a money game.
With curiosity, I decided to check the team budget for 2011. Here lies the difference:
The four highest: Yankees $206,738,389
Red Sox $160, 913, 333
Cubs $146,609,000
Phillies $142,728,379
The two lowest: Padres $ 38,199,300
Pirates $ 34,933,000
In Sun City Center where we were guests of our friends, Mary and Walt Prouty. We went to Ashton Gardens to hear a lecture by Professor Philip Leto III of Discovery University. His theme was: “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” He is a professor of history, politics, international relations, and baseball.
As I mentioned earlier, the love of the game gets into you and it stays with you. Leto remembered the days when he went to the Tampa stadium to watch the Cincinnati Reds in their training camp. He has two broken bats, one from Roberto Clemente and the other from Johnny Bench.
He remembered well emulating Charlie Hustle,” Pete Rose.
When he was a young boy he asked Pete Rose for an autograph and Rose, in a hurry unkindly said, “Go to hell!” Pete broke Ty Cobb’s record of most career hits on September 11, 1985 before 47,237 fans at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. He got his 4,190 hit breaking Ty Cobb’s career record. His career statistics and accomplishments stand out: Rookie of the Year, 17 All Star appearances, 3 World Series rings, 3 batting titles, and a 44 game hitting streak. In 1985 he was named by ABC’s Wide World of Sports as Athlete of the Year.
But, Pete Rose was banned from baseball for his addiction with gambling. Leto talked about how Rose never found a way to show remorse and regain public confidence. “He never learned to cry,” says Leto, jokingly yet seriously. One day Leto was out with his mother for dinner and he saw a Corvette drive up, a blonde got out, as did Pete Rose. Leto went up to Rose and told him how, as a kid,
Rose told him, “Go to hell.” Rose went to his car, got a 8 x 10 photo and signed it. Leto says, will you also write on it, “Go to hell.” Rose did. Rose, Leto said, now carries these photos to make up for what he did. This is another moment in baseball history.
When I was playing little league baseball, with the finest coach I ever had, he would have us go to the Pioneer Theater in Lahaina (Maui) to watch some Major League teams on film. One of them was the Cincinnati Reds. Our coach kept reminding us about hustling, just like Pete Rose. It became a fundamental tool of our game. One added thing—our coach always stressed the building of character, the importance of discipline, and putting your mind into the game.
Baseball for some, is a boring game. It is, if you aren’t aware of what is happening. However, when you realize it is a game of strategy, every pitch is carefully chosen, every play is based on all the complex variables, and every player is set on his toes, the game is intense and dynamic. When Ryan Howard of the Boston Red Sox hit a long drive into left field, on a windy day in Sarasota, the ball kept on going and going. Homerun! …And the fans cheered.
The fun of the game as much is in the stands. Every foul ball in the stands creates excitement. A kid catching a ball with his glove or one with his bare hands, will bring out cheers from the fans. At the Yankees George Steinbrenner Stadium in Tampa, an older Phillies fan, caught the ball with his cap. He was a few feet from us. The man was thrilled and he said, “I waited all my life for this.” His wife said, “We live just outside of Philadelphia, but we had to come to Florida for this.”
In Florida there are fifteen Major League baseball teams with spring training locations. Geographically they are more spread out than in Arizona. In the four stadiums that we visited, the winds were strong, so strong, fly balls that would have been homeruns were easily caught or some fly balls would turn into homeruns. At Bradenton, at the higher level, the wind almost took my cap. The coastal breeze from the keys have a cooling effect which is nice.
The following are the teams and their Florida locations:
Atlanta Braves Lake Buena Vista
Baltimore Orioles Sarasota
Boston Red Sox Fort Myers
Detroit Tigers Lakeland
Florida Marlins Jupiter
Houston Astros Kissimmee
Minnesota Twins Fort Myers
New York Mets Lucie
New York Yankees Tampa
Philadelphia Phillies Clearwater
St. Louis Cardinals Jupiter
Toronto Blue Jays Dunedin
Washington Nationals Viera
Tampa Rays Port Charlotte
Baseball is a changing game. Car travel was joined by train travel. Today the modern airplane has changed the game, television brought the game into the living room, digital technology is displayed on giant screens, the late fifties move by the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants expanded the game from the East to the West, there the color barrier was broken, expansion teams quickly followed, stadium lights moved day games to night games, one writer added the insight of “money ball,” the game of skill has become as much, hitting with power and pitching has been transformed with specialization (relief pitchers) . One thing has not changed, umpiring is still based on a judgment call without video replays.
When we hear, “Play ball!” it will stir us with an American tradition now world wide.
by Dennis Ginoza March 24, 2011
Once baseball gets in your system, it seems to stay. As I travel around ball parks and I meet young and old, I find that the spirit of baseball has traversed generations. As a young boy, playing in the major leagues is a dream. There is much to the excitement of the game.
Last year, in early February, in Peoria, Arizona, I learned that the pitchers and the catchers are the first to arrive for spring training. A week later, the rest of the team arrive for their workouts. The veteran players are joined by many minor league players invited for the try outs. Over 70-80 players engage in every aspect of the game. I also learned that the roster is cut to 40 for the pre-season games and finally 25 for the major league season.
This year in early March, I saw baseball in another region—Florida. The fascination of the game continues. In Sarasota, Sylvia and I went to the home field of the Baltimore Orioles. For many years, It was the old training site for the Cincinnati Reds. There is no major parking lot so you scramble around looking for parking along the street or make shift parking areas made available. We found a dirt lot for $9.00. The Orioles were playing the Boston Red Sox.
As we stood singing the national anthem, the crowd went “Ohhh!” then continued to finish the song. I thought, “We must have missed something on the field when they went “Oh!” I asked the man next to me, “Did I miss something?” He laughed and said, “Here, they stressed the O for the Orioles” (in the line Oh say can you see?)
I was sitting next to two fans of early baseball. This guy next to me lived in New York and was a fan of the Giants. His favorite player was Willie Mays. In 1951, the Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers were tied for the pennant and had a three game play-off series. They split the first two games. In the third game, the Dodgers were ahead 4-1 in the ninth. Dodger pitcher Don Newcombe showed tiredness so Ralph Blanca was called in. Giants Bobby Thompson hit a three run homer. “The Giants win the pennant!” This Giant fan saw it on television. It became known as the “ shot heard ‘round the world.”
We talked about Willie Mays of the Giants, Mickey Mantle of the Yankees, and Duke Snider of the Brooklyn Dodgers. They were three exciting ball players. So I asked him, did you see Stan Musial bat. He said, “Yes. Musial had an unusual stance.” “My friend here,” he says, “lived in St. Louis and went to the game with his father.” The friend said, “I saw Musial hit 5 home runs in two games. In those days, with one ticket you could see a double header. The day was May 2, 1954, against the Giants Musial also walked twice, hit a single, and drove in nine runs. He also told me, it was the Dodgers who gave the name to Musial, “Stan the Man.” When the St. Louis Cardinals came to Ebbetts Field in Brooklyn, the Dodgers fans would say, “The man is coming to town.”
