Sometimes these little poems just come to me…

T’was the week before Christmas when all through the mall,
Every one rushed around creating a big squall.
Pushing and shoving was all one could see,
As everyone seemed to be on a shopping spree.

What happened to good cheer and being nice,
Seems to be replaced with the throwing of mace.
The screaming and yelling the cursing and swearing,
Just all seems to be very over-bearing.

As for me and my house we have determined,
The week before Christmas will be left for serving.
As the big day approaches don’t belly-ache,
Instead take time to bake Jesus a birthday cake.

Your Mind Could Be A Crime Scene!

Some readers of this blog might also know my wife and I are movie reviewers. One of my other blogs, Frame by Frame: A Family-Friendly Guide to the Movies is very active with weekly movie reviews and other movie news along the way too.

The above graphic is from the poster of the new Christopher Nolan directed Inception movie.

That should tell you that we are movie critics of mainstream, also known as marketplace, movies. But then again, I also firmly believe that in order to truly effect the world, we must take part in what’s known as the marketplace. We are not called to be, as Thomas Merton once wrote, an island unto ourself.

For more on Merton’s thoughts about this see his book
No Man Is An Island.

Frame by Frame – A Family-Friendly Approach

When it comes to movies, since our angle is family-friendly, we don’t really have to screen every new movie that comes along. However, we do try to screen every G, PG and PG-13 rated movie. We’re always asking the question – “Is this movie family-friendly” – As for R rated movies, while we don’t screen many, from to time to time, we do screen them if they interest us, or if they’re getting a lot of push toward a younger audience. It really is a fine line we walk as believers on this journey through life and movie critics trying to make sure our reviews aren’t skewed just because of our belief system.

As you can well imagine, over the past few years we’ve seen a lot of movies. Through all of the screenings there have really been three movies that have stuck with me. While they were “good movies” when it comes to production aspects, some of the messages or images stuck with me.

In other words…some scenes have ‘invaded’ my dreams.

The flicks falling into that category include…

• I Am Legend – While I do not have a written review of the movie on Frame by Frame, I will say this, Will Smith was incredible in this remake of the old classic movie. While it was well done, there are some scenes, one in particular, that stuck with me. It took quite some time to get the image out of my mind.
• The Watchmen – While this movie was Rated R I knew we couldn’t ignore it because of all the hype surrounding the movie. So, I went and screened it. Again, it was well done, but some of the violence was very graphic and did stick with me. In order to finally get it out of my head, I just had to buckle down and write the review. Once the review was written, the images stopped invading my dreams.

Just this year, a third movie has been added to the list of movies that invaded my dreams for a time. Of course the movie was also one about dreams…

• Inception – It held the #1 Box Office spot for three weeks and again, it is well done. However, the premise of the movie revolves around the whole idea of invading the dreams of people to manipulate them. Of course it’s somewhat based on fact knowing that we are most vulnerable when we are sleeping. As a result, this movie did indeed invade my dreams for a few days after screening it.

Calming ‘Night Terrors’

As we journey through this thing we call life, it is true that we are most vulnerable when we sleep. That’s why it’s so important to have people praying for you if you undergo surgery where you’re put under. The mind is a powerful thing and we do not use much of our mind. But, our mind, especially our dreams, can be invaded by the enemy who looks to bring ‘terror’ into our life. As a result, even though we enjoyed Inception we will not buy it for our DVD collection.

It did invade our dreams for a short time.

Some people think movies are nothing more than mindless entertainment. While it’s true, some movies are great for a shear entertainment value. But, when they cross over into areas of the spiritual realm, we fellow sojourners need to exercise caution.

Of course as a believer we also walk a fine line when it comes to movies.

Some believe we are totally out of line when it comes to being movie critics, while others see absolutely nothing wrong with viewing any and all movies. However, reality is, we must always seek to find that balance. While we often say on our Frame by Frame blog we are not movie cops, I would hedge a little more on that comment here on this Fellow Sojourners blog. We are making our way through life and I would like to think along the way I’ve picked up and learned a thing or two when it comes to warning others about what to see and what not to see.

