Author: Scott

Recently, we have talked a lot about distractions. Trying to avoid those and keeping our focus on Jesus. We have talked about how we are viewing sin as being ok. How things that are so completely wrong…have become so completely right in our eyes. Because, those that we trust say that they are right. We have talked about how easy it is to lose sight of what we are called to do, because we are constantly pursuing what we “think” we are called to do. These are all ways that our hearts can be clouded. These are all ways that we can fall away from God. Without even realizing it. 

In the Bible, Jesus warned us about this. The parable of the sower. This is the parable where some of the seeds that the farmer sowed ends up among thorns. As the seeds grow, the thorns take hold. They can choke the seeds. They can choke out the fruitful growth. And that’s what happens when we get distracted. Our growth in God can be slowed down. Even stopped if not careful. And that is dangerous. Because, then we can begin to really slip into an area where we allow things to happen because they seem right. Where we believe that evil is good. And good is evil. Where we believe that wrong is right. And right is wrong. These thorns we are talking about can include anxiety. Personal desires. Worldly ideals. And so much more. Remember, God and keep us from sin, or sin can keep us from God.

But there is a remedy. There’s a way to avoid this. If we intentionally work on building a relationship with God, we can remove these thorns. When we allow God to control our hearts, we can thrive in his grace. We can stay connected to him. Our hearts will grow in him. How awesome is that! So today, try to place your focus on God. Really place your focus on God. Remove the distractions. Determine what the thorns are and remove them. Go to your knees and pray for guidance. Read the Bible. Do these things, and watch your life change. Watch your life change because God loves you.

Well, it happened again. Barbara and I were watching another episode of America’s Got Talent and a performance really touched our hearts. We just can’t help ourselves. A country singer name Mitch Rossell performed. But what caught our attention wasn’t so much his singing, as much as it was his story. Basically, he lost his father and other members of his family in a horrific car accident when he was 10 years old. A drunk driver caused it. 

As he told his story, he talked about his father wanting him to learn how to play music. That they spent time together singing and listening to music. At a young age though, his interests were in sports. Didn’t really want to learn how to play music. Let alone play the guitar. As he grew, he wanted to continue a connection with his father. So he took up guitar lessons. And researching him a little more, we found out that he has written several songs for some major headliners. Garth Brooks being one. But never has really pursued his singing career until recently. The song he sang was an original. It’s call “Son”. I don’t want to give too much away. But the essence of the song was talking about losing his father. And then being a father of his own son. You can tell there was a genuine love between him and his father. Now a genuine love for his own son. You should Google it: Mitch Rossell America’s Got Talent. Have your Kleenex ready though. 

After watching it, it made me think about writing this devotion. You see, we have a father. If father who calls us his children. And he sent his son to be with us. He sent Jesus to be with us. He did so because he loves us. And His love for us will never end. So today, let’s make sure God knows that we love him as well. Let’s make sure he knows that he is in our hearts. That we are following him. Just as that fateful night years ago when Mitch lost his family, it can happen to us in an instance as well. Without warning. Without notice. It can happen in the blink of an eye. So let’s not be too late in seeking our Lord and Savior. Let’s not be too late letting him know that we love him.

At our farm house there is a hawk. We call her the resident hawk. We don’t know where her nest is. But, she has definitely taken up residency in the area. We’ve had the property now for nine years. Going on 10. And she has been out there for over half of that time. Unless I’m seeing more than one bird and I don’t realize it. Which is possible. Either way, there is a hawk out there. We even have a bald eagle that flies around. So majestic. You can very clearly see the white head and tail. I love it. Every now and then I can hear the shriek that they make. And that catches my attention. So then I watch as they sore in the sky. So completely free. Sometimes I wonder if they are just flying to be flying. I would if I could. What a feeling it would be like to be able to do so.

Also, near our property is a radio tower that stands several hundred feet in the air. And the hawk likes to land on it very near to the top of it. I’m guessing she’s doing so to take a look around. To see what she might be able to capture for her next meal. Or maybe she’s taking a break. I don’t know. All I know is that she is way up in the air sitting up there. Once again, so completely free. And once again, I would do so if I could. 

