Have you ever went to a museum that has amazing large paintings or gone to where a large mural is painted? When things are over-sized it is amazing how we can see the details even clearer. Have you ever had a time where you felt you were in a fog and even the thoughts inside your own head weren't clear? Well that is what we tend to call brain fog, and is a neurological condition that we treat every day with amazing results, but that's not the point. (I imagine you love reading the blog of a hyperactive ADD doctor:-) Back to the point: When you look at a over-sized painting you can go up close and even the minute details are not lost in lack of vision, but are clear and concise to see even with the naked eye.
Now picture that this large image is a digital image and that you are but a pixel in the large picture. Many times we may feel small and insignificant, but if you take that beautiful picture and you have a few dozen of the pixels decide that they want to do their own thing and not participate and turn off the picture is obviously not complete. So how do we decide to do our own thing? Is that so bad, yes it can be! In fact when we decide that fulfilling our purpose is not as important as making me feel good right here right now, we sacrifice what great things we can have for the okay things we may be able to experience right now.
So lets put some skin on this, many of want to be a part of something bigger, higher or more noble than the daily grind. So we see ourselves as achieving something of great notoriety and think that this daily task is beneath us or not pursuing our higher calling. Well let's just keep things in perspective and steal a quote from a friend as we were discussing this in an e-mail: "Not everyone was meant to achieve greatness, but enduring difficulty and struggles, and still praising and giving God the glory is what matters most. If you can do that, I am certain in the end he will say 'well done my faithful servant!'" -Dr. Berard.
So we want to achieve this great thing, but we keep our eye on the end result, but making sure we are Faithful in this moment! So what does it mean to be faithful in the moment? Do we call a married man faithful because he was faithful on Tuesday? No, we call him faithful because each and every time he had the opportunity to cheat or be unfaithful, he chose to keep his eye on the commitment he made and do the right thing. Why do we call some people focused, because they have some super-human skill the rest of us doesn't? No, just when the distractions come that don't like up with their goals or values, they chose to follow their values and goals than the thrill of the moment. So with all the bombardment of information and distractions that come our way everyday, how can we possibly keep a eye on the big picture and be faithful in the moment? Well here is list of questions to ask yourself to see if you are being faithful in this moment.
1. What is my assignment? When I am with a patient and treating their health conditions, am I focused on them or me. Are we discussing my day or their health? Am I worrying about billing, staff, family, etc. or am I engaged in this brief moment of time I have to instill health, hope and value into this person. When my son asks me a question am I listening to him or is he a distraction from the television? When my spouse is frustrated, do I look at her heart and help her or just react to her words that come out of frustration that may be negatively directed towards me?
2. What are the possible rewards for being faithful in this moment? If I am faithful in this moment, what great things can come out of it? An opportunity to connect with one of my kids? Express value into a patient who will leave super-satisfied? A student who changes her opinion of herself and makes wiser decisions. There are a lot of positive rewards from being faithful in the moment.
3. What are the possible consequences if I am not faithful to this moment? Now we could go to the nth degree real fast, but keeping it simple the person that perceives you are not really listening to them, the frustration of a child not really listening to them, the student that sees her value in what they allow others to do to her than what is in the inside. I often think of all the people who depend on me to be faithful in every moment, family, staff, students, those I've mentored over the years or just those who look up to me, If I'm the next idiot on the news for doing something stupid, what will that do to them?
4. Is my attitude right? It's not just a matter of doing the right thing, but doing it with the right heart attitude. There is sometimes I have to delay or keep quiet as I have to really keep my attitude in check and not react to the what was said or done. If I loose my cool, I loose, no matter how justified I think I may be in my display of lack of control. People who are watching me and you, won't remember all the great things you've shared with them, but that time you put your foot in your mouth or went bizerk.
5. Does this honor God or my purpose? You don't have to be a believer in God or follower of Christ to get this as our purpose is the result of us following our core values. The values that we have defined as what is the guiding principles in our lives. If we are following those in this moment then we are being faithful, but if we are saying one thing is our our core values and living something else even in this fleeting moment, than we are not being faithful in this moment.
6. What would my mentor / leader / hero do in this moment? You could use any of these or all three. Heroes may be few and far between in today's society. When someone starts to make a name for themselves by many times being faithful in the moment, the media or maybe society wants to find the chinks in the armor or find skeletons to tear this person down. This goes back to who we choose to be our heroes, our mentor, the leaders we choose to lead us. I know it sounds like a WWJD moment, and maybe so, but those who we admire, how would they react or handle themselves in a similar situation, that is what we need to ask.
Take these and one by one, start looking at the times through our day and as some or all of these questions and before long it may be you we are admiring for the amazing character you are displaying.
Until next time...
Dr. Busch
Monday, August 30, 2010
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Pain and Purpose...
This has been an emotionally challenging week. I have had some amazing successes in improving lives and giving people back their hope. Have seen a 2 yr old kid with painful bowel movements and urination and ongoing digestive problems, almost with 1-2 treatments give a exacerbated mother back some peace when 2 yrs of repeated drugs, antibiotics, and surgeries and been more frustrating than successful. I've seen a man in his retirement, disillusioned by being in his 'golden' years and his body didn't work enough to hardly get out of a chair and revealed the pain of working so hard for so long and when I have the time and money to enjoy life, he didn't have the health to do anything. Well he showed up today on his new 900 Kawasaki motorcycle with a sparkle in his eye and a spring in his step, thanking us all for giving him back his dream. These are some of the joys that get me out of bed in the morning, then there are the things that make me want to indefinitely hit the snooze bar...
