It’s been a while since I’ve taken part in one Brody’s Positive Post Tuesday events, but I just couldn’t let another slip by. As we approach Thanksgiving, there’s much to be thankful for. Yes, even in the midst of turmoil, we do have much to be thankful for. Actually, because of the situation many find themselves in today, this could be one of the most important Thanksgiving times ever. This year, the best medicine for everyone to take could very well be an attitude of thankfulness as we find ourselves heading into another Thanksgiving season.

As part of my radio gig, I also host a talk show called The Live Line. From time to time I come across a guest that really stands out in the crowd.

One such guest is Mike Robbins, author of Focus on the Good Stuff. 

Mike has an amazing story. He was drafted out of high school by the New York Yankees. But, instead of heading to the Yankees organization, he decided to attend college and pitch at Stanford University where he pitched in the College World Series. After college, he went on to play for the Kansas City Royals for three seasons. When it looked like he had everything going for him, Mike suffered a career ending arm injury.

Faced with the decision of what to do, Mike decided to turn what looked like a bad situation, into a positive situation, by looking for the good stuff.

I thoroughly enjoy talking with Mike on the air. He’s so positive, and he’s always an encouragement to my listeners. Yesterday we talked about Thanksgiving. Many in the nation are stressed out these days. Yes, there’s the crush of the economy, and for many, there’s just the crush of everyday life. How can we begin to change our outlook, when things look so grim around us. The answer — Take small steps toward changing our attitude by being thankful for for the good stuff going on around us. During the interview with Mike he outlined three reminders and three action ideas that provide a great starting point for our journey toward thankfulness as a culture and a way of life. If you can’t wrap your mind around the thought of being thankful every day, at least take the small step and activate these steps for this Thanksgiving.

Reminders…

1. Be grateful - focus on the good stuff and count your blessings.
2. Acknowledge teh people around you - let the people in your life know what you appreciate about them.
3. Appreciate yourself - pat yourself on the back and focus on what you are doing well.

When it comes to elections, people can get really crazy. It seems this election cycle is no different. If anything, in this never-ending-presidential-election cycle we find ourselves in, the lines have been drawn even deeper in the sand. Never before have I seen two candidates further divide a nation, or result in a nation of undecideds, as we have before us today. Tomorrow thousands of people will head to the polls to cast their vote not only for State leaders, but also for Congressional leaders, Senate leaders, and yes, the next President of the United States.

I’ve been fascinated with the rhetoric on both sides of the aisle. Not only in the political realm, but also in the church realm. It’s really hard to find balance anywhere, and I must admit, that’s sad, especially when thinking of the church side.

I’m amazed at the number of emails I’ve received from church groups telling me ‘how’ to pray.

Avoid The Controlling Prayer

“Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation.“

Those were words of instruction from Paul, to his student Timothy, (1 Timothy 2:1-2, The Message). Take note, Paul was not telling Timothy what to pray, he simply instructed him to pray for the leaders and governments to rule well. There’s nothing in there saying to pray for one particular party or person. It’s actually quite the opposite. We are simply instructed to pray for whoever the leader might be, regardless of their political stripe. Why are we encouraged to pray for our leaders? So we can quietly live our lives.

With that in mind, what should we do with the various emails we receive telling us why we should pray for one candidate or the other? With tongue in check I usually say - That’s why God invented the delete button on the keyboard. - While I saw that partially as a joke, there’s also great truth in the statement. Some of the emails I’ve received have been downright rude and outlandish when trying to push one political agenda over another. In all honesty, I do hit the delete button. I’ve even hit the delete button on some emails arriving in my in-box from well established and well recognized ministries which should simply know better.

What should our response be as we journey through this thing we call life?

We need to simply pray for those in leadership. We need to at all costs avoid what are known as controlling prayers. What is a controlling prayer you ask? Simply put, a controlling prayer is any prayer declaring that God wants one person or another person to win the election. Again, as already noted above, we are simply instructed to pray for those in leadership. We are not instructed to pray one person in or out of office.

With that in mind, someone did send me an incredible prayer which falls into the category of simply praying for those in leadership. As we approach yet another election day, this prayer might do well to be on all of our minds, and lips.

A Prayer For the Election
By John Piper

Father in heaven, as we approach this election on Tuesday, I pray

1) That your people will vote,

2) and that they will vote with a sense of thankfulness for a democratic system that at least partially holds in check the folly and evil in all our hearts so that power which corrupts so readily is not given to one group or person too easily.

