Author: Scott

Yesterday was a very surreal day for me. Second anniversary of Coach Armstrong’s death partnered with the funeral of a high school friend of mine. It’s no secret the relationship that I had with Coach. Still hard to believe that he’s gone. And as far as my friend, she died on my birthday, February 23. I don’t know all the circumstances surrounding her death. But, what do know is that she struggled a long time with internal demons that controlled her life. They consumed her and led her to make decisions that took her way too soon. I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around it.

Then this morning I get up and I watched the message that Coach had given at his church in January 2021. One of the points of it was that we are in a fight. Our enemy is after us. He wants our souls. He also talked about how Jesus loves us. Doesn’t have to. But chooses to. And that alone deserves our devotion to him. Then Barbara and I went to church. Robin spoke on John 5. He emphasized that no matter what you are going through God cares about you. No matter our past. No matter our present. No matter our future. NO MATTER OUR DEMONS! God loves us.

We all carry stuff. We all carry things that tap at our hearts. Things that bring us down. Things from our past. Things we regret. The question is, do we really want to get well? Do we want to heal? Do we want to get past those issues. In John 5, we read about Jesus healing a man. But, even before he did, the man gave some excuses for not believing it can happen. Sound familiar? Have you ever doubted that Jesus can provide salvation. Ever think: I’m not worthy. I have issues. If I could just…. I’m sure most of us have had these thoughts. No matter what we are going through or believe, Jesus says come to me. He will help us. But it requires action on our part. Drugs, relationships, anxiety, etc. Nothing can keep us from him if we choose to seek him. And know this, sometimes we need to stand up for God. Then he’ll help us. Sometimes we need to step out of our comfort zones. Show that we believe. Then he will help. And let me make this last suggestion: Let’s remember to rejoice and give thanks for what he has done. And for what he’s going to do. Let’s “act” on our beliefs for Jesus. 

On this morning two years ago, I received a phone call that absolutely floored me. Coach Armstrong‘s daughter, Alice, was on the other side of the call. When I saw her name a caller ID, I had no idea what I was about to hear. I was anticipating something about her grandfather. What she told me left me speechless. I couldn’t believe it. I still don’t believe it. Even as I write this, I don’t believe it. She told me that her father had had a heart attack and was no longer with us. What? Coach Armstrong was gone. 

As I think about him on this day, there’s so many things that I can say. So many things but, I don’t have room in this devotion. The lessons that he taught me. The values that he showed me. The morals to live by. The conversations. The stories. Oh man, the stories. As much as I miss him, as much as I want to hear him say……SCOTT-T!!! As much as I want to hear him give me tough advice. As much as I want to tell him about my family. I think it’s best to honor him today with something that I will always have that I learned. I can sum it up in two words: All In!

If you got to know him, you know what I’m talking about. If you let him into your life, you know what I’m talking about. He was all in! You didn’t have to question it. You didn’t have to think about it. You knew. He made sure you knew. No matter the situation. How big or small. He was all in. Whenever we talked, all that mattered was that moment. At that moment, he was all in. If we were working on something, all in. Practice, all in. Coaching, conversations, preaching, educating…all in. And that is how he taught me to be a believer. To be all in! When we follow Christ, there should be no doubt. Others should see that. Whenever we are reading, learning, educating others, when it comes to Christ, we should be all in. No matter the situation. No matter the triumphs or the trials, we should be all in! Jesus is the ultimate example. His sacrifice shows us. Leave no doubt. So today, let’s work at this. For Jesus, let’s be ALL IN!!!

Sometimes both believers and nonbelievers question if the gospel really works? Wondering whether or not if what Jesus preached 2000 years ago really is true. Was he, and is he still, the Savior? Is eternal salvation real? Does heaven really exist? Are all the promises from God true? Doubt is a natural response for humans. Because believing in the “un-seen” is difficult to do.

Now, proving that all of these truths that I’m talking about are real can be difficult. Especially to those who don’t already believe. Might be even more difficult for those who are doubting their beliefs. I think this because I believe that there is a spiritual warfare taking place in all of us. Satan is after our souls. He attacks the very core of our thoughts and beliefs. If he can put doubt in there, then he has a chance. At the same time, if we allow Jesus into our thoughts and beliefs, Satan does not have a chance.

When we change our thought process from self pleasing, to one of serving others, we begin to see the scriptures are true. When we concentrate on doing what God has called us to do, it becomes more obvious to us. As I have grown in my faith, it has become increasingly easier for me to see that what Jesus preached is in fact very real. I was having this conversation a couple days ago with a young lady. She was telling me that she can feel Jesus knocking at her door daily. That she is struggling trying to figure out who she is. Her old self is still fighting to keep her. I told her that God is convicting her. She is feeling the Holy Spirit coming after her. Just as Satan wants her, so does Jesus even more. God is not going to stop convicting her. And that is a very real example of the truth that the Bible teaches us. 