I had the displeasure of seeing my best staff member walk into my consultation room in tears as she had just gotten a call about two of our patients that had terrible chronic pain issues and had been making remarkable strides through good chiropractic care and our brain-based therapy. In this progress, the younger of these two boys who hadn't even turned a legal drinking age yet, had went back to his medical doctor to alter his pain medication as he had been feeling so much better, and so made the change with both to a less powerful drug. This appointment was on a Saturday, Sunday night these two went to bed and one never woke up and the other was in a coma for three days. It angers me and breaks my heart at the same time, to have to hug on a mom at her child's funeral (an event I think no parent should have to experience) and knowing her other child was in a hospital bed. Drugs are not safe, they kill thousands of people when taken for the right dose for the right problem EVERY SINGLE DAY! We have been brain-washed to believe that they are safe and they are the only route to health. If this were true, why would America, which uses more drugs than any other industrialized nation is ranked dead last among 37 industrialized nations?
I would think to apologize and give some disclaimer, but then I get a report from a patient who was told by a Neurologist to not go to a Chiropractor as it causes arthritis. I have to wonder when the last time this doctor actually read a research article or truly helped a patient. The level of ignorance is amazing, even among our most educated. There is no way restoring function can do anything but good for the joint and the nerves around them. Covering up the pain with drugs and so keep stressing the restricted joint, then have to deal with the side effects including death because my mind was so brain-washed or locked up to realize there are more effective and safer treatments than drugs or knifes. The way to health, true health is not through the current medical system as they are looking for symptoms and how to cover-up or reverse them not how to prevent or eliminate them. We must adopt the viewpoint that our health should be using Chiropractic first, Medicine second and surgery as a last resort. We have so many patients that are well into their Medicare years that take no medications and live life to the fullest every single day. It also breaks my heart when I as a new patient what medications they take and they hand me a two page list. In 1990 the average senior citizen took 9 prescription medications over the course of a year and as of a couple of years ago the average has skyrocketed to 38.5 prescription drugs per year. Thank God, most don't take all of these at once, but you'd be shocked to how many they do take at a time. This is not health care it is disease care and if our health care system is broken it is not because of the bureaucrats in Washington, DC, but the lack of people taking responsibility for their own health and well-being and getting healthy from the inside out like the body was designed, not forced alterations from the outside in like done by medications.
I know this is hard to hear, but even harder to see the grim effects of western medicine running havoc on my community, please take responsibility for your own health and use Chiropractic first, Medication second, and Surgery only as a last resort, your legacy will thank you.
Until next time...
I had the displeasure of seeing my best staff member walk into my consultation room in tears as she had just gotten a call about two of our patients that had terrible chronic pain issues and had been making remarkable strides through good chiropractic care and our brain-based therapy. In this progress, the younger of these two boys who hadn't even turned a legal drinking age yet, had went back to his medical doctor to alter his pain medication as he had been feeling so much better, and so made the change with both to a less powerful drug. This appointment was on a Saturday, Sunday night these two went to bed and one never woke up and the other was in a coma for three days. It angers me and breaks my heart at the same time, to have to hug on a mom at her child's funeral (an event I think no parent should have to experience) and knowing her other child was in a hospital bed. Drugs are not safe, they kill thousands of people when taken for the right dose for the right problem EVERY SINGLE DAY! We have been brain-washed to believe that they are safe and they are the only route to health. If this were true, why would America, which uses more drugs than any other industrialized nation is ranked dead last among 37 industrialized nations?
I would think to apologize and give some disclaimer, but then I get a report from a patient who was told by a Neurologist to not go to a Chiropractor as it causes arthritis. I have to wonder when the last time this doctor actually read a research article or truly helped a patient. The level of ignorance is amazing, even among our most educated. There is no way restoring function can do anything but good for the joint and the nerves around them. Covering up the pain with drugs and so keep stressing the restricted joint, then have to deal with the side effects including death because my mind was so brain-washed or locked up to realize there are more effective and safer treatments than drugs or knifes. The way to health, true health is not through the current medical system as they are looking for symptoms and how to cover-up or reverse them not how to prevent or eliminate them. We must adopt the viewpoint that our health should be using Chiropractic first, Medicine second and surgery as a last resort. We have so many patients that are well into their Medicare years that take no medications and live life to the fullest every single day. It also breaks my heart when I as a new patient what medications they take and they hand me a two page list. In 1990 the average senior citizen took 9 prescription medications over the course of a year and as of a couple of years ago the average has skyrocketed to 38.5 prescription drugs per year. Thank God, most don't take all of these at once, but you'd be shocked to how many they do take at a time. This is not health care it is disease care and if our health care system is broken it is not because of the bureaucrats in Washington, DC, but the lack of people taking responsibility for their own health and well-being and getting healthy from the inside out like the body was designed, not forced alterations from the outside in like done by medications.
