8. November 2011 by BruceSmith.

A word to ponder over a “cup a  Joe”…

Joe Frazier, gone. Joe Paterno, on his way out. We climb high, fight so hard, protect so much, and in the end, it ends. The bigger question of our lives concerns how we live them. Is the Hall of Fame for any sport bigger than God’s agenda for us? Greatness is not measured by a statue, acclaim, image, or iconic human status. Greatness, true greatness, unfolds before an audience of One. It ennobles others, protects at all times, calls people to chase the vision. May we be truly great.
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4. November 2011 by BruceSmith.

“I know you are, but what am I?”  Bum theology and the doctrine of Grace.

My wife and I had the pleasure of traveling to New York City this past week.  I was there to attend a book event for my recently published book, Life in 3D! The Superhero’s Guide to the Galaxy (www.bruceleesmith.co).  While there, I was overjoyed to be able to take time Sunday morning, before leaving, to join Redeemer Presbyterian and Tim Keller during their worship service.  I have often read Tim’s work, and have wanted to hear him speak and see the ministry there firsthand.  Just the idea that a church, centered upon the Word of God, not show, is thriving in a culture of performance and “show me”, profoundly inspires me.  The fact that they meet on at least five sites, at five different times, throughout the city, is all the more impressive.  In a city filled with so many distractions, thousands gather every week to hear the transformative message of grace.  

As we took time to enjoy the arts, walk the museums, gorge on the food, linger in the bookstores, and drown in the all the sensory options, it was refreshing to wind up the trip, quietly, simply, hearing and meditating on the work of God in us, and His longing to reach a people caught up in the boastful race of self-fulfillment.

Tim’s message, based on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, was the message of redemption and transformation offered to bums like me, like all of us.  Does that suggestion make you cringe?  Don’t like to consider yourself a bum?  Well, before you get to bummed out, consider with me, for a moment, what Grace is all about.

Surely, we can all remember those moments on the schoolyard, as children, after a verbal zinger had been let off, and the refrain was shot back, “I know you are, but what am I?!”  Some still use the line as adults, though perhaps, with different words.  The phrase, emotional and cutting, is of course, an attempt to re-establish our place in the world, reduce the embarrassment that results from being called out in front of others, and ultimately, an attempt to brace ourselves against the charge that essentially confronts each of us, a piercing charge that proclaims, “You are a bum!”  Am I?, we think to ourselves.  And then we kill the idea, mercilessly.  No, the other guy may be a bum, but not me, I will not entertain this idea!  Honestly, the idea haunts us all, its our background music, its why we run so hard, strive so long, and squeeze our fists so often.

It hurts when we know that others don’t view us as special, unique, and of value.  Insults force us to consider who we really are and what we are really made of.  This shows up in the bruising interplay of struggling marriages and in the seemingly trivial realities of road rage.  As Tim Keller pointed out in his sermon on this New York Sunday morning, its all about the Rocky Balboa complex.  Rocky, driven by his own inner longing, fear, and questions about himself, lying next to Adrian, offers the most honest and unsettling of truths about each of us.  Attempting to justify himself before his girl, and in his attempt to justify his place on this planet, he tells Adrian that his desire to fight Apollo stems from his yearning to know he can “go the distance” with the champ.  Such a stand, Rocky says, will finally assure him, “…I am not a bum.”  Rocky, with those words, honest, deeply open, reveals what drives us all in our quests for success, sex, accomplishment, moral achievement, religiosity, reputation, money, grades, fame, pleasure, and so much more.  We, like Rocky, fear we are bums.  And here is the real news…we are.  Every last one of us…we are bums.  Ouch.

Bum theology.  What is this about?  Where is the good news?  

You came to this reading, no doubt, in hopes of some bit of encouragement and direction for your life.  You did not, I presume, take time to read this rambling with the expectation of getting beat up more than life has already pounded you.  Well, hang on.  Steady yourself against the ropes.  The bell of grace is coming to save you soon enough.  

Paul, a man we consider Saint of Saints, proclaimed himself a bum.  He suggested, remember, “I am the chief of sinners.”  Paul knew he was a bum.  It was the second pillar that supported his life along with the pillar of grace.  Paul understood, came to understand, what we don’t like to acknowledge, apart from God, we are nothing.  In his former life, jew of jews, educated, respected, a scholar of scholars, a mocker and killer of God’s people, Paul boasted.  He came to see how reviling such empty boasts were.  God, as it were, literally stopped him in his tracks, knocked him off his horse, blinded him, exposed him to the truth that God could end him in a moment, and he was then blinded, splendidly, by the brilliance and radiance of God’s truth, grace, and calling.  All he had boasted about, he came to see as a vulgar projection of falsehood and empty living.  