3) That we would know and live the meaning of
* Being in the world, but not of it.
* Doing politics as though not doing them.
* Being on the earth, yet having our lives hidden with Christ in God.
* Rendering to Caesar the things that are Caesars, and to God the things that are God’s.

4) That we would discern what truths and values should advance by being made law and which should advance only by the leavening of honest influence.

5) That your people would see what love and justice and far-seeing wisdom demand in regard to the issues of education, business and industry, health care, marriage and family, abortion, welfare, energy, government and taxes, military, terrorism, international relations, and every challenge that we will face in the years to come.

6) And above all, that we will treasure Jesus Christ, and tell everyone of his sovereignty and supremacy over all nations, and that long after America is a footnote to the future world, he will reign with his people from every tribe and tongue and nation.

Keep us faithful to Christ’s all important Word, and may we turn to it every day for light in these dark times.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

A Fellow Sojourner,
Dr. Rus

Now I’m an avid believer in having pets because they do bring a sense of calm and peace into your life. If you’ve had a bad day, your pet is usually waiting to greet you when you arrive home. If you have a cat, they curl up on your lap and purr. If you have a dog, they greet you at the door with tail a wagin’ and sometimes full of slobbery puppy dog kisses. If you happen to have a lap dog, that’s even better because they too can curl up in a chair with you at the end of the day. No one knows if Jesus owned a dog during His lifetime, but if He did, I’m sure He’d be very pleased with what’s going on at the Pilgrim Congregational Church in Weymouth, Massachusetts.

Reverend Rachel Bickford is now allowing people to bring their four-legged friends to a special service on Sunday.

Reverend Bickford said she came up with the idea after reading a Psalm which encourages “all living things to praise the Lord.” As she read the Psalm, her dogs were roaming around the church. That’s when she came up with the idea of allowing people to bring their dogs to church. She hopes they will bring some happiness to people coping through hard times. The only rule that’s strictly enforced in church, all dogs must be leashed. Otherwise, all breeds and sizes are welcome and invited to attend.

What does she call the new service?

Woof ‘n Worship

A Fellow Sojourner,
Dr. Rus

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

Please Note: While this Positive Post Tuesday entry is not about one particular person, it does address the idea of how to stay positive in a stress filled world.

Where do you find your sense of calm?

Unless you never pick up a newspaper, listen to the news on the radio, or watch the news on TV, you’re well aware of the fact there’s quite a bit going on in the world these days. Just this morning there’s news of another overseas terrorist attack. In upper New York State there’s a story about a soldier from Auburn, New York who was killed in Afghanistan. A little closer to home, gas prices are up and down like a yo-yo. In some southern States, stations are actually running out of gas. Then, add on top of that the fact that the financial markets seem very unstable and for some reason, the government thinks throwing money at the problem will fix it.

In the midst of all those issues, personal problems can add to stress levels too. Maybe you have a newborn. Maybe you have a child getting ready to start school. Or, possibly you have a child heading to college, or even getting ready to join the work force for the first time. It’s easy to see many aspects in life can add to the stress level in ones life. What do we do relieve some of that stress? All too often most people wait too long to figure out what to do. Time and time again we hear of people having some kind of a breakdown. On the surface people say - “Why? How did this happen?” - But, when we go beyond just scratching the surface, we discover a number of events probably led up to the ultimate breakdown.

So, again, I ask - How do we keep a sense of a calm in the midst of life?

Personally, I think we’ve made much of life brain surgery. For some reason we tend to make life more difficult than it really is. If you find yourself being set off by the little things in life, then it’s probably time to step back and re-assess what you believe is important in life. Now I’m not saying we need to live in some kind of fairy tale land where we believe nothing bad is happening. But, there are ways we can manage stress better, and many times it’s simply by disconnecting to a few things around you.

Dr. Rodger Murphree is a frequent guest on my Live Line talk show. During a recent interview we chatted about stress. Dr. Murphree noted that Americans now spend more money on antidepressants than the Gross National Product of two-thirds of the world’s countries. Dr. Murphree went on to say “studies consistently show that in up to 70% of the time, these drugs are no better than a sugar pill.” Dr. Murphree quickly noted that he’s not saying no one should take the drugs. But he did point out that many times medications such as Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft and Cymbalta are prescribed too quickly. He said it’s almost like people think they have a “Prozac deficiency.” The fact of the matter is, most people simply have a B6 vitamin insufficiency. In other words, many simply need to take a daily multi-vitamin, instead of loading up on the so-called stress-relieving drugs.

