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SPAMMAN INDEX
EAT MORE SPAM!
Bob eats SPAM at least 3-4 times per week. It's great!
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Weekly PowerBreak Messages PowerBreak is a weekly feature, designed to given you some power from God's Word as you begin your week. This internet newsletter has been sent out continuously for over three years as the list of recipients continues to grow. If you would like to receive PowerBreak messages via email each week, please send your request to SPAMMAN. The name PowerBreak was taken from Bob's endurance races where each water stop was a quick refueling, or a break for power on the go. Bob designed the PowerBreak to be that for all who receive the messages each week. A quick thought and power from the Word of God for people on the go. PowerBreak Messages for October, 2000 PowerBreak Message for October 23, 2000Nest Stirring Have you ever felt uncomfortable? Duh! Who hasn't! What happens when you get uncomfortable? You move! Discomfort may move you to get help, take a pill, get a new job, make a change --- one thing for sure the more you feel discomfort the more you feel the need to move. A friend who is a dentist says he'll get calls all the time where the patient says he has an emergency and has to see the dentist right away. When my friend asks him how long the patient has had the problem he usually gets the answer of a week or more. So what moved the person to finally make the call to the dentist? Discomfort! When things became unbearable he made the call. Don't be critical - we all do it on one area of life or another. Think of it this way: Discomfort then is a mechanism that God uses to move us. Deuteronomy 32:9-11 (NIV) For the Lord's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted inheritance. 10 In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye, 11 like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions. In the passage above, Moses is rehearsing God's great care for His people including the analogy of the eagle stirring up the nest so the young bird feels enough discomfort they actually leave the nest, knowing the eagle cannot fly, the parent eagle will actually catch them. So God does with each of us - He stirs our nest, He allows discomfort to invade our comfortable lives and we move. Often we move into unknown territory and it can be frightening. But God knows what we need better than we do. Just as the parent eagle, He not only stirs the nest, He catches us as we take the leap of faith. Eventually, we grow through the experience and learn that discomfort is the prelude to soaring like an eagle. Where do you feel discomfort in your life? Perhaps it’s a physical ailment you've put off getting checked, or a financial problem, a relational or emotional issue. Maybe the issue is spiritual. Quit trying to cover up the pain or discomfort and take the step you know you should take. The matter will not improve as long as you cover up the problem. Last year I did a really stupid thing, I was running trails with a friend, acting a bit invincible when I stepped on a root, dislocated my ankle, quickly popped it back into place and continued on a ten mile run. I knew I had broken a bone in my foot but I tried to pretend it didn't hurt, after all I didn't want to appear to be a wimp in front of my friend. I figured the more I would run, the more my brain would block the pain which would be better than going home and taking a pain killer. Fortunately for me the discomfort of a broken and swelling ankle got me to move in the right direction. It gave me the incentive I needed to quit pretending and get help. Too many times we get comfortable in our jobs, in our lack of growth, lack of achieving or potential, or in our lives in general. God has great things for us but we might miss it if He didn't stir up our nest and get us moving. The question for you today is how does your nest feel? Are things a little uncomfortable? What do you need to be doing that you aren't? Maybe it's time to let go and move on to where you know you should be going. GODSPEED! Bob Brubaker, a.k.a. "SPAM MAN" PowerBreak Message for October 23, 2000 UP, UP, AND AWAY Recently, I was listening to my friend, Pete Alwinson speak on the passage in Isaiah 40, describing God's admonition to look ahead or beyond the present storms of life and to look up to notice God's sovereignty and tender care. It really caught my attention because it reiterated some lessons I learned in the recent Ironman competition in Hawaii and the lessons I heard my friends rehearse who completed a race of the same magnitude called the Great Floridian this past weekend. It's really amazing how easily and how focused we get on negative things in life. Pete was pointing out how we focus on the storms we all face everyday. An athlete who focuses on how badly he/she hurts, how much farther he/she has to go, or worse - on the doubts of whether he/she will make it. All of us focus on the negative in the storms we face everyday - the negative comments, financial difficulties, the physical ailments. It's all there. But as much as the negative is there so is the positive. Think of what you still have, think of the potential that is still ahead, think of the support that surrounds you. There's a guy in the Bible named Paul who went through plenty of storms in life but look at his accounting of it all: 2 Corinthians 4:7-11 (NIV) But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. Notice there is not a false sense of reality, or trying to hide from the problems that he faced, but rather a realistic view. Yes, I said realistic. GET REAL! It's not as bad as your focus. From the passage Pete was speaking on… Isaiah 40:1 (NIV) Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. The people needed a word of encouragement and that was exactly the word that God gave them as the prophet began, "Comfort, comfort my people says your God." God knows you need a word of encouragement too. God has a bright future for you in Jesus Christ who would subdue and conquer the enemy called sin. Isaiah 40:3-5 (NIV) A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken." God's people needed to be reminded what was still ahead that they could not see at the moment. I remember talking with a first time athlete on the road back to Kona while running the marathon portion of the Ironman, trying to describe what was ahead on Alii Drive at the finish line. I heard my friends account after the Great Floridian race how in the struggles of the day they tried to focus on the happy times that would be found at the finish line. All of us can focus on "the best that is yet to come" because God has a great future for those who know, believe, and follow Him. There are many accounts in the Bible, all of which leave us with a "WOW - that's really indescribable." The prophet's encouragement as Pete pointed out did not end with an instruction to look ahead, there was a reminder to look up or remember who is really in control. Isaiah 40:10-11 (NIV) See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. 11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. God's sovereignty and God's tenderness bring hope. If we are real - the situation at hand can be discouraging if we focus on our inability to change or to conquer. However, encouragement comes when in a moment of despair we cry out to God who is in full control and as a father with a tender heart He is touched by our feelings of inadequacy. On Saturday night at the finish line of the Great Floridian I heard my friend John say, that with a mile to go he felt his legs cramp up so he began to ask God for help and now he recognized God had helped him. In fact, he said, I guess I've been asking Him for help quite a bit lately and you know it really works. That's encouragement! No wonder the prophet concluded the chapter this way: Isaiah 40:28-31 (NIV) Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. GODSPEED! Bob Brubaker, a.k.a. "SPAM MAN" PowerBreak Message for October 16, 2000 TESTS AND CHOICES (My Ironman 2000 Experience) It’s always interesting how God will give me something about which to write or speak, then allow me to have the opportunity to seal it via a test of some sort. Several weeks ago I was talking about the choices we make whether to react one way or another to a given situation and this past Saturday in the Ironman Triathlon I had the opportunity to see whether I really believed what I had written. I was put to the test and I thought of the writing of Paul who said in 1 Corinthians 9:27 (NIV) "No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." The gun sounded at 7:00 a.m. Hawaiian time and over 1500 athletes swam in Kailua bay toward the turnaround point 1.2 miles away. If you have ever seen the Ironman on television or pictures of a triathlon you know that there are no swim lanes and it looks like the complete mayhem that it is – arms flying everywhere, feet kicking, elbows soaring and it’s everything you think it would be in the midst of that mess but one thing is common – getting to the turn around point in the shortest, fastest way possible. I was almost there when WHAP – I got an elbow directly to my goggles. It stunned me for a second but I kept on swimming. I’ve been hit before, obviously, kicked, crawled over, and pushed aside, but that was the first time I had received a direct blow to the face. It’s amazing how many things go through your mind in a short period of time, everything from panic, to revenge, to back to the job at hand – FINISH THE 2.4 MILE SWIM. It was a choice I had decided to make before the race but that decision was actually sealed through the test, although there were more to come. Race director, Sharron Ackles often talks of the comparison of the Ironman Triathlon to real life with it’s peaks, valleys, uncertainties, strains, victories, etc. – and that is just the way the 112 mile bike ride went for me. It started out great, a little tail wind, feeling good while taking in some nourishment and fluid for the long ride then it hit us. 35 + mile an hour winds directly in the face and we were only a third of the way to Hawi. Often there are winds, usually not as strong as these are but usually not until the return to Kona. Today it was different; we fought headwinds from the start. I remembered what I found in last year’s Ironman that has stuck with me the entire year. The most empowering emotion is the attitude of GRATITUDE. In a similar adventure in headwinds on the return last year, I found that thanking God for everything I could think of actually made me feel strong and caused me to get through the difficulty in rather quick fashion, or so it seemed. So I have shared whenever I have had opportunity in the past year – now it was tested again. And again, I found being thankful really makes a difference. Then with 7 miles to go to Hawi, I went to shift gears and the gear shifting mechanism on my bike didn’t seem to be working, all my gears were slipping. I tried to shift up then down and nothing worked. When I looked down – I was missing the major pieces of my rear derailier. Another test! How will I react to this one? I went to the side of the road and tried to flag down photographers, course marshals, medical personnel, and anyone else who went by and asked them to call technical support. Thankfully, the Ironman Triathlon has a number of crews to assist with mechanical or pneumatic problems. But 112 miles is quite a bit of ground to cover so it took a while for the crew to get to me. I knew they were on the way, I knew there was absolutely nothing I could do so I made the decision to make the most of the situation. God gave me the thought that this could be looked upon as forced rest. So I tried to stretch, take in nourishment, and think positive thoughts and be thankful. Soon the support crew arrived, replaced the damaged part and sent me on my way. I had lost a little more than an hour in time, my momentum, and my focus on my race goal, but I was back out on the course and thankful to have the technical assistance