Yes, we are created in God’s image, as the scriptures tell us.  It is also true God loves us beyond degree.  The deeper, precious, and fundamental truth, in this mix, however, is that we are loved not because we are innately lovable, rather, we are loved because God is a lover, and He longs to see that which He created walk with Him in relationship.  Jesus, the perfect man, God in the flesh, sent to us to restore the gap between God and human beings which resulted from our disobedience, is God’s personal message of Grace amidst our “bumness”.  Because we have a bum nature, God intervenes, reaches those created for relationship with Him, now estranged by sin, transforms our bum nature by His nature, and gives us a new heart and a new life.  We can only truly boast, as Paul discovered, in God’s marvelous work in us, amidst our vileness and comedic distortion.

The truth of the Gospel is not that we deserve goodness, that we are splendid, talented, and deserving of blessing.  It is not that we earned enough, accomplished enough, gained enough degrees, spoke in front of enough people, won enough elections.  No, as Paul writes to the Ephesians, we have no reason to “boast” in anything.  In fact, what Paul is really saying, and what Tim Keller pointed out in his message, is that the boasting spoken of by Paul is actually a vain attempt to instill confidence in ourselves.  Like men going into battle, like a woman readying herself for another date, like a man attempting to secure his waning confidence in his ability, like a politician waxing gregariously about his leadership resume, the boasting Paul was referring to, is an empty jest.  Its our attempt to tell others, based upon some dubious scale of human crafting, that we are worth time and effort, we should be the center of attention.

We try to rally ourselves into a stupor of confidence, based upon some worldly standard of measurement, and all the while God looks down in compassionate laughter, saying, “Is he serious?! He really believes that!”  God knows the truth about us.  He sees our weakness and inability to direct our lives.  He sees what we think, what motivates us, and has a front row view of our darkest thoughts and actions.  He knows, also, that He alone is our beginning and our end.  He alone is our story.  Without Him it all falls apart.  What have we to boast about in ourselves, really?  Nothing.  Anything “good” in our lives is a byproduct of His extending grace to us.  He graces us with intellect, drive, provision, personality, open doors, and so much more.  Yet, at the slightest bit of success, we boast in our selves.  We take the gifts He has placed in us and we corrupt them and use them for our own name and gain.  We mismanage the artistic potential for heroism, implanted in us by God, for good, and we become the anti-hero.  Like the devil, we disdain the Creator for being the Creator, and in our self-worship we cut ourselves off from the fountain of life, the source of life’s spring.

Such an approach to life, in reality, is like the petal boasting in itself, free from the branch, detached from the stem, removed from the soil.  The boast of men and women, even as it relates to moral achievement, is like the violin boasting in its sound, though no sound can come from even the finest Stradavarius without the touch of the musician.   Indeed, the instrument would not exist were it not for the creative genius which brought it to life.  The instrument can be beautiful, and its potential for melody astonishing, yet, without the direction and execution of the player, no lasting good can result.  A violin with no context, no score, and no touch, is merely an ornament of futility, however aesthetically attractive it may be.  What makes all Strads so valuable, beyond the artistry of the design, the varnish, and the lines, is the sound.  That sound, unique, full, luxurious, and transcendent, arises from the instrument and makes its way into the ears of hungry listeners only as a master does his work.  The grace results when the instrument moves in a musical dance with the one who tunes and strokes its strings.  The majesty fills the concert hall only as the instrument is subject to the precision and artistry of the violinist.

Grace is like this.  As God’s own creations, we are created with an eye toward detail, beauty, and glory.  Yet, only as we allow Him, our maker, to direct our score, craft our notes, perfect our pitch, and conduct it all, do we find the one thing worth boasting in, His grace.  Just as the real genius of a Strad lies in its maker’s hands, so too our greatness is found in the Great One who put us together while we were yet in the womb, as the scriptures make known.  

Bum theology.  Its an accurate depiction of biblical truth.  Grace, the crown jewel of God’s composition.  Bum theology, self-focus identified, leads us to the truth that in ourselves we implode, we strive for a place to be known.  Grace, our re-making, points us to where we already belong, in who we belong, and where we are loved, regardless of what we bring to the table.  We are loved because we are His.  Our boast, if we are to boast, is in our Father.  The boasts of this world, attempts to define ourselves for others, and a groping to hide our own fear of not measuring up, will suffocate us emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually.  When we make our way to that place where we can say with Paul and with the Psalmist, “…our boast is in the Lord!”, we will find rest and joy for our souls.  Such a boast, a profound understanding of who we are in Him, embraces the truth of bum theology, and lavishes in the theology of Jesus, Grace in flesh and blood.  

Here, in getting our proper boast on, we can relax, and approach all our efforts as one more shot to go the distance, run the race, and win the prize, for God’s purposes.  THAT is something worth fighting for.  We have already been made champions in being restored to Him, in being granted intimate relationship with the One who controls the stars and galaxies.  What more could we ask for?  What more could we boast in?  What more could offer our souls anything bigger and of more consequence?  We all like sheep (not so bright bums) have gone astray, the bible reads.  But the Good Shepherd has gone on an all out search for each and every one of His lost sheep.  He has turned the house upside down to find that one lost coin (Luke 15).  And He stands atop His hillside estate, looking longingly for those who have run off and squandered their lives, waiting for the day we return, so He can run out toward us, take us in, and boast in the restoration of His children!

Get your boast on, bum!

Bruce Lee Smith

www.bruceleesmith.co

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31. October 2011 by BruceSmith.

The books are back from the printer and ready to head out the doors!  Please, visit www.bruceleesmith.co and order yours today.  The first 100 books ordered will be shipped with a FREE copy of Soul Storm: finding God amidst disaster (my first book).

Just go to www.bruceleesmith.co, click on the “buy” button, and BAM!, your roadmap to a bigger life is on the way.  Stock up for Christmas gifts too!  Where else can you find a gift that offers your loved ones a Superheroic life vision plan for under $20?!

Geaux there now! PLEASE!!

www.bruceleesmith.co

Thanks,

Bruce

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17. October 2011 by BruceSmith.

The Race

Dan Wheldon, racer, driver, beloved friend, died yesterday in a horrific crash on the race track.  

When we read headlines like that, death, becomes real.  Death, race car drivers say, is always there, always lurking, always real.  Drivers also suggest they do what they do by blocking this foe out of their minds in the heat of competition and practice.  I wonder if this is true of us.

I am not a racing fan, never have been, and doubt I ever will be.  Yet, seeing the clips, hearing more about Dan Wheldon the man, and hearing his friends talk about him, I could not help but be engaged by this story, and touched.  He was good at what he did, a champion in fact, and he was well loved by those on the circuit.  People known for their “drive” and fierce competitiveness chose to end competition yesterday and pay tribute to driver whose life was snatched away amidst flames and wreckage.  The checkered flag took a back seat to a slower and more thoughtful pace.

Life is so much like this for all of us, is it not?  We are driven to live a life of adventure and speed.  We risk so much for the thrill of living.  We hunger to win.  We race, race, race, in order to stay ahead of the field and to convince ourselves that we matter.  And then, seemingly from under the fog of true reality, death sneaks up on us, we are reminded of our mortality, and the brevity of life wakes us up.  In light of death, life gains perspective.  As one driver put it yesterday, “This is what drives us, its what we live for…and then something like this happens, and you realize it just doesn’t matter”.

What matters?  What is ultimately real for you?  Are you racing around the track of life today, risking too much, living only for the next thrill or adventure?  Is your life marked by an unhealthy thirst to make a name for yourself?  To experience another high, do you lock yourself in, hit the pedal hard, and forget about the brakes?  Does your lust to conquer others keep you at the redline?

When was the last time you took a moment to contemplate what really matters?  Is your family getting the time you ought to devote to them?  Are your co-workers aware of more than your 9-5 performance?  Do they know of anything more significant about you?  Are you investing in your inner life or is your grip on the wheel of fortune too strong for you to give yourself to God?  Are you willing to risk not only your life, but that of others, in order to make sure you cross the finish line first?

Death.  Its personal.  It comes to each of us.  It shows up unexpectedly, forcefully, tragically, and unavoidably.  Slow down long enough today to pay tribute to the reality of true living.  Jesus said, “I have come that they might have life, and that to the full.” Jn 10:10  Try as you might, fullness of life will not be captured by a high speed chase of false adventure.  Fullness of life is not something taken by force or by ramming your way into the “competitors” around you.  Life, by God’s definition, is secured by relationship with the One who made the track, governs the cars, directs the traffic, and raises the checkered flag when He is ready.  

Appreciate the gift of life today, in light of a sober view of death.  Love on those around you.  Offer grace to those on the track with you.  Offer space in your lane for those in need of a change of course.  Find God’s roadmap for your journey.  If need be, shed a tear for the false pursuit you have embraced in the past, move over to the passenger seat, and give God the wheel of your life.  I assure you, His command of the road is far superior to yours.  He will take you places you never dreamed of.  It will be the ride of your life.

Grace and Peace, 

Bruce

www.bruceleesmith.co

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16. October 2011 by BruceSmith.

WordSmithin:  What’s the word…in the New Century?

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

Want to grow in your depth and understanding of God? The will, the effort, and the mind, must come into play, regularly, intentionally, and specifically in line with God’s teaching. Be lead by the Word, rightly divide it (understand and present it), and see others impacted as well.

Not long ago, again, I viewed a major news interview with a current “Bible teacher” and speaker/pastor, en vogue, selling many books, and otherwise “liked”.  The difficulty with the interview was the clear lack of biblical knowledge and depth demonstrated by this figure head (and the less than bashful admission of no biblical education).  Asked to give his view on many critical issues of our time, asked to give a response to major events taking place around the world and in our own culture, the continual refrain of this “leader” was “That’s above my head and beyond my expertise”.  Most difficult, was the apparent lack of desire to even have a view or have a desire to make an effort to understand such important matters.  If major Christian leaders and figures will not have a view on matters of our time, what’s the point of their words?  

Often the Church and its people are scorned by popular and academic culture, not as a result of wanton bias against us (though this clearly exists), but due to our own lack of spiritual understanding, intellect, or ability to demonstrate how the bible is relevant today.  In pulpits around the country, too often, those who claim to speak for God, merely speak.  They may say “encouraging” or “happy” things, but they offer little that will impact others in ways God wants them to be reached.  Moreover, our lack of biblical understanding and laziness in regard to applying our mind to big issues, reflects poorly on the nature, mission, and purpose of the Church.  Church is not just an hour of wordsmithin on Sunday morning (or it, atleast, should not be)…that hour should be a moment of enormous weight, learning, direction, …worship (which includes teaching).  

As was written to Timothy, applies to us today, and as supported by the THE critical message of Jesus, we are to “love the Lord our God with all our hearts, MIND, and strength”.  If we are to wake up the Church, wake up our families and wake up our world to the spectacular and supreme life of God offered to us, we will need to turn off the TV (and perhaps the TV preacher), get off the sofa, and get our minds in the game with more intention and focus.  

It has been said that everyone is entitled to an opinion, and that is true.  However, opinion is not what the Word and work of God is about.  Truth is truth.  God’s teaching is not open to opinion.  It is not to be reduced to smiley nicities and syrupy sweet encouragement.  It is deeper, purer, more profound, and far more significant than this.  The message of His word is not up for grabs.  The text has meaning.  We must bring the text to bear upon our situation, not impose our situation and opinion upon the text.  This is basic biblical scholarship, and christian living.

The Church does not bring about individual, familial, social, or moral transformation because it fails to bring the message of real hope, imaginative and biblical hope, to the current setting.  In a world filled with many false stories, it is only the biblical story of hopeful transformation which opens life to those living a false existence.  It is biblical truth which transforms, not nice opinion or a general nod to some fuzzy view of “love”, and its certainly not a call to “christian success” or “blessing” which transforms people or cultures.

Study.  Show yourself “approved” by the Word of God, and be ready to speak that which God has already revealed, relevant for all of time, and applicable to every life.  It is this truth to which the scriptures refer, and it is this quality of life God points us to in the Word which reads, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind conceived, …what God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

Test what you hear.  Subject your thoughts, opinions, and understanding, and that of others, to the standard of truth–God’s word.  As is written, it is sharper than any two edged sword ( it is accurate and hits its mark with precision), and divides deeper than anything we hear, see, feel or think.   The Word of God is our encourager, our foundation, our bulwark amidst the voices which bombard us.  It is at once God’s love story and our training manual.  It is our cleft in the rock and our compass.

The Word for our day does not change.  His Word for life, is secure.  Place yourself in front of it often.  Learn to “rightly divide” it.  As the scripture tells us, “Be ready in season and out of season (all the time) to give a defense (reasoned and accurate answer) for the hope within you.”  Know what you believe, and why, and work to see that this belief lines up with biblical teaching.  