Yesterday, Barbara and I had the incredible honor and privilege of firing the starting gun to open the 2023 trout season at Roaring River State Park. It was truly humbling. Our connection to the park is Joel Topham. The story about meeting him is truly amazing as well. While we were there, we got to visit with several of our previous guests from Charlie 22 Outdoors events. And there were a few state dignitaries there as well. Lieutenant Governor Kehoe was one of them. He even presented us with one of his challenge coins. As I stated, the day was an honor and humbling at the same time.

I spent some time on the water with a line in it. Didn’t catch anything though. A little while later, Barbara and I took a walk through the park by the hatchery. And then back alongside the river towards the lodge. And I kept watching the water. There’s something about it. Something about a body of water that is soothing. Peaceful. Therapeutic. The river down there is no exception. As you watch it flow, you can also hear it going over the rocks. There’s just something about the peace that person can feel in a place like that. Which is why we take veterans there. We are blessed to host events down there each year. We will have our ninth one there this October. And we are looking forward to it already. 

Let’s get back to the topic of peace. Because, isn’t that what we are all searching for! Aren’t we all looking for peace in our lives? I think so. Let me correct myself: I believe so. And I also believe that the peace that we are searching for can only come from Jesus. We can find peace and tranquility along river banks. We can find them in deer and turkey blinds. We can find them while driving on back roads through the country. But…we can only find true peace in our hearts through Jesus. He provides that. He willingly provides that. I often say, “Sometimes we don’t know what we need until we get what we need.“ And that’s the truth with Jesus. Many people are searching. Looking for something that will only come from Jesus. That’s how I was. I was searching years ago. I didn’t know I needed him until I found him. So maybe today is the day for you to find him. To bring him into your heart. Maybe today is the day to receive the peace that only comes from Jesus. He will give it to you. Because he loves you. He always has. He always will.

Our family story is interesting. We have biological parents, step-parents, siblings, half-siblings, step-siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, children, step-children, grandkids, cousins, 2nd-cousins, and so on. The story expands when we consider both sides (Barbara’s and mine). I imagine that several of you reading this can relate. Extended families. Blended families. Large families. And there’s the Bible. It’s a family story. 

Just as we have personal flaws, the family in the Bible has issues too. And just as family parents do, God shows us all grace. He shows us mercy. He shows us love. Even when we don’t deserve it. As a matter of fact, those moments might be when he shows us those examples of his love for us the most. The times when we don’t deserve it the most. He does this for us because we are part of his family.

Grace, mercy and love are all from God. And we are to follow his example and show these to others. We are to do this because God loves us, even though we are flawed. The Bible gives us examples all throughout it. Lessons that we can learn and follow. Then we can teach others these same things. And then they can teach others as well. And then our extended family, blended family, large family, can all be brought into God‘s family. And that’s what we are called to do. Show others who he is. So they will want to be under his grace.

Being human, and being part of this world, means that we experience human emotions. That includes anxiety. It is very real. I did a little research and I found out some interesting statistics. An estimated 31.1% of U.S. adults experience any anxiety disorder at some time in their lives. Currently, 40 million adults in the U.S. (19.1%) have an anxiety disorder. In the United States, it is estimated that around 6.2% percent of the population suffers from an anxiety disorder. Wow! That is a lot of people.

Unfortunately, some people live with anxiety on a daily basis. They can’t outrun it. They can’t hide from it. There’s no safe place. Panic sets in. It can become hard to breathe. These can all lead to fear and self doubt. Other emotions can cause the same types of feelings. Depression is an example. Different types of phobias as well. The point that I am trying to make here is that living as humans means that we live with different emotions that are hard to deal with. I was talking to a veteran yesterday. And he said it perfectly: “We don’t live in the Garden of Eden. We lost that.“ Oh how correct he is!

Now here is what is awesome. No matter what we live with. No matter what we go through. No matter what emotion, or emotions, we face. We all can experience God during these times. We can turn to him. We can run to him. We can fall into his arms. We can live “anxious for nothing” because of him. Getting through these emotional experiences isn’t based on anything that we can do. Isn’t based on anything that we can produce. Getting through these things is built on the presence of God. It is through his presence that we find peace. And I believe this final point. I believe that we can overcome anxiety, depression, fear, etc. I believe we can overcome them over time if we continually seek God‘s presence. He can get us through them, and ultimately, over them! But we must seek him.

