29. April 2008 by BruceSmith.

If you have weak eyes, and are forced to wear contacts or glasses, you know how difficult it is to see clearly when you are not wearing your “corrective” lenses.  My son, now of driving age, has less than perfect eyesight, and needs to wear glasses for various things.  Reason would dictate, that he would put on his specs when and where they are needed in order to have his vision working at optimal levels, right?  Not so quick.  It seems that these very cool, not so cheap specs which were picked out for him are not worn nearly as much as they ought to be.  I recently got a “teacher report” from one of his high school instructors who suggested that rather than wear his glasses, my son sits up front every day watching the board through squinting eyes.  I know first hand of his vision impairment and its affects from his repeated driving without his glasses!  You don’t want to be in the car with him at night if he is not wearing his binoculars!

While we easily recognize the value of simple practical steps which enable us to help ourselves, many times we don’t take those wise steps forward.  Failing to do so, in reality, causes us to go through life with impaired vision, a lack of focus.  The scriptures remind us in fact that, “The people perish without vision”.  Focus is a critical element in our finding the life God offers us.  If we are ever to realize the kind of life we were meant to live we must have a clear view of what God has for us and a passionate desire/focus to head in that direction.

If you have ever watched Rafael Nadal play tennis, you know what focus looks like.  Rafa, the best clay court player in the world, maybe ever (he has won 98 of the last 99 matches on clay he has played) has a steely-eyed fire about him when he is competing.  There are no points off, no relaxing, no quit.  The same is true of Tiger Woods on the golf course, Micheal Jordan on the basketball court, and Brett Favre on the football field.  Focus is a characteristic of all great athletes.  In fact, this “vision” is a critical measure for all hitters in baseball.  Studies show that for each point a hitter’s vision declines the batting average falls in conjunction.  All great hitters have 20/20 vision.

This analogy offers us a little life lesson we should adhere to.  If we are to become and live like the people God intended for us to be we must learn to eliminate as many “off moments” as possible.  Just as great football players don’t take a down off, we cannot afford to take a pass on pursuing what is best for us and what is in keeping with God’s agenda.  When we take our eyes off the target of His best for us, we get off track, and sometimes we can be completely blindsided.  Just ask the otherwise smart, controlled, and God-honoring person who let themselves go for one night, one relationship, one “phase”, … .  Sometimes turning a blind eye to God’s ways can result in lifelong consequences.

God’s grace, mercy, and love are ever present amidst our blindness.  We should never lose sight of this.  Yet, we rob ourselves of so much peace, wonder, and joy by taking a pass on God’s call in any given situation.  Each bit of work, each look, each interaction, each relationship, each moment is ripe with unknown potential in the economy of God.  We need to have our vision focused by the amazing spectacle of God’s grace.  By keeping our eyes on Him and on what He is calling us to we find the life we were meant to live.  He does not want us to run around looking like a bunch of squinty-eyed, vision impaired, off track followers.  We don’t represent Him well that way.

Don’t turn your gaze to things which will pull you down today.  Look up, find your direction in God’s best for you, and enjoy the life you were meant to live.

Bruce Smith

optimuslife.org  (consider supporting us by hitting the “donate” button at the site–THANKS)

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25. April 2008 by BruceSmith.

Bloggers, readers, supporters,

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers in the days ahead as Bruce continues the writing of another book, and as he finishes the essay requested for an upcoming book with many other vibrant leaders.

Also, please, pray with us as Bruce considers whether or not to accept an offer to host a radio show which has been offered to him.  There is a lot on the plate, and we continue to pray that God would open and provide for the opportunities that are in keeping with His agenda for the outreach of Optimus.

We continue to pray for you and those you are impacting with your life as we all seek to live in the life Jesus offers us in John 10:10…Life to the Full.

Grace and Peace,

Optimuslife.org

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23. April 2008 by BruceSmith.

Bloggers, Readers, Supporters,

We are thrilled to announce that Bruce has recently been asked to write an essay on finding Spiritual Harmony.  The essay will be included in a book which will feature writings from many other leaders.  Those writing for the book will include political leaders, sports figures, thought leaders, Pulitzer Prize winners, major corporate leaders, and many others who are well known.  It is an honor for Bruce to be asked to join this amazing group of people as they work toward a publishing effort which will aid readers in making a difference here on Earth.