Sometimes people need to know the Word of God smiles upon them.  At other times they may need to know the Word calls them to repentance and tears.  Still, at other times, the call of the Word may be leading to massive change and focus.  God is for us, make no mistake.  Like any good parent, this means He will, at times, have varied messages for us.  He loves us, and therefore, He will not allow us to smile ourselves into a false sense of reality.  Real life is not all smiles, success, chatter, and unthoughful meandering.  Love, real love, includes direction.  

Today, and in the days ahead, may we allow God to envelope us in His Word for us.  May we hear His words of grace, truth, love, warning, change, repentance, transformation, hope, endurance, patient suffering, devotion, holiness, compassion, justice, and all that is there.  May we be aware of our times, thoughtful and engaged, and passionately pursuing Him with all that is within us, heart, soul, mind and strength.  May we be able to interact with others about important matters because our minds and hearts are prepared.  May our world and those in it matter enough that we study to show ourselves approved.  May our opinions rest upon a foundation of substance and effort.  May we speak because we have something to say.  May what we speak matter because God has something to say about it.  Its all relevant because God is relevant.  May our tone, pulse, passion, purpose, and voice reflect the measured, compelling, and ready heart of God alive within us.  And may we not shy away from being and speaking all God has called us to.  

www.bruceleesmith.co

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13. October 2011 by BruceSmith.

Final revisions on hard proof of new book, Life in 3D!, done, book group study guide added, ready for the printer!! Here we go!! Stay tuned…books for sale very soon…going to run a special promotion for the first 100 books bought which will include a special package including the first book, Soul Storm…
www.bruceleesmith.co

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5. October 2011 by BruceSmith.

Steve Jobs

Has there ever been a more noticeable leader?  The news is out.  Steve Jobs has died.  1955-2011.  He invented the personal computer.  He gave us the genius of the Ipod.  He gave us the Iphone and the Ipad.  He was behind the genius of Pixar Studios.  A child born out of wedlock, given up for adoption, a college drop out… and the leader of the most enticing company in our country at the time of his death.  Unlike any other leader, Steve Jobs was so tied to the image, success, and building of his company that to say one was to imply the other.  Apple = Steve Jobs.  Steve Jobs = Apple.

Lest we forget, he did not always get it right.  There were failures along the way, and he was, in fact, pushed out of the company he founded in the 80s.  More than 230 patents to his credit, billions in his bank accounts, and the most valuable company imaginable, Jobs was a leader, an artist, a visionary, and a world-wide business icon.  In Asia his products are so popular they are identified with what is best about America.  Never, perhaps, has there been a bigger story in the history of business.  Through vision, passion, unceasing desire, and artistry, Jobs made us all crave the Apple line-up of magical products.  

As a student of leadership, a student of corporate culture, and a fan of artistic excellence, I was drawn to Apple and to Jobs long ago.  My book, Soul Storm: finding God amidst disaster, featured a passage on Jobs and Apple with regard to the inspiring reality of comebacks, turnarounds.  Jobs, a man in love with the process of creating, and a man in love with the company he founded, mastered the comeback like no other leader we have seen.  

Today, on the heels of his passing, I offer that passage from Soul Storm (www.bruceleesmith.co  and www.soulstormsite.com) again.  Enjoy the read.

The Apple of His Eye

 Steve Jobs, the legendary CEO of Apple Computers, and college dropout, is a case study in the value of never quitting, never giving in when all appears lost.  The story of Apple is one that demonstrates the value of viewing the original goal, passion, and mission as something to cling to until the very end.  Steve Jobs is a huge figure in the world of computers and wealth building.  He co-founded Apple computer, gave the world its first PC-like machine in 1976, was a multi-millionaire before the age of thirty, and was the prime mover for Apple’s early and rapid success.  Bored, burned out, or just looking for something else to do, Jobs walked away from his company.  Upon Job’s departure from the company in the mid-eighties, Apple began to flounder in the absence of its leader.  For many years the health of this great company was deteriorating.  With market share deteriorating, profits falling, on the verge of terminal illness, and with all the experts pronouncing impending doom, Steve Jobs came back to Apple in 1997 as the “interim CEO”.  In 2000 he officially took the helm as the point man and CEO of this dying company.  When nearly everyone else had given up hope, Steve Jobs found inspiration in the initial passion and mission that birthed this once great company and he committed himself to a major rebuilding effort. 

