You are currently browsing the Bruce Smith weblog archives for June, 2011.
29. June 2011 by BruceSmith.
Life Thought: all hell tends to break loose just about the time we attempt to break loose from a smaller life and venture toward the life He has for us. Brace yourself in Him, stay the course in His strength, commit each moment to drawing a step closer to His dream for you. The breakthrough you long for approaches on the heels of your struggle.
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13. June 2011 by BruceSmith.
Drop the Shake Weight … Pursue NEW
The Gospel of Jesus Christ, against the monolithic backdrop of words, prose, poetry, banter, music, treatises unending, word gimmicks, motivational drones, empty promises, faulty assumptions, and worthless soundbites, stands singularly as the ongoing hope of the world. It is the Gospel of God which makes all things NEW.
Perhaps, like me, you’re often aware of the thirst, the outright starvation for something truly new in the world. We all search for this. What else could explain the “Shake Weight?”! Seriously! What, other than the soul quenching truth of Jesus, can begin a new MOVEMENT in the heart of a person who actually buys into the Shake Weight-like soul-gadgets of a world gone mad? We look to a lustful longing for sex to fix our inner need for belonging. We move toward tonics of all type for courage to be something bigger than we really feel we are. We pursue trophies of all manner in order to convince an onlooking public, largely a public we don’t know, that we matter. We entertain ourselves with and into imbecility. And we so insulate ourselves in our own selfishness that our calloused hearts cannot move toward anyone else in need, not even those in our own homes. This is living?
I want more than this. I also want more than what amounts to a spiritual-veneer approach found in all too many Christian communities. Not too dissimilar from the world around us, the church leans too far in the direction of Shake Weight, sit-com, reality tv solutions to a better life, a better church body. Promising messed up people “a better life now” in 200 pages or less or offering life enhancement on Sunday morning in thirty minutes or less with savvy entertainment and media to boot, we have somehow lost the greater ambition of changing the world through the Gospel of Newness.
In our effort to grow the church (a biblical idea I fully espouse) we have, too often, merely ritualized theology-lite, replaced liturgy with light shows, and diminished the central element of biblical truth, which all alone, can transform a soul and make one new. Where have the biblical orators gone? Where are the poets of the Creator? Where are all the divine dramatists? Are there any true pilgrim painters left?
In our new soft and quick-baked approach we have bought into the fast-food American dream version of me-centered christianity. I hear far too many sermons which leave me wondering when I shall, ever again, hear a message that speaks to anyone not wearing disposable christian diapers. I long for a message about the deep truths of God rather than the deep needs of shallow and entertainment driven people. Yes, we have needs, all of us. But we seem to have lost the reality, even in the church, that only through a deep understanding of God do we actually see Him clearly and thereby know what our real needs actually are. In our churches today we begin with us, and eventually ask God to help fix us, but not too much, because we want our worldly fun too. Is this the new movement writ majestically in the New Testament? Is this the movement which began with twelve and expanded all over the globe, community by community, as others “stood in awe” of what God was doing in their midst? I think not.
I affirm the new community of God’s people. I affirm His church. I long to be a vital part of what He is doing in the world. But what does He really want to do? Is it bigger than monetary pitches for “stewardship”? Is it more than a new wing on the house or the spiritual house in which we worship? Is it broader than a quick starter life course for cute soccer-moms and guys looking for a better dating scene? Is the movement God began more than a call to an hour on Sunday morning, one hour so predictable one can set a watch to it and finish the pastor’s sentences for him because they are so routine and overused, not to mention so filled with sugar and spice that its hard to find any real nutrition?
I don’t know about you, but when I sit before the word of God and take in its marvelous stories of triumph, tragedy, grace, pain, beauty, horror, astonishment, beguiling filth, redemption, and other-worldly realities, I WANT THAT! Again, I want THAT. I want that more than what I experience within myself too often. I want to be new, over and over again in that way. I want that over what I see in too many other shallow, world-mirroring “christians”, and I want that more than I want what I see in too many church services.
Give me something new. Give me something deep. Give me something truly creative and unpredictable. Give me a movement where the drama never stops, the plot always turns, the imagery is inspiring, and the goals are beyond me and where I sit in a comfy air-conditioned edifice. I want a new movement, again.
I want a God-centered experience that calls me, questions me, strengthens me, corrects me, directs me, inspires me, challenges me, moves me, grows me, and makes me NEW, all the time. I want that experience and I want to take that Christian reality to others. I don’t want a gospel that can be boxed, owned, repackaged, diluted, dispensed in 30 minutes or less. God’s movement, at work in me, at work in those I encounter, at work in our community. I want to see a movement that remakes people, feeds the poor, sets the prisoner free, moves mountains, re-draws the lines, moves the world closer to the goal of His Kingdom on earth. That’s the movement I long for.
