September 2021
Steve Russo

I hear talk frequently about how we need to engage popular culture. But what does that really look like? Culture is made up of the customs, arts, social institutions and achievements of a particular nation, people or other social group.

Most often in the church community, I hear things like “pop culture is bad and designed to influence in a negative way what you think and feel, so we shouldn’t have anything to do with it;” or “you can’t be a Christian and be involved with pop culture” or “if it’s Christian it’s okay but if it’s mainstream it’s not.” Obviously, not everything in pop culture is good, but these narratives are not correct nor are they going to bring about the change that needs to happen.

If you’re going to engage pop culture – and make a difference – it involves observing it and reading about it in order to better understand it. Once we better comprehend pop culture then we can intelligently engage it and create positive solutions for areas of concern.

The Bible describes it this way in 1 Chronicles 12:32 (NLT). “From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives. All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take.”

As we become students of culture we need to pray for God’s wisdom and insight. Then He will direct us to put together a practical strategy for change. While voting is a privilege, as well as a responsibility, it’s only the beginning. We must also be actively involved in doing what we can to bring about change. Mathew 5:13-16 reminds us that we are called to be “salt and light.”

We should be actively involved in influencing culture instead of just pointing out all the problems without offering any solutions. As followers of Christ, we are not to retreat or isolate ourselves. It’s not enough to engage popular culture from a distance. Instead, we should strive to be changemakers by being actively involved as we see life through the lens of a Biblical Worldview.

Ask God where you can actively be “salt and light” to more effectively engage and influence what’s happening in pop culture.

August 2021
Steve Russo

I received a text from a friend letting me know he was going to be in town from the east coast and wanted to meet up. “Sure! Sounds great. When and where?”

I showed up at the agreed upon place and time on Melrose Avenue in Santa Monica. We grabbed a table in the back of this unique café and placed our order. We hadn’t been there 5 minutes when his phone rang. “Hey, excuse me Russo. I need to take this call.” For the next two hours my buddy kept taking calls. We hardly spoke because he was so digitally distracted.

How do you respond when this happens? For me, it’s a mixture of disappointment and frustration. Unfortunately, digital distraction is all too common today.

Have you noticed the family sitting around a table in a restaurant that’s all on their phones? Maybe you’ve seen a group of students hanging out together and they’re all on their phones? There’s a good chance they’re texting each other!

Or how about in church? I visited one in my community on a Sunday and in every direction I looked, people were on their phones – and they weren’t using a Bible app. Some were shopping for shoes; others were catching up on social media or texting; while still others were ordering food for lunch after the service. What made things worse was the low-level lights in the building made it much easier to see the light of screens. It was distracting for the people on their phones and for those sitting in close proximity to them.

My friend from the east coast was not “living in the moment” and was rude to me. The people in the church were also not “living in the moment” and disrespectful to God.

Digital distractions will invade our lives every day unless we get them under control. A first step is to consider how valuable the gift of time really is that God has given us.

Live life, then, with a due sense of responsibility, not as men who do not know the meaning and purpose of life but as those who do. Make the best use of your time, despite all the difficulties of these days.           Ephesians 5:15-16 (Phillips)

June 2021
Steve Russo

When you Google “The Terminator,” Arnold Schwarzenegger’s picture comes up. When you Google “The Italian Stallion,” Sly Stallone’s – aka Rocky’s – picture comes up.

When you Google “The Encourager,” my buddy Buzz Jensen’s picture comes up. He was a modern-day Barnabas. Buzz was always encouraging and helping to build up others. He embodied what it meant to be an encourager. It’s an unusual gift that not many people have.

Buzz had a genuine heart for people. He loved offering support and confidence to others.

He had an empathetic ear and listened carefully to what others said. Buzz had an unusual eye for potential and worked to inspire others to achieve it.

He was a consistent source of hope – no matter how dark the storm clouds were in your life. Buzz also set a positive and inspiring example for others to follow.

Buzz epitomizes the expressions of Solomon in Proverbs 16:24 (NLT).

Kind words are like honey – sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.

Unfortunately, my buddy Buzz lost his life in a tragic car crash recently. It was unexpected and devastated his family and friends. There’s no doubt that Buzz now resides in heaven, but it’s still difficult for all of us to except that he’s gone. So, his family and friends cling to memories of him.

I still have text messages of encouragement from Buzz in my iPhone that I value.

I’ll always remember the last time I saw him. I had an appointment to get my hair cut at a place about half way between my house and his. His wife Vicki also had an appointment in that same general area at a similar time. We decided to meet for lunch. Chick-Fil-A was take-out only because of the pandemic. So, we drove across the street to a relatively empty parking lot. Buzz had brought along three folding chairs and two tables so we didn’t have to sit in the car. We had a great time chatting at our parking lot picnic!

Are you an encourager? Our world is filled with people who need support, confidence, hope, an empathetic ear and someone to recognize their potential. We need lots more people like Buzz. What do you think – will you “Be a Buzz?”     #beabuzz

May 2021
Steve Russo

We live in a culture that’s lost its way. People are divided like never before. Many are in pain and feeling isolated. People have become mean, hateful and bully others for no good reason. There’s no absolute truth or right or wrong. Common sense is gone. Some leaders have become fear mongers – including some in the church. It’s dark and depressing when you dwell on the “new normal” for life and wonder if things can get any worse.

So, what are we supposed to do? Ignore what’s going on or pretend everything will get better somehow. Whose narrative do you buy in to? It can be more than frustrating and confusing to know who to trust and what to do trying to navigate in an overcharged, politically correct culture.

A good place to start is to go back to the author of life and his handbook for living. It’s here that we will find wisdom, hope and peace for living in a crazy, mixed up world. Consider this verse found in Philippians 4:8.

