This week Randy spurred us on to think about email. The title of his entry is Friends Don’t Let Friends Email Drunk. His thoughts came after Google announced a new feature on their Gmail called Mail Goggles. The idea of the new Gmail add-on is to make sure you don’t send a stupid email in the middle of the night. Especially because that’s when most people send email they later regret. So, the fine folks at Google came up with a way to make sure you’re “sober” before mailing in the middle of the night. Kind of a cute idea, but it’s probably more cutesy than functional.

Anyway, from there Randy asked us at the Watercooler what our best email story is. Whenever anyone asks me that question, one story always comes to mind very quickly…

Let me tell you about an incredible man named Jim Pegg.

I met Jim at the first church I was assigned to in Warkworth, Ontario, Canada. We were fresh out of Seminary and we found ourselves in a nice little farming community. The fun part about this appointment revolved around the fact that we were also only about an hour away from our parents. After being away from our parents while in school for five years, it was nice to be back home. Shortly after our arrival to the church, Jim Pegg moved to Warkworth. We quickly became good friends, and he became my Pastoral Assistant at the church.

Jim was an older man. As a matter of fact, he was a World War II vet. He taught me many things, and he always told me I taught him many things too. While I could go on and on about Jim, this post around the Watercooler is about email, so I will stick to that topic.

Jim was in his mid-70′s I believe. By this time we’d moved down to New York State, but we kept in touch. Actually, Jim had discovered the Internet and email. I always looked forward to checking my email every morning because there was always something from Jim. He would share about his day, or some new discovery he made while reading the Bible. Whatever the contents of his email, I always enjoyed reading them. Jim had heart problems on and off again and as a result was scheduled for surgery. It was standard type by-pass surgery. Nothing to worry about and no big deal. Of course while some of us did worry about Jim, he was quick to put our minds at ease and say “No problem. It’s just standard and all will be fine.”

The day before his surgery arrived and as usual, Jim was at his computer looking things up on the Internet, and sending email. Of course I sent him an email the day before wishing him all the best on his scheduled surgery. His reply came back saying all was well.

He then signed off that day writing;

I’m preparing to head to the hospital later today. Dorothy will drive me up. All will go well, I will send you an email when I arrive back home.

Until then, ‘I commit my spirit into His hands.’ Jim

The following day, the day of the surgery, I received a phone call about mid-morning from Dorothy. Something had gone terribly wrong. Complications arose, Jim went into a coma. The following day not only was Jim’s spirit in His hands, but his soul was too.

These thoughts always bring a tear to my eye. As I said above, I learned many things from Jim. But if anything, I think the most important lesson I learned from Jim is how to truly be a Sojourner in this thing we call life. He lived a calm, balanced and peaceful life, knowing no matter what, he could always find true rest, peace and comfort, in His hands.

A Fellow Sojourner,
Dr. Rus

It’s a truth that’s been around since the beginning of time. No matter who you are, no matter where you are, and no matter how good, or how bad your life situation might be – People are always searching for hope. When the nation of Israel found themselves exiled in Babylon, and for all intents and purposes it looked like God had turned His back on them, they still found a message of hope. Ezekiel, exiled with Israel in Babylon, declared a message of hope to the nation encouraging them to establish themselves in the midst of their enemy, pray for the prosperity and peace for those around them, and they too would discover peace and prosperity. That sounds like a message of hope to me.

Meanwhile, things looked quite different in Israel. There we find a rag-tag remnant of the nation living amidst the ruins of the once great City of Jerusalem. They may not be in Babylon, but the Babylonian rulers are all around them, reminding them each day that the once great nation of Israel, is no longer a force on the earth.

But, did the nation of Israel lose hope when surrounded by foreign leaders…

…no, instead, they too found a message of hope in the midst of disaster.

Jeremiah encouraged those still in Israel by reminding them that God’s plans are always to “prosper them and not to harm them.” Ultimately giving those facing turmoil on every side, “purpose and destiny and hope for the future.” With all of this in mind, I find it amazing when people are surprised by polls which say people are looking for hope.

