One of the highlights of every July for me is tracking the Tour de France. Recently Americans have really been intrigued with the U.S. Postal Service team and their top rider, Lance Armstrong. Lance is an overcomer whose story surpasses bicycle racing and reaches into a part of life that touches all of us; he's been blessed to overcome cancer. Of course, not all the overcomers in life get as much recognition as Lance and may not accomplish all that he has been blessed to accomplish, but they are overcomers nevertheless.

However, when you see a person like Lance Armstrong overcoming the odds and living, let alone racing a bicycle, and winning the most grueling race of all - it gives everyone a renewal of hope, and a desire to press on.

The Bible is a book full of overcoming and hope. One of my favorites is the account of David and Goliath. You probably know the story from childhood but let me refresh your memory. David was not a warrior and did not have adequate armor or military equipment. David was small in stature. David was a very young shepherd. Goliath was a giant, over nine feet tall. Goliath was heavily armed and very experienced in military tactics. When David heard how the army of Israel was held at bay by the giant and how Goliath cursed God, David stepped forward to fight the giant single-handed. When King Saul questioned David's brave gesture here's how he replied:

1 Samuel 17:34-37 (NIV) But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you."

Notice: David's confidence was based upon the little victories along the way. He had learned to depend upon God and to recognize God's hand working in his life. Therefore as the greater challenges came, he could just fall back on what had been his strength and confidence in the past. Likewise as we go through life's challenges, and we all have little ones and big ones everyday, if we could learn to recognize those little victories and give thanks to God it will prepare us for facing further challenges.

David’s story of overcoming all odds gets better. As David approached Goliath, the giant laughed and cursed at David. David however, never left his focus or his source of confidence.

1 Samuel 17:45-47 (NIV) David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands."

You know the rest of the story. It took just one stone in David's sling that hit Goliath in the one point of his armored head that was most vulnerable. You wonder how it got there? Later in life, David recalls:

Psalms 116:1-6 (NIV) I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. 2 Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. 3 The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. 4 Then I called on the name of the LORD: "O LORD, save me!" 5 The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. 6 The LORD protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me.

You may not be facing a giant like Goliath but you may be facing the giant of cancer or any of the other discouragements that life can bring us. You, like David can overcome. God is there to help you, too. Recognize his help in the little things and trust Him in the greater challenges. You'll be amazed and you'll overcome all the odds.

GODSPEED!

Bob Brubaker, a.k.a. "SPAM MAN"

Like it or not we all fall into the image factor. We hear "IMAGE IS EVERYTHING!" We are told to make sure we make a good impression by keep up the right image.

The old ad campaign said, "When you look good, you feel good and when you feel good you'll do good." There might be something too that. Nothing picks up your golf game like a new set of clubs. A new bike or new running gear seems to get your pace up a bit. It may be in your head but since your head has so much to do with performance maybe a second look at image is important as you kick off the week.

The Bible even tells us that God is interested in building up the image we project everyday.

Jesus warned about an empty image, an false image, an image of show with no substance to back it up. He even condemned it as being hypocritical and had stern warnings for those who projected that kind of a false image.

So the question should ask is: "Should you be concerned about how you are coming across to people?"

Jesus is not saying we should not be concerned about image but that the image we want to project should begin inside and work out instead of the opposite. Think of the outward appearance as the icing on the cake that is filled with good.

It's interesting to note that companies seem to be increasing the way they examine the image of their employees and the way they are projecting themselves. Some companies are letting it be known that they are finding employees lacking in many areas of image. Now may be the time for you to critique yourself before your boss does. Here are just a few of the factors that go into projecting the right image:

• Good manners.
• An updated and appropriate hairstyle.
• Clean and well-kept accessories (for example, your briefcase, office equipment, your desktop, your automobile if you use your car during or for business)
• Clean and appropriate clothing.
  

As you prepare for a successful life's journey this week consider the dress for a successful image from the Bible.

GODSPEED!

Bob Brubaker, a.k.a. "SPAM MAN"

We all seem to be going at mega-speed today and hardly have anytime to catch our breath. Even sleep is high speed in order to get what we need but most people complain of not feeling rested. Along the way in this high speed pace are things neglected, the not so important things or the things we'd rather just put off. It's those neglected items that can really get us down.