When it comes to Inception, while it is a “big” scenery movie, exercise caution if you see it. While it’s described as a sci-fi thriller, it also touches on areas about the mind we must be aware of. We are supposed to take “every thought captive to Christ Jesus”. When we do that, we keep the enemy out from invading our mind and most importantly, our dreams.

A Fellow Sojourner,
Dr. Rus

In the daily devotional A Year With Thomas Merton, the reading for today is entitled New Year’s Darkness. Merton writes about the darkness of January and the fact that it had not only been snowing in Kentucky, but the snow mixed with rain made it seem even more dark. But, he finishes the entry by commenting on the peace he also senses in the darkness. He concludes that he would be “foolish to leave such peace with no reason.”

Can we find peace in the midst of darkness?

That’s a question I’ve been asking myself over the past few months. In the midst of darkness when it seems God is no longer speaking or giving direction, can we actually find peace? I have to say the answer is “yes”. But only if we know our peace comes from God at all times. The mystics called it the dark night of the soul. When God is in the refining process of the saint. How we respond to such a dark night determines how long the dark night will last. Or at least that’s what I used to think. Do we respond with despair? Do we respond with anguish? Do we respond with peace? I’ve come to the conclusion that the dark night of the soul might also be a safe place. After all, since we know God will never leave us nor forsake us, we can also find great peace and comfort that even in the darkness, He is faithfully watching over us.

As we enter a new year what are you expecting? Are you expecting great things? Are you expecting mediocrity? Are you expecting darkness? As for me, I’m expecting great things. I received an email from a friend yesterday with a great word of encouragement. It wasn’t a lengthy email, but remember, quantity does not rule over quality.

My friend wrote – “Blessings for 2010 – Year of change secured as a result of the purging over the past five years.”

Those are very encouraging words.

The lighthouse picture above is covered in snow and appears very gray and dark as the light isn’t even on. That picture was taken earlier today in the midst of a storm. I’m believing the darkness is lifting and we’re heading for a brilliantly bright New Year!

A Fellow Sojourner,
Dr. Rus

When all is said and done,
Shouldn’t the world be loads of fun?
But along the way we often stray,
Losing focus as well as our way.

The bumps and potholes we find in life,
Many times fill us with loads of strife.
We look to the left and look to the right,
Wondering why help is not in sight.

The path can be strewn with many friends,
Who just might help us with the twists and bends.
But first we must find the trusted One,
Who really knows how to find the fun.

When tragedy enters along the way,
We wonder how to keep emotions at bay.
Should we cry and should we weep?
Or do we simply fall at His feet?

We start the journey as a child,
Living our lives on the edge of wild.
With our parents close at hand,
They’re always willing to help us stand.

The teen years come when we know it all,
Our parents slide back, sometimes letting us fall.
Could it be they really do know,
More than we thought before the winds started to blow.

In due time we fly from the nest,
Wondering just what’s in store for us next.
True love comes and we often wed,
Celebrating the joy of the marriage bed.

The next stop in life is the parent role,
That’s when things really begin to roll.
Life becomes hectic with every hour filled,
We wonder aloud, will anything get spilled?

When mid-life comes and we start to gray,
We begin to wonder about our stay.
By now it’s been close to two-score and ten,
But what lies ahead around the next bend.

Should we turn left, or should we turn right,
By now the sunset just might be in sight.
When we were once young, those around were old,
But now things are different, or so we are told.

Just when we think we have life figured out,
The tables seem turned and we begin to doubt.
Did we go left when we should have gone right,
Did we simply respond out of a sense of fright.

Before we know it we’re back with the question,
Or is it possibly more of a confession?
Shouldn’t life really be loads of fun,
When we find this journey done?

We walked the path at times alone,
While all along not far from a Stone.
Will that Stone become the Rock,
Who gives meaning to life when we stop.

The path is now strewn with many friends,
Who did indeed help us with the twists and bends.
But when did we find the trusted One,
Who’s also known as the Son.

He’s always been there from the beginning of time,
Simply waiting for His time to shine.
The table is set and all is prepared,
All we need to do is cut loose our despair.

While the journey seems long as we search for the fun,
All we really need to hear is “Enter in” and “Well done”.
For the ancients of old always cheered us on,
Even when we thought all was long gone.

At the end of the journey what will we find,
A loving Savior who is really kind.
After serving God’s purpose in our generation,
We too can find rest with in His Holy nation.

“And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, for there is no sin in Him. So if we continue to live in Him, we won’t sin either.”
1 John 3:5-6

Wow! Think about that. John is telling us there that if we “live in Jesus we won’t sin.” Let that sink in for a few moments. Many eject from the idea of holiness by having what I call a Paul complex. The Apostle Paul declared that he was the “chief of all sinners.” As a result many today excuse the sin in their life by saying they are just like Paul. But, who are we following? Paul? Or Jesus?

A life of holiness is a life of “sinning no more.” When defining Christian perfection John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, said it’s not that we are “without” sin. But we do “sin no more.” When we are in Christ, “we won’t sin.” When we find ourselves struggling with sin, or doing what we know is not pleasing to God, we ask forgiveness, and receive His grace to sin no more in that particular area of our life.

That’s precisely what Andrew Murray is getting at today in the daily journal – The Best of Andrew Murray on Prayer.

Jesus Said – “Go and sin no more…”

After her accusers dropped their stones and slithered away into the crowd, Jesus told the woman “caught in the act adultery” to “go and sin no more.” Did He mean that the woman would never sin again? Did he mean that every area of her life was totally clean and she would never sin again? While He did say she was forgiven, He was also emphasizing the fact that she should “go and sin” in that particular area of her life “no more.”

Michael Brown’s book Go and Sin No More is an amazing book which looks at the whole area of holiness. This is not a book to be read by the faint of heart. It falls into the category of what I call an “Owee” book. There are a lot of “ouch” moments in the book as we discover what it really means to live a holy life.

While this is no easy task, to live a holy life in the midst of an unholy world, we can take heart in knowing it is possible. As Andrew Murray writes…

“By faith as we claim these words – ‘If we continue to live in Him, we won’t sin either” – God the Almighty has pledged to make this promise a reality.”

Andrew Murray Prayer
Dear Father, the life I live in Your Son frees me from the power of sin. As I live in Him help me to claim and live the promise: “If we continue to live in Him, we won’t sin either.” In the perfect name of Jesus, Amen.

Find out more about this Devotional Journey Here

A Fellow Sojourner,
Dr. Rus

“The Son perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God’s nature.”
Hebrews 1:3

The Andrew Murray reading for today discusses the letter to the Hebrews. Murray quotes 13:20-21 where we read – “May the God of peace…equip you with all you need for doing his will. May He produce in you…all that is pleasing to Him.”

What does it mean to attain Christian perfection? Is this even something we can attain? Murray writes…

“The thought of being totally equipped to please Him is too high. The promise is too large. And yet, the promise remains, stimulating our faith.”

Daily Perfection?

I must admit some days I feel more “perfect” than others. Have you ever experienced one of those great days where you just know you’re in the center of God’s will and absolutely nothing could knock your faith out of place? But, we also know those days can disappear as quickly as they appear. When this happens, how do we truly “hold fast and hold tight” as the author of Revelation encourages us to do? Could it be this is the time when we find hope and comfort in the words of Murray when he points out “the promise stimulates our faith”.

If Jesus is the “perfect mirror image of God” and if we are being “perfected in Christ Jesus,” does this mean we too are called to be a “mirror image of God”? How can this be?

What do you see when you look in the mirror today?

Where do we turn when we feel detached from God? We keep listening for His voice, but just when we think we’ve heard it, something happens which once again rocks our faith. Where do we turn when we feel like we’re holding on with only fingernails and are looking somewhat ripped up, torn apart and bleeding? In his book The North Face of God Ken Gire quotes C.S. Lewis when discussing times like these. Lewis once wrote, “Why are so many holy places dark places?”

