Steve Rusk

What does it mean to LIVE BOLD? You’ve been reading articles written by this guy. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Steve over the past year. Me any my drinking buddies show up early at the coffee shop on Friday mornings and Steve started coming as part of the 2nd shift – right after us. I didn’t know Steve from Adam’s house cat, now I count on him for inspiration and leadership. How many of us would be better off and blessed to get to know the person behind the face? All of us. Below, you’ll read about how Steve Rusk found his place among his drinking buddies. He writes his experience  below.  – Greg

One morning in Sunday School Don was talking about his drinking buddies. He then clarified that they drink coffee Mon., Wed. and Fri. at Coffee Fusion. As I was only working Monday through Thursday I ask after Sunday school what time they met. Don said, “Seven thirty’. I had made my mind up I was going to see what Milton, Al and Don was doing during that time. So I decided to go on Friday. However, when Friday came I had forgotten all about it. I remembered it when I went back to church the next Sunday. It went that way for the next few weeks. I was committed on Sunday but forgot about the commitment the other six days. It sounds about like the rest of my faith.

One Friday morning I got up and told my wife, Shelia that I was going to get a haircut, again I had forgotten abut Coffee Fusion. As I was getting into my truck there on the front seat was a small slip of paper with a name on it for me to pray during the week. Now how that slip of paper got there I do not know. When we get those slips in Sunday school I place mine in my bible so that when I do my devotional in the morning I pray for the person on it during the week. I did not go to church in my truck, did not have my bible in my truck and don’t know how it got in my truck. What I do know is that it reminded me that I needed to go to Coffee Fusion to meet with Don, Milton and Al.

Like always I tried to figure it out. I wanted to put God in a box and limit Him to what the logical explanation about this and how that slip of paper got in my truck. I thought at first that Milton or Al might have come by my house and put the slip on my seat to remind me. I said, “No – now why would they do that? If they wanted me there they would have just called”. I tried many other logical explanations but could only explain it as God opened the door for me to have a providential relationship with Don, Al and Milton. A relationship with these three men that would change my life in the way I thought about things.

I went to Coffee Fusion that morning and we had normal guy conversations; football, old jobs, life in general. But what followed was a prayer – for us as men, for our children to be saved, for our church, for our community, for our world. There in front of other people walking by, realizing that these four men were actual praying in public. On more than one occasion people have commented about how they noticed that we were praying and it gave them hope. I think that is what the world wants – Hope.

For the Christian, love of God is the true motive that leads him to pray. Fear, hatred of his enemies, selfishness, love of show, find no place in his thinking. He prays when he is in danger and asks God for protection from harm and accidents; he prays when he is sick or facing serious problems; but he has in mind that these are not the primary motive for prayer. The real ground lies deeper. This summer on of the preachers at St. Paul talked about Daniel, when faced with the order of the King that under pain and death no one might pray to God of heaven. Daniel went into his house and knelt three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before God. Daniel 6:10 He did not change his practice because of an order. This illustrates Christian prayer at its best.

Like I have said before to many people that these three guys accept me for who I am, what I think about and they love me so much they want me to be a better person. The kind of person God wants me to be. They love me so much they want to bridge the gaps in which I project who I am and who I really am on the inside. They are a blessing to me each time I attend. They also taught me through their actions to pray as a man. It sometimes takes a special event, a providential relationship to start the prayer habit and supply the needed incentive; God recognizes this, and there are occasions when God Himself supplies the event. I think God supplied this small piece of paper on the seat of my truck. I think this reveals that the Lord uses all manners of means to call men to him. He did that in older times, and He does this today. He did it with me…

- RUSK

About

Welcome, and thanks for dragging yourself over to Live|Bold! My name is Greg Arnold and I am pumped to see you here. This interactive online community is here to point every man toward the cross. Whether you have been a follower of Christ for ages, or you are just stumbling into this strange new world of faith, we have something of value to offer you. This online e-zine is a cross between a blog, a social network, a resource center, and a pulpit. My hope is to inspire you to live your faith on the outside and be a real man for God. We need you in the fight.