We appreciate your prayers, thoughts, and support throughout the writing effort, and we will keep you posted on developments.

Continue to look for and purchase the new Daily Life Verse Devotional, edited by  Jay Payleitner, which includes an entry from Bruce as well.

In the days ahead, be on the lookout for a new teaching venue from Optimuslife.org which will feature short video teaching segments from Bruce.

Grace and Peace,

Optimuslife.org  (donate at optimuslife.org by hitting the “donate” button)

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18. April 2008 by BruceSmith.

Dear Bruce,

I need some direction in my life. It seems that nothing I try really gives me the fulfillment I am looking for. I have tried money…its o.k. and buys me a lot of stuff, but still leaves me a bit empty. I have tried sex…sometimes good, mostly not, never fulfills me, and leaves me often craving something sex never gives me…I think its love. I have tried success and titles, …again, I still know who I am inside despite what others think about the name plate on my door. I have tried charity work, giving money away, volunteering, you name it. The story is the same…I cannot seem to find fulfillment. How the heck do I find that?

Angelica

Angelica,

Your tale is a common one. I talk with countless people who could state the very same desires, experiences, and thoughts you convey in your letter. Let me first make clear that none of the things you have “tried” are in and of themselves bad things. Money has its place. Sex is amazing in the right place and right time. Success and accomplishment can be fantastic, and volunteering and giving of one’s time, money, and energy is certainly a good thing. The central element in fulfillment, however, lies not in what we do, feel, experience, and attain, but rather in whom we find our fulfillment.

St. Augustine said it this way, “We shall find no rest until we find our rest in thee (God)”. As Shel Sivlerstein’s books about the Missing Piece allude to, there is a part of us which is missing, a part which cannot find its place. That part, that puzzle piece can never experience the right “fit” or sense of completion apart from a knowledge of our Creator.

Logic would seem to suggest that if God did indeed create this world (and I would offer that “something” cannot spring forth from “nothing”), then that God, who must have had no needs in and of Himself, did so for a reason. Perhaps, we find that sense of fulfillment in realizing that we were created for a purpose beyond ourself, one that includes an intimate relationship with the very Being who designed us in the first place. If we stop long enough to consider the wonder of this idea, it is truly mind-boggling. The Creator of the universe desires that I might walk in intimate relationship with Him! That is an amazing reality.

When this core issue is understood and we respond to God in acceptance of His offer to know and be known by Him, it sets us up for a life with purpose. Then all that we do and become is an outgrowth of knowing whose we are and why we exist in the first place. The trouble is we are more apt to want to define ourselves rather than look to the one who has defined reality for us, and who is in Himself, reality itself.

I explained this idea earlier this week when I spoke at an event and shared a practical story about my life. Recently, my PDA went wacko on me and left me in quite a fix. My PDA (personal data assistant) is many things to me. It is my phone, calendar, file sorter, email platform, text messaging device, note taking device, and many other things. Without it I am drastically hindered from doing and being what I am called to do and be in a practical sense.

The greater difficulty in having my PDA freak out on me is that I have lost the manual. I cannot, therefore, figure out what the problem is. Further, no one I have taken it to seems to know how to fix it. I could consult other PDA manuals, I suppose, but how would that help me find the true fix for my PDA? I could just ignore the problem, but how would that help me find my way in the world? Without the direction this device provides for me I am in a fix…lost and out of sorts.

I would suggest that this is an apt metaphor for our position in the world and a good illustration of where you may find yourself. There are plenty of places you can go to “fix” your problem of fulfillment. But, as you have discovered, it seems, none of those fixes truly fix you. You need personal directional assistance (PDA). Our ultimate PDA is God as He has revealed Himself in the Scriptures. It is here that you will find your sense of purpose and fulfillment in life. Separated from God’s manual, life remains broken and unsatisfying. There is no fix apart from God’s direction. Nothing we try will fill the void.