because I would never have been able to complete the ride. The return from Hawi was not without challenges. The tremendous tail wind included surges of excessive cross winds, which pushed your bike skidding across the road, which is a little unnerving at 40 mph. Many cyclists were injured from sliding into lava fields so every moment of safety I counted as a blessing from God. I also had the privilege of testing the attitude of gratitude as with 25 miles to go, the winds shifted to the usual pattern and I again faced headwinds back to Kona. I had made a choice long before the race and that was to finish the course, no matter how difficult, and no matter what the obstacle. Thankfully, I found the power and help from God to continue on the journey and arrived at the bike to run transition in a time much slower than I had anticipated but I was there nevertheless. The run was very difficult because the heat, the hills, and the headwinds had taken their toll on my legs. In addition, I was feeling quite ashamed of my poor time on the race clock but then God gave me the thought that the only person who could make me feel ashamed was myself. So I decided to have fun, encourage others, and try my best to enjoy the 26.2 miles. And I did – thank the Lord. I finished my second Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii, and the seventh time I have raced and completed that distance. It was interesting to hear the number of similar stories of tests and choices at our Sunday morning worship service the next morning. The Ironman really is like real life in a capsule and all of us have choices to make and it seems that once we make those choices, we are tested, once we come through the test we are stronger for having come through the test and we are stronger in the decision as well. Isn’t it wonderful how God works? Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers. I am thankful to God for allowing me the opportunity and the victory in completing the course. GODSPEED Bob Brubaker, a.k.a. "SPAM MAN" PowerBreak Message for October 9, 2000 The Right Word You are on an elevator and the car stops, the door opens and a person invades your solitude. Should you speak or should you do as most people do – look down or the other way, hoping the person does not make eye contact with you? Have you ever noticed how few people speak to others when they are walking down the street or come in contact in an elevator? People seem to walk right through life on a mission, afraid to smile and never speaking. Jan and I have been having some fun speaking to people here in Kona. During Ironman week there are athletes from all over the world and it’s interesting the reactions you get from people when you speak to them along the way. So what should you do? Speak or go on your way and never speak? Here’s what the Bible says: Proverbs 25:11 (NIV) A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. You can’t help but know people in the 21st century need an encouraging word, a bright smile, a cheerful look, and a helping hand. What does it do for you? It gets your focus off yourself and you see your life as a mission of cheer. Guess what, your ministry will come right back and you are the one who will be encouraged. As Zig Ziglar says: "You may say you sing because you are happy but if you sing you will be happy." As you go through the rest of this week, see what a mission of encouraging others with a smile, a happy greeting, or a helping hand will do for your week. Chances are very good the actions you give will come back to you as good medicine. GODSPEED! Bob Brubaker, a.k.a. "SPAM MAN" PowerBreak Message for October 2, 2000 To Change or Not to Change Are you willing to make the necessary changes to keep up and keep going? Things like clothes, houses, and buildings don’t have the ability to really change. They grow old, out of style, and become unusable. We are not like that - God has given us the ability to make adjustments in the way we think and act which can be a real blessing and path to success if we’ll make use of it. When God calls us to change he may use a variety of ways to stir us up but we can know that God has our best interest in mind. In the Bible God compared this creating a restlessness to the Eagle stirring up the nest to get the young birds to move from the nest and to learn to fly so they can soar as God intended them to. In the same way, God stirs our nest creating a discontentment as He leads us on to better things. The question we need to ask is this: Are we receptive to God’s stirring or do we just put it off? Most people do the latter and they go through life missing out on what they could be and miserable as they go. Want to have it all? Listen to God’s stirrings and know three things about the future: 1) It’s not going to be exactly like the past so don’t be so comfortable and quit living there! 2) It’s not going to be exactly the way we anticipate so quit trying to do things without God. 3) The rate of change will take place faster than we can imagine. Who would have ever dreamed things would be like they are today in technology and communication? God did - God knew it from the beginning. In fact it says that from the beginning of time God even knew what’s going to happen at the end. (Isaiah 46:10) So if He knows the end of time - He certainly knows what is going to happen in your future so don’t you think you should listen and follow His stirrings and be ready to change? He’s getting you ready for something great! One of the reasons the Bible was written was to prepare us for the future and to teach us how to respond to situations in life. If you are willing to follow God’s plan and be open to His leading and preparation - ready to change - you’ll find He’s leading you to a great future. Are you willing to change?
GODSPEED! Bob Brubaker, a.k.a. "SPAM MAN" |
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CONTACTING BOB Bob Brubaker 469 C Alafaya Woods Blvd. Oviedo, FL 32765 Email:Bob Brubaker |
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