I know this is hard to hear, but even harder to see the grim effects of western medicine running havoc on my community, please take responsibility for your own health and use Chiropractic first, Medication second, and Surgery only as a last resort, your legacy will thank you.
Until next time...
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
What's the jabber with the jaw?
There are thousands of people in our area that suffer from TMJ or Templar Mandibular Joint problems or for the rest of us, Jaw Pain. This is a condition that we see quite frequently in our clinic and it is a condition that if you take the time to find and treat the cause instead of the effects, you can lick this fairly easily.
Taking the medical or dental route is not a cheap way of treating this condition as it either taking endless prescriptions of medication for inflammation, muscle relaxers, then lead to braces on the jaw or the teeth to the point of having teeth shaved or capped to accommodate the dysfunction in the jaw joint. I even had the experience a few years ago, where a person dear to my family had had jaw problems for years and not before I graduated from chiropractic college, had gone and had paid close to four thousand dollars to have the teeth on one side shaved lower. We began to work on correcting the cause of the problem and ran into the obstacle of having one side of the teeth not being at a proper height and it wasn't until after we corrected the TMJ problems that relief was achieved. Of course they went back and paid the same orthodontist a couple thousands to now put caps on the side he had previously shaved and at least the problem was behind us. Thousands of dollars on attempting to treat the effects and the proper care was minimal in comparison to the wasted work done in the dental chair.
There is a meniscus or like a fluid filled sac the jaw joint connects to the skull through and when one side of these attachments starts to act incorrectly the other side is negatively affected as well. Then there are two muscles called the 'Pteragoid muscles' that assist in the opening of the jaw and attach back to the spine. These are all affected by other subluxation complexes including that coming from the upper cervical spine.
Now why is this important? Well situated just under the TMJoint is the trigeminal nerve, which is really a nerve grouping, which supplies sensation and motor function to each side of the face. It is from this wonderful nerve that we get conditions like Bells Palsy (which is half of the face muscle loose strength) and Tic Del la Rue (which is like a stabbing hot poker into the face). So it is crucial that we work to improve the function of the TMJ instead of treating the effects, as we all want to live life to the fullest. Chiropractic treatment is by far the best approach to treating this type of condition. If you have any questions or comments, as always you can post them on this blog or e-mail at drjdbusch@cmclinic.net
Until next time...
Taking the medical or dental route is not a cheap way of treating this condition as it either taking endless prescriptions of medication for inflammation, muscle relaxers, then lead to braces on the jaw or the teeth to the point of having teeth shaved or capped to accommodate the dysfunction in the jaw joint. I even had the experience a few years ago, where a person dear to my family had had jaw problems for years and not before I graduated from chiropractic college, had gone and had paid close to four thousand dollars to have the teeth on one side shaved lower. We began to work on correcting the cause of the problem and ran into the obstacle of having one side of the teeth not being at a proper height and it wasn't until after we corrected the TMJ problems that relief was achieved. Of course they went back and paid the same orthodontist a couple thousands to now put caps on the side he had previously shaved and at least the problem was behind us. Thousands of dollars on attempting to treat the effects and the proper care was minimal in comparison to the wasted work done in the dental chair.
There is a meniscus or like a fluid filled sac the jaw joint connects to the skull through and when one side of these attachments starts to act incorrectly the other side is negatively affected as well. Then there are two muscles called the 'Pteragoid muscles' that assist in the opening of the jaw and attach back to the spine. These are all affected by other subluxation complexes including that coming from the upper cervical spine.
Now why is this important? Well situated just under the TMJoint is the trigeminal nerve, which is really a nerve grouping, which supplies sensation and motor function to each side of the face. It is from this wonderful nerve that we get conditions like Bells Palsy (which is half of the face muscle loose strength) and Tic Del la Rue (which is like a stabbing hot poker into the face). So it is crucial that we work to improve the function of the TMJ instead of treating the effects, as we all want to live life to the fullest. Chiropractic treatment is by far the best approach to treating this type of condition. If you have any questions or comments, as always you can post them on this blog or e-mail at drjdbusch@cmclinic.net
Until next time...
Monday, May 17, 2010
What gets you out of bed...
Today is the result of a couple weeks of 'one of those days.' My wife joked recently, 'well if something bad is going to happen, it might as well as happen to us, we can handle it' Well in spite of stuff that we go through on a daily basis, let me share with you something that has happened that will encourage me for time to come:
A young mom was referred into our clinic about three months ago suffering from lower back pain and neck pain. She had her work cut out for her as like so many young mom's these days her husband is deployed overseas so she gets to be mom, dad, maid, etc. etc. etc. You get the picture. Well after she started receiving care, I noticed one of her children had a significant heel lift built into the shoe and when you watched this kid run and play it was clear, the body that was given to work with was not too coordinated and of course siblings can irritate this by pushing the limitation buttons, but kids are kids and this kid didn't have the future that every parent wanted for their child. When she submitted her child for care we took some good x-rays and revealed a Posterior rotated pelvis of 25mm and internally or laterally rotated 20mm with a short leg of 28mm on the right. Well the mom had commented to me that her child no longer wanted to wear the specially made shoes that were quite expensive, and had to console by saying, 'well wouldn't be better if you didn't have to buy those specially 'priced' shoes for the rest of your time as a parent?' It encouraged, but we were all a bit having some nervous anxiety as it was time for Uncle Sam to move them to their next home, so we took the proper follow-up films after just under six weeks of care. Well the change is remarkable, so that is why I am taking the time to share it with all of you, not to brag, but to share with you the power of chiropractic and why it in certain applications can and is the only thing that can save people from a life of less than peak performance.
