rustygunn.net
today matters so matter today

Not too long ago, I was standing in line at Best Buy customer service.  As usual, the line was not moving very fast.  I don't even remember now what I was there for.  But I do remember very vivdly the conversation that took place between the guy in front of me and the Best Buy employee who was helping him.  As the guy was making his purchase, the employee asked him if he would like to save 20% by signing up for a Best Buy credit card.  The guy very firmly said "No!  I hate credit cards."  I was thinking "good deal, another American rejecting the system and living debt free!"  Then he continued... "so I limit myself to 2 of them."  I… Read More

New posts will be coming very soon.  I promise.  I planned on taking a break through summer but because of some circumstances in my life, I put my comeback on hold a little longer than I would have hoped.  Stay tuned and thanks for reading.  Today matters, so matter today! Rusty Read More

In the midst of name after name after name after name in the book of 1 Chronicles, a memorial stands out to a man who stood above the crowd. His name was Jabez. There are only 2 verses written about him in the Bible, but there is enough to speak volumes. His very name in the Hebrew means "pain, or intense sorrw." His mother named him that because she bore him in pain. We don't know what kind of pain. It could have been financial difficulty, his father may have died in battle before he was born, he may have been a child of rape. We do not know, but we know that his entire life at the very mention of his name he would forever be reminded of the… Read More

I heard a disturbing, but not surprising statistic last night. Appartently 41% of all live births in the state of Oklahoma in 2008 were to unwed mothers. Wow! That is alarming and has so many implications. After hearing this, on my drive home I was sharing that statistic on the phone with one of my best friends in the entire world, Brent Kellogg (there ya go BK, you finally got a mention in my blog) and it hit me that one of the biggest issues with this is that so many children will grow up in a home with no father. The immediate immorality of the mother and "father" having sex outside of marriage is there and is obviously not pleasing to God.… Read More

So by the looks of Google's logo today, it must be Earth Day again. I do not typically keep up with all these environmental celebrations and such, but this one is usually hard to miss. So as I was meditating a little today, I looked up several scriptures concerning the earth and what God has to say about it. Of course we know God created the earth and gave us dominion over it. It is not our master and we are not it's slave. We are of course stewards of it and are to treat it responsibly as we should any gift God gives us and anything He gives us charge over. Psalm 104 has a lot to say about the earth and gives us confidence that God is going… Read More

420 is a code used by marijuana smokers to communicate their desire to get high. As a result, weed smokers have claimed 4:20 as international time to smoke pot. They have aso attempted to claim April 20 (4/20) as international pot smoking day. The reason 420 was chosen is a little bit of a mystery. There are several stories out there, some proven false such as 420 being a police code for a pot bust. But whatever the origin, just a Chrsitians have done with other pagan and secular ideas and celebrations for centuries, I propose we reclaim this day and the time for the Lord. In Acts 4 Peter and John are on trial for healing a crippled man for which… Read More

I just spent some time with a friend that I have been really getting to know a lot better over the past couple weeks. We have spent quite a bit of time together here recently. It has been great and I love his friendship and heart for the Lord and His people. We were just hanging out a little bit ago after I spoke at an FCA meeting at his church and we were watching a video on youtube. Well... I have this little habit (if you know me you will laugh as you read this) where when I get excited or nervous or really focused and intent, I clap my hands together and then rub them together really fast. Fast enough to start a fire sometimes. Well, as we… Read More

The Bible has a lot to say about the fool. A great study to do sometime is just simply read all the verses containing "fool." Interesting and very insightful and challenging. But perhaps the most commonly quoted verse(s) about the fool are Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1 which both say "The fool has said in his heart 'there is no God.'" There has been a movement, somewhat jokingly I think, to rename April 1 "Atheist Day" because of these verses. In my mind it is foolish to say there is not a God. To me, there is too much proof that He is. But in studying these verses recently, I found out that the two words "there is" do not exist in the… Read More

WOW! What a weekend. I am in Houston Texas and this weekend got to worship with several incredible bodies of believers.

Saturday night I went to Lakewood Church - everyone knows Joel Osteen. Incredible worship led by Israel Houghton. Energetic, caring atmosphere. Challenge brought by Arthur Blessit, the man who has carried a cross over 78,000 miles walking all over the world. Powerful teaching by Victoria Osteen. Uplifting message, as usual, from Psalm 23:6 by Joel. Refreshing.

Sunday morning at 8 a.m. I went to St. John's… Read More

A friend of mine was challenged by a wise friend to do an exercise in gratitude. Our staff just did this. It is really life-changing. Remember "You can't hurt a greateful man" (read my post called 'hurt'). Try this: Take a notebook and choose a day this week. Beginning in the morning when you wake up, write down everything you are thankful for throughout the day, Keep the notebook with you and everytime you are thankful for something, write it down. Keep going until you go to bed that night. It is powerful. It transforms the mind. It transforms you. Ephesians 5:20 tells us we are to be "always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in… Read More