Right there in Sarasota, the glory days of baseball was brought to light. It was an interesting day at the ball park. In the ninth inning, the game was tied, Orioles 4, Red Sox 4. In pre-season games, if tied, they played an extra inning. It remained tied.
When we learned that tickets in Florida are hard to come by, we ordered our tickets online to see the Yankees play. They have the most modern of stadiums with an updated scoreboard. The speed for every pitched ball is displayed, unlike the other stadiums. Sylvia decided not to go so my friend, Walt Prouty and I enjoyed the game from section 216, row O, 19 and 20, with a great view of the field.
Grammy Award Winner Kenny G played the National Anthem on his saxophone and holding a long note was a total treat! (When Sylvia heard this, she wished she had gone.) The Yankees played the Philadelphia Phillies. The Yankees looked good and the pitchers had a perfect game going through the fifth inning. Score: Yankees 7, Phillies 1. Sitting there in the stands, in the city of Tampa, having gone to Kissimmee, home of the Houston Astros, Sarasota, home of the Baltimore Orioles, and Bradenton, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, it was clear to me that baseball, while a great sport, is a money game.
With curiosity, I decided to check the team budget for 2011. Here lies the difference:
The four highest: Yankees $206,738,389
Red Sox $160, 913, 333
Cubs $146,609,000
Phillies $142,728,379
The two lowest: Padres $ 38,199,300
Pirates $ 34,933,000
In Sun City Center where we were guests of our friends, Mary and Walt Prouty. We went to Ashton Gardens to hear a lecture by Professor Philip Leto III of Discovery University. His theme was: “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” He is a professor of history, politics, international relations, and baseball.
As I mentioned earlier, the love of the game gets into you and it stays with you. Leto remembered the days when he went to the Tampa stadium to watch the Cincinnati Reds in their training camp. He has two broken bats, one from Roberto Clemente and the other from Johnny Bench.
He remembered well emulating Charlie Hustle,” Pete Rose.
When he was a young boy he asked Pete Rose for an autograph and Rose, in a hurry unkindly said, “Go to hell!” Pete broke Ty Cobb’s record of most career hits on September 11, 1985 before 47,237 fans at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. He got his 4,190 hit breaking Ty Cobb’s career record. His career statistics and accomplishments stand out: Rookie of the Year, 17 All Star appearances, 3 World Series rings, 3 batting titles, and a 44 game hitting streak. In 1985 he was named by ABC’s Wide World of Sports as Athlete of the Year.
But, Pete Rose was banned from baseball for his addiction with gambling. Leto talked about how Rose never found a way to show remorse and regain public confidence. “He never learned to cry,” says Leto, jokingly yet seriously. One day Leto was out with his mother for dinner and he saw a Corvette drive up, a blonde got out, as did Pete Rose. Leto went up to Rose and told him how, as a kid,
Rose told him, “Go to hell.” Rose went to his car, got a 8 x 10 photo and signed it. Leto says, will you also write on it, “Go to hell.” Rose did. Rose, Leto said, now carries these photos to make up for what he did. This is another moment in baseball history.
When I was playing little league baseball, with the finest coach I ever had, he would have us go to the Pioneer Theater in Lahaina (Maui) to watch some Major League teams on film. One of them was the Cincinnati Reds. Our coach kept reminding us about hustling, just like Pete Rose. It became a fundamental tool of our game. One added thing—our coach always stressed the building of character, the importance of discipline, and putting your mind into the game.
Baseball for some, is a boring game. It is, if you aren’t aware of what is happening. However, when you realize it is a game of strategy, every pitch is carefully chosen, every play is based on all the complex variables, and every player is set on his toes, the game is intense and dynamic. When Ryan Howard of the Boston Red Sox hit a long drive into left field, on a windy day in Sarasota, the ball kept on going and going. Homerun! …And the fans cheered.
The fun of the game as much is in the stands. Every foul ball in the stands creates excitement. A kid catching a ball with his glove or one with his bare hands, will bring out cheers from the fans. At the Yankees George Steinbrenner Stadium in Tampa, an older Phillies fan, caught the ball with his cap. He was a few feet from us. The man was thrilled and he said, “I waited all my life for this.” His wife said, “We live just outside of Philadelphia, but we had to come to Florida for this.”
In Florida there are fifteen Major League baseball teams with spring training locations. Geographically they are more spread out than in Arizona. In the four stadiums that we visited, the winds were strong, so strong, fly balls that would have been homeruns were easily caught or some fly balls would turn into homeruns. At Bradenton, at the higher level, the wind almost took my cap. The coastal breeze from the keys have a cooling effect which is nice.
The following are the teams and their Florida locations:
Atlanta Braves Lake Buena Vista
Baltimore Orioles Sarasota
Boston Red Sox Fort Myers
Detroit Tigers Lakeland
Florida Marlins Jupiter
Houston Astros Kissimmee
Minnesota Twins Fort Myers
New York Mets Lucie
New York Yankees Tampa
Philadelphia Phillies Clearwater
St. Louis Cardinals Jupiter
Toronto Blue Jays Dunedin
Washington Nationals Viera
Tampa Rays Port Charlotte
Baseball is a changing game. Car travel was joined by train travel. Today the modern airplane has changed the game, television brought the game into the living room, digital technology is displayed on giant screens, the late fifties move by the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants expanded the game from the East to the West, there the color barrier was broken, expansion teams quickly followed, stadium lights moved day games to night games, one writer added the insight of “money ball,” the game of skill has become as much, hitting with power and pitching has been transformed with specialization (relief pitchers) . One thing has not changed, umpiring is still based on a judgment call without video replays.
When we hear, “Play ball!” it will stir us with an American tradition now world wide.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
The Eighteenth Green
THE EIGHTEENTH GREEN
Farmer’s Insurance Open at Torrey Pines
January 26-30, 2011 by Dennis Ginoza
I always wanted to be a marshall at the golf tournament, but I couldn’t, I had to work. Finally, after I retired, I got my chance.
On Sunday, January 23, Joe Skoglund and I attended the Party with over 800 volunteers. At the meeting for marshalls, I got my cap, jacket, and assignment. Chris Christlieb, captain at the 18th green, earlier told me to request to be on his team. I was.
As marshalls, our essential job is to hold the crowd, keep them quiet with signs that say, “Quiet Please!” We raise both hands until the ball is driven or the putt is made. I worked at the crossways with the ropes, on the tee, down the fairway and at the green. It didn’t take me too long to catch on.
On Wednesday, it was the Pro-Am, five amateur golfers with a professional. Each golfer pays $6,500 to be privileged to play, I was told. It was a fun day, but a long one. The last group was teeing off as the sun was dipping. At 5:30 p.m. they were hitting the green. That’s when my day was done.
I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with the crowd. Chad works for Farmer’s Insurance and he told me he was asked to represent Farmer’s and walk with Phil Mikelson’s group. He said, “Phil is the friendliest guy. He talks to you.” This is not the case with all golfers. I met folks from Pittsburgh, Akron, Orlando, Yakima, Vancouver (Canada), Billings, Helena, Boise, Cortez (Colorado), and heard their golf stories.