Enough with the suspense, after military medicine spending thousands of dollars on therapy, MRI's CT scans, etc. 6 weeks of complimentary care has produced a young little one with now only 10mm of posterior rotation, 4mm of lateral rotation and only a 6mm short leg on the right. Now when you realize what this means, those nerves that leave that area control this little one's bowel, bladder, reproductive organs and kidney's and beyond that having to grow being made fun by all the other kids that make fun of the kid that can't walk straight or runs into walls, or having to tilt your head to the side to ask for a date? Was it heroic medicine to swoop in and save the day, which would be there in 20 years with Harrington rods and spinal surgeries, but today we gave hope, we gave health and we gave the future back to a little person who may not appreciate what he was saved from, but we can sit back and watch him shine!
Until next time...
A young mom was referred into our clinic about three months ago suffering from lower back pain and neck pain. She had her work cut out for her as like so many young mom's these days her husband is deployed overseas so she gets to be mom, dad, maid, etc. etc. etc. You get the picture. Well after she started receiving care, I noticed one of her children had a significant heel lift built into the shoe and when you watched this kid run and play it was clear, the body that was given to work with was not too coordinated and of course siblings can irritate this by pushing the limitation buttons, but kids are kids and this kid didn't have the future that every parent wanted for their child. When she submitted her child for care we took some good x-rays and revealed a Posterior rotated pelvis of 25mm and internally or laterally rotated 20mm with a short leg of 28mm on the right. Well the mom had commented to me that her child no longer wanted to wear the specially made shoes that were quite expensive, and had to console by saying, 'well wouldn't be better if you didn't have to buy those specially 'priced' shoes for the rest of your time as a parent?' It encouraged, but we were all a bit having some nervous anxiety as it was time for Uncle Sam to move them to their next home, so we took the proper follow-up films after just under six weeks of care. Well the change is remarkable, so that is why I am taking the time to share it with all of you, not to brag, but to share with you the power of chiropractic and why it in certain applications can and is the only thing that can save people from a life of less than peak performance.
Enough with the suspense, after military medicine spending thousands of dollars on therapy, MRI's CT scans, etc. 6 weeks of complimentary care has produced a young little one with now only 10mm of posterior rotation, 4mm of lateral rotation and only a 6mm short leg on the right. Now when you realize what this means, those nerves that leave that area control this little one's bowel, bladder, reproductive organs and kidney's and beyond that having to grow being made fun by all the other kids that make fun of the kid that can't walk straight or runs into walls, or having to tilt your head to the side to ask for a date? Was it heroic medicine to swoop in and save the day, which would be there in 20 years with Harrington rods and spinal surgeries, but today we gave hope, we gave health and we gave the future back to a little person who may not appreciate what he was saved from, but we can sit back and watch him shine!
Until next time...
Sunday, May 2, 2010
3:33 a.m.
Sunday May 2nd, 3:33 am
This is the third time I've woke up after having a familiar dream then wake-up roll over and it's 3:33 am. The house is quiet, all are asleep, not a creature was stirring, well except me, Dickens has got nothing on this. I am waking from a dream in which I am having one of my last conversations with my buddy Rob, who died tragically in a car accident about 6 weeks ago. Let me set the scene: He called me up and made plans to get dropped off from his carpool from Alamosa and hang-out with me until I was done at the clinic and then I'd give him a ride to church where he'd meet his family. He sat in the the left chair in the consultation room and I in the chair across the desk and we had just a chat about life, how things were going and we were interrupted a couple times for me to go and treat the last few patients of the day. He would patiently sit and wait for my return, texting someone occasionally until I was done. In my dreams he is sitting back, his bottom lip curled up with his half cocked grin, eye squint, and will say with a bit of a head lift, 'dude, how's life?' I will share the frustrations and joys, successes and pitfalls and each time right before I wake, he'll give me say, 'It's all good man'
Now I can't tell you how much I would like to have that conversation again in real life, but I can't, so I will cherish the ones I have only in my head and heart per se. We often find ourselves being bombarded with negativity and of course this often comes from within as well as from without. I recently had the experience of hugging on one of my girls as she cried in my arms as she felt she wasn't good at anything and at that moment, I try to console her with reason and logic, but to her at that time, emotion was law and reason was out the window. My son, being either the inquisitive or provoker that he can be, asked why is she so sad when she is so talented at so many things. What I told him is that women often thing in emotions, in that it's not the facts that are important, but how she feels about the facts of the situation. So that's why emotion and reason can not occupy the same place at the same time. I learned that from a wise Dr. Owen. So I told him that if he could grasp that it would make his interaction with the other four women in our house better and those he may one day meet and want to have a relationship with, when I said that I lost him, he was too grossed out at that thought to listen to Dad anymore.