That’s a great question. A few pages before Ken Gire encourages us how to make it through the dark places. Ken writes…

“Although we can’t choose how long we will wait in the darkness, we can choose how well we will wait. I think we all know how to wait poorly, so we don’t need that explained. But, what does it mean to wait well? What does that look like?”

Andrew Murray Prayer
Dear Father, as a sinful creature, it is difficult to imagine that I can be perfectly equipped through the work of Christ. Increase my faith as You make it a reality. Amen

Find out more about this Devotional Journey Here

A Fellow Sojourner,
Dr. Rus

In Seminary I had a Professor once explain balance as something very hard to find and achieve. While we all want balance and are in search of balance, finding such balance is very difficult.

The professor explained it this way….

“It’s like being on a boat,” he said. “You have everyone gathered to one side of the boat looking over the edge at something fascinating when suddenly the boat begins to pitch to one side.” Why does this happen? “Because everyone is on one side of the boat. As a result, there is no balance at all, and the boat begins to take on water.”

As a result of the situation, “Everyone screams and they suddenly run to the other side of the boat in an attempt to bring balance. While one would think we understand that balance comes from the middle, no one stops in the middle of the boat.” Actually, the opposite takes place! “Everyone keeps running to the other side of the boat in an attempt to stop the tipping sensation.” Of course simply running to the other side of the boat does not bring balance. “Actually,” declared the Professor, “in the search for balance, the boat suddenly starts to pitch in the other direction.”

Thomas Merton – The Real Thing

On July 23, 1964, Thomas Merton found himself reflecting on the life, experience and doctrine of Ramana Maharshi. I’m currently reading a devotional book entitled A Year with Thomas Merton. The book contains daily excerpts from his journal’s. Today Merton is really addressing the idea of balance. He says he’s fascinated by the life of Ramana Maharshi because his experience.

Merton writes;

“Whatever may be the deficiencies of the doctrinal elaboration, and the misleading effect of some of the philospophical concepts, this is the basic experience – ‘God is the ultimate ‘I’ Who is the Self of every self!’ It is this that Christianity too expresses in and through the doctrines of grace, redemption, Incarnation, Trinity. Sons in the Son by grace.”

For me, the fascinating aspect of those words is not found in the concept of discovering who we are in Christ. Instead, it’s the deeper thought Merton expresses here concerning experience. Merton goes on to say that while Maharshi has flawed doctrine, he has something many Christians don’t have – a true experience and understanding of who he is in God.

As Thomas Merton grew older, some inside the church accused him of heresy. It was statements like the above which started to get him into trouble. Did he really say Mararshi had a deeper understanding of God than Christians? No, that’s not what he’s saying. Instead, Merton is pointing out that in the midst of doctrine, some believers don’t truly experience who they are in God. On the other hand, on the other side of the boat, Merton points to Marashi saying “while his doctrine is flawed” he has an experience that many Christians do not have.

How do we find balance?

That’s really the heart of the matter here. Thomas Merton was once asked who the best Christian was he’d ever met. His response – “Ghandi. The only problem is, he doesn’t realize he’s a Christian.” Staggering words coming from a Monk in the Catholic tradition. What was he saying? Again, I believe Merton was addressing balance here. Was he saying Ghandi was a Christian? No. But he was saying he saw attributes of Christianity in Ghandi that he did not see in other believers.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – “Life is called a journey for a reason.” – As we journey through life, we find ourselves bombardered with many things. Through it all, we seek balance, so we might in turn discover truth.

A Fellow Sojourner,
Dr. Rus

Dandelion Fluff

Have you ever looked at the life cycle of a dandelion? Those incredible yellow flowers, or weeds, which spring up all over the grass as soon as spring arrives. To some people, they look pretty. To others, they’re a menace to be weeded out and discarded forever. The first life of the dandelion consists of that little yellow flower that just seems to never go away.

Then, for those that do survive the first cycle of life, the dandelion suddenly and magically turns into nothing more than fluff. On the surface, this fluff looks very harmless. When a wind comes along, the fluff is blown away and the dandelion is never to be seen again.