This freedom I’m talking about reminds me of us having the ability to be spiritually free. To be spiritually free in the hope that comes from Jesus. Which is so incredible. And it is something that all of us can experience. But requires action on our part. First, we must trust God. We must love God. We must let him have control. Second, we must talk to Our Lord and Savior. Praying to him. Asking him for guidance. I think we should pray daily. Finally, we must continually practice walking in faith. We must continually work on keeping our hearts pure. We must continually control our thoughts. Trying to keep our focus on God. If we do these things, God will bless us. I’m not saying God will make life easier. I’m not saying God will take all of our troubles away. Our difficulties. What I am saying is, God will see us through. And therein lies the blessing. Therein lies the freedom.

There are so many things that I love about Charlie 22 Outdoors. The fellowship. The camaraderie. The words of encouragement. The events. The meals. And so on, and so on, and so on. The list is lengthy. One thing I especially love is having veterans, that were guests at previous events, returning to other events. To make sure that those that are there as new guests, get the same or better experience that they had. That truly amazes me. Such a blessing to watch happen. The Charlie 22 Outdoors family has grown. It includes people all across the country. And I’m confident enough to say, it includes people from other countries as well.

Something else that I love about the family is accountability. Being held accountable by others is important to me. Very important to me. Yesterday it happened. After my devotion yesterday, I received a message from someone that I dearly love and respect. He was commenting on this part of what I had said yesterday: “And there are people that we know that are not going to heaven because of the way they choose to live.” What he said reminded me, God‘s grace is bigger than anything we can imagine. The way to heaven is through him. And if we choose to live in sin, we miss out on so many blessings on earth. And God will punish those for doing so. And that is unfortunate. Believe me, I know that from experience. But we must remember, he will welcome us if we turn to him.

My prayer for you today, actually for all of us today, is that we can have people in our lives that love us enough to hold us accountable. To correct us. To convict us. Not out of spite. Not out of malice. But…out of love. I am blessed to have a circle like this. And I don’t take that lightly. Yesterday, I also talked about how God can free us. Can show us hope. Those are weapons against Satan. I would like to add to the list this. Having people in your lives, that are in your corner to the point that they call you out, is also part of our arsenal against Satan. Having people in our lives, to help us make sure that we see things clearly, is part of our arsenal against Satan. And that’s very clearly one of the reasons why Charlie 22 Outdoors works. Because the people in this family, love each other enough, to hold each other accountable. And that glorifies God big time. 

Today is going to step on toes. Mine included. But, we all need to hear this. So here we go. There are two teams that we can play on in life. There is God‘s team and Satan’s team. And they are at battle. A very real battle. It’s happening all around us, all the time. I don’t think people realize just exactly how much of a battle is taking place. It’s become normal just to watch things happen. It’s become normal to let things just slide. If they don’t affect us, we don’t pay particular attention to them. But the battle is real. And there are people that we know that are not going to heaven because of the way they choose to live. They choose to live in sin denying God exists. They choose the ways of this world. And that is so unfortunate. It’s an ugly truth. But it’s as real as the battle that’s taking place is real. I have said this before. And, I’ll say it again. And, I’m not proud to say this. But…I have played on both teams.

Being blinded by the devil happens. When we see things on the media that approve and say that sin is right, it’s easy to start to agree. And that’s because many believe that if they see it on tv, well then it must be right. And that’s a weapon that the devil uses. Normalizing sin on TV. Normalizing it through people that we trust and that we watch on TV. On Facebook. Or the radio. Or wherever. The devil is real. Very real. And he is very skilled at what he does. He divides us from God. One moment at a time. Maybe one day at a time. But most definitely, one sin at a time. And dividing us from God, can divide us from those that we love. Our wives or our husbands. Our children. Our grandkids. Friends. Whoever. Or whatever. Anything that is important to us, he will attack. In a very sneaky way.

So today remember this, we cannot win this battle on our own. We need God to lead us. Remember that the war has already been won. Victory has been declared. The crucifixion did that for us. The resurrection did that for us. Our faith in God helps us resist Satan. And he knows that. He will run if he sees us glorifying God. Let’s work to be under the grace of God. And not under the influence of Satan. Jesus will heal you. Jesus will provide you hope. Jesus will free you from sin. But you must let him in to do so. 