Right after I had my lunch, I was walking back to the 18th on the sidewalk along the 17th. Something hit me in the back. What in the world? It was a golf ball. I turned around, the amateurs were on the fairway driving the ball. I learned right away, “Watch out for the amateurs.” I stayed there with the ball until another marshall from the 17th came. As marshalls we are to spot the ball, and guard it. I joked about how I would make a claim on my injury.
On the first three days, with the amateurs on Wednesday, the full list of pros competing on Thursday and Friday until the cut, both the north and south courses are utilized. When the cut is made, the top 72 chosen, then the competition is at the south course where we were.
Early on, we could see that John Daly wore his fancy pants, checkered yellow pants or green or red as was his last day. He had an entourage following him. Phil Mikelson had his entourage, being a San Diego native and favorite. Then there was Tiger Woods; he brought out the crowds.
On Friday, I worked the tee. When Tiger came, the crowds followed. The course around the tee, the fairway along the ropes, all the way to the green, was filled. As one of the marshalls told me, “He is a phenomenon.” He is. We waited until the gallery was filled, people waiting with excitement, at the 18th, par five, 570 yards to the pin, a waterway in front of the green. This was Friday, the second day; Tiger shot a three under the day before. There was anticipation and an intensity that has been unique only with Tiger. Soon after Tiger and his group finished their drive, the crowd moved like an ocean, toward the fairway and the green.
Every morning, as we gather for the day, we are given our assignment, our lunch ticket, and our pairing sheet. We have a schedule to follow. Being a rookie, as they call us first year guys, I had a lot to figure out myself, the closest restroom, where hospitality is, how to get to the 10th green or to the north course, how one catches the shuttle. When I didn’t know the answer, I told people: “I’m like the Sears guy, I know about refrigerators, but I don’t know about lawn mowers.” “But, I’ll know tomorrow.” Often I’d get a laugh. The golf crowd is generally nice, friendly, and patient.
On Saturday and Sunday, Captain Christlieb assigned me at the green, in front of the grandstand, just left of the CBS tower with its camera. Chris said, “Dennis, I will put you on the hill.” I could see every pro-golfer close-up. To my right was a bunker, to my left a ways, two other bunkers, in the front the beautiful green, just ahead of it, the treacherous waterway. On Saturday, the pin was a little to the right side, but on Sunday, it was moved to the center, and closer to the waterway. Remember, these are pro-golfers, the best in the world.
On Sunday, the last day, these were the pairings. Tiger was in group 12 with Brendan Steele and Greg Chambers. Saturday Tiger Woods slipped to a 74, two over while Thursday and Friday, he did better, 69 and 69.
The last two groups were the contenders, Group 2: Bubba Watson, Anthony Kim, and Jhonattan Vegas (the Venezuelan who had just won the Bob Hope Classic). In the last, Group l, were Phil Mikelson, Bill Haas, and Hunter Mahan.
On the hill where I was, all the cameras started to come around. What I learned, it was the prize spot. There must have been over 15 cameras to see the final putt. The gallery was crowded, the grandstands, the one in front of me, the one to the right of the CBS tower, and the third one just to left where I was, were full. It was fascinating drama.
Bubba Watson sank his 12 foot putt putting him 16 under. Vegas took a risk, went for the pin and hit the waterway. Then all eyes were on Phil Mikelson. Just 40 minutes earlier, we had a cloud burst. Cloud covered and chilly, the Farmer’s insurance Blimp just above, Mikelson knew he had to hit an eagle to tie with Bubba for a sudden death play-off. He had his caddy stand at the flag, and he strove for the eagle he needed. With a back spin, it landed on the green, rolled back but failed to drop. No eagle. He was very very close but as the crowd sighed an “Ohhh,” he was one short for a run off. Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union describes it this way, after Bubba heard on the radio, Mikelson didn’t make his shot, “Bubba Watson’s eyes began to water.”
What a privilege it was for me to witness this final round, being right there, watching putts fall in, putts stopping just short by inches, and seeing the crowds respond with cheers, on one hand, and with disappointments on the other.
I was told prior that you don’t speak to pro-golfers unless they speak to you first. When Paul Stankowski from Flower Mound, Texas came to the 18th, to his ball in the bunker right in front of me, he walked toward me and said, “How’re you doing?” I smiled and said, “Best to you!” I put an asterisk next to his name. As he pitched from the bunker and drove his putt, in my mind, “I was wishing him well.” In golf, unlike many sports where cheering coincides with the action, golf has the quiet moments as the crowds wish the best for their favorites.
On the hill, as golfers moved on, the people yell out, “Ball! Ball!” One golfer threw the ball to a young girl, it hit the side wall so I went down to retrieve it. I gave it to the little girl. It was a moment, I am sure, she’ll remember for a long time.
When Mikelson, hit a spectator in the gallery, he checked to see if he was okay, autographed a glove, walked over and gave it to him. The goodwill brought smiles all around. At the 8th green, not far from the 18th, a woman was excited and said to me, Mikelson endorsed the Arithritis Society and she came to support him. From my perspective, believing that whatever our profession, we need to reach out with benevolence, there were heart-warming moments on the golf course.
In a final report, some 150,000 people attended the event. When Tiger Woods and Phil Mikelson announced that they were competing, it brought excitement and a large response to the Farmer’s Insurance Open. Tiger Woods didn’t fare well. Someone asked me if there were any jeers from the crowd, I said, “I didn’t see any.” In conversations with different people, we generally agreed that Tiger is an incredible golfer, the best in our time. However, he has much to overcome, he needs to set his life straight, and make up for his falling.
As a marshall, we are given a guest pass. I invited some friends to the tournament. They added some insights. Morgan Cadmus and Dawn Shaper told me that they took the bus at the Rancho Santa Fe Polo Grounds at no cost. (Buses are also provided from Qualcomm Stadium.) Dale Carlson followed Tiger Woods and he saw Tiger signing autographs for little kids; a good gesture. My neighbor Tiffany’s dad, Barry Oliver from New York, is an avid golfer and really wanted to go. He went down with me on Sunday and later his friend called him and said, “I saw you on television.”
When the tournament began, a young 18 year old by the name of Anthony Paolucci, was an unknown. He is a senior at La Jolla Country Day. He is an amateur who played with the pros and he did well. He was one of 18 golfers who didn’t have one round over par (70, 71, 72, 72), three under par. He has a pro-career ahead of him. He said, “I had a blast!” He’s not a pro yet so won’t collect the $33,814, but he will be remembered for his game.
THE TOP FIVE
Bubba Watson (71, 65, 69, 67) -16
Phil Mikelson (67, 69, 68, 69) -15
Dustin Johnson (69, 69, 68, 68) -13
Jhonathan Vegas (69, 69, 69, 68) -13
D.A. Points (73, 68, 68, 67) -12
At the closing ceremony, Bubba Watson was presented with a plaque, and new surf board (he has never surfed before but said, he might go out one day and paddle), and he received the winning check for $1,044,000. What I witnessed with golf, since the early days, it has become not just a game of skill, of mental attitude and concentration, but also a game of power. In the 18th, Bubba drove the ball 334 yards before approaching the green for his final shot.