I share this because just two days later we had a chance crossing paths with one of my daughter's track coaches and she shared with us that she had gotten a 69 second 400 m time at the last meet. I was so excited and realized and shared with her that if she could run it that fast in 8th grade, just wait until you get your legs and learn how to run. That day logic and hope won out and just because she came in behind someone else each time so far, she had skills that could be developed.
I share that with you as it was laughed about in my dream conversation with Rob. In how I shared my frustrations about life, not having enough to pay for all the basics and all the wants, and had to juggle to keep things in balance at times, and wondering if I was really making an impact for my family as I know I have helped a whole lot of folks over the years, but I am haunted by the few I couldn't. He said these amazing words to me in my dream, 'You made an impact on me' posed almost like a question with the raising of the voice on the 'me.' Then I woke up.
I want you as you read this to glean from my 3:33am moments, to reflect on the those you love and those you interact with on a regular basis on how well am I purposefully putting positive and messages of hope and love into their life. Am I making this relationship a symbiotic or a win-win deal or is there a looser in this deal? Tell people you appreciate them, and be specific with your praise, praise them over things that only you would know about. Pour life into people, instead of sucking the life out of them, and cherish the moments, hold on to them and try not to let them go. Our baby recently likes to to tell us if she is not getting her way, "you're not not being very nice" (of course she used this on me last evening with I wouldn't let her have more candy right before bed)
There is a song out on the radio called 'Blink' and I think it's Brandon Heath who sings it, but not sure, but some of the lyrics are 'It happens in in a blink, it happens in a flash. It happens in the time it takes to look back. I try to hold on tight, but there's no stopping time. What is it I've done with my life? It happens in a blink' When you look back make more moments that you love to recall instead of those you regret. Love people without reservation or conditions as the Golden rule says, 'Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.'
Until next time...
This is the third time I've woke up after having a familiar dream then wake-up roll over and it's 3:33 am. The house is quiet, all are asleep, not a creature was stirring, well except me, Dickens has got nothing on this. I am waking from a dream in which I am having one of my last conversations with my buddy Rob, who died tragically in a car accident about 6 weeks ago. Let me set the scene: He called me up and made plans to get dropped off from his carpool from Alamosa and hang-out with me until I was done at the clinic and then I'd give him a ride to church where he'd meet his family. He sat in the the left chair in the consultation room and I in the chair across the desk and we had just a chat about life, how things were going and we were interrupted a couple times for me to go and treat the last few patients of the day. He would patiently sit and wait for my return, texting someone occasionally until I was done. In my dreams he is sitting back, his bottom lip curled up with his half cocked grin, eye squint, and will say with a bit of a head lift, 'dude, how's life?' I will share the frustrations and joys, successes and pitfalls and each time right before I wake, he'll give me say, 'It's all good man'
Now I can't tell you how much I would like to have that conversation again in real life, but I can't, so I will cherish the ones I have only in my head and heart per se. We often find ourselves being bombarded with negativity and of course this often comes from within as well as from without. I recently had the experience of hugging on one of my girls as she cried in my arms as she felt she wasn't good at anything and at that moment, I try to console her with reason and logic, but to her at that time, emotion was law and reason was out the window. My son, being either the inquisitive or provoker that he can be, asked why is she so sad when she is so talented at so many things. What I told him is that women often thing in emotions, in that it's not the facts that are important, but how she feels about the facts of the situation. So that's why emotion and reason can not occupy the same place at the same time. I learned that from a wise Dr. Owen. So I told him that if he could grasp that it would make his interaction with the other four women in our house better and those he may one day meet and want to have a relationship with, when I said that I lost him, he was too grossed out at that thought to listen to Dad anymore.
I share this because just two days later we had a chance crossing paths with one of my daughter's track coaches and she shared with us that she had gotten a 69 second 400 m time at the last meet. I was so excited and realized and shared with her that if she could run it that fast in 8th grade, just wait until you get your legs and learn how to run. That day logic and hope won out and just because she came in behind someone else each time so far, she had skills that could be developed.
I share that with you as it was laughed about in my dream conversation with Rob. In how I shared my frustrations about life, not having enough to pay for all the basics and all the wants, and had to juggle to keep things in balance at times, and wondering if I was really making an impact for my family as I know I have helped a whole lot of folks over the years, but I am haunted by the few I couldn't. He said these amazing words to me in my dream, 'You made an impact on me' posed almost like a question with the raising of the voice on the 'me.' Then I woke up.
I want you as you read this to glean from my 3:33am moments, to reflect on the those you love and those you interact with on a regular basis on how well am I purposefully putting positive and messages of hope and love into their life. Am I making this relationship a symbiotic or a win-win deal or is there a looser in this deal? Tell people you appreciate them, and be specific with your praise, praise them over things that only you would know about. Pour life into people, instead of sucking the life out of them, and cherish the moments, hold on to them and try not to let them go. Our baby recently likes to to tell us if she is not getting her way, "you're not not being very nice" (of course she used this on me last evening with I wouldn't let her have more candy right before bed)
There is a song out on the radio called 'Blink' and I think it's Brandon Heath who sings it, but not sure, but some of the lyrics are 'It happens in in a blink, it happens in a flash. It happens in the time it takes to look back. I try to hold on tight, but there's no stopping time. What is it I've done with my life? It happens in a blink' When you look back make more moments that you love to recall instead of those you regret. Love people without reservation or conditions as the Golden rule says, 'Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.'
Until next time...
Monday, April 5, 2010
Recycling Program
I was recently reading a book named, "The Positive Power of Praising People" by Bob Nelson and it made me stop and realize where the ultimate recycling program needs to take place. It needs to take place in the hearts and minds of those around us. So often we hear people say nice things about others and we just take it in and let it give us the warm and fuzzies or we get jealous that people aren't saying those nice things about us and we try to promote our own list of accomplishments instead of listening then recycling.
I know I hear you, what how does recycling fit, well, let's just say you take that nice compliment you heard about your friend and then tell them what you heard and let it be a double blessing. A blessing to your friend as they can hear from the lips of of one friend the compliments of another and you get the blessing of passing the compliment to a friend that I can imagine who needs to hear some encouragement. Then heaven forbid, you add to the compliment, agree with it and tell them why you agree. A crazy thing just might happen, they may say nice things about you as a result of it. (But don't make that your motivation...read 1st paragraph again)
I have said many times, I don't like watching the news or 'Bad News America' or read the Newspaper. (trust me there are plenty of avenues to get the scoop) The point is they go all over the world and find all the bad news and cram it into the 30 minutes before I fall asleep or the first thing some may read. Resulting, we listen or read it and it's no wonder we have heart problem in this country. It's okay to be informed, but man I don't want to be initiated. If my wife reads this blog, she will give me grief as she loves the news and has a radar to pick-up any utterly depressing or heart-wrenching show on the television, especially if it has to do with children. She has this amazing heart of love and compassion for people and those stories fuel her to give more, they have a different effect on me. They make me angry that someone was so selfish that they imposed their own agenda above the care and compassion of others and it has a tendency to want to make me calloused, but I have a secret weapon. It's called a remote control, I find a discovery, history or just a stupid comedy to make me laugh as laughter is better medicine than getting up in arms against things you can't even have any impact on.
So back to recycling, find something you know good about someone else and tell it to a different person (I DID SAY GOOD THING). I know you were thinking I already do that, but people call it gossip, that not the point. Share the positive things you hear from others and tell them to the person, tell them good encouraging things about others to them, and although it may be hard to do, shut-up about yourself. Let someone else speak well of you and not toot your own horn, I know there are many quotes regarding this, but think of the heart problem in this country. See yourself as a 'heart doctor' and you are going to shower some good healthy stuff on someone else's heart. In turn it will do your heart good as well.
This may not make the world greener, but the Happier and Healthier World thanks you for your efforts, you do make a difference, especially in those you use this recycling program on...
Until next time...
I know I hear you, what how does recycling fit, well, let's just say you take that nice compliment you heard about your friend and then tell them what you heard and let it be a double blessing. A blessing to your friend as they can hear from the lips of of one friend the compliments of another and you get the blessing of passing the compliment to a friend that I can imagine who needs to hear some encouragement. Then heaven forbid, you add to the compliment, agree with it and tell them why you agree. A crazy thing just might happen, they may say nice things about you as a result of it. (But don't make that your motivation...read 1st paragraph again)
I have said many times, I don't like watching the news or 'Bad News America' or read the Newspaper. (trust me there are plenty of avenues to get the scoop) The point is they go all over the world and find all the bad news and cram it into the 30 minutes before I fall asleep or the first thing some may read. Resulting, we listen or read it and it's no wonder we have heart problem in this country. It's okay to be informed, but man I don't want to be initiated. If my wife reads this blog, she will give me grief as she loves the news and has a radar to pick-up any utterly depressing or heart-wrenching show on the television, especially if it has to do with children. She has this amazing heart of love and compassion for people and those stories fuel her to give more, they have a different effect on me. They make me angry that someone was so selfish that they imposed their own agenda above the care and compassion of others and it has a tendency to want to make me calloused, but I have a secret weapon. It's called a remote control, I find a discovery, history or just a stupid comedy to make me laugh as laughter is better medicine than getting up in arms against things you can't even have any impact on.
So back to recycling, find something you know good about someone else and tell it to a different person (I DID SAY GOOD THING). I know you were thinking I already do that, but people call it gossip, that not the point. Share the positive things you hear from others and tell them to the person, tell them good encouraging things about others to them, and although it may be hard to do, shut-up about yourself. Let someone else speak well of you and not toot your own horn, I know there are many quotes regarding this, but think of the heart problem in this country. See yourself as a 'heart doctor' and you are going to shower some good healthy stuff on someone else's heart. In turn it will do your heart good as well.
This may not make the world greener, but the Happier and Healthier World thanks you for your efforts, you do make a difference, especially in those you use this recycling program on...
Until next time...
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Tribute to my hero, Rob
From many requests I am posting what I gave as a tribute to my best friend Rob Orta, who was tragically killed recently and went home to heaven. It was an amazing service and so the days of putting one foot in front of the other begins for us and the Ortas. (names are deleted to protect them as this will be accessible over the internet)
March 22, 2010 - 11:20 am - given by Dr. J. Douglas Busch for MSgt Robert A. Orta:
I went running on Saturday with my dog, when I got home, my son was watching TV and this cartoon was on and said, “I don’t want to live forever if my best friend isn’t going to be there”I don’t like that I get to live out the rest of this life without my buddy Rob, but I wouldn’t trade the past few years with Rob & the Orta family for anything.