Anybody else want to be part of God’s movement on the earth? Anybody else tired of same ole same ole? Anybody want to join me in pursuing the God who is already pursuing me, and you? Anyone else want to experience the drama, the vision, the wonder, the mystery, the fanfare, the unpredictable reality of God?
Let’s find a way. Let’s do this. Let’s pursue NEW. Let’s start a MOVEMENT.
Bruce Smith
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10. June 2011 by BruceSmith.
Don’t Read This If You Don’t Want to Make a Difference in the World Right Now!
BOOK RELIEF 2011!!
I’ve made my friends, readers, and curious onlookers aware of this opportunity a couple times in the past, but NOW it is critical and the opportunity is exponential. If you live anywhere along the coastal areas of the U.S., or anywhere else for that matter, or if you are a weather channel junkie like me, you know its HURRICANE SEASON. That, of course, means disaster season. Its has just begun, and it appears to be, according to the forecasters, a busy season.
This being so, we know, many will be hit hard, and will see their lives turned upside down in many ways. How will they make it through? How will they piece life back together after losing possessions, homes, family members, dreams, hope? How will they make sense of it all and move forward?
Those questions, and the answers, are what my book, SOUL STORM: FINDING GOD AMIDST DISASTER, is all about. Thankfully, the book received great endorsements along the way (see www.bruceleesmith.co), and we have seen and heard from many who have found help and hope upon reading the book.
The book, by God’s grace, came together in a matter of months, literally. It was written, one draft, one edit, an agent secured, a publishing contract signed, in a total of about 120 days! That is unheard of to say the least. It received endorsements by political leaders, entertainers, pastors, scholars, thinkers, relief effort leaders, and more. Its a God thing, no doubt.
Just a couple of weeks ago I sat with one reader who expressed thanks for the book and its impact in his life. The story he told was of a man with no spiritual focus or desire whatsoever, who, as he read Soul Storm, and navigating “disasters” of his own, became open to the work of God in his life, and has now been on a new spiritual adventure, one that has him hungry for all God wants for his life.
The opportunity we now have is far reaching. The GOAL is to purchase 4,000 books from the publisher at a discounted rate, and send them to those now dealing with disaster in their lives and those who will shortly endure the hit from hurricane season. The book’s subtitle, “reflections from a hurricane Katrina survivor” will, no doubt, resonate with those impacted by this year’s storms.
Help us help others! Yes, we need your generosity and your investment. We are asking that you be overwhelmingly generous as you consider how to aid others. Indeed, those affected by disaster need much (food, shelter, clothing, medical support and more…and you can donate for that as well at our sites), but nothing, literally, is needed more than God’s truth and direction in their lives.
The link above will take you directly to the order page where you can order Soul Storm for only $13.00 In the bookstores they are over $20.00 in most cases. The $13.00 gets the books to us, provides for shipping and expenses, and helps us get a message of God’s hope in the hands of those reeling in the aftermath of a crushing blow.
We need this initiative to hit its goal NOW (4,000 books) before we are working to catch up to the storms. We need the books on hand now so we can ship and send with aid workers when and where the storms come ashore. We have the ability through our networks to get these books to needy people quickly, but we cannot do so without the books in hand. THAT is where you can literally IMPACT THE WORLD, NOW.
Again, please, go to www.soulstormsite.com or go to www.bruceleesmith.co or direct to the link below, to buy as many books as you can. Then just note on the order form “send to disaster victims”. That is it! $130 buys 10 books. How many lives will that impact? At least 10, probably at least 10 families actually! Think about it. The lives of hundreds of people can be transformed because of a gift of only $130.00
If you can’t swing that, then do what you can. If you can do more, if you can buy all 4,000 books, GO FOR IT. Let’s do what we each can do.
Here is the link again:
In case I did not convey my desire clearly enough, let me try again! We absolutely need your help. We absolutely want to make a difference and see lives impacted. You can be a part of that with two minutes of your time and your investment. It is an investment you will sense a great deal of grace and joy in. Please, help.
Thank you for many who will find hope and a way forward,
Bruce Smith
www.bruceleesmith.co
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8. June 2011 by BruceSmith.
The new .co author site for Bruce is up and running!
www.bruceleesmith.coBook projects, blogs, Dear Bruce letters, initiatives, outreach, book excerpts, links to other Bruce sites…and growing all the time!
CHECK IT OUT!!
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