Pastor Pusch

Our family spent the 4th of July weekend in Gatlinburg, TN. We had a beautiful cabin in the Smokies and scene was magnificent. Scenes like this always take me to two passages in the Psalms: “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the world, and all that dwell in it. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods” (Psalm 24:1) and “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Ps 19:1). Gatlinburg has become one of my favorite places on earth. There is a bit of humor in that because when I was younger, still living in Michigan, I used to ”poke fun” at people who would vacation there as it always seemed to be the “older” folk that made the journey. I know now that it was mistake as Gatlinburg is my number one choice for retreat. Needless to say, we had a great time. I even managed to pick up a couple pairs of cowboy boots for me and a pair for my two-year-old daughter, Jovie.

“Yes! I Love that Sin”
On Saturday, my wife and I ventured downtown to walk the strip and do some “window shopping” (we actually did pick up a couple items). About midway down the strip, we heard someone yelling rather profusely. As we approached the scence, his words became clearer and we noticed he was thrusting a Bible in the air rather intently. (The Bible was nearly the size of the old family Bible we used to have in our living room growing up). It was obvious. This man was preaching on the street corners in Gatlinburg. He was extremely forthright and poignant. His message was clear; yet abrupt. The man was passionate and through his words and demeanor, I believe he thought everyone within the sound of his voice was on a one-way path to eternal damnation. I listened in as we walked along the way.

Two points he made extremely clear:
1. Sinners go to Hell.
2. You are all sinners.

After making these statements, two men walking behind us began to mock and ridicule the preacher quite harshly. Without skipping a beat, one man responded to the preachers second point by blurting out, “Yes! I love that sin.” He said it in such a way in that his “practicing of sin” wasn’t worth giving up, let alone, trading in for this preacher’s message. My heart sank as I listened to the disparaging words of these men as they continued to mock the street corner preacher.

Having been in church all my life and a fellow minister, I understood what this man was saying. His message was true. It wasn’t difficult to understand or put together. A life without Christ is destined to hell. Scripture is clear, “there is none righteous”, “all have sinned”, and “the wages of sin is death.” While I disagreed with some of this man’s methods, primarily his approach, his message was right though in my opinion incomplete. My heart sank because the two men behind me were completely blind to it. I remember looking at my wife and saying, “if these guys only knew.” The street corner preacher was all over the place. He was loud. He was condemning. He was blunt. These two men had a field day with him and I began thinking, while these guys are mocking the man’s method, they are completely missing the truth of his message.

Dickens wrote, “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times… it was the season of Light, it was the season of darkness… it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…”

It seems that over the last year my family has experienced both sides of the emotional, mental, and physical spectrum that Dickens penned in the opening line of his classic title  A Tale of Two Cities. However, to bring the last 12 months to summation, I would have to say, we experienced the greatest of times showered only by the grace of God.

June 2009 proved to be a trying time in our family as we had to take our daughter Jovie in for surgery to repair her cleft palate. While Jovie was clueless to the situation, Rena and I were charting new and unexpected territory. This was perhaps the most difficult process to endure. We had complete confidence in Jovie’e care, but it was still my little baby girl who had to suffer. I cannot even begin to tell you how much joy and happiness Jovie Madelyn has brought to our home. We released Jovie into the arms of the surgeon with indescribable feelings swinging back and forth between hope and despair. Today, Jovie is doing extremely well and has not experienced any further problems. Grace.

July 2009 we learned that Jovie was going to be a big sister. Overall we were excited about receiving another gift of God, but it would be a complete lie if I told you that we did not experience feelings of another kind as we wondered whether or not we were ready for child number 2 after all we have experienced with number 1. Today, we are within 6 weeks of delivery, and words would fail to describe the great anticipation we feel as we wait for the arrival of Jovie’s little sister. Grace.

September 2009 taught us unforgettable lessons. Two seizures landed me in the hospital for a series of tests that brought forth darkening results. After reviewing the results, doctors wasted no time scheduling surgery. After surgery, recovery was a challenge. From anxiety to full mental breakdown, I experienced everything in between. Thankfully I have been taken off the medications that caused such instability. The pathology reports all came back the same week of surgery. Today, all is well. What was thought to be a low grade brain tumor with malignant activity is no longer. I am taking 1 medication with little to no side effects (for only 6 more months) and to this day all of my scans have come back clean and clear. A miracle for sure. Grace.

It is not like we have not seen God’s hand at work in our lives before, it just 2009 has been a year like none other. Words fail to describe how grateful we are as a family. God continues to mold us and shape us. He has given us new perspective and we enter 2010 with great anticipation thankful for all that He has done and will continue to do. While 2009 brought with it great trials and heartache, I can say for me, it was indeed the “best of times.” Grace.

“And the God of all grace…will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.” I Peter 5:10-11

Blessings,
PastorPusch

It seems that the last week or so has been the week of celebrity deaths. Ed McMahon, Billy Mays, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, and Steve McNair all left this world and made their way into eternity. That’s a sobering thought. Even more sobering is the fact that hundreds, if not thousands of people die every day. It kind of gives you a different perspective on just how short life is. The book of James describes our lives as a vapor; here for a moment and then vanishes away. What if the vapor of your life vanished today?

Last Saturday, the football world and others were shocked when they heard the news about the death of one of it’s good guy quarterbacks, Steve McNair. McNair was found shot to death on July 4, 2009 in a Nashville apartment. It was tragic news to those who loved the Tennessee Titans and quarterback Steve McNair. McNair’s death was the result of a murder/suicide as his girlfriend, Sehel Kazemi, shot McNair 4 times before turning the gun on herself.

Perhaps even more tragic than the actual death of Steve McNair were the circumstances surrounding his death. Steve McNair was husband and a father to 4 children, yet he was killed by his 20 year old girlfriend, Kazemi, who may have shot him out of the suspicion of yet another girlfriend. It’s possible that McNair was cheating on the girlfriend that he was cheating on his wife and children with. This is the more tragic story.

It seems that friends, coaches, and confidants have a different way of defining what “greatness” is about a person. While it is true that McNair may have been a leader on the football field and the different charity organizations he was committed to, the fact the Mr. McNair failed at the one responsibility that matters most makes me reconsider His greatness. As a husband and father myself , the responsibility that matters most in my life is the responsibility I have to my wife, Rena and daughter, Jovie Madelyn. That’s it. With that being said, there are other responsibilities I have in life that are important because it affects my family, my greatest responsibility.

Below is a portion of an article I read on Yahoo.com concerning the life and death of Steve McNair…

Publicly, McNair was a happily married man and proud father of four sons who split his time between his Mississippi farm and a home in Music City, where celebrities are cherished, not hassled.

His death, however, thrust a darker side of his private life into the spotlight.

“People have certain things that they do in life,” said McNair’s longtime friend Robert Gaddy, who called 911. “We don’t need to look on the situation at this time (but) on the fact we just lost a great member of society.”

After reading this small portion, my heart sank at the fact that one can be considered such a “great member of society” when that person is not a champion in his own family. Perhaps I’m a little old-fashioned in my thinking, but what was happening in the “darker side of his private life” truly determines the kind of man he indeed was. A man who cheats on his wife and by doing so neglects his children may have been good football player and giver to charities, but by no means does that make him a “great member of society.” It’s one thing had McNair slipped up and got caught in a sticky situation, it’s a completely different and more defining thing when family neglect becomes a lifestyle. While I am not here to judge the eternity of Mr. Steve McNair, I do think there are lessons we can learn about family and the society in which we live.

The question is floating out there concerning the legacy Steve McNair leaves behind. Will his personal life play a role in the history, or has our society simply turned to utter and complete apathy. I am sad today that McNair will never have a chance to make things right with his family. I am sad about the loss of a football giant and one who worked hard for people around the country. I am sadder still for his family who now has to piece together the tragic lifestyle their husband and father left behind.