This is a day I thought I would never come. I always assumed that Rob would be speaking at my graduation ceremony telling of what a crybaby I am. Rob was one of the strongest men I knew and fulfilling a promise I made to him before he left for Afghanistan on his last tour, I prayed for his safe return every single day. Since he got home, I am guilty of not cherishing every moment we had, but I won’t make that mistake again and I hope you won’t either. I met Rob & He***** on New Years Eve Party at our home, Rob and I knew there was going to be a good friendship, but not the bond that soon came into being. Rob had a tough guy facade, but had a heart of gold and had passion for the things that mattered.
Early in our relationship, Rob and Heather came over before sun-up to watch our kids while we took some relatives from out of town skiing and I went to give him a thank you hug and he said, ‘Dude, you don’t have to hug me.’ I just said, back, ‘Just shut-up and give me hug.’ He gave me his little half smile and said, ‘thanks man.’ We quickly realized we both had a passion for intentionally building a family of leaders. Rob introduced me into the concept of making purposeful events in the lives of our family, especially our kids, so they would have keystones along their rights of passage into manhood and womanhood. We were at almost all of our kids birthdays, I can still remember the day **** was born, Rob smiled as big as I had ever seen it & he shared a birthday with my daughter Maddie and he would always do something to make that day special for the both of them. I recall times with both of our families cramming into a single travel trailer or hikes in the hills with the kids. We read books together like, ‘Raising a Modern Day Knight’ and “Men’s Fraternity studies” and set out on a plan to make events, ceremonies for our kids. I recently re-read what he wrote in a study we had together, “Don’t let your son leave your house with out being intentional in helping him to grow into a Godly adult.”
In trying to make intentional events, I recall how we talked about going up into the mountains and hiding a treasure chest and teaching our kids about navigation and tracking through the forest to find the treasure we had hidden for them. I’ve never met anyone who will over-plan a simple hiking trip down to the place and time we could stop for snacks, after the first outing with the kids, we learned to add in a lot more breaks. We were both laughed so hard, when we realized they had already invented geocaching and there was a website with hundreds of already hidden treasure to find with a gps.
He had a passion for doing the right thing, regardless if it was cool or popular. I have heard from more of his Army buddies that he walked his talk of faith and integrity everywhere he went. He was the same guy at church, playing in a water balloon fight with our families on 4thof July, or defending our freedoms on the battlefield. He understood what it meant to pay the price for what mattered. He paid the price of being a man of integrity, loving his wife and family, even if it lost him popularity, promotion or even relationships. The cost of passing on a legacy of faith was paramount for him and all of you being here is demonstration that pursuit of faith was not in vain. He touched our lives, he made us better and he will not be forgotten.
A compass is a funny thing, for some it is worthless, because they don’t know how to use it. It may be nice to know where North is, but how can this be helpful in the chaos of life? God has given us a compass in His Word, in John 14:6 it says, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except by me.” Rob read and knew how to use that compass and he knew where he was going after this life and paid a high price to point as many of us toward home even in his death. After all the drama of this day fades, there is still going to be four people who desperately need us to not let the memory of this great man fade away. We need to be the shoulder to cry on in 6 months or 6 years , to teach two boys and young girl the lessons needed through love and discipline what it means to keep our hearts pointed toward home, so they will not get lost in this wild jungle of life and they will one day get to see their father again.
For many of you in this room, this is a ‘Good-bye’ time, for others of us, it is simply a celebration of a great life here on earth and a ‘See ya later, brother.’ What separates these two groups is that in my group with me, Rob and others, we have made our election sure and we have chosen Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and we will one day see each other again. Many others in this room, always thinks there would be a day, but not today, Well just like Rob, we won’t get to go skiing with the kids in a few days like we planned, but we will one day be reunited. Some say that the gift of Salvation is free, but I disagree, someone paid a high price so that you would be here today in this moment, you could hear the calling of your heavenly father and give you the opportunity to choose for yourself whom you will serve? Will you continue to go down the path of self-service and pride or will today be the day you choose life and a life that is eternal. Don’t waste this day, this moment, my friend Rob paid a high price, so that you would have this opportunity, to take Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, or a choose to get off the detour you’ve been on, and make your life matter, build a legacy, not just in this life but for the Eternal Kingdom.
When my last breath on earth has come and I stand before my maker, I look forward to being embraced and told, “well done, my good and faithful servant.’ But I can’t wait for what will happen just a few moments later to hear, “Dude, Check it out” and give my friend, brother and hero Rob a hug as he shows me streets of gold and introduce me to the saints that he has gotten to know while we are still here on earth. I want each and every one of us to share in a moment like this, but the choice is yours. Will you choose to follow your own path, or today will you learn from the leadership of our friend Rob and make Jesus the Lord of your Life, today and everyday following. Faith is not believing what God can do, but knowing what will do. Be faithful in this moment and choose wisely!
March 22, 2010 - 11:20 am - given by Dr. J. Douglas Busch for MSgt Robert A. Orta:
I went running on Saturday with my dog, when I got home, my son was watching TV and this cartoon was on and said, “I don’t want to live forever if my best friend isn’t going to be there”I don’t like that I get to live out the rest of this life without my buddy Rob, but I wouldn’t trade the past few years with Rob & the Orta family for anything.
This is a day I thought I would never come. I always assumed that Rob would be speaking at my graduation ceremony telling of what a crybaby I am. Rob was one of the strongest men I knew and fulfilling a promise I made to him before he left for Afghanistan on his last tour, I prayed for his safe return every single day. Since he got home, I am guilty of not cherishing every moment we had, but I won’t make that mistake again and I hope you won’t either. I met Rob & He***** on New Years Eve Party at our home, Rob and I knew there was going to be a good friendship, but not the bond that soon came into being. Rob had a tough guy facade, but had a heart of gold and had passion for the things that mattered.
Early in our relationship, Rob and Heather came over before sun-up to watch our kids while we took some relatives from out of town skiing and I went to give him a thank you hug and he said, ‘Dude, you don’t have to hug me.’ I just said, back, ‘Just shut-up and give me hug.’ He gave me his little half smile and said, ‘thanks man.’ We quickly realized we both had a passion for intentionally building a family of leaders. Rob introduced me into the concept of making purposeful events in the lives of our family, especially our kids, so they would have keystones along their rights of passage into manhood and womanhood. We were at almost all of our kids birthdays, I can still remember the day **** was born, Rob smiled as big as I had ever seen it & he shared a birthday with my daughter Maddie and he would always do something to make that day special for the both of them. I recall times with both of our families cramming into a single travel trailer or hikes in the hills with the kids. We read books together like, ‘Raising a Modern Day Knight’ and “Men’s Fraternity studies” and set out on a plan to make events, ceremonies for our kids. I recently re-read what he wrote in a study we had together, “Don’t let your son leave your house with out being intentional in helping him to grow into a Godly adult.”
In trying to make intentional events, I recall how we talked about going up into the mountains and hiding a treasure chest and teaching our kids about navigation and tracking through the forest to find the treasure we had hidden for them. I’ve never met anyone who will over-plan a simple hiking trip down to the place and time we could stop for snacks, after the first outing with the kids, we learned to add in a lot more breaks. We were both laughed so hard, when we realized they had already invented geocaching and there was a website with hundreds of already hidden treasure to find with a gps.
He had a passion for doing the right thing, regardless if it was cool or popular. I have heard from more of his Army buddies that he walked his talk of faith and integrity everywhere he went. He was the same guy at church, playing in a water balloon fight with our families on 4thof July, or defending our freedoms on the battlefield. He understood what it meant to pay the price for what mattered. He paid the price of being a man of integrity, loving his wife and family, even if it lost him popularity, promotion or even relationships. The cost of passing on a legacy of faith was paramount for him and all of you being here is demonstration that pursuit of faith was not in vain. He touched our lives, he made us better and he will not be forgotten.
A compass is a funny thing, for some it is worthless, because they don’t know how to use it. It may be nice to know where North is, but how can this be helpful in the chaos of life? God has given us a compass in His Word, in John 14:6 it says, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except by me.” Rob read and knew how to use that compass and he knew where he was going after this life and paid a high price to point as many of us toward home even in his death. After all the drama of this day fades, there is still going to be four people who desperately need us to not let the memory of this great man fade away. We need to be the shoulder to cry on in 6 months or 6 years , to teach two boys and young girl the lessons needed through love and discipline what it means to keep our hearts pointed toward home, so they will not get lost in this wild jungle of life and they will one day get to see their father again.
For many of you in this room, this is a ‘Good-bye’ time, for others of us, it is simply a celebration of a great life here on earth and a ‘See ya later, brother.’ What separates these two groups is that in my group with me, Rob and others, we have made our election sure and we have chosen Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and we will one day see each other again. Many others in this room, always thinks there would be a day, but not today, Well just like Rob, we won’t get to go skiing with the kids in a few days like we planned, but we will one day be reunited. Some say that the gift of Salvation is free, but I disagree, someone paid a high price so that you would be here today in this moment, you could hear the calling of your heavenly father and give you the opportunity to choose for yourself whom you will serve? Will you continue to go down the path of self-service and pride or will today be the day you choose life and a life that is eternal. Don’t waste this day, this moment, my friend Rob paid a high price, so that you would have this opportunity, to take Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, or a choose to get off the detour you’ve been on, and make your life matter, build a legacy, not just in this life but for the Eternal Kingdom.
When my last breath on earth has come and I stand before my maker, I look forward to being embraced and told, “well done, my good and faithful servant.’ But I can’t wait for what will happen just a few moments later to hear, “Dude, Check it out” and give my friend, brother and hero Rob a hug as he shows me streets of gold and introduce me to the saints that he has gotten to know while we are still here on earth. I want each and every one of us to share in a moment like this, but the choice is yours. Will you choose to follow your own path, or today will you learn from the leadership of our friend Rob and make Jesus the Lord of your Life, today and everyday following. Faith is not believing what God can do, but knowing what will do. Be faithful in this moment and choose wisely!
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