Making headlines this week — New Poll Says Most Think Miracles Can Save Terminally Ill — This comes as a surprise why? News agencies all over the place used the story as their lead. Most announcers read the story with a sound of surprise in their voice. But again, I ask the simple question — Why the surprise? When facing turmoil and tough times, people are always searching for a sense of hope.

According to the survey, when medical treatment for a dying relative appears futile, a majority of Americans believe that miracles can still happen. The survey, which appeared in the Archives of Surgery, said 57 percent of one thousand adults surveyed believe the hand of God could save a loved one, even if a doctor tells them there’s nothing more that can be done. As a result of the survey, researchers say Doctors “need to be prepared to deal with families who are waiting for a miracle.” The article went on to encourage Doctors to be more sensitive to the belief of miracles in order to gain the trust of patients and their families. In that way, it may be easier to explain to them that further treatment of someone with a terminal condition may be pointless. When asked the same question about God’s intervention, close to 20 percent of Doctors acknowledged they would also hold out for a miracle.

For I know the plans I have for you…not to harm you, but to prosper you…giving you hope for the future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

People in search of hope. It’s been with us since the beginning of time. No matter what you might find yourself facing, remember that we can always find hope for the future when we remain anchored in the belief that God’s plans are not to harm us, but to prosper us, giving us a sense of hope, purpose and destiny.

A Fellow Sojourner,
Dr. Rus

Where’s the beef!?

The slogan was introduced in the 1980′s when Wendy’s introduced a commercial called “Fluffy Bun” with Clara Peller declaring — Where’s the beef? — Now the ever popular catch phrase has become somewhat of an all-purpose phrase questioning the substance, or lack thereof, of almost anything we can think of.

Many today are looking for some kind of meaning in life. In survey after survey, when people are asked – If you could ask God, or a Supreme Being, one question, what would that question be? – Most respond by saying, “What is my purpose and destiny in life.” In other words, people seem to be looking for the beef in life. Some say there has to be more, while others are simply looking for meaning, purpose and destiny.

A recent Rasmussen poll reveals some interesting results when it comes to the nation’s belief in God, or a Supreme Being. The results showed;

• 78% believe in God
• 15% believe in a Higher Power
• 7% believe in nothing

In other words, according to the Rasmussen poll, 93% of the population in the United States, believe in some kind of Supreme Being. Wow! That’s amazing! If this is true I find myself asking a few questions;

• Why are churches not full to overflowing?
• Why do atheists tell us their numbers are on the rise?
• Where are the believers who don’t show up for church every week?
• Has the church somehow dropped the ball on attracting those who have some kind of spiritual awareness?

Somewhere along the line those inside the church have shut out those outside the church who, according to the recent poll, do have some kind of a God awareness. Could it be that a large portion of the population who say they believe in God, or at least have some kind of a God awareness, don’t feel welcome in church? If the Rasmussen poll numbers are correct, that would certainly seem to be the case.

I guess the next question could be something like — Is this a bad thing? Is it a bad thing to have a large number of those who say they have a God awareness outside the church? That all depends on what they’re doing. In the early days of the church, the disciples spent more time outside the church, than inside the church. It’s more of a North American culture mindset which says the only way to connect with God is inside a church. Reality is, we’re supposed to be transforming the environment we’re involved in each day. While the early disciples met for daily prayer times at the temple, they were more involved in the lives of those around them on an everyday basis.

So, I ask again, is the Rasmussen poll wrong?

If we’re measuring church attendance as a factor in arriving at the number of 93% of the population having some kind of a God awareness, we have to say the poll is wrong. Why? Because it’s obvious 93% of the population are not attending church. If they were, every church in the nation would be full to overflowing. Many inside the church may lament such a poll and wonder where the people are. But maybe a better approach is to discover ways to help all of those outside the church, but with a belief in God, figure out how to mainstream their message of hope, purpose and destiny so the world might truly be transformed.

A Fellow Sojourner,
Dr. Rus