 His first step toward recovering what had been lost, and in moving forward better than ever, was to give the company a makeover.  Apple, by design, Jobs was convinced, had to be a company of fresh vision and forward thinking.  Jobs was determined to demonstrate that this dying behemoth could and would lead the industry once again.  He started the makeover by totally redesigning the company and its products from the ground up.  The image, marketing, and design would have to be new, fresh, out of the box, and beyond anything the industry had ever seen.  The “Think Differently” marketing campaign set the tone for Apple’s new future.  In the days following his return, and still today, the compelling artistry, design, and user-friendliness have seemingly everyone craving Apple products once again.  The new highly stylized computers, the iPOD, the new Nano, iTunes, and the software have developed a cult like following.  Though I am cranking this book out on a windows based laptop, in my home office you will find one fantastic kick butt Apple desktop with a ridiculously large Apple cinema screen!  Somewhere in the house are more than a couple Apple iPods.  This company’s products are way cool, way fresh, and very alluring.  The attraction is back at Apple, market share in increasing, profits are climbing, and our culture is eating up its products like candy.  The turnaround is happening.  The company is better than ever.  The future looks bright.

 How does this kind of thing take place?  What is it that enables a once faltering and sputtering entity to come back to life in such a manner?  We have heard it quoted many times, “Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, give up. Never give up. Never give up. Never give up.“  These often quoted words of Winston Churchill are use by speakers, writers, and self-help gurus around the world regularly.  What many of us are unaware of, however, is the occasion, context and body of the entire speech.  Context means everything if the true import of a given quote is to really speak its truth.  The rousing speech, given by Churchill amidst the battles raging in World War II, is a testament to our call to persevere and press through the darkest of days.  The speech, given to students at the Harrow School conveys strength, character, poise, and resolve to fight for that which one considers to be of ultimate value.  Those words, in there entirety, are here for our consideration and have many parallels to the issues addressed in this book.  Britain, the apple of Winston Churchill’s eye was worth fighting for even amidst his country’s darkest days.  His words follow,

 Almost a year has passed since I came down here at your Head Master’s kind invitation in order to cheer myself and cheer the hearts of a few of my friends by singing some of our own songs.

The ten months that have passed have seen very terrible catastrophic events in the world–ups and downs, misfortunes– but can anyone sitting here this afternoon, this October afternoon, not feel deeply thankful for what has happened in the time that has passed and for the very great improvement in the position of our country and of our home?

Why, when I was here last time we were quite alone, desperately alone, and we had been so for five or six months. We were poorly armed. We are not so poorly armed today; but then we were very poorly armed. We had the unmeasured menace of the enemy and their air attack still beating upon us, and you yourselves had had experience of this attack; and I expect you are beginning to feel impatient that there has been this long lull with nothing particular turning up!

But we must learn to be equally good at what is short and sharp and what is long and tough. It is generally said that the British are often better at the last. They do not expect to move from crisis to crisis; they do not always expect that each day will bring up some noble chance of war; but when they very slowly make up their minds that the thing has to be done and the job put through and finished, then, even if it takes months - if it takes years - they do it.

Another lesson I think we may take, just throwing our minds back to our meeting here ten months ago and now, is that appearances are often very deceptive, and as Kipling well says, we must “…meet with Triumph and Disaster. And treat those two impostors just the same.”  You cannot tell from appearances how things will go. Sometimes imagination makes things out far worse than they are; yet without imagination not much can be done. Those people who are imaginative see many more dangers than perhaps exist; certainly many more than will happen; but then they must also pray to be given that extra courage to carry this far-reaching imagination.  But for everyone, surely, what we have gone through in this period–I am addressing myself to the School–surely from this period of ten months, this is the lesson: Never give in. Never give in.

Never, never, never, never–in nothing, great or small, large or petty–never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.

We stood all alone a year ago, and to many countries it seemed that our account was closed, we were finished. All this tradition of ours, our songs, our School history, this part of the history of this country, were gone and finished and liquidated.  Very different is the mood today. Britain, other nations thought, had drawn a sponge across her slate. But instead our country stood in the gap. There was no flinching and no thought of giving in; and by what seemed almost a miracle to those outside these Islands, though we ourselves never doubted it, we now find ourselves in a position where I say that we can be sure that we have only to persevere to conquer.

