The Message of the Dog Food

It all started with the dog. We have a cute little pug that loves to sleep, play, and apparently eat. Yes, that little “Rascal” enjoys his dog food. The amazing thing to me is how much that 15 pound pug can put away in a day. And by now you have figured it out – he was out of food.

My task was simple. I was to go to the store and buy a small bag of dog food. While on the isle of canine cuisine and feline feast the search was on for the right bag. With a small bag in my buggy and a smile on my face I rounded the corner and discovered a deal. In fact, this was a sale that I could not resist. The discovery caused me to replace the small bag on the shelf.  I think you will agree I got a great deal. I discovered that for just two dollars more I could more than double the quantity of food.  Yes sir, I exchanged 10 pounds of kibble for 45 pounds of chunks.  

So happy with my economic savvy I heaved the bag from the truck and carried it into the house. As the slick bag began to slide I kept it from slamming into the floor by propping it upon the sofa table. Saved from the fall and with my arms recovering I hoisted the bag up and moved it into the dark closet perfect for hiding away the doggie delights.

In the dark it began to happen. At first it was just a little, pop, pop, ping, and ping. Then as the bag shifted to the floor the avalanche flowed. Ping, ping, ping, bop, and bop went the chunks of cereal on the hardwood floors. Oh yeah, the bag had torn and was freely flowing the contents on the floor.  I could only laugh. Apparently my little pug laughed too, because he sure seemed to smile as he snacked.

 It was then that the message of the busted bag hit me. Contained in the bag was something that wished to escape and once out it flowed freely and lavishly on the floor. This reminded me of the love of God. God loves us all so much. We carry around his love every day. And every day he wishes to lavish us with his love.

He wants to pour his love on you. He really wants to drown you in his tidal wave of passion. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:17-19).

Take a second to consider the words of modern day hymn writer David Crowder: How He Loves Me -

He is jealous for me Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy When all of a sudden I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory And I realize just how beautiful You are And how great Your affections are for me

And O how He loves us - Oh, O how He loves us - How He loves us all
Yeah He loves us - O how He loves us - O how He loves us -O how He loves

Always Enthusiastic,

Dr. Rusty Newman

How brief?

Psalm 39

Life is so short. Recently, there has been the news of tragedy. No, I am not talking about the death of celebrity. These names you probably do not know. The result of a car crash and in a matter of seconds a young mother is removed in death. A flash and a young teen in seemingly insurmountable problems chooses death for himself. What’s the point?

Life is short. This is the question of the ages. Literary and philosophy have wrestled with the meaning of this brief life. King Macbeth sighed these despairing words:
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day, to the last syllable of recorded time; and all our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing (act 5, scene 5 Macbeth by William Shakespeare).
How long do we have anyway? Is there a number on our days? As surely as there is an exact measure on the ruler and an exact weight on the scales there is an exact time frame for our lives.

King David is no Macbeth. But apparently David considered in the time of trouble the same question as our fictional king. However, he does not do this in the same manner. “Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am. Indeed you have made my days as hand breadths, and my age is as nothing before you; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah” (Psalm 39.4-5).

Instead of Macbeth’s despair King David looks to God to lift his burden. David wrestles with the question of mortality realizing his frailty, his weakness, even his vulnerability and comes to the conclusion that his entire life is in the hand of God. God is in the one in control. The life we live here while brief is to be lived for Jehovah.

So what’s the point? Since we know how short life is and the fact that we simply are not in control of the next breath lets live with intentionality. Do not get caught up in the meaningless, in the mundane, or even the trivial. Don’t let the small keep you from the enormous. Don’t allow worry to rob you of the opportunity of praise. Don’t be limited by your fragility and forget to live for God and eternity.

Make the most of today: love, laugh, lean on Jesus! Praise Him today. Present him today to a searching soul. Today really can be the best day to serve the Lord.

“And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you. Deliver me …” (Psalm 39.7-8a).

Always Enthusiastic,
Dr. Rusty Newman

Suffering

Psalm 60.3


We do not have a theology of suffering today. In fact, many in the church today have a haughty attitude toward anyone that remotely experiences hardships. We’ve more and more begun to sound like Job’s accusatory friends than hold to the biblical picture of suffering.


The Psalmist is direct with the Father in identifying that Israel is undergoing struggle. Amazingly, he notices that this is the will of God, since God is the one who has caused it. “You {Jehovah} have made Your people suffer hardship; you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger.”


Woven into the fabric of following the Lord is suffering. Suffering is not something we would volunteer for or even pursue. However, suffering is ordained by God as a pathway to righteousness and many times an indicator of His presence in our life.


There are four basic reasons we experience suffering. Quickly, let’s consider these and see if they do not hold true in our Christian experience.

1. Sin and selfishness: this is the tragedy of self induced suffering because of unconfessed sin in our lives. Suffering comes as a sign of discipline.

2. Satanic attack: this is the temptations and enemy tactics attempting to cause us to derail our pursuit of the Father’s plan for our lives.

3. Strengthening: this is trials introduced into our lives by God and for God’s purposes of increasing our faith and fellowship with Him. (Interesting to note: when Satan tempts you it is for you to fail; but when God places trials on you it is for you to FAITH).

4. Stretching: this is testing and examination of spiritual principles we have learned and are now called into application in our lives.


Now, if you have read this far I have to admit that no amount of suffering is pleasant. I want you to take courage. Your suffering is producing in you purification for holiness. In hardships you need to stuff your ears with cotton so as not to listen to the naysayers. You must get into the Word of God and grow. Dig into the gold of the pure word of God and come out with His promises.


Be of good courage and count it all joy when you suffer, especially suffering for righteousness sake. You can survive. You will make it through stronger on the other side.


Always Enthusiastic,
Dr. Rusty Newman

Don't judge me by my past, I don't live there anymore

We have all completed a day and looked back and come to the realization that not all was done in a good way. In fact, many days we have to admit that we have failed. Whether it is in something we intended to do or something we never intended to do – we failed.

Modernity says to shake it off and go back and try harder the next time. This time of year we hear about setting some new resolutions. I’m told that many of these will not make it a month. Apparently we don’t 

try hard enough. 

What if trying harder is not the answer? What if trying harder is in fact a way of denying what God really wants from us after all? Think about it – we try harder but still cannot save ourselves. We try harder and still hold within us the guilt and shame of our past and our sin. … my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. (Psalm 32.3-4) 

The answer is not trying harder but getting clean through confession. Yes, we have to own our failures before the Lord. But here’s the good news- that’s the way to get clean, to be washed, to be covered. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"--and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah (Psalm 32.5)

The answer then is not ritual it is reality. A ritual requires you to try harder. The reality requires you to just own your need. Ritual will not bring about transformation.  

I’ve come to own my past! And my testimony is that Jesus has cleansed me. My past is now covered by what he did not what I’ve done. So I can now declare through Jesus: Don’t judge me by my past, I don’t live there anymore. 

Always Enthusiastic,

Rusty Newman

A Bottle for Your Tears

A Bottle for Your Tears

Psalm 56.8

Imagine that every time you shed a tear in fear, worry, despair, and concern that you would collect them in a bottle. You probably have no such container of terror, but you do carry the wounds don’t you? Scars from battles waged and struggles into seemingly insurmountable odds.

What if I told you that even though you do not collect your tears that our Father has them? Supernaturally, mystically if you will, He has a collection of every terrified tear that ran down your cheek. You did not know that He cared that much for you did you?

David faced the opportunity of sudden ruin and death at the hands of his father-in-law Saul or the potential of complete humiliation, scorn, and slow tortured disembowelment from Achish the Gathite. Now this is the definition of a rock and hard place. (You can read all about this in 1 Samuel 21-22). Amazingly David knew he had a better option available to him.

You must understand that we always have another option open. Oh, it may look like things are grim; we may even experience horrific things upon this earth that no one would choose to endure. However, we can do as David did and cry out to the Lord in faith. You may not know how the Father will come through but have faith he will.

How do I know He will come through? David wrote, “You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book? When I cry out to You, then my enemies will turn back; this I know, because God is for me…In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (8-9, 11).

So go ahead cry – He will catch the tears. Sob and He will record them. But whatever you do please remember to believe that He can – and He will.

Always Enthusiastic,
Dr. Rusty Newman
(Re-print from several years ago - I hope this is a blessing to you all).