And now dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (NLT)

Where are your thoughts ‘fixed’ on today? God’s Word or the latest post on social media. An athlete or award-winning celebrity? Scripture is the most reliable filter available to us. It gives us God’s timeless, trustworthy perspective.

But in order to utilize this supernatural resource for living we have to know what it teaches. Which means we have to spend quality time reading and studying it so we can accurately apply it.

How are you doing with your time in the Bible? Let’s not make a script to follow in some daily drudge. Instead, let’s try to adopt the attitude of being in God’s Word on a consistent basis because we want to know God better and grow in our relationship with him.

Consider setting aside regular time to spend in God’s love letter to you. If you choose to do this you will be better equipped to navigate the challenging times in which we live.

April 2021
Steve Russo

Riding on the airport shuttle bus was an older man who thought it appropriate to point out all the problems of American society. The more he talked, the more discouraged the rest of us got. Finally, I interrupted him, “Based on what you’re saying the future looks more than bleak, it appears absolutely hopeless.”  He responded, “It is.”

Feelings of hopelessness are very common today and it’s not hard to figure out why. Just look around. Things like COVID-19, the economy, social unrest, breakdown of the family, disasters and terrorism. Some sociologists have called young people today the ‘generation without hope.’ The heartbreak is that people will do almost anything when there’s a hopeless future. Without hope there’s no motivation or expectation. The effects of hopelessness are many including loneliness, depression, school dropouts, physical abuse, stress, teen pregnancy, drug & alcohol abuse, violence and suicide. People are desperately searching for hope, yet few seem to find it. Even popular music today reflects hopelessness through angst and talking about the problems but offering no solutions.

There is hope and we find it by becoming a part of God’s family. Peter, an early follower of Jesus offered these words to a previous generation also living in challenging times.

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation.”                                                                                        1 Peter 1:3

Easter is all about hope. We have a living hope because of the blood that Christ shed on the cross for our sins and because He conquered death through the resurrection. What an amazing holiday we celebrate this time of year!

Unfortunately, few people can actually identify the true meaning of Easter. Many recognize it as a religious holiday, but a relatively small percentage of people really understand the significance of the resurrection of Jesus. When Jesus conquered death, it changed everything. Hope that is greater than all of our circumstances can only be found in Christ.

How has Easter changed your life?

March 2021
Steve Russo

Saint Patrick’s Day is an international holiday. Every March 17^th people celebrate the day that’s become synonymous with green beer, “Kiss me I’m Irish” t-shirts, and “wearing of the green.” Folklore says that wearing green makes you invisible to leprechauns who like to ‘pinch’ anyone they see.

It’s crazy to think that most of these global partiers have no clue that Saint Patrick’s Day is really a cultural and a religious holiday. Nor that there really was a Saint Patrick who was born in Scotland. March 17^th is actually the anniversary of his death in the 5^th century.

At age 16, Patrick was captured by Gaelic raiders and taken to Ireland where he tended sheep for six years. While working as a shepherd, Patrick started thinking more about God and feel His presence very strongly. “The love of God and His fear came to me more and more,” said Patrick, “and my faith was strengthened.” Eventually he escaped to France and later came back to Ireland to communicate the message of God’s love and forgiveness to the Irish. Patrick was convinced that he had a divine call from God to be a missionary to Ireland. But it wasn’t an easy task. The well-established Druids tried everything in their power to stop him including threatening his life.

With a deep passion, he continued to pursue the work God called him to do in reaching the Irish with the Gospel. More than anything else, it was the miracles God did through Patrick that attracted great crowds who then heard about God’s love and forgiveness.

While teaching the basics of the Christian faith, Patrick had difficulty in explaining the meaning of the Trinity. He decided to use nature as an illustration. Picking a shamrock from a field, he pointed to the way its triple leaf grew out of one stem; just like the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one. “Had God not implanted the Trinity in the soil of their country?” Patrick exclaimed. His message was well understood, and he went on to become one of Ireland’s most beloved Saints.

This year as you think about the true message of Saint Patrick’s Day, take time to tell someone the profound Biblical truth illustrated in a simple shamrock.

 

February 2021
Steve Russo

George Herman Ruth, Jr. best known as “Babe Ruth” was a baseball icon back in the day. He was known for his hitting brilliance and was one of the first five players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

When he finally began to yield to age, one of the last games Babe Ruth ever played was in Cincinnati.  During the game, he dropped the ball several times and struck out.  The opposing team was able to score five runs in just one inning.   Leaving the game, “The Babe” hung his head and walked slowly off the field towards the dugout.  He was greeted with a storm of boos from the crowd.

Then it happened!  A little boy leaped over the railing and ran straight for Babe Ruth. With tears flowing down his cheeks, the young boy threw his arms around the great athlete.  “The Babe” reached down, gently picked the boy up and hugged him.  Then grabbing the little boy’s hand, the athlete and the boy headed for the dugout.

Suddenly the booing stopped.  Silence swept over the stadium.  Then the crowd broke into a thunderous applause.  Who where they cheering?  Babe Ruth – who they’d ridiculed just a moment before – or the little boy? Or maybe they were simply caught up in the power of love.

Love has an amazing power. It can heal a broken heart or motivate someone to keep moving forward. Everyone needs to love and be loved.  Jesus said, “love your neighbor as you love yourself” (Mark 12:31). But this can only happen if we first love God and experience the power of His love in our lives. Then we’ll be able to love others like we should.

Imagine how different our world would be if everyone experienced the power of God’s love.

But it all starts with you and me. One person at a time – transformed by the power of God’s love. Then taking the risk to love others, no matter how unlovable they may seem.

Are you willing to get caught up in the power of love to see what a difference it can make?