You sang here a verse of a School Song: you sang that extra verse written in my honor, which I was very greatly complimented by and which you have repeated today. But there is one word in it I want to alter - I wanted to do so last year, but I did not venture to. It is the line: “Not less we praise in darker days.” I have obtained the Head Master’s permission to alter darker to sterner. “Not less we praise in sterner days.” Do not let us speak of darker days: let us speak rather of sterner days. These are not dark days; these are great days–the greatest days our country has ever lived; and we must all thank God that we have been allowed, each of us according to our stations, to play a part in making these days memorable in the history of our race. 

 And so, the call to fight for that which is important to us must be heard loud and clear.  Rather than giving in amidst life’s most desperate moments and pronouncing a death sentence upon all of our dreams, we must passionately pursue that which is so precious to us.  Never give up, never give in, never quite pursuing your God given passion.  No matter where you are in the journey, at the top or beneath the rubble, turn you gaze upwardly, think differently, think with the mind of Christ, and go for it.  Attempt the ridiculous for good of others as God inspires you.  Pour the rubber into the waffle iron, cut the mold, build the shoe, lace it up, and go for it.  Just do it.  If you think your idea, your dream, your passion to rebuild your life is just too hard or too unthinkable, read the story of Bill Bowerman and the creation of the first Nike tennis shoe. 

 God tells us we are the apple of his eye.  He assures us of His love for us, and He has told us over and over again that He is about the business of rebuilding.  His ways are not our ways, His thinking is outside the box, and life looks much different from His perspective.  When all around may appear to be death and destruction, through God’s eyes the view is much better.  From the grave He brings new life, fresh dreams, and bright futures.  In His hands, devastation and hopelessness are transformed into life and that abundantly.  Pick up a hammer, its time to start rebuilding!

 Bruce

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30. September 2011 by BruceSmith.

FOCUS

Where there is no vision, people perish and become a laughing stock–The Bible.  It was true of the people of Israel, its true of all teams (like the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox as of late!), its true of business, and its true of us.  We need proper sight, vision, focus.

Its time to focus.   Focus, mental, physical and otherwise, is the element which opens up to us, a full world of adventure.  Focus, is the game within the game.  In the classic text on the Inner Game of Tennis, Tim Gallwey presents a convincing case that the mental part of the game, the focus part, is what determines how success unfolds on the court (and this is true for the beginner as well as the accomplished player).  Its the focus which determines how we perform under pressure.  Its the focus which determines how we stay the course, how we pursue the game, how long we remain in the point, and how the game unfolds.  Its the focus which determines the resolve with which we approach a critical point.  Its the focus which establishes how we handle setbacks in the game, and its the focus which allows us to execute a strategic plan that can lead to victory.  Its all about the focus–in tennis and life.  The lazy, distracted, or inattentive mind has no chance for achieving excellence.

You have seen, no doubt, those special players who can raise the bar on the levels of focus as needed.  These players can actually thrive under the pressure of match play.  While others seem to only “play out” when nothing is on the line, these focused performers want the ball on their racquet when it matters most.  Called to meet the challenges of a big match, a huge point, or a critical game, the focused competitor raises the level of the game in the big moments.  In fact, the truly focused player thrives on big points.  These hitters swing bigger, press harder, think smarter, and embrace the moment all the more when its all on the line.  If you are a doubles player, these are the teammates you want next to you on the court.  If looking for a spouse, friend, business partner or confidant, these are your people.  If you are a singles player, these are not the guys you want to see on the other side of the net.  These people play like its all on the line all the time.  They will not let you off easy, and they refuse to embrace the game casually.  They are going to bring it, and bring it big.  When we see this quality in a player or in the life of a person its easy to say, “I need some of that”.  And, indeed, we all do.  

Andre Agassi, the hall of fame player, and winner of numerous grand slams, is known to have had two careers.  In his early career, at his admission, he lacked the kind of focus which we have come to know him for.  He lacked that focus on the court, off the court, and in life in general.  At some point, as he tells in his book, Open, he woke up to the reality that focus was lacking.  It was at that point that his second career began, and it was at that point that life took on an entirely new trajectory.  The rest as we now know, is history.  And what a history it has been.  Andre went from being a pro on the way out too early to becoming a newly committed and passionately focused pursuer of the game.  This reality, according to Andre, was true on and off the court.  As he came to understand that life was more than he ever expected it could be both on and off the court, his drive, focus, and heart were set ablaze, infused with faith, and empowered in a way he had never experienced.  The game he literally hated for most of his life, and the life which was lacking for so long, transformed once he found proper focus.  His second career, even as an older competitor, was stronger and certainly more compelling, than his “first” career in the game.  His new work ethic, grit, court presence, and his new found compassion for others captured all tennis and sports fans alike.  Andre suggests it all began as he came to understand God’s call to spiritual focus, and an understanding of divine love and grace.  Life, all of it, finds its ultimate and daily focus here.

