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)
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
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.
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