At least for a season…

Impacting Your Environment

The dandelion fluff, which marks the end of a season, or life cycle, for the dandelion may look harmless. But, for those who really know what’s going on, the fluff is merely planting the harvest for the next crop of dandelions. The fluff goes to seed and lays dormant until the dandelion growing season hits once again.

From time to time it’s important for us to step back and see what’s going on in our life. A journal entry from Thomas Merton in June of 1960 says the following;

“To see better means we need to gain perspective. That sometimes means a withdrawal, or a stepping back from the machinery of life.”

Stepping back from the machinery of life…
Just let those words sink in for a moment.

All too often, the machinery of life adds to the chaos and noise of life as we navigate through this journey we call life. From time to time, we must step back so we can gain perspective on what’s going on around us. Or, sometimes we need to step back so we can gain perspective on what’s going on in our own lives. It’s during these times of reflection, these times of stepping back, that we truly gain the perspective we need to make sense of what’s going on around us.

In my final year of Seminary I took a class on the Historical Books from the Old Testament. Up until that time, I usually had little to no difficulty working on the various assignments pertaining to Bible study and Bible study methods. However, for some reason I had a block when it came to working through lessons found in the Old Testament historical books. All I saw was a collection of names, facts, and what I considered to be useless information.

However, one day that all changed as I sat in my Professor’s office lamenting the fact I didn’t see anything! He looked at me and said, “It’s because you’re too close to the material. You’re working too hard in trying to figure out what’s going on.” He then said, “Take off your glasses.” I told him if I did that, I would see nothing at all! He laughed and said, “Take off your glasses, hold them over your shoulder like you’re holding them up for God to use.”

The Professor then said something that totally changed the way I looked at not only the Scripture passage, but even the situation. The Professor said, “Now, ask God what He sees here.”

Wow! What a transformation of attitude in looking at something. I believe that’s what Merton touches on when he says we need to step away to get perspective. Sometimes it’s the stepping away, and even asking God to show us what He sees in a given situation, where truly find answers for the journey.

A Fellow Sojourner,
Dr. Rus

It’s another Friday and that means it’s another #followfriday on Twitter! This is a day when sometimes our Twitter streams get very noisy with people making suggestions of some of their favorite people they follow on Twitter. The idea is to recommend people who are worth following on Twitter.

Once again this week, instead of tossing a list of people into a 140 character tweet on Twitter, I’m following the advice of Steve Woodruff on a way to streamline #followfriday. If you’d like to read more about Steve’s suggestion you check out his blog entry entitled Improving #FollowFriday.

First off, if you aren’t on Twitter, you can head on over to the main Twitter website and set up an account. It’s really easy to set up a Twitter account.

#FollowFriday Suggestions For May 8/09

First off, here are some people that are a must follow. Well, okay, the list includes myself and my wife too.

• Follow me on Twitter – DrRus
• Follow my wife on Twitter – MyLovelyWife
• Swoodruff – Made this great Twitter suggestion

Today’s list of #FollowFriday suggestions is made up of people I interact with and have great discussions with. It’s also a little bit of link love here to. The list is made up of people who have give me #followfriday kudos not only today, but in the past. I figure anyone that shows up in my tweet stream on a regular basis and talks with me, and anyone who recommends me to as someone to follow, is worthy of mentioning here too!

• PJIII – Gave me kudos.
• PhotoMemories – Great photographer wonderful interaction.
• Hotsports – Makes me laugh and is a great cheerleader!
• k8dt – Singer and Domestic Goddess!
• ToddBrink – A great guy, who always has something funny to say.
• SweetNote – One of the most cheerful, and active Tweet people I know! Always has encouraging words too.
• Wolfmank – Great photographer in Rochester, NY area.
• molsonfl – A computer geek and part of the really early morning weekday crew.
• nelsonmaud – Blips great music throughout the day!
• hoopycat – His random tweets simply make me laugh.
• kwells2416 – My windy city friend who’s always encouraging.
• zwriter – A NASCAR mom and writes a great blog!
• bobhallam – Always a great encourager.
• brandonacox – If you’re looking for a source of great resources on-line, this is the guy to follow!
• ValerieStevens – What can I say, Valerie is just the best and a lot of fun!
• cindyscottday – Another person who’s part of the really early morning crew!
• Redwolves – Another Rochester, NY guy who likes to stir things up from time to time.
• pauley – Another part of the Rochester, NY crew!
• BrianNeudorff – If you’re looking for weather information, Brian is your guy!
• SkeeterHarris – Another Rochester dude, social media expert, and movie lover.
• CaribPop – My Florida friend who’s the best when it comes to helping people find jobs!
• trillian1117 – Alot of fun, and always interested in what you’re having for breakfast.
• cindyoyo – A great encourager for writers!