This is why we see and hear of so many with so much (money, sex, power, drugs, drink, travel, fashion, influence, …) who remain so broken and empty and depressed. Despite our affluence in America mental illness is on the rise, use of antidepressants is soaring, violence is raging, and relationships continue to deteriorate in our culture. Stuff is not missing, rather, the stuff which makes for a life worth living is in small supply. That stuff is the teaching of scripture which shows us how to live and who to live for. That is our direction, and our way to a life worth living.

Angelica, no matter how much you do for yourself and for others, no matter how “good” it looks, even if the work is “good” in practice, it will always leave you and others empty if removed from the life and love of God as revealed in Jesus Christ. In knowing and experiencing intimacy with Him you find yourself and life as it was meant to be lived.  He is the composer who offers us a role in His great opus.  He is the conductor who enables us to to offer others the gifts He has given us.  All of our talents, ambitions, longings, and loves come alive only within the pages pages of His score.  Anything short of this reality is a groping in the dark.  The light of life and the thrill of living springs forth from intimacy with God through Christ.  You have tried  many other things, why not give Him a chance?

Seek Him and be found,

Bruce Smith

optimuslife.org

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16. April 2008 by BruceSmith.

Bloggers, readers, supporters,

The link for Bruce’s talkshow  interview is now up on the Optimuslife.org site.  To view the interview visit the following link:    http://www.youtube.com/user/soulstormwriter

More importantly, in light of the turning of our nation’s attention, once again, to the killings on the campus at Virgina Tech, Bruce’s writing on the event (originally penned last year) is posted here for your reflection.  The link for Bruce’s perspective is as follows:

http://www.soulstormsite.com/virginia_tech_and_the_search_for_hope.pdf

We at Optimuslife.org hope and pray you are finding the life you were meant to live as you view and pursue life through the lens God offers.  It is His perspective which enables us to see life as it is, and its His power which provides the means by which we live the abundant life.

Grace and Peace,

optimuslife.org  (please, consider a financial gift today and give by clicking on the “donate” link at optimuslife.org)

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15. April 2008 by BruceSmith.

The following was forwarded to me today, and was a timely reminder of God’s presence and ability amidst our overwhelming odds.  If you appreciate nearly as much as I then you will be encouraged by the message.

“I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.” - Matthew 21:21

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11. April 2008 by BruceSmith.

For all of you politico fanatics who are wondering…yes, the interview with Bruce on the Eliot Spitzer thing is now on YouTube.  The link is as follows:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pXYHjWlor0

The video will soon be on the websites as well.  We hope, in the near future to see Bruce on a weekly TV/radio “Faith and Politics” venue. Stay tuned!

Optimuslife.org

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3. April 2008 by BruceSmith.

Here are a few thoughts on truth which speak with sterling clarity about the nature, reality, and existence of truth.  In a culture that seems to embrace a no holds barred approach to interpreting reality and truth, these thoughts offer us a grander view of what it means to experience a life worth living.  Life to the full, as defined by Jesus, is found in an understanding of truth as it is in reality.  Jesus, in Himself, was truth and grace.  In Him is found the precision of absolute reality and the wonder of grace for all of us who do not measure up to the standard of truth found in God alone.

This is the thrilling romance of Orthodoxy (right belief).  People have fallen into a foolish habit of thinking of orthodoxy as something heavy, humdrum, and safe.  There was never anything so perilous or so exciting as orthodoxy.  It is sanity; and to be sane is more dramatic than to be mad (with the passions of this world).  Orthodoxy is the equilibrium of a man behind madly rushing horses  (think Lone Ranger or Indiana Jones saving the day), seeming to stoop this way and that, yet in every attitude having the grace of statuary and the accuracy of arithmetic.  G.K. Chesterton with comments by Bruce Smith

This life’s dim Windows of the Soul, distorts the heavens from pole to pole, and leads you to believe a lie, when you see with, not thro’, the eye.  Blake

Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.  Churchill

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.  T.S. Eliot

In a room where people unanimously maintain a conspiracy of silence, one word of truth sounds like a pistol shot.  Czeslaw Milosz

People will clutch at illusions when they have nothing else to hold to.  Czeslaw Milosz

I am the way, the truth, and the life.  Jesus

I have come that you might have life…life to the full.  Jesus

Love and pursue truth,

Bruce Smith

optimuslife.org

Please, donate at optimuslife.org by hitting the “donate” button

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