Another aspect of life adding unneeded pressure is technology. In her book Prisoners of Technology Lisa Whaley says; “It’s time to get unplugged!” In the book Whaley writes,

“Instead of making life easier, technology has introduced complexity. Instead of giving us more time with family, technology has pulled family members away from each other and toward their devices. As a result, it’s time to step away from the keyboard, email, cell phone and GPS devices and instead position ourselves to give a loved one a hug or wave at our neighbor.”

Have you noticed how plugged in kids are these days? When was the last time you walked through a mall and saw a group of teenagers simply talking with one another? Instead, they walk through the mall side by side, texting one another! I’m with Lisa on this one — It’s time to get unplugged! — Of course once you unplug, you may also find yourself living with a little less stress. Suddenly when you’re unplugged, you’re not bombarded with information overload. Do you really need a constant stream of breaking news updates on your cell phone, email or Twitter from CNN, Fox News, CBS, NBC and ABC? As a matter of fact, I recently stopped following Fox News on my Twitter account simply because I got tired of their updates which came in about every 30 seconds.

The bottom line is this, we live in a world where stress factors can climb and climb and climb. But, as we journey through this thing we call life, we also need to find a way to discover a sense of calm. I’m not saying we need to become hermits. However, we do need to find a sense of balance. Remember, it doesn’t have to be brain surgery. It could be as easy as taking a daily multi-vitamin and unplugging from technology when you walk through the door of your home. Turn off the cell phone, check your home email once. Then, sit back and enjoy some time with your family. Maybe you’ll discover life isn’t as stressful as you once thought.

A Fellow Sojourner,
Dr. Rus

I left the nail in the tire, parked the car, and didn’t drive it until it was repair time. Yesterday morning, a quick call to the Tire Spot had me rolling once again with a plug in the tire instead of the nail.

‘Stella’ Is Back on the Road!

While at the tire shop the manager took a look at my tires and quickly said, “Oh my, you need new tires.” I explained to him I knew that, but I plan to wait until the spring to replace the tires. After all, in a few more weeks I’ll be parking the car for the winter anyway. While I was waiting for the tire to be repaired I asked the manager how much new tires would cost. After chatting about the price, he then started telling me what the different letters on my race tires mean. Apparently the current tires I have on my ‘Stang are rated for 100 to 120 mph. He then said I could go up a grade to tires that are rated for 150 mph! Yee haw!

The need for speed! Sounds great to me! However, when I went home and informed my wife of the tire speed rating she just rolled her eyes. (I guess I won’t be upgrading to the 150 mph tires.) But then again, do I really need tires that are rated at 150 mph? Of course the boy inside of me that likes toys hollers “YES!” Then reality sinks in and I realize going 150 mph, while it might be fun for a few seconds, could get costly if I’m near a police officer.

In the classic 1986 movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Matthew Broderick’s character, Ferris Bueller says the ever-popular phrase, “Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while you might miss it.”

Many people these days never think to slow down and look around. Instead, in this instant-popcorn microwave culture we live in, many feel a need for speed is better than stopping and looking around from time to time. Why is the Ferris Bueller movie so popular? Is it because it’s about a bunch of kids skipping school? That could be part of the reason. But, I think there’s more here than just what we see on the surface. Ferris Bueller gives us an example of someone making a transition from one portion of life, high school, to another portion of life, college. But, he wants to make sure he slows down long enough to see what’s going on around him too. He doesn’t want to miss out on the simple things in life, like taking part in a parade.

Are you feeling a need for speed today? Is life moving fast and you’re afraid you’re missing what’s going on around you? Why not take some time today and slow down for a while. Take a look around you and see a few things you may have missed yesterday.

A Fellow Sojourner,
Dr. Rus

Where were you when the planes hit the Twin Towers in New York City?

