Author: Scott

Yesterday afternoon, I spent some time with 4 friends doing some therapy. Better known as shooting guns at targets down range. One of them is the President of Charlie 22 Outdoors. The other three are veterans. One of them being one of the founders of the ministry. It was an amazing time of fellowship and firearms. 

I’m always interested by the knowledge that these guys possess when it comes to long range shooting: Minute of Angle, D.O.P.E., Hold at 3 clicks. All foreign to me. I just know enough to look through the scope, put the cross hairs on the target, and pull the trigger. And when you are shooting at 500 yards away, my limited knowledge would have me way off target. No doubt. To have any chance at all, I needed them there too guide me. To tell me how to adjust to what I was aiming at. And even then, I missed my targets several times. But, I eventually hit everything, including a 4 inch diameter circle with Tannerite in it. It really was an awesome afternoon.

Having them there to assist me reminds me of having Jesus in my life. Just as I would have missed my targets all day long without their assistance, I miss my targets daily in life without Jesus. Even with him guiding me, I still miss sometimes because of my attempt to go it alone. Isn’t that human nature? To do things ourselves. I’m not saying it’s correct thing to do. I’m just saying that’s what we do. And I’m also saying that I fail all the time. I fail  because I’m trying to go it alone. I need Jesus. All the time! We all do. And I am confident in saying that I bet we would all agree that without him, failure is eminent. So today, let’s strive to put Jesus first in all that we do. Let’s let him guide us. Please remember he has a plan for us. And it is glorious. Let’s also remember, even when we fail, it’s never too late to turn to him. He will take us where we need to go. He will keep us on target.

It is easy for us to get caught up in earthly things. Everywhere you look we are being enticed to eat here, buy this, come here, try that. Television, radio, computers, phones, and more. Each grabbing at us. Friends, family, acquaintances, even those we don’t know. People actually make good careers out of marketing. They’ve learned the best ways to get our interest. Now, I’m not suggesting there’s anything wrong with any of these. In fact, I enjoy many earthly things. Let’s just remember to not value them over everything else. Let’s be sure to have our priorities in the right place. 

One thing I truly enjoy, and get “joy” out of, is being out in the creation. I’m aware it’s part of this earth we call home. But, I’m more aware of the fact God created it. And we should enjoy God’s creation. We should celebrate God’s creation with joy! And if we look at this more closely, we realize we are part of the creation. God created us too. And when we look at it like this, then we know that all of creation should rejoice and praise God. The joy of creation is Christ-centered. 

So let’s conclude with this. Yes, we are in this world. We are in an earthly existence. But let’s keep our eyes on God. Then we can experience life on earth knowing how it all came to be. And then when we leave from here, we will get to celebrate and rejoice with the one who created it all. Because he loves us. Always has. Always will. 

The last couple days we’ve talked about different people going through difficult times. Joseph had a very hard time with his family. The Israelites faced exile for 70 years. And we have learned about how they were able to get through those moments because of God. How God never left them. Another example of finding hardship for us to learn from is Paul. 

Paul went to prison. He was shipwrecked. He was beaten. Even whipped. At one point he was on house arrest for 2 years. He had to stay in his house for 2 years. But, through it all he was a follower of Jesus. He never lost faith and God used him all the while. While he was stuck inside his house, Paul wrote letters to churches. He was encouraging them to stay faithful to Jesus. He was encouraging them and he was staying faithful as well. Here’s a quote: “I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Paul was teaching that we can find strength through Jesus. How true!!!!

God doesn’t use the qualified. God qualifies those he uses. Have you ever felt like you have nothing to offer? Or have you questioned what it is you have to offer? It’s times like these that God can really use us. Use us for his glory. Because it’s during those times, that his strength is revealed. Ours will not take us very far. His will. If we surrender ourselves to Jesus, he will see us through. Paul understood that. His circumstances were not the best obviously. But God still used him. And he can use you too. He can use me. All of us. All we have to do is turn to him. Ask him. And he will do so.

Sometimes I joke around and I say things like, “If you give me long enough I can mess things up pretty good.” I think it’s pretty obvious the point there. I also say, “If I’ll get out of God‘s way good things will happen.” Once again pretty obvious. Finally, another saying I like to use is, “Let’s not put God in a box. Keep him out of the box and watch what happens.” Still yet, pretty obvious what I’m trying to say. If we will just stay in God, letting him control what we’re doing, good things will happen. Our actions will be blessed. He will see it through. 

