27. November 2008 by BruceSmith.

This is one of my favorite times of year.  I have made it a habit in recent years to actually highlight the Thanksgiving season rather than skip over it and run on to Christmas.  In our consumer, “me”-driven society I have found it helpful to be really intentional about spending time pondering the significance of giving thanks.  So today, I figure I will highlight just a few of the things I am thankful for, and hopefully you will gain a bit of inspiration for getting your own thanks on.First off, against all my ranting and pessimism for this week, a week in which I turned 40, I am glad to be 40.  I am not glad, mind you, that I have officially entered my 4th decade of being, rather I am thankful that I did not expire at 39.  Let me explain.Just one day before my birthday I had a little scare which could have put the period on my short life.  As I was preparing for a road trip with the family and bringing my dogs out to the country where they are boarded when we travel, and driving on a two-lane narrow highway, my SUV went batty.  Just as I was pulling out onto the highway, near a very sharp turn, and unable to see oncoming traffic, my vehicle went dead.  It just totally, and without warning, cut off.  I lost steering, brakes, everything.  With deep ditches on either side of me and another very sharp turn just about 100 feet ahead I had no idea what to do next.  If I were to make it to the turn, where I could not see oncoming traffic, who knows what awaited me.  About 50 feet ahead I noticed, between two deep ditches, a narrow dirt driveway that led into a field.  As strong as I could, I grabbed the wheel and pulled hard left.  With about a foot to spare, thankfully, I rolled safely into the driveway, missing the ditch, and missing the oncoming traffic which was coming around the turn at 50 mph.  So, I am thankful, again, to be 40, in light of the near miss at 39 and 364 days.I am also thankful to be visiting my sister, brother-in-law, and the nephews today.  It has been a joy to play with the little ones.  There is so much wonder in the eyes, actions, and jibberish of a toddler!  Its is truly remarkable.I am thankful also to be enjoying my three kids whose busy lives increasingly keep them occupied as they get older and spend more time away from the house… more than I would like.   I am thankful that they each have found the grace of God and a relationship with Him.  That is everything.I am thankful to be able-bodied, for the most part, and to be able to enjoy so much of what life offers.More than anything, I am thankful that despite all of my failings, misgivings, lack of faith, wavering trust, and the ugliness of my sin, I have been extended the undeserved and matchless grace of God.  Without this I would be ruined.  I hope and pray you are all enjoying this marvelous holiday and taking more than a few moments to remind yourself of the goodness in your life. Thanks be to God.Grace and Peace,Bruce Smithoptimuslife.org 

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19. November 2008 by BruceSmith.

Matthew 20:30-34 30Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 31The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 32Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. 33“Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.” 34Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him. Imagine yourself, for a moment, in this scene.  You are one of the two blind persons.  All your life you have lived marginalized, in the dark, frustrated, ignored, and probably a bit sad.  Then at some point in your life you hear rumors of a man who, in the near regions, is one who has a soft spot for the afflicted.  You hear that this man has the desire and the power to actually free people from isolation, darkness, and despair.  You don’t know Him, you certainly have never seen Him (being blind and all), but what you hear of Him is all together attractive and interesting.  Something inside you tells you that if there is any hope for you to be freed from the life you have known, from the prison of darkness, this man holds the only key.  Something deep within you prompts you to take a chance on this guy if He were to ever come your way.  But a doubt remains, “Everyone else has ignored me and told me I will always be this way, why should this guy be any different?” Then one day, the rumors begin to stir again, and people are saying that this healer with a soft spot for the marginalized is coming to town.  Knowing there is but one main route into town, and having made your way there many times before, perhaps to beg for help, you determine that you will find a way there and place yourself front and center so that maybe, just maybe, this Jesus will see you and, by some chance, take an interest in you.  Its a long shot, but what do you have left to lose?  You determine to go for it.The big day comes, you are front and center, all of your past runs through your mind, you imagine what the past would have looked like had you actually been able to see, and you wonder, dream, what life may be like in the future should Jesus open your eyes.  One thing is certain, nothing else has answered your cries.  No one else has ever been able to heal you.  And you are dog tired of living the life you have been living.  Something has to change, either inside you or physically.Here he comes.  You can tell by the crowds activity, whispering, rejoicing, and shouting that Jesus is making His way into town, right down the road you are standing on.  Problem is, you can’t see Him.  If you can’t see Him, you think, He can’t see you.  The thought runs through your mind, “How can I get His attention?!”  You are screaming inside yourself, “Do something!  Don’t just stand here!  This is the one chance you have.  The chance of a lifetime.”  Knowing you can’t run and tackle Him (you may tackle the wrong guy, after all), you decide to start yelling, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus…its me, the blind guy!”  Having experienced Mardi Gras before (work with me here, its a writer’s liberty), you know there are many competing voices.  So, you tell yourself, “Keep screaming, keep yelling, yell louder!”  Then just as everyone else is telling you that you are hopeless, helpless, and forgotten, and trying to hush you, Jesus makes His way to you.  You don’t see Him, of course, but His shadow falls upon you and you sense someone is standing in front of you.  Something is different.  This is no normal shadow.  And like all the shadows before, this one is not just passing by.  The sun’s heat is blocked, your spirit cools, and the crowd, astonishingly, is now hushed.  Your heart just skipped a beat because, against all odds, and awash in this sea of humanity, despite your being invisible, you just heard someone whisper, “He is standing in front of the blind guys”.  Then you remember, “I am a blind guy…maybe He is standing in front of me!”  You whisper now, “Jesus?”  And a voice that bleeds compassion, understanding, caring, strength, and life, speaks to you, “What is it you want?”  Instantly, you know, if this is not some sick joke its the opportunity of my life.  Amidst the fear of rejection and the wounds of the past, you manage to make a request, “Jesus, I have been blind for a lifetime”, pausing here to catch your breath and to contain your emotions, you feel a hand upon your shoulder, and you continue, “I just want to see.”  That is all the explanation Jesus needs.  Unlike all the others he hears all that is unsaid in that request, the life time of pain, self-doubt, insignificance, and longing.  He graciously interrupts you, touches your eyes, and in a way you have never heard words before, He says, “Open your eyes, …and see”.  In an instant the world explodes into view and you experience things you never could have imagined in your wildest dreams.  The textures, and nuances of color and shape, the varying shades and depths, the horizon, and the beauty of the human form all arrest your soul and put you into a strange trance.  The world is alive and your soul is soaring like it never has before.  Still, beyond this, beyond the merely physical reality, as glorious as it is, you feel as if you have encountered something, someone, who now defines your life.  This interaction with this person has been unlike anything you have ever experienced, and you cannot just move on.  For the first time in your life your shouts have been heard.  The naysayers have been hushed, YOU ARE SIGNIFICANT.  You have no choice but to wed your heart to this one who displays compassion, hope, truth, and purpose unlike any other.  As tempting as it would be to stick around and rub your new sight in all the faces of those who rejected you before, you know that your purpose and direction depends upon this One you have met today.  Its time to leave all the past behind.  Its time to experience all things new.  You simply have no choice.  Nothing compares to knowing this guy, and you have only known Him for a few moments.  You want more of Him, you need more of Him in your life, you desire to be like Him.  This is what love and life should look like, you just know it.May we all have such an encounter,Bruce Smithoptimuslife.org 

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18. November 2008 by BruceSmith.

Friends, I am updating you on the progress and opportunities for Optimus’ radio show which has been airing for the last few months. I have just been given the opportunity to move the show to a better time slot (drive time!) on a better day (week day). The change would mean great reach, more opportunity to effect others, and much more exposure for the show, Optimus, and anyone who is advertising during our show. In fact, the increase in exposure is 4x! The slot would be Fridays at 5pm to 6pm! As you know, the air time is not free, and because the Sat. slot was not “premium” for advertising and reach, and certainly difficult for a single dad of three busy kids, this new slot opens up a new world of opportunity. That being said, opportunity always comes with a cost, right? Right. I am asking that you prayerfully consider sponsoring the show right now in order that we can pay for the air time, bring on great guests, reach more people, and expand the work God is using us to do. We really need to have some strong commitments immediately on this in order to commit to the new offering. If you could prayerfully (and quickly!) consider this opportunity it would be greatly appreciated. You can sponsor the show and get mentions for yourself personally on air, or we can even cut commercials for your businesses or other things you are working on. Thanks for your consideration and support. Bruce Smith Author, Soul Storm Radio Host of “Think Out Loud” on WGSO 990 AM (podcast at wgso.com) Founder, Optimus blog found at  http://blog.optimuschoice.com/ www.optimuslife.org www.soulstormsite.com

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5. November 2008 by BruceSmith.

Here we are a day after Americans have elected the first black man to the Presidency.  Just a few decades ago many of these same Americans watched as one of America’s greatest leaders for change, Martin Luther King Jr., was killed for his stand on civil rights.  What a dramatic and relatively quick journey, though of course not quick enough, this has been.  Whether we all agree with his politics or not we must recognize that this is an historic moment in the life of our democracy and indeed our world.  The prophetic calls of Rev. King, “Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last…” now reverberate in tangible reality.  The promised land, though not perfect, of which King spoke is being tasted.  Republican, Democrat, Independent, and Americans of any other stripe should take heart that the promise of hope and opportunity are still alive in this, the greatest democratic experiment on earth.As I wrote many months ago on the heels of the Iowa caucuses, what attracted so many to the likes of Huckabee and Obama at that time still attract them today.  The message of hope, a bright future, and the optimism of America are indeed inspirational.   These are the things people voted for.  These ideals we must never neglect.  These values we must always aspire to regardless of who is in office.As we all ponder the significance of this event we must also be reminded of our great need as a country and as a people.  This, again, is a need which transcends party alliances.  Our greatest need, even beyond that of our American success and wealth, is for the blessing of God.  Without the hand of God working for us, and in us, no amount of wealth or power will deliver us from the fate of many empires which have come and gone over the ages.  While we must embrace the importance of this moment in history we must be careful to remind ourselves that if we detach ourselves from a humble dependence upon God, and a desire to follow his plan for humanity, we open ourselves to the further moral and spiritual demise which has threatened us for some time.No people, regardless of the winsomeness of its leaders, the strength of its military, and the size of its coffers, can hope to experience vitality and a prosperous future if it seeks to redefine life as it was intended to be lived by a God who has our best in mind.  Intelligence, human potential, and government programs can never replace the blessing of God toward a people who seek to live out his plan and to extend His call to an onlooking world.  Should we further the push toward a government ideology void of any biblical compass I fear we shall become a lesser nation and not a greater force for good on the earth.  As we celebrate this moment of “change” in our country, my prayer is that we be resolutely focused on the need to establish laws which honor God’s plan for family, marriage, life, community, and culture.  If we allow our leaders to define moral and spiritual reality for us rather than rely upon the Creator of life to lead us, no amount of affection for “change” will result in more than empty, frustrating, and failing human engineering.  Devoid of a moral foundation, a benchmark for ultimate reality beyond ourselves, we are groping in the dark, and the soaring rhetoric will lead us nowhere.  We will need much more in the days ahead than the politically obligatory salutation, “God bless America”.  Without a leadership and a culture committed to the call of God upon a people such empty phrasing will not suffice.  To ask God’s blessing upon us as we go about making laws which deny His character is to make a mockery of our reference to Him.  It is self-contradictory and logically absurd.  My hope and my prayer, as I am sure it is yours, is for the future prospering of our land.  My prayer is that we prosper spiritually, economically, as a culture, and as a force for good in our world.  My prayer is that our leaders, in the days ahead, look humbly to God for His direction as they lead.  Anything less, call it what you want, is not a change for the better, nor is it in keeping with the original design of wonderful democratic experiment we call America.  Let’s hope and pray that in a couple of months when our new leadership is sworn in, that this leadership places a hand and a heart upon the bible and that our new leadership  is willing to work indeed for a better America, an America defined as one nation under God.  That better America will come to fruition only as our leaders seek to lead under the gaze of an audience of One for the good of many.  This great experiment is still alive, but we must remember it is a fragile experiment and must be guarded with our souls.  As history has shown we are part of a world filled with many perils.  If we cannot recognize that good and evil do exist, and if we cannot acknowledge that absolutes are in actuality just that, absolute, we blind ourselves to the vision set before us by our founders.  Our fundamental source of blessing has been and always must be the gratefulness of our people for the touch of God upon us and the desire to live in concert with His principles.  The greatest call for “change” we must all hear is the clarion call for each of us individually, and all of us collectively, to move closer to the ideal God has for us.Let us not forget, it was the compulsion of men and women of faith who, very early on, both here and abroad, sounded the first cries for freedom.  It was the biblical truth of the dignity of all mankind which set the flame under the fire of Martin Luther King Jr..  And before him it was Lincoln’s anchor in the divine mandate which compelled him to lead the way and to raise the rhetoric.  Education, persuasion, effort, and opinions are not enough.  Power is not enough.  We need the blessing of God.  We are not our own.  Our future is dependent upon this truth.May God indeed bless America,Bruce Smithoptimuslife.org 

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