It’s hard to believe 7 years have past since the terrorist attacks took place on U.S. soil. Seven years ago the United States of America was attacked by terrorists. Two hijacked commercial planes rammed into New York City’s World Trade Center, which eventually caused the collapse of both towers. Another hijacked plane hit the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and a fourth plane crashed into the Pennsylvania woods. There are many memorials around the country today, and of course major memorials taking place at the Pentagon, the site of the Twin Towers, and in Pennsylvania.

Do you remember what you were doing on this date in 2001?

I remember clearly what I was doing just like it was yesterday. I was sitting in a restaurant having breakfast with someone. At that point in time I had one of those little pocket email pagers. As we ate our bacon and eggs and quietly sipped our coffee, my pager suddenly started going crazy. Message after message came pouring into my mobile email pager. I remember reading one of the Breaking News messages and said to the person I was having breakfast with - A plane just flew into one of the Twin Towers. - We looked at one another and it was almost like it was all surreal. He said, “It must be a terrorist attack.” But those words didn’t really sink in. We went on eating and chatting about the mundane for about another 10 minutes before the reality of the situation really hit home.

Of course 7 years later many are still trying to make this day of remembrance all about politics. I for one get very tired of this line of thinking. I know people who are to this day affected by those attacks in New York City. Instead of crying foul, lets simply remember those who still carry the scars of that fateful bright sunny September day 7 years ago.

Why not take a few minutes now and remember this 9-11 day by leaving a comment below.

A Fellow Sojourner,
Dr. Rus

So, without any further adu, this blog post is taking part in Brody’s Stats Suck Sunday blog carnival.

Today’s post is pretty simple…Sunday in bullet points…

Today Brody asked a pretty simple question — What’s your Sunday looking like? — In bullet points.

• Stumbled across the movie Independence Day yesterday. Great Will Smith movie. Lots of action, don’t need to think too much.
• Watched some of the Nationwide race last night. Too bad Kyle Busch won again.
• Spent some time in prayer during church as we’re making sure we’re on focus and in the center of God’s plan and purpose for Fresh-Wind Ministries
• Started putting together our email prayer list mailing again. That came out of our prayer time this morning during church.
• Took a Sunday afternoon nap!
• Getting ready to watch some of the Sprint NASCAR race tonight from California. I don’t work tomorrow so I can stay up late!

A Fellow Sojourner,
Dr. Rus

After the race Carl Edwards commented on the move saying, “A real smart racer explained it to me this way after he wrecked me and I was really mad. He said, ‘I just had to look at your rear bumper and decide, would you do this to me? And you had before, so it was a real simple decision.’”

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

For many that’s known as The Golden Rule. Not only is it supposed to guide society, but when individuals keep the so-called Golden Rule in mind, we suddenly find ourselves living in a society where morality is high, and kindness reigns supreme. Very early in life we’re taught to respect one another, and above all, keep in mind, that if we don’t want to be treated badly, then we should not treat others badly. Does this mean we’re never treated poorly, or that we never treat others poorly? Probably not. After all, lets also remember that we’re human. That means along the way we’re bound to step on some toes. Whether it’s done intentionally, or unintentionally, things happen and we do stupid things.

But, in the end, we need to ask ourselves, have we learned from the experience?

Kyle Busch of course was not happy after the race. But then again, he never is and will always cry foul when he gets treated poorly. But reality is this, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Or, put another way, “What goes around, comes around.” That’s exactly what happened in the race. During the post race interview Edwards went onto say;

“Earlier this year we had a Nationwide race and Kyle was a lot faster than me and he went ahead and got to my back bumper of my car and sent me up the racetrack. Afterwards, he said, ’sorry man, my car was just faster.’ So in my mind, I had to ask myself when I went down there in the corner, ‘Should I lift and brake early and do the best I can or should I just kind of give him a little tap and see what happens.’ So that’s the way it went and that’s the decision I made and I’d do it again.”

If Busch is going to blame anyone for the on-track incident, he needs to blame himself. He’s set the stage and his own table for how he’s treated on the race track. What goes around comes around, and it came around to him last night. How did Busch react? Very poorly. After the checkered flag flew, Busch pulled up along side of Edwards and rammed his car into the 99 car.

First off, this is just wrong. I’ve written about such actions before, and no matter who it is, I’ve always said if someone decides to use their car as a weapon, they should be parked by NASCAR. Since Busch used his car as a weapon, he needs to be parked by NASCAR. If those who sanction NASCAR are going to get the drivers attention for such behavior on the track, they need to park them for a race or two. Will that happen? Probably not. After all, Busch is first in points, and right now he seems to be the golden boy of NASCAR who can do no wrong. That should have no bearing on their decision at all though. I’ve said this about all the drivers, Carl Edwards included when he’s pulled such on track stunts. The bottom line is this, if a driver uses his car as a weapon, he should be parked and miss a few races.