If you have been keeping up with us through our devotions, you have heard us say several times that God gives us hope, love, and peace. And he does. There’s no doubt he does. He does so in ways that we cannot comprehend. There is no measure. But, I would like to add this to the list: The hope that he gives us, helps guard our hearts. The love that he gives us, helps guard our hearts. The peace that he gives us, helps guard our hearts. And once again, this is beyond anything that we can comprehend. Beyond our understanding. And that is amazing.

Recently, several people have reached out about going through dark times. Going through storms in their lives. That they are living day to day. Going through illness. Going through layoffs. Having a death in the family. Going through uncertain times. Whatever it is, they are going through moments in their lives that seem like they cannot get through. Going through moments where they are questioning “why” these are happening. Even wondering if they can survive. Wondering how they are going to survive. Now I know this might sound crazy to some. And I also know that it sounds impossible to some. But it’s during these times, we should be thankful. Be thankful that God is building us through these storms. Be thankful that he’s guiding us. I always tell my children, when we go through moments like these, if we do it correctly, we will come out on the back end of them stronger than ever before. Our testimonies will be very powerful. And that is true. 100%.

This is what I mean by God will guard our hearts. In the Bible we read about Paul. God sent angels to Paul on the deck of a sinking ship. To give him peace. And this guards his heart. And helps him turn his eyes on the Lord. God will do the same for you. And the peace that you’re going to receive is going to be permanent. And just think about how that will guard your heart. He has a purpose for what you are going through. Don’t give up. Stay the course. He will use the storms to strengthen your faith. To show others who he is. Seek him and you will find him. Always trusting he is there. Pray to him your fears. Tell him your concerns. Tell him your weaknesses. Be honest. And be thankful in your prayers. Pray a prayer of expectation. Expecting him to respond. Pray for strength. For the guidance to get through. Don’t forget to always remember this, you are part of God‘s family. And he loves you. Always has. Always will.

What is a disciple? What makes us disciples of Christ? Do others see us as disciples of Christ? What does a disciple look like? What should one look like? I think a disciple of Christ is someone who trusts him with their life. A disciple is a follower of Jesus. A disciple of Christ studies what he teaches us. Trying to do what Jesus is telling us to do with our lives.

I know that I am nowhere near where I need to be. I try to strive daily on being more Christlike. And I fail miserably. I know that I will never be where I need to be. But that’s the motivation that pushes me each day. If there ever comes a point in my life that I think I have achieved being Christlike, then I really will need to review my beliefs. With Jesus as our teacher, we should try to act more like him each day. Each day we should be building, molding, our lives to be like him.

Something else about being a disciple that we should realize. We should want others to know more about Jesus. We should want others to learn what he’s teaching. As we grow in our faith, we should want others to grow in their faith as well. We should want those that don’t know him, to come to know him. We should want their lives to be transformed. So today, let’s strive to be better disciples. Let’s strive to show others how to be better disciples. Let’s be thankful for what God has given us already. And let’s be thankful for what he’s going to give us. Let’s ask God to bring people into our lives that need to know him. Let’s truly strive to be more like him. I know that life can sometimes make this difficult. But, I also know that it’s doable with Jesus in our lives.

A few years ago, Barbara and I had to sit back and be still. We had to step away from something that we loved dearly. God was telling us to move on. Things had changed. We were heartbroken at that moment. We had to pray for guidance like we never had before. We had to wait for him to answer. Kind of a funny point. Several of our friends reached out and told us they were praying for us. They thought that our marriage might be in trouble. Nothing could have been farther from the truth. Reality is, we had to sit back and wait. It was during that moment God was silent. We didn’t know why. It was a few months later his purpose was revealed. Oh my goodness, was it glorious!

When God seems silent, you are still called to go forward in faith. You are to continue to do the things that please God. Be ready for frustration. It’s going to come. But stay the course. It’s during the times of his silence that he’s building you. Preparing you. Getting you ready for something that’s coming. Be confident knowing that. Trust it. Know that he’s answering your prayers with his silence. And know that he will reveal it to you in his time. Not yours.

It’s also important to remember that sometimes the answer from God is NO. Sometimes he’s preparing you to not do something. To not be a part of something. He’s keeping you away from there because it’s for your own good. You may not like that. You may not agree. But in time you will see why. So maybe today is the day for you to be still. Maybe today is the day for you to search for God‘s answers. To see what he’s telling you. Or what he’s not telling you. And always remember, it’s for your own good. It’s for his glory. Not ours. His.