Tim Russert, the Measure of the Man
A commentary by Robin Webber
United Church of God pastor, Redlands and San Diego, California
It's been said, "you never quite know how tall a tree
is until it has fallen."
When I first heard the breaking news that America's Tim Russert
of NBC News had just died of a massive heart attack, I said, "C'mon,
you've got to be kidding! Not Tim!!!"
He was everywhere on TV—from the early morning news shows
to the evening network news to the prime Sunday morning news program "Meet
the Press." But, Tim had a greater passion than even the news.
What really turned his screws? People, yes, people! News comes
and goes. He understood the old phrase that there is nothing older
than yesterday's news.
He was the kind of guy that you felt you could sit with at a football
game and cheer on the home team. Perhaps you, like me, would be
watching one of his interviews and just when you didn't like
the questions he was asking someone that you happened to like, Tim
would break out his Irish smile and disarm the one being interviewed
as well as us.
A lot of nice things have been said this week about Tim Russert.
I will say a few more complimentary things about him; but let's
remember he was just a man who had his challenges and ups and downs
just like us. But he was a man that never forgot where he was from—South
Buffalo of all places!
Buffalo, New York, for those outside of America, is one of those
older Eastern cities located in what has been called the "Rust
Belt." But for Tim, Buffalo was alive and well. It was home.
To Tim it was where the "real people" were that made
life happen every day by doing ordinary things. They just lived,
worked and their joy was their family and their hope was that their
children might experience a better world than theirs. Not bad! Not
bad at all!
People never ceased to fascinate him. In all the remarks made about
him over the last few days, what caught my attention is that no
matter where he was on the globe, no matter how busy he was or no
matter how long it had been since he had seen someone, he would
ask people about how their parents and how their children were doing.
And yes, often by name!
The passion of his interviews in the news business spilled over
into the ordinary lives of common people and those that were dear
to them. Simply put, he had the capacity to genuinely care.
While we measure the man, let's measure ourselves for a moment.
Let's have our own "Meet the Press moment" and
answer a few questions. And please, let's throw out our normal
talking points and think these through.
Have we forgotten our roots? Are we running from where we come
from, be it the place of our physical origin or our spiritual birth?
Have we become so busy with what seems so urgent that we are not
busy with the most precious commodity of life—our families?!!!
Have we become so famous in our own eyes that we take ourselves
far too seriously? Do we have a passion for life and face it every
day with honest inquiries to understand what God is doing down here
below?
Tim Russert asked a lot of questions because he didn't have
all the answers and life was just too fascinating to go on being "clueless" with
the enormous episode of life that surrounded him. As he often said, "Can
you believe it, here I am, a kid from Buffalo. Who would ever have
believed it?" Thanks Tim for sharing your life with us.
Tim Russert did his best to show the importance of good family
relationships in his two best selling books: Big Russ and Me and Wisdom
of Our Fathers.
Now Tim's life has come and gone.
But you are still here! What will you do with the days
you have left? The Holy Scriptures tell us, "Teach us to number
our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalms 90:12).
Do you need to re-connect with your spiritual roots and remind
yourself that there is more to life than meets the eye or beating
the clock? While you still have the time, will you seek wisdom from
the greatest father of all, our Heavenly Father?
 Let me suggest an
excellent starting point for connecting with God—or
for improving your connection it if it's already in place. Please
request, download or simply read online our free booklet: Making
Life Work.
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