I told you this before. And I tell you again. Barbara and I really enjoy watching the television show America’s Got Talent. We look forward to it every year. It’s amazing to us watching the talents that many people have been blessed with. They come from all across the world to be on that show. Hoping for that one break. One thing that they like to tell the guests is that the next three minutes can change their lives. And it’s so true. Many people have went from being unknown to mega stars. Well, last night we got to catch the first episode of this year‘s season. And once again, it did not disappoint.

The Mzansi Youth Choir performed on the season opener. They came all the way from South Africa to do so. Their talent is indisputable. But, that’s not what caught everyone’s attention. They sang the song “It’s Ok” by Jane “Nightbirde” Marczweski. It was an original that she performed a couple years ago on AGT. She had written it to talk about her story battling cancer. And just as the choir’s talent is indisputable, Jane’s was also. Her performance was pretty incredible. I say that in past tense because she passed away last year. February 2022. She was 31 years old. When you have time, you should look up both performances. They will be worth you doing do. 

Jane inspired many people with her strength. She had many quotes that people still use today. One that stands out to me is this: “I’m so much more than the bad things that happen to me.” She was spot on with this. She chose to face her challenges and move forward. She had a strength the only God can give. And I know many of you may not believe this, but we all have this strength inside of us. Or at least…we can have that strength inside of us. If we choose to have God in our hearts. We are all going to face bad things. We are all going to have bad things come into our lives. Disrupt our lives. They are inevitable. But, we can all be so much more than those bad things. And just as the choir sang in Jane’s song, ”It’s ok.” Because, God will make it Ok. 

Have you ever had a time when things didn’t go your way? For example, ever not get a job, or a promotion, that you thought you had coming your way? I’ve been there. Ever get a flat tire when traveling hours from home? I have. What about an appliance breaking that you were using? Our dishwasher did that one time in the middle of the wash cycle. Water flooded the kitchen. Then there are the much more serious things that can happen. Illnesses. Natural disasters. Death. The list of frustrations can be really long. None of us are immune to things happening that can disrupt what we are doing. And none of us are immune to discouragement. It’s easy for us to be discouraged. Especially when things don’t go our way. That’s part of being in this world. Facing things like this.

When we face times of despair and discouragement, it’s easy to wonder why. We begin questioning. Where is God? Is God watching? Does God see? Does God care? Will God act? Does God hear my prayers? Some of us may even question if God exists when moments like these come. Once again, I say it’s easy for us to wonder. After all, wouldn’t it be easier if life was easier. Wouldn’t be easier if God made sure times like these didn’t come. Wouldn’t it be! Well yes. Sure it would. But life doesn’t work like that. Life isn’t always fair. In fact, many of us might be constantly facing difficulties. Living a life that never seams easy. 

Today, we passed out Bibles to our guests at Operation Black Rain. We try to do this at every event. We told them that for every question that they have in life, the answers can be found in the Bible. And I mean every question. There’s no question about it. And the questions I mentioned earlier are addressed in the Bible. We read that God does in fact hear our prayers. We read that God does in fact care. We read that God will act. And know this, these truths are not limited to those we find in the pages of the Good Book. They are for all of us. And that includes you. And that includes your family. Your friends. So today, no matter how bad today looks, or how bad life seems, know that God is at work. His plan is unfolding. No matter how painful. No matter how discouraging. No matter how difficult. His plan is unfolding. He will make it right. Maybe not in our time. Actually, most often it’s not in our time. His timing is perfect though. It’s beautiful and perfect. So hold fast. Stay the course. Keep praying. God has you. He always has. He always will.

Yesterday, we talked about the three different Operations we have taking place this weekend. Operation Black Rain. Operation Deep Water. Operation Warriors2US. Right now as I’m typing this, we have veterans out in the Atlantic Ocean. We have veterans on property at Black Rain Ordnance. And we have veterans on the White River near Gainesville, Missouri. We have volunteers at each place. Serving our veterans. And yesterday, we had a veteran run a booth at Food Truck Friday. Today, we have one running a booth at a Female Veteran Expo. Veterans serving veterans. Doing good work. 

The point of yesterday’s devotion was not about the events that we are holding. The point was on doing good work. On how the Bible tells us that we combat evil by doing good work. The events mentioned are opportunities to do good work. I think God is trying to tell me something, because this morning I wake up and I read the verse of the day: Micah 6:8. It really emphasizes what we’re talking about. We are called to serve others. We are called to do good work. that’s how we combat evil. That’s how we beat Satan back. By doing good work. By following God, and learning from God, and serving others through God. 

