Warner: Message of personal inspiration

There are many times in life when there are no adequate answers for why certain events happen, if anything could have been done differently to prevent them or what to do now after the event.

On Saturday, Heartland Promise Keepers is bringing an event of inspirational music and a message by football star Kurt Warner, which is a timely opportunity.

Admission is free, and men of all ages are encouraged to attend this potentially life-changing event.

The Show Me Center is the place. Doors open at 5 p.m., and the event starts at 6 p.m. Warner will speak on the topic of "Focus, Determination and Commitment!"

In the mailing promoting the event, Warner is quoted:

"I believe that the Lord has a plan for each of us that's better than anything we can imagine -- even if that plan isn't obvious to us at every stage. He prepared me for this over a long period of time -- in lower-profile locker rooms and the grocery store and in Europe, through all the personal tragedies and in spite of the people who doubted me along the way."

Warner explained.

"Whether I'm a Super Bowl Champion or a regular guy stocking groceries at the Hy-Vee, sharing my faith and glorifying Jesus is the central focus of my time on this earth. And the fact that I now have a podium, I believe, is no coincidence. I want to be a role model for Christ in everything that I do. Living my life for him and showing people the beauty of that reality is my mission in life.

"Before I could devote my life to Jesus and start living my life for him, I had to go through a lot of personal struggles, including a period a few years ago where I got a little caught up in thing that aren't important -- fame, money, lust."

Warner suffered a series of disastrous setbacks in his career. He faced financial problems, family problems, even the sudden and tragic death of his wife's parents. All the hurts and the heartbreak caused Kurt to take a good hard look at his life -- and what was missing from it.

"Growing up I'd always put my life on one side and my relationship with God on the other. I knew God was there, but I only called upon him when I needed Him or felt compelled to thank him. Eventually, I realized I needed to live every day for him."

We all can benefit from a religious testimony and motivational address to help us deal with this complicated society we deal with daily.

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I enjoyed the Notre Dame Regional High School production of "My Fair Lady" last week. A full house experienced the staging, costuming, talent and music.

It's fun to remember when you or your children (and now grandchildren for me) get the experience, excitement and benefits of performing in out-of-character situations in front of a crowd.

The spontaneous, unscripted openness in such a production is one of the reasons reality TV shows are outperforming (audience-wise) more scripted shows with much higher budgets.

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I also recently attended Southeast Missouri State University's jazz concert. The Jazz Lab Band performed first, before the premier Studio Jazz Ensemble played along with trumpet pro Mark Zauss (who has the extreme upper registry range of Maynard Ferguson, who played in Cape Girardeau years ago).

Director Robert Conger is to be commended for his leadership.

It seems for the college and younger set of today evenings start about the time I'm settling in. Cape Girardeau's main and side streets, restaurants and bars were jam-packed about 11:25 p.m. Saturday as Wendy and I drove through on the way home from "My Fair Lady."

I only wonder where all of these talented actors and musicians will find venues if they desire to perform for a living. There's that many outstanding talents today.

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In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.

-- Albert Einstein

Gary Rust is chairman of Rust Communications. E-mail: grust@semissourian.com.