There's an account in the Old Testament of Nehemiah leading the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. The walls had been torn down by an enemy and had been neglected for years. Nehemiah heard about the situation and made a plan to rebuild the walls. However the first things Nehemiah did was to take time to regroup.

Nehemiah 2:11-13 (NIV) I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days 12 I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on. 13 By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire.

Before Nehemiah could make any progress he had to deal with the neglected. Many times it's the mount of little neglected things that keeps us from making good progress. Taking some time to regroup, clean up, put away, and prepare can actually speed up our progress.

Joe Jonovic, president and CEO of Inventory Management Solutions, has some definite ideas about desk and office clutter. He sees the lack of organization as indecision, a serious problem requiring a concerted effort to change. Here are some of his suggestions for dealing with your clutter and disorganization.

--Set aside a block of hours sufficient to clean up your desk top.
--With paper: file it, act on it, or toss it.
--Whenever you have downtime, process at least ten items from your inbox.
--Make an appointment with yourself for a minimum of an hour a week to process anything outstanding from your week. Then set goals for next week.

My sports psychologist friend, Dr. Joe Salwan said sometimes an athlete needs to take a day off training just to work on the neglected things because the more things are neglected the more stress you add to your life. So once in a while a day spent doing things you've been putting off can be a day well spent in more ways than one.

It's so easy to neglect little things but it's the neglected little things that mount up and heed our progress. No wonder Jesus warned the religious leaders in his day not to neglect the important matters.

Luke 11:42 (NIV) "Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.

What do you do with the neglected matters? Take the time to deal with them or they will mount up and get the best of you.

GODSPEED!

Bob Brubaker, a.k.a. "SPAM MAN"

PowerBreak Message for July 2, 2001

You begin life thinking the positive. You learn to walk and talk hearing, "You can do it! You can do it!" As we get older those positive thoughts get driven into the closet of our minds as hear one bad thing after another. We begin to dwell on the negative of life. We seem to be accepted more readily with a complaint rather than sounding weird with optimistic outlook. Pretty soon we begin to accept the negative, the doubts, and the defeated way of life as the norm.

It doesn't have to be that way. Let's retrace our steps to the days when we fed on the positive, the optimistic, and the little successes of life.

David who wrote most of the Psalms in the Bible often retraced his roots to bring himself back to an optimistic outlook. Here's one such thought.

The trick to maintaining a positive outlook despite all the stresses and defeats of life is to stop and look. David chose to look at himself as the complicated as we are and know that every intricate detail was designed by God. Stop and think about all the complex systems that at work to allow you to think, move, sleep, eat, and live. It was such a positive rush that all David could do when he filled himself with such a thought was to stop and praise God.

David was known for an optimistic outlook even in the face of some mighty obstacles because he had learned to depend on God who was greater than any obstacle. A case in point was at the battle scene when the giant, Goliath held the army of Israel at bay and had them all bewildered. David showed up and agreed to fight the giant alone. When asked by King Saul about the situation David responded:

Whenever you feel discouraged or feel that optimism has darted out the backdoor of your life stop and review some past victories as David did. Write down some reason why you can feel optimistic and you'll find discouragement and doubt become smaller and smaller.

David had another trait that kept him a positive person. He allowed his passion and enthusiasm to overflow.

Someone said that enthusiasm is an overflow of positive energy. Too often we are afraid to show our enthusiasm for fear of criticism but the flow of positive energy will not only do us some good but those around us will benefit. David was neither ashamed nor felt any constraints because he was dancing before God. He was allowing the joy he had for God to come out with all the enthusiasm and positive energy he had.

What passion! What positive energy! What a way to live life! It doesn't have to be just some guy in the Bible way back when that can experience the harnessing of positive energy like that. It's there for all of us to see what God has done in making us the unique people we are, noticing the little victories He has given us in the past, and allowing the light of enthusiasm to flame into expressions of energy.

No wonder Paul in the Bible learned to face life with the same kind of positive outlook.

So can you.

GODSPEED!

Bob Brubaker, a.k.a. "SPAM MAN"