Also at the ceremony, all the volunteers were thanked and Kathryn Mix was acknowledged for her 49 years of service. She plays golf every day and shared her motto: “Get up, get dressed, and get out.” She is 92 years old.
Life is a game, it has rules, it has challenges, it has rewards, it has accomplishments, it requires work, it needs goodwill, and it is what we make of it. In the years I have learned, winners believe they can win and they work and compete to the last second.
Farmer’s Insurance Open at Torrey Pines
January 26-30, 2011 by Dennis Ginoza
I always wanted to be a marshall at the golf tournament, but I couldn’t, I had to work. Finally, after I retired, I got my chance.
On Sunday, January 23, Joe Skoglund and I attended the Party with over 800 volunteers. At the meeting for marshalls, I got my cap, jacket, and assignment. Chris Christlieb, captain at the 18th green, earlier told me to request to be on his team. I was.
As marshalls, our essential job is to hold the crowd, keep them quiet with signs that say, “Quiet Please!” We raise both hands until the ball is driven or the putt is made. I worked at the crossways with the ropes, on the tee, down the fairway and at the green. It didn’t take me too long to catch on.
On Wednesday, it was the Pro-Am, five amateur golfers with a professional. Each golfer pays $6,500 to be privileged to play, I was told. It was a fun day, but a long one. The last group was teeing off as the sun was dipping. At 5:30 p.m. they were hitting the green. That’s when my day was done.
I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with the crowd. Chad works for Farmer’s Insurance and he told me he was asked to represent Farmer’s and walk with Phil Mikelson’s group. He said, “Phil is the friendliest guy. He talks to you.” This is not the case with all golfers. I met folks from Pittsburgh, Akron, Orlando, Yakima, Vancouver (Canada), Billings, Helena, Boise, Cortez (Colorado), and heard their golf stories.
Right after I had my lunch, I was walking back to the 18th on the sidewalk along the 17th. Something hit me in the back. What in the world? It was a golf ball. I turned around, the amateurs were on the fairway driving the ball. I learned right away, “Watch out for the amateurs.” I stayed there with the ball until another marshall from the 17th came. As marshalls we are to spot the ball, and guard it. I joked about how I would make a claim on my injury.
On the first three days, with the amateurs on Wednesday, the full list of pros competing on Thursday and Friday until the cut, both the north and south courses are utilized. When the cut is made, the top 72 chosen, then the competition is at the south course where we were.
Early on, we could see that John Daly wore his fancy pants, checkered yellow pants or green or red as was his last day. He had an entourage following him. Phil Mikelson had his entourage, being a San Diego native and favorite. Then there was Tiger Woods; he brought out the crowds.
On Friday, I worked the tee. When Tiger came, the crowds followed. The course around the tee, the fairway along the ropes, all the way to the green, was filled. As one of the marshalls told me, “He is a phenomenon.” He is. We waited until the gallery was filled, people waiting with excitement, at the 18th, par five, 570 yards to the pin, a waterway in front of the green. This was Friday, the second day; Tiger shot a three under the day before. There was anticipation and an intensity that has been unique only with Tiger. Soon after Tiger and his group finished their drive, the crowd moved like an ocean, toward the fairway and the green.
Every morning, as we gather for the day, we are given our assignment, our lunch ticket, and our pairing sheet. We have a schedule to follow. Being a rookie, as they call us first year guys, I had a lot to figure out myself, the closest restroom, where hospitality is, how to get to the 10th green or to the north course, how one catches the shuttle. When I didn’t know the answer, I told people: “I’m like the Sears guy, I know about refrigerators, but I don’t know about lawn mowers.” “But, I’ll know tomorrow.” Often I’d get a laugh. The golf crowd is generally nice, friendly, and patient.
On Saturday and Sunday, Captain Christlieb assigned me at the green, in front of the grandstand, just left of the CBS tower with its camera. Chris said, “Dennis, I will put you on the hill.” I could see every pro-golfer close-up. To my right was a bunker, to my left a ways, two other bunkers, in the front the beautiful green, just ahead of it, the treacherous waterway. On Saturday, the pin was a little to the right side, but on Sunday, it was moved to the center, and closer to the waterway. Remember, these are pro-golfers, the best in the world.
On Sunday, the last day, these were the pairings. Tiger was in group 12 with Brendan Steele and Greg Chambers. Saturday Tiger Woods slipped to a 74, two over while Thursday and Friday, he did better, 69 and 69.
The last two groups were the contenders, Group 2: Bubba Watson, Anthony Kim, and Jhonattan Vegas (the Venezuelan who had just won the Bob Hope Classic). In the last, Group l, were Phil Mikelson, Bill Haas, and Hunter Mahan.
On the hill where I was, all the cameras started to come around. What I learned, it was the prize spot. There must have been over 15 cameras to see the final putt. The gallery was crowded, the grandstands, the one in front of me, the one to the right of the CBS tower, and the third one just to left where I was, were full. It was fascinating drama.
Bubba Watson sank his 12 foot putt putting him 16 under. Vegas took a risk, went for the pin and hit the waterway. Then all eyes were on Phil Mikelson. Just 40 minutes earlier, we had a cloud burst. Cloud covered and chilly, the Farmer’s insurance Blimp just above, Mikelson knew he had to hit an eagle to tie with Bubba for a sudden death play-off. He had his caddy stand at the flag, and he strove for the eagle he needed. With a back spin, it landed on the green, rolled back but failed to drop. No eagle. He was very very close but as the crowd sighed an “Ohhh,” he was one short for a run off. Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union describes it this way, after Bubba heard on the radio, Mikelson didn’t make his shot, “Bubba Watson’s eyes began to water.”
What a privilege it was for me to witness this final round, being right there, watching putts fall in, putts stopping just short by inches, and seeing the crowds respond with cheers, on one hand, and with disappointments on the other.
I was told prior that you don’t speak to pro-golfers unless they speak to you first. When Paul Stankowski from Flower Mound, Texas came to the 18th, to his ball in the bunker right in front of me, he walked toward me and said, “How’re you doing?” I smiled and said, “Best to you!” I put an asterisk next to his name. As he pitched from the bunker and drove his putt, in my mind, “I was wishing him well.” In golf, unlike many sports where cheering coincides with the action, golf has the quiet moments as the crowds wish the best for their favorites.
On the hill, as golfers moved on, the people yell out, “Ball! Ball!” One golfer threw the ball to a young girl, it hit the side wall so I went down to retrieve it. I gave it to the little girl. It was a moment, I am sure, she’ll remember for a long time.
When Mikelson, hit a spectator in the gallery, he checked to see if he was okay, autographed a glove, walked over and gave it to him. The goodwill brought smiles all around. At the 8th green, not far from the 18th, a woman was excited and said to me, Mikelson endorsed the Arithritis Society and she came to support him. From my perspective, believing that whatever our profession, we need to reach out with benevolence, there were heart-warming moments on the golf course.
In a final report, some 150,000 people attended the event. When Tiger Woods and Phil Mikelson announced that they were competing, it brought excitement and a large response to the Farmer’s Insurance Open. Tiger Woods didn’t fare well. Someone asked me if there were any jeers from the crowd, I said, “I didn’t see any.” In conversations with different people, we generally agreed that Tiger is an incredible golfer, the best in our time. However, he has much to overcome, he needs to set his life straight, and make up for his falling.
As a marshall, we are given a guest pass. I invited some friends to the tournament. They added some insights. Morgan Cadmus and Dawn Shaper told me that they took the bus at the Rancho Santa Fe Polo Grounds at no cost. (Buses are also provided from Qualcomm Stadium.) Dale Carlson followed Tiger Woods and he saw Tiger signing autographs for little kids; a good gesture. My neighbor Tiffany’s dad, Barry Oliver from New York, is an avid golfer and really wanted to go. He went down with me on Sunday and later his friend called him and said, “I saw you on television.”
When the tournament began, a young 18 year old by the name of Anthony Paolucci, was an unknown. He is a senior at La Jolla Country Day. He is an amateur who played with the pros and he did well. He was one of 18 golfers who didn’t have one round over par (70, 71, 72, 72), three under par. He has a pro-career ahead of him. He said, “I had a blast!” He’s not a pro yet so won’t collect the $33,814, but he will be remembered for his game.
THE TOP FIVE
Bubba Watson (71, 65, 69, 67) -16
Phil Mikelson (67, 69, 68, 69) -15
Dustin Johnson (69, 69, 68, 68) -13
Jhonathan Vegas (69, 69, 69, 68) -13
D.A. Points (73, 68, 68, 67) -12
At the closing ceremony, Bubba Watson was presented with a plaque, and new surf board (he has never surfed before but said, he might go out one day and paddle), and he received the winning check for $1,044,000. What I witnessed with golf, since the early days, it has become not just a game of skill, of mental attitude and concentration, but also a game of power. In the 18th, Bubba drove the ball 334 yards before approaching the green for his final shot.
Also at the ceremony, all the volunteers were thanked and Kathryn Mix was acknowledged for her 49 years of service. She plays golf every day and shared her motto: “Get up, get dressed, and get out.” She is 92 years old.
Life is a game, it has rules, it has challenges, it has rewards, it has accomplishments, it requires work, it needs goodwill, and it is what we make of it. In the years I have learned, winners believe they can win and they work and compete to the last second.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Hope Will Not Disappoint You
HOPE WILL NOT DISAPPOINT YOU
Romans 5:1-5
January 16, 2011 2:00 p.m. Chapel Service
Preached at Monserate Mobile Home Park, Fallbrook, CA
On the door of the store there was a sign that said:
“If we’re not open,
we’re closed.”
Some people are open,
some people are closed.
Some people get it, and
some people don’t.
Some people are wise,
some people are foolish.
Some people really believe,
and some people don’t.
Now, which are you?
In the book of Proverbs, chapter one, verse seven,
the writer says:
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”
When I was getting ready for college, my travel agent said to me,
“Dennis, why don’t you do what we did.” “Take
the Greyhound bus to Iowa. You’ll see a lot of
interesting country.” …And that’s what I did …..and
I met some interesting people.”
I got on the bus in San Francisco and when we stopped in
Sacramento, a man took the seat next to me.
“How’re you doing, young man? Where are you headed?
“Iowa for college,” I said. “Good for you…” and our
conversation went on. He was a retired firefighter.
When we got to Truckee, we stopped for dinner. “Young
man,” he said, “dinner’s on me!” I’ll never forget that guy.
The first point I want to make is: THERE IS GOODNESS ALL AROUND.
If you look for goodness, you’ll find goodness.
If you look for the bad, you’ll find the bad.
It took the disciples three years to figure this out.
Even in the last week of Jesus’ life, the disciples
were puzzled about what Jesus was talking about.
Finally, finally, when Jesus was resurrected, they understood.
Jesus taught them, the answer is at your fingertips.
Just believe! Have faith!
“Ask, and it will be given you, seek and you will
find, knock and the door will be opened to you.”
How many of you were born before 1940?
Tom Brokaw calls you, “The Greatest Generation.”
You saw the world in crisis (the Great Depressison),
You saw the world at war (World War II)
You saw the world giving everything they had,
You saw that GOODNESS prevailed.
(The Allies defeated the Axis nations)
Do I hear an Amen?
Today, we hold in our thoughts the people of Tucson as
they recover from grief. Six people were killed;
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is making a remarkable
recovery. If there is one thing that happened, the
tragedy brought out the goodness of people.
When Holden Charles Hollom saw a mugger knock down a
tourist and take her purse, he jumped to action.
A taxi driver in San Francisco, he went after the mugger.
He pressed the man against the wall with his cab, breaking
the man’s leg.
The mugger, Ocie McClure, was found guilty of robbery and
received ten years in prison. Then he filed suit against
the taxi driver for his broken leg. The jury decided that
the driver used excessive force and ordered Hollom, the
cab driver to pay McClure $24,595.
There was an outcry in the city of San Francisco. Through a
local radio station, they raised $25,000 within a week.
The cab driver Hollom said, “I would do exactly the
same thing.”
How many of you were born in California?
How many of you were born east of the Mississippi?
How many of you were born west of the Mississippi?
Where were you all born?
Welcome to the best weather in the world.
This morning I have entitled my sermon,
“Hope Will Not Disappoint You.”
Kennon Callahan, once said, people are looking for
two things—Home and Hope.
Remember Saul of Tarsus. He was a mean guy, a Pharisee.
He was a persecutor of Christians. When Stephen
was being stoned outside the walls of Jerusalem, Paul
stood at the gate of the city, nodding with approval.
Then, miracles of miracles, Paul gave his heart of
Christ. As Mark Trotter wrote, “Grace All the Way Home.”
In Romans, Paul wrote, “We also boast in our sufferings..
suffering produces endurance,
endurance produces character,
character produces hope,
and hope does not disappoint us.” (Romans 5:3-5)
When our older son Jeremy was in the eighth grade, we
almost lost him from school. I was pastor of the First
United Methodist Church in Reseda, in San Fernando
Valley. One day, Jeremy said, “I don’t have any friends.”
He had a good friend Richard, but Richard lived in
North Hollywood. Jeremy lost 30 days of school that
year. He didn’t want to ride the bus
anymore, so every morning from February to June, I
drove him to school … and I’m not a morning person.
We me with all his teachers and they said, “If Jeremy is
late, just write a note saying, “Please excuse Jeremy for
being tardy this morning.” I don’t know how many tardy
notes I had written. They all knew Jeremy was a good student.
Jeremy suffered, his mom suffered, and his dad suffered;
we all suffered.
In every story, there is a silver lining. That year, Jeremy wrote an
essay on Martin Luther King. His essay was so good, it was
entered in the city wide essay contest. Out of 300 eighth
grade essays, his was chosen and the best. He and several
others were honored at an Awards assembly on the campus of
USC. Today, Jeremy is a medical doctor in osteopathic medicine.
He is almost done with his residence. He and his wife Melanie
are in Yakima, Washington. In January last year, he delivered
the first baby that was born in Yakima. When he was in Kenya,
working at a hospital, he delivered his first baby. Melanie just
finished her teaching credentials and now is student teaching.
Suffering produces endurance,
endurance produces character,
character produces hope,
and hope does not disappoint us.
When Charles Colson was in prison, it was a difficult time for
him. In his book, “Born Again,” he said there was one
Psalm that gave him strength. Psalm 27. Listen.
The Lord is my light and my
salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of
my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
…I believe that I shall see the
goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart
take courage;
wait for the Lord. (27:13,14)
Jesus said, “Come to me all ye who labor and are heavy laden and I will give
you rest. …For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28,30)
Let me tell you about a man who was born in Port Huron, Michigan.
His IQ was measured at 81. The school master called him slow.
At an early age he caught scarlet fever. At the age of 12, he
lost much of his hearing. To the schoolmaster his mother said, “Hogwash!”
Actually, that’s my word. His mother believed in him and stayed with
him. This man changed America. In 1877 he invented the
phonograph. In 1879 he invented the light bulb. His name –
you guessed it, “Thomas Alva Edison.”
Let me close with this: I have here two horseshoes joined by chains
with a ring. How many of you believe you can get this ring off?
(I did!) Jesus said, “With God all things are possible.”
Romans 5:1-5
January 16, 2011 2:00 p.m. Chapel Service
Preached at Monserate Mobile Home Park, Fallbrook, CA
On the door of the store there was a sign that said:
“If we’re not open,
we’re closed.”
Some people are open,
some people are closed.
Some people get it, and
some people don’t.
Some people are wise,
some people are foolish.
Some people really believe,
and some people don’t.
Now, which are you?
In the book of Proverbs, chapter one, verse seven,
the writer says:
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”
When I was getting ready for college, my travel agent said to me,
“Dennis, why don’t you do what we did.” “Take
the Greyhound bus to Iowa. You’ll see a lot of
interesting country.” …And that’s what I did …..and
I met some interesting people.”
I got on the bus in San Francisco and when we stopped in
Sacramento, a man took the seat next to me.
“How’re you doing, young man? Where are you headed?
“Iowa for college,” I said. “Good for you…” and our
conversation went on. He was a retired firefighter.
When we got to Truckee, we stopped for dinner. “Young
man,” he said, “dinner’s on me!” I’ll never forget that guy.
The first point I want to make is: THERE IS GOODNESS ALL AROUND.
If you look for goodness, you’ll find goodness.
If you look for the bad, you’ll find the bad.
It took the disciples three years to figure this out.
Even in the last week of Jesus’ life, the disciples
were puzzled about what Jesus was talking about.
Finally, finally, when Jesus was resurrected, they understood.
Jesus taught them, the answer is at your fingertips.
Just believe! Have faith!
“Ask, and it will be given you, seek and you will
find, knock and the door will be opened to you.”
How many of you were born before 1940?
Tom Brokaw calls you, “The Greatest Generation.”
You saw the world in crisis (the Great Depressison),
You saw the world at war (World War II)
You saw the world giving everything they had,
You saw that GOODNESS prevailed.
(The Allies defeated the Axis nations)
Do I hear an Amen?
Today, we hold in our thoughts the people of Tucson as
they recover from grief. Six people were killed;
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is making a remarkable
recovery. If there is one thing that happened, the
tragedy brought out the goodness of people.
When Holden Charles Hollom saw a mugger knock down a
tourist and take her purse, he jumped to action.
A taxi driver in San Francisco, he went after the mugger.
He pressed the man against the wall with his cab, breaking
the man’s leg.
The mugger, Ocie McClure, was found guilty of robbery and
received ten years in prison. Then he filed suit against
the taxi driver for his broken leg. The jury decided that
the driver used excessive force and ordered Hollom, the
cab driver to pay McClure $24,595.
There was an outcry in the city of San Francisco. Through a
local radio station, they raised $25,000 within a week.
The cab driver Hollom said, “I would do exactly the
same thing.”
How many of you were born in California?
How many of you were born east of the Mississippi?
How many of you were born west of the Mississippi?
Where were you all born?
Welcome to the best weather in the world.
This morning I have entitled my sermon,
“Hope Will Not Disappoint You.”
Kennon Callahan, once said, people are looking for
two things—Home and Hope.
Remember Saul of Tarsus. He was a mean guy, a Pharisee.
He was a persecutor of Christians. When Stephen
was being stoned outside the walls of Jerusalem, Paul
stood at the gate of the city, nodding with approval.
Then, miracles of miracles, Paul gave his heart of
Christ. As Mark Trotter wrote, “Grace All the Way Home.”
In Romans, Paul wrote, “We also boast in our sufferings..
suffering produces endurance,
endurance produces character,
character produces hope,
and hope does not disappoint us.” (Romans 5:3-5)
When our older son Jeremy was in the eighth grade, we
almost lost him from school. I was pastor of the First
United Methodist Church in Reseda, in San Fernando
Valley. One day, Jeremy said, “I don’t have any friends.”
He had a good friend Richard, but Richard lived in
North Hollywood. Jeremy lost 30 days of school that
year. He didn’t want to ride the bus
anymore, so every morning from February to June, I
drove him to school … and I’m not a morning person.
We me with all his teachers and they said, “If Jeremy is
late, just write a note saying, “Please excuse Jeremy for
being tardy this morning.” I don’t know how many tardy
notes I had written. They all knew Jeremy was a good student.
Jeremy suffered, his mom suffered, and his dad suffered;
we all suffered.
In every story, there is a silver lining. That year, Jeremy wrote an
essay on Martin Luther King. His essay was so good, it was
entered in the city wide essay contest. Out of 300 eighth
grade essays, his was chosen and the best. He and several
others were honored at an Awards assembly on the campus of
USC. Today, Jeremy is a medical doctor in osteopathic medicine.
He is almost done with his residence. He and his wife Melanie
are in Yakima, Washington. In January last year, he delivered
the first baby that was born in Yakima. When he was in Kenya,
working at a hospital, he delivered his first baby. Melanie just
finished her teaching credentials and now is student teaching.
Suffering produces endurance,
endurance produces character,
character produces hope,
and hope does not disappoint us.
When Charles Colson was in prison, it was a difficult time for
him. In his book, “Born Again,” he said there was one
Psalm that gave him strength. Psalm 27. Listen.
The Lord is my light and my
salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of
my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
…I believe that I shall see the
goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart
take courage;
wait for the Lord. (27:13,14)
Jesus said, “Come to me all ye who labor and are heavy laden and I will give
you rest. …For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28,30)
Let me tell you about a man who was born in Port Huron, Michigan.
His IQ was measured at 81. The school master called him slow.
At an early age he caught scarlet fever. At the age of 12, he
lost much of his hearing. To the schoolmaster his mother said, “Hogwash!”
Actually, that’s my word. His mother believed in him and stayed with
him. This man changed America. In 1877 he invented the
phonograph. In 1879 he invented the light bulb. His name –
you guessed it, “Thomas Alva Edison.”
Let me close with this: I have here two horseshoes joined by chains
with a ring. How many of you believe you can get this ring off?
(I did!) Jesus said, “With God all things are possible.”
Saturday, January 8, 2011
All Things New
“ALL THINGS NEW”
Revelation 21:1-7
January 2, 2011 Ramona United Methodist Church
Dr. Dennis Ginoza
This morning, I want to begin by talking about time.
Time is a gift – a gift of God.
We see time in three ways – yesterday, today, and tomorrow:
But time is a funny thing – it slips away, we get our days mixed up,
or we just can’t remember.
How many of you remember who won the Super Bowl three years
ago? 2007? Anybody? Who played? Let me tell you—
Indianapolis Colts beat the Chicago Bears (29-17).
How many of you remember who won the World Series five years ago?
Who cares, huh? Anybody?
The Chicago White Sox swept the Houston Atros in four games.
How do I remember these? I don’t. I looked them up.
Remember, time is a gift of God.
In time we live, we learn, and we grow.
In time the things that impact us—we never forget.
When I was six years old, on the first day of school, the movie theater
in our village burnt down. Sunday, the night before, I had gone to
a friend’s birthday party. His father who operated the projector
got us in the theater for free. Guess what the movie was:
“Flaming Arrow.”
When I was 14, I graduated from the 8th grade. For the graduation
ceremony I bought my first pair of shoes. Our dress shoes
were a pair of flip flops (we called those slippers). You see, on the island
of Maui, we all went barefoot.
When I was a senior in high school, our baseball team won the Maui
island championship for the first time since 16 years.
We thought we could win the state tournament, we thought.
Well … almost. I’ll tell you what was exciting, playing the old Honolulu stadium:
when you hear the crack of the bat, it echoes in the whole stadium.
I was a shortstop and I’ll what’s also exciting, making a double play.
Remember, time is a gift of God.
I have here a string and a letter opener. What I have here is
a pendulum. Is there some one with a watch. Would you
keep time for me? We’re all going to count to twelve and
when we get to twelve, tell us how we did.
Would you all count with me? 1 .. 2 .. 3 .. 10 .. 11 .. 12!
What we have is sidereal time. Sidereal time is the measurement of
the movement of the planets. The earth rotates on its
axis and it takes 24 hours to make a complete rotation. (The
circumference of the earth is 24,901.55 miles). That’s
how we get our second, minutes, hours, and days.
The earth revolves around the sun and completes that revolution
every 365 days. Actually, it takes 365 days and six hours.
…So every fourth year, we add 24 hours to balance the
calendar. We do that on February 29. (Is there any one here
born on February 29?)
The Greeks speak of two kinds of time – chronos and kairos.
Chronos can be defined as the time of physics. Like I mentioned,
(seconds and minutes and hours and days.)
Kairos is God’s time. One author calls it metaphysical time.
I have entitled my sermon for today – ALL THINGS NEW.
In the end of days, Revelation teaches us,
there will be a new heaven and a new earth.
Crying will be no more, pain will be now more
All things will be New!
Let us for a moment walk in God’s time.
The Book of Genesis teaches us that God created the world
in six days, and on the seventh day, God rested.
God said: “Let there be light and there was light and
God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:3
The first lesson we all must learn is: Everything we have
is meant for good.” That is a really hard lesson for us to learn.
In the book of Ezekiel (if you have your Bibles please turn to Ezekiel
chapter 36 verse 26). Listen to the prophet Ezekiel:
“A new heart I will give you; and a new spirit I will put within you;
I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a
heart of flesh.”
Now let’s looks at the prophet Jeremiah, chapter 31, verse 33. Listen
to Jeremiah:
“I will put my law within them, I will write it on their
hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
In Isaiah (9:6) he brings to us great hope.
If things are bad for you, just hold on one more day,
or two … but hold one. Isaiah said, “For unto us a child is born,
a son is given.”
This is the Second Lesson:
All things will be new.
On Easter morn when Mary Magdalene and the other
Mary went to the tomb, according to Matthew, there
was an earthquake. (We in California know what an
earthquake is, don’t we?”
Then they saw and angel came down and rolled
the stone away and told them. “Jesus is not here,
for he has been raised.” And we say: Hallelujah!
Just a few hours ago, in New York City the ball dropped
down at Times Square – let me say to you,
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I have here twelve pennies. I am going to give this
to twelve of you. I just want us all to know,
Jesus took only twelve guys – twelve disciples to
change the world.
(Pass out the pennies)
There were twelve disciples. We tend to forget who they
were. Would you repeat their names with me. (People
repeat each name).
Peter, Andrew
James … and John
Matthew, Philip
James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Cananean
Bartholomew (or Nathaniel), Thaddeus
Thomas …Judas
(Oops! I thought I had twelve pennies, but I have one more,
an extra one. Did I miss a disciple? I guess not. …But
I have an extra penny. Oh! Actually there was another
disciple. When Judas fell away, another disciple was chosen.
His name was Matthias. (God does work in mysterious ways.)
Jesus taught us that the greatest commandment is to love
God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with
all your mind. Then he said, the second is like this—
Love your neighbor as yourself.
One day Mahatma Ghandi was getting on a train and he
lost a shoe. He took off his other shoe and threw
it off the train. His companion asked, “Why did you do that?
He said, “So whoever finds the shoe will have a pair.
In the years, as a pastor and as Christian, I learned that a little kindness will
go a long ways. When I was serving the church in
Chula Vista and homeless man would come to the office
for help. I helped him with food and I gave him time. I
listened to his troubles.
Weeks later, we got the news that the Episcopal Church was
burned down. The arsonist was that homeless man. One day
I got a letter from the prison in Otay Mesa, from that homeless
man. He said, “Can you come and see me?” I did. When I
visited with him, he said, “You were the only one who was
kind with me.”
When Jim Stovall was 30 years old, he lost his sight completely. He thought
his world had come to an end. But he never lost his spark for
life. He was a weight lifter who learned that through visualization, he
could lift 500 pounds. He decided he wanted to produce movies for
the blind. He realized that blind persons hear the dialogue, but they
cannot see the scenes. To do this he had to find a way to add a narrative track to
describe the scenes in a movie. The experts told him, it’s not possible,
and it’s not worth his time. He worked at and today he is president
of Narrative Network Television to make movies available to some
13 million blind and visually impaired person. His book title is: “You
Don’t Have to Be Blind to See.”
Jim Stovall says, “Belief gives rise to Values,
give rise to Desires,
give rise to Effort and Energy,
give rise to Accomplishment.”
When I was working at the First United Methodist Church, I met Richard Ruby.
He was the custodian. I used to help him move tables and
chairs. And whenever he had a chance, he wanted to talk
about religion. He told me he wanted to be a pastor. It didn’t
seem possible because the didn’t even have a college education.
After I left Hawaii, I lost contact with Richard Ruby.
Several years later, my wife and I were traveling in the Holy Land.
In Jerusalem we had got lost along the Via Dolorosa so we were the last
ones in our group to get to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. That’s
another story. When we walked through the doors, to my right
and I saw a priest in a black robe with a silver cross hanging from his neck.
I recognized him. I called out, “Richard Ruby.” It was him. He was now
a priest with the Eastern Orthodox Church. I was amazed and I was happy
for him. Jesus said, “With God all things are possible.”
Whoever you are, whatever your circumstance,
as impossible as it might be – in the end – remember: With God all
things are possible.
And God said, “See, I am making all things new!
Revelation 21:1-7
January 2, 2011 Ramona United Methodist Church
Dr. Dennis Ginoza
This morning, I want to begin by talking about time.
Time is a gift – a gift of God.
We see time in three ways – yesterday, today, and tomorrow:
But time is a funny thing – it slips away, we get our days mixed up,
or we just can’t remember.
How many of you remember who won the Super Bowl three years
ago? 2007? Anybody? Who played? Let me tell you—
Indianapolis Colts beat the Chicago Bears (29-17).
How many of you remember who won the World Series five years ago?
Who cares, huh? Anybody?
The Chicago White Sox swept the Houston Atros in four games.
How do I remember these? I don’t. I looked them up.
Remember, time is a gift of God.
In time we live, we learn, and we grow.
In time the things that impact us—we never forget.
When I was six years old, on the first day of school, the movie theater
in our village burnt down. Sunday, the night before, I had gone to
a friend’s birthday party. His father who operated the projector
got us in the theater for free. Guess what the movie was:
“Flaming Arrow.”
When I was 14, I graduated from the 8th grade. For the graduation
ceremony I bought my first pair of shoes. Our dress shoes
were a pair of flip flops (we called those slippers). You see, on the island
of Maui, we all went barefoot.
When I was a senior in high school, our baseball team won the Maui
island championship for the first time since 16 years.
We thought we could win the state tournament, we thought.
Well … almost. I’ll tell you what was exciting, playing the old Honolulu stadium:
when you hear the crack of the bat, it echoes in the whole stadium.
I was a shortstop and I’ll what’s also exciting, making a double play.
Remember, time is a gift of God.
I have here a string and a letter opener. What I have here is
a pendulum. Is there some one with a watch. Would you
keep time for me? We’re all going to count to twelve and
when we get to twelve, tell us how we did.
Would you all count with me? 1 .. 2 .. 3 .. 10 .. 11 .. 12!
What we have is sidereal time. Sidereal time is the measurement of
the movement of the planets. The earth rotates on its
axis and it takes 24 hours to make a complete rotation. (The
circumference of the earth is 24,901.55 miles). That’s
how we get our second, minutes, hours, and days.
The earth revolves around the sun and completes that revolution
every 365 days. Actually, it takes 365 days and six hours.
…So every fourth year, we add 24 hours to balance the
calendar. We do that on February 29. (Is there any one here
born on February 29?)
The Greeks speak of two kinds of time – chronos and kairos.
Chronos can be defined as the time of physics. Like I mentioned,
(seconds and minutes and hours and days.)
Kairos is God’s time. One author calls it metaphysical time.
I have entitled my sermon for today – ALL THINGS NEW.
In the end of days, Revelation teaches us,
there will be a new heaven and a new earth.
Crying will be no more, pain will be now more
All things will be New!
Let us for a moment walk in God’s time.
The Book of Genesis teaches us that God created the world
in six days, and on the seventh day, God rested.
God said: “Let there be light and there was light and
God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:3
The first lesson we all must learn is: Everything we have
is meant for good.” That is a really hard lesson for us to learn.
In the book of Ezekiel (if you have your Bibles please turn to Ezekiel
chapter 36 verse 26). Listen to the prophet Ezekiel:
“A new heart I will give you; and a new spirit I will put within you;
I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a
heart of flesh.”
Now let’s looks at the prophet Jeremiah, chapter 31, verse 33. Listen
to Jeremiah:
“I will put my law within them, I will write it on their
hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
In Isaiah (9:6) he brings to us great hope.
If things are bad for you, just hold on one more day,
or two … but hold one. Isaiah said, “For unto us a child is born,
a son is given.”
This is the Second Lesson:
All things will be new.
On Easter morn when Mary Magdalene and the other
Mary went to the tomb, according to Matthew, there
was an earthquake. (We in California know what an
earthquake is, don’t we?”
Then they saw and angel came down and rolled
the stone away and told them. “Jesus is not here,
for he has been raised.” And we say: Hallelujah!
Just a few hours ago, in New York City the ball dropped
down at Times Square – let me say to you,
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I have here twelve pennies. I am going to give this
to twelve of you. I just want us all to know,
Jesus took only twelve guys – twelve disciples to
change the world.
(Pass out the pennies)
There were twelve disciples. We tend to forget who they
were. Would you repeat their names with me. (People
repeat each name).
Peter, Andrew
James … and John
Matthew, Philip
James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Cananean
Bartholomew (or Nathaniel), Thaddeus
Thomas …Judas
(Oops! I thought I had twelve pennies, but I have one more,
an extra one. Did I miss a disciple? I guess not. …But
I have an extra penny. Oh! Actually there was another
disciple. When Judas fell away, another disciple was chosen.
His name was Matthias. (God does work in mysterious ways.)
Jesus taught us that the greatest commandment is to love
God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with
all your mind. Then he said, the second is like this—
Love your neighbor as yourself.
One day Mahatma Ghandi was getting on a train and he
lost a shoe. He took off his other shoe and threw
it off the train. His companion asked, “Why did you do that?
He said, “So whoever finds the shoe will have a pair.
In the years, as a pastor and as Christian, I learned that a little kindness will
go a long ways. When I was serving the church in
Chula Vista and homeless man would come to the office
for help. I helped him with food and I gave him time. I
listened to his troubles.
Weeks later, we got the news that the Episcopal Church was
burned down. The arsonist was that homeless man. One day
I got a letter from the prison in Otay Mesa, from that homeless
man. He said, “Can you come and see me?” I did. When I
visited with him, he said, “You were the only one who was
kind with me.”
When Jim Stovall was 30 years old, he lost his sight completely. He thought
his world had come to an end. But he never lost his spark for
life. He was a weight lifter who learned that through visualization, he
could lift 500 pounds. He decided he wanted to produce movies for
the blind. He realized that blind persons hear the dialogue, but they
cannot see the scenes. To do this he had to find a way to add a narrative track to
describe the scenes in a movie. The experts told him, it’s not possible,
and it’s not worth his time. He worked at and today he is president
of Narrative Network Television to make movies available to some
13 million blind and visually impaired person. His book title is: “You
Don’t Have to Be Blind to See.”
Jim Stovall says, “Belief gives rise to Values,
give rise to Desires,
give rise to Effort and Energy,
give rise to Accomplishment.”
When I was working at the First United Methodist Church, I met Richard Ruby.
He was the custodian. I used to help him move tables and
chairs. And whenever he had a chance, he wanted to talk
about religion. He told me he wanted to be a pastor. It didn’t
seem possible because the didn’t even have a college education.
After I left Hawaii, I lost contact with Richard Ruby.
Several years later, my wife and I were traveling in the Holy Land.
In Jerusalem we had got lost along the Via Dolorosa so we were the last
ones in our group to get to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. That’s
another story. When we walked through the doors, to my right
and I saw a priest in a black robe with a silver cross hanging from his neck.
I recognized him. I called out, “Richard Ruby.” It was him. He was now
a priest with the Eastern Orthodox Church. I was amazed and I was happy
for him. Jesus said, “With God all things are possible.”
Whoever you are, whatever your circumstance,
as impossible as it might be – in the end – remember: With God all
things are possible.
And God said, “See, I am making all things new!
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