Now, it’s easy to get caught up in doing “more” as we are trying to do good. But there’s a danger with this. Doing more, does not mean we are getting more done. We can simply just be doing more and not realize it. We are only getting more done if we stay focused on God. No matter what we are doing. And if we stay focused on God, we can only do good work. So today I want to challenge you again, stay focused on God. Let God instruct you. Let God direct you. Let God correct you. Plain and simple, Let God. Do this, and I promise you, you will see fruits of your labor. God will bless your efforts. God will bless those that you serve. God will see to it that what you are doing is good. And we will defeat Satan. Actually, the victory has already been declared. So we’re not defeating Satan, we are holding him down. Pushing him back to where he belongs. Keeping him out of the picture. And that my friends…is glorious and good. ‬

Last night on the news, there was a story about a man in France that went around a playground and stabbed multiple people. Including some very young children. Then on Yahoo, there were several headlines about terrible things happening around the world. What’s happening in the Ukraine. A funeral home owner killing a pallbearer. A 10-year-old killed him self because of being bullied. An attack on somebody due to race. Evil actions resulting in terrible endings. Seems like evil is all around. We can’t run from it. We can’t hide from it. Evil is here. I believe there is a real battle taking place between good and evil. A battle taking place every day.

Today, we have volunteers arriving on scene at three different events. Operation Black Rain is taking place in the Neosho, Missouri. Operation Deep Water based out of Charleston, South Carolina. Operation Warriors2US taking place near Hardenville, Missouri. Veterans will be arriving from different places around the country. At this point, you might be questioning why I mentioned these. What do these things have to do with evil? What do they have to do with good versus evil? I mentioning these because, good things are going to take place at each event. Good things are going to come out of each event. Good things because the will of God is good. 

In the Bible, we read that we conquer evil by doing good. That is how we counter attack. When evil comes at us, we conquer it by doing good. I know there are times when I get attacked, that I look for opportunities to serve. That’s how I try to defeat Satan. Satan will attack us every time he can. Often times, he attacks when good things are happening. Or are getting ready to happen. Doing what he can to stop the good. We must remember this. We tell our guests all the time, when they go home and they are on an emotional high, be ready. Satan is coming. When they are on a spiritual high, be ready. Satan is coming. We also tell them to know this…when he does come, we are here. Our volunteers are here. Ready to do battle against him. So today, look for chances to serve. Chances to do good. And do so, because this is how we defeat evil.

Yesterday, we spent the day in northwest Arkansas with our family. Our children and our grandkids. All five of them. Four of them got to play at the Amazeum. The fifth was there. Because…his mama is carrying him right now. He’ll be here in October. On the way home, Barbara was reading through Facebook. A story popped up that she read and mentioned to me. What she told me, I can say, must be the worst nightmare a parent could go through. And a nightmare that a grandparent would never want to experience. A two year old child drowned at Stockton Lake. Apparently, the child walked to the water before the parents could get there. This hit home with me because our youngest grandson is not much older than the child. 

When things like this happen, it is so natural for us to want to know why. It’s human for us to question. We want to know why God will allow this to happen. Why do bad things happen to good people? That’s a tough one. And I’m not sure I have any words of wisdom in moments like this family experienced at the lake. Nothing I could say would bring comfort. I don’t think there’s any words that could bring comfort. There might be, but I don’t know them. I would like to try though if you don’t mind. So, once again, why is it that bad things happen to good people? 

First, I would like to say that the will of God is always good. Always good! His will is good, even when the circumstances are bad. The death of a loved one. Someone we know being diagnosed with cancer. A family member being permanently impacted by an accident. These are all examples of circumstances being bad. These things happen because we are part of this world. These things happen to good people all the time. And here is my attempt to say why. I believe that these moments take place to draw us closer to our Lord and Savior. Some might call that selfish on his part. And there might be some truth in that. But if we draw closer to the Lord and Savior, then we will be able to better show others who he is. The testimonies that we have after we go through something horrific are so powerful. I believe we go through them because someone else needs to see us persevere through them. I’m talking about the someone else out there who goes through the exact same thing. Wanting to know why. So today, I want to encourage you. I want to encourage you to trust that God has a plan. And his plan and will are good. Even when we go through moments that are bad.