How did NASCAR view the whole situation? They were obviously upset with Busch, but not Edwards. When the race was finished, Kyle Busch was called to the NASCAR hauler, the equivalent of the Principal’s office, for a talking to. Edwards however was not called in. What was said during the behind closed door meeting is unknown. Busch did not comment when he came out of the hauler. But, if NASCAR were smart, they looked Busch in the eye and said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” In the past Busch has proven he has no problem putting someone into the wall while going for win. Simply put, Edwards, and pretty much every other driver on the track, did to Busch what he does to them.

Am I condoning the actions of Edwards on the track? Absolutely not. Personally, I do not like it when drivers, any driver, pushes someone else out of the way. If you can’t race clean, don’t race at all. But we can all learn a lesson from the on track antics at last nights race. It should make us all pause for a moment and ask, “How do I treat others? Do I treat them as I would like to be treated?” Or, and maybe this is even better, maybe we should ask, “Am I being treated poorly because I’ve treated the other person poorly?” If the answer to that question is yes, then maybe it’s time to make some personal changes along the way.

Will change come easy? Probably not. After all, in many cases it’s a mindset change we need to tap in to as we journey along this thing we call life. But, the Golden Rule has been around for a long time. When we act responsibly toward others, usually they act responsibly toward us.

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Luke 6:31

A Fellow Sojourner,
Dr. Rus

Over on Randy’s Cultural Watercooler discussion for today he asked the question - What book or author has had the greatest influence on you?

First off Randy, that’s really a tough question for a preacher! There are so many and so little time or space to tell you of them all! But, before I tell you who my favorites are, yes, I have managed to whittle the list down to two, your question reminds me of a similar question once asked of a class at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky.

I don’t remember which class it was, but I do remember the professor. In a class studying Wesleyan Theology, Dr. Steve Harper once asked the question - If you were in the midst of being exiled to an island in the middle of nowhere, what one book would you take? Of course in a class of second and third year Seminary students working on their Divinity degrees, those who wanted to appear really spiritual said — the Bible! But, that was too easy. Dr. Harper’s question truly did start me thinking about what author, and what book, could truly continually feed my soul and spirit if I found myself on an island in the middle of nowhere.

Would I take John Wesley books? Or would I take something totally different?

There are so many choices, but in the end, I did narrow my choices down to two when it comes to authors who’ve influenced me the most.

1. Thomas Merton
2. Ken Gire

While in Seminary Dr. Jerry Mercer offered a class on the life and writings of Thomas Merton. I remember asking him about the class, and I must once again thank him for offering the class during my last semester so I could fit it into my schedule. Thomas Merton was an amazing man. If you’d like to read what many consider his life story, check out The Seven Story Mountain. But, the Merton book that most influence me is entitled New Seeds of Contemplation. This book opened up a whole new way of looking at life and contemplating how we interact with life.

Ken Gire is an author I discovered while working on my Doctorate from the Wagner Leadership Institute in Colorado Springs. I took a writing class from Ken in which he encouraged us to come into contact not only with what we wanted to write, but how the topic actually effects us. Once we tap into such a concept, our writing truly transforms with simple words on a page. I keep in contact with Ken from time to time via email and I’m always moved by his compassion and genuine interest in what’s going on my life.

As for books of Ken’s that have influenced me? Again, there are many. I’m currently reading The North Face of God. But, many of his previous books have also touched me as well. Books such as The Divine Embrace and Reflections on the Movies come to mind. But, his most influential book, is the first book I ever read of Ken’s entitled Windows of the Soul.

By the way, you can find all of Ken’s books at his main website Reflective Living Ministries.

As I said, there are many authors and many books that have influenced me along the way. But, of all the books and all the authors I’ve read, Ken Gire and Thomas Merton rank at the top of the list for those that have truly influenced and impacted my life in a significant way.

A Fellow Sojourner,
Dr. Rus

PS - If you’re wondering, in the Thomas Merton category I’m currently reading Echoing Silence. If you’re a writer, this is a great read!