Happy #FollowFriday!
Dr. Rus

Friday on Twitter is known as #FollowFriday. In case you’re not aware of what Twitter is, let me give you a brief description before I go any further.

Twitter is a social networking site. Actually, it’s better known as a microblog because you’re limited to 140 characters per tweet. Instead of filling up this entire post with links scattered throughout, at the end of the post I will give all the links in one place. So, you can read this brief description here, without feeling the need to click on a link. But, you will want to do so later on at the end of this post.

I discovered Twitter a long time ago. I’m not really sure when I joined, but I know I was one of the early adopters. But then again, I usually like to try out new things as soon as they hit the Internet. I played around for a while, but wasn’t really sure what added value Twitter brought to my Internet use. However, as time went on, I started discovering some great new friends. It’s a social network for people to connect on many levels. While some use it solely as a marketing tool, there’s much more to it than that. As a matter of fact, while many marketers may have big numbers for followers, they seldom interact, and for me, I usually ignore their requests for me to follow them. I’m not interested in an endless stream of marketing information.

I’m looking for interaction.

So, how does one find interesting people to follow on Twitter? That’s where #FollowFriday comes in. Usually every Friday people simply tweet out a list of @people they’re following. In other words, it’s a recommendation from one person to follow another person. Over the past few weeks, #FollowFriday has resulted in a lot of noise as people simply send out endless lists of @friend suggestions. I’ve actually started ignoring many of them because I simply don’t have time to look over every suggested person.

What to do, what to do, what to do?

A New Way For #FollowFriday

Just how should we handle the noise of #FollowFriday on Twitter? That’s where this blog post comes in. It’s also where I need to introduce Steve Woodruff, also known as @swoodruff on Twitter. Earlier this week he made a suggestion to start giving not only more information about those we’re suggesting as good people to follow. But he also suggested writing a blog post too. You can read his full post on his StickyFigure blog at Improving Follow Friday. It’s well worth the read, and it’s also a great suggestion.

So, using Steve’s suggestion for Improving Follow Friday, I will start doing a blog post with my weekly suggestions. Along the way, I will also give Twitter user friendly suggestions too.

My #FollowFriday Suggestions for May 1/09

First off, if you don’t have a Twitter account and you’re reading this post, it’s really easy to set up an account. Simply head on over to the Twitter site and set up an account. It’s really easy, and before you know it, you’ll be having a blast interacting with people from all over the world.

• Set up an account on Twitter
• Follow me on Twitter – DrRus
• Follow my wife on Twitter – MyLovelyWife

My first suggestion for #FollowFriday

• Swoodruff – Made this great Twitter suggestion

In the coming weeks I will categorize my followfriday suggestions. This week, my followfriday suggestions fall into the category of People Who Make Me Laugh.

• SweetNote
• earthXplorer
• CindyScottDay
• BruceBrownNC
• Jinxie_G
• hotsports
• QuirkyChic
• MizFitOnline
• k8dt
• wsredneck
• ValerieStevens

And in the spirit of not wanting to leave out a few important people on this my first #followfriday Twitter list…

People I interact with on a daily basis…

• BrianNeudorff
• mom2twinsplus1
• millan
• RedWolves
• jeremyb
• wolfmank
• trillian1117
• Aerocles
• CaribPop
• BobHallam
• sammolsonkasey
• molsonfl

There you go! Happy Twitter following!
Dr. Rus