Beyond Andre, tennis fans will immediately recognize the intense focus of players like Jimmy Connors or Rafael Nadal.  These two guys border on maniacal focus and intensity on the court.  To tell you the truth, that’s what I love about them.  It is exceedingly rare to see either of these guys fold, melt down, or take a point off even if injured.  One thing you know when you watch them, it will all be left out there on the court, and it will be a show.  We all tune in to watch.  The bigger the match, the stronger the focus.  If we can learn to bring that kind of love, passion, and pursuit of the game to our own heart and mind, we would all be better served.  On the court, such a focus enables a player to always have their abilities dialed up and ready to go.  The feet are light and moving, the hands are fast and furious, and the mind is locked in.  That is a recipe for a winning game.  If we can learn to approach life in a similar manner, what a difference that would make!  In relational stress we could remain poised and on the mark.  Amidst tragedy we can remain steadfast and hopeful for the next move.  And amidst loss, we can move forward with grace and humility having the knowledge that we gave it our all, no regrets.  It reminds me of the kind of focus Jesus suggested we must have in order to serve Him well, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength”.  That is focus.

Too often, because of pressure, stress, laziness, boredom, and all sorts of distractions, we take a point off in life.  Once missed, that point won’t come back.  Miss enough of them, and we can find ourselves way behind in the game of life.  Enough missed points in a relationship can lead to default.  Enough missed points with regard to taking care of our bodies, can lead to physical disaster.  Enough missed points as it pertains to character, can lead to the distrust of those we hold dear.  Points missed don’t return.  Big points missed stay with us a long long time.  Ask any pro player, or life player, who had a chance for greatness on their racquet only to squander it, and listen closely to the regrets.  Its a strange thing how vividly the replays stay with us.  The good stay as well, so we are wise to stay focused and dialed in so that when the tape in our heads begins to run, we can sit back and enjoy.  When we hear the words, “Game. Set. Match.”, our focus will determine how those words are viewed.  

What I am not suggesting is that we are always so intense that we don’t relax, rest, or allow our hearts, minds, and bodies to repair.  And, for sure, it must be fun.  One can, and must, remained focused on the proper things even when that focus requires rest for the soul.  All pro tennis players take time to relax, repair, and breathe.  That time can come between points, amidst a point (in order to properly relieve pressure and prepare for the next shot), or between games or matches.  But its always focused rest.  Jesus himself said, “Come to me and find rest for your souls”.  Even rest for the athlete is strategic.  Rest off the court, and managed emotional, physical, and mental rest on the court is crucial for competitive play.  All elite athletes are constantly monitoring and directing, with intentionality, the level of their meters on all these things.  All the gauges must be seen in our minds eye so that we can be on point for every point.  In many matches, one point can make all the difference.  One opportunity can make or break the run to a championship.  The same is true in the game of life.  We need to stay tuned in.

Focus is about proper perspective.  Its about seeing the right things in the right way at the right time and moving forward appropriately.  Sometimes this means we must ramp up our energy levels, at other times it means we must quiet our hearts and breath deeply in order to prepare for the next point.  Ultimately, focus is about vision married to balance.  Its about intensity in the right degree, the right situation, applied in the right way and in proper moment.  In the end its about a strategic and wise management of our hearts, minds, souls, and spirits in order that we might compete to the full.  That’s a goal we all share.  None of us want to walk away from the arena of competition knowing we could have left something more on the court.  In the game of life this is especially true.  

Let’s stay focused.  

Bruce Lee Smith

www.bruceleesmith.co

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20. September 2011 by BruceSmith.

Life Thought: Step it!

Life Thought: 

He orders our steps, of this we are assured. The steps, yet, must still be taken. Many of those steps are over, through, and into difficulty. Our eyes must be kept on the promise even as the boots are dragged through the pits. Victory assured does not negate a vigorous battle.

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9. September 2011 by BruceSmith.

www.bruceleesmith.co
Printing of Life in 3D! The Superhero’s Guide to the Galaxy is about to begin! Stay tuned!! Know any teens? Know any college age peeps? Know any new Christians? Know any seekers? Know anyone wanting to live a bigger life? …if so, buy this book, seriously!
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