Often times, we decide to do things on our own. To take God out of the equation. We believe that we are capable going solo. I don’t know about you, but I have failed over and over doing things on my own. There is a great example of this in the Bible. The Israelites had decided to remove God from there daily lives. Maybe not intentionally. Or…maybe intentionally. Either way, their decisions led to them being exiled when Babylon took over. Even though they chose to go it alone, and they failed miserably, God was still there for them. 

God told the Israelites that it would be 70 years of exile. 70 years! He also told them to plant gardens. He told them to build houses. He told them to seek peace. Put yourself in that situation. How would you have handled that? 70 years of doing these things all while in exile? Could you have handled that? God had plans for the Israelites. After 70 years, the exile ended. during that time they had been obedient to God. That kept him in control. Letting him guide them. And he took them out of the darkness. Just like he can do for us today. We are going to go through tough times and easy times. That is part of being in this world. Whatever we face, we can go through it. We can get through it. Because God will see us through it. So today, let’s keep him in the equation. Let’s get him out of the box. Let’s let him lead the way. Because he has plans for us. And he provides us hope.

In this lifetime, there will be times we feel stuck. Where it’s like we haven’t moved forward in the last several years. Things seem to be on pause. Or on hold. Especially since the 2020 pandemic. Mentally. Physically. Spiritually. Everything-ally. Home life. At school. Our jobs. Relationships. Basically, everything feels stuck in park. If this familiar, you are not alone. People around you feel the same way. People that you don’t know, feel the same way. In the Bible, there are people who felt the same way. 

Look at the story of Joseph. He was just a teenager when his brothers decided to sell him into slavery. His 11 brothers! You read that right. His 11 brothers sold him. Wow!! Talk about being stuck. All because they were jealous of the attention he’d received from their dad. Then later in life his boss’s wife accused him of attacking her. Innocent but still sent to jail. Stuck again!!! God was there though. He gave Joseph the ability to interpret dreams. And since he was able to interpret the king’s dreams, he was freed. Then Joseph went on to became one of the most influential people in his country. Because God never left him. 

That was pretty miraculous. To go from being a slave, and being in prison, to being very influential. From stuck…to redeemed. The point here to remember is that in the stuck position, God will still be there. It might be during those times that he is preparing you. He is preparing your circumstances and surroundings. But don’t lose sight. Don’t lose faith. Continue to pray and ask for wisdom. Ask for guidance. And when the time is right, God will release you from the holding pattern. Just like pilots waiting to takeoff. Waiting in a holding pattern. As soon as the time is right, they given the greenlight. God will do the same thing for you. Not in your time. But in his. You will be given the greenlight. You will be released. No longer stuck. 

Funny story. Last Wednesday, Barbara and I had the honor of shooting the starting gun for the beginning of the 2023 Roaring River State Park trout season. That was my first time attending opening morning there. Let’s just say I was impressed with what I saw. Thousands of people were there. The park staff did a great job of getting everyone to where they needed to be. There were a few Missouri dignitaries there as well. Including Lieutenant Governor Kehoe. And with them, came the media.

There was a man from a radio station from Rogers, Arkansas. He was doing a live remote. Prior to the shooting, we did an interview about what it meant to us to get to start the season. He continued around the park interviewing other people and basically telling the listeners what was going on. Then he joined us on the gazebo for the start. As we approached that moment, the countdown began. He was live the whole time. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, BANG! The season began. Fish are being caught within seconds. It was excitement. And then it happened. I kid you not. The guy doing the live remote asked my wife, “How does it feel to be able to be here and shoot the gun with your dad?“ Yes. That is what he asked her. Oh….the laughter and the jokes since then. And in all honesty, she does look a lot younger than me. And it really is funny that that happened.

Now, as for today’s writing. As Christians, we are children of God. We are children that he loves. We are children that he has a plan for. We are his children, and he will be there for us through thick and thin. He will be there for us in the tough times. And he will be there for us when we celebrate. God loves us so much, he sent Jesus to die for us. And in flesh, Jesus suffered a terrible death. ALL FOR US! And that means he died for you. And that means he died for me. Which leads me to the point. Is there any confusion out there that God is your Lord and Savior. Do people see you, talk to you, hear you, and know that he is your Lord and Savior? There should be no doubt. There should not be a moment when people question your belief. Believe me, I know it’s hard to always show this. That’s part of being human. But we have a choice. Daily, we get to choose how we approach the day. Approach life. And daily, we should choose to show others that God is in fact our Lord and Savior. Our father in heaven.

I remember a few years ago we took Anna to Chicago. While we were there, we went to the top of the Sears Tower. At one time it was the tallest building in the world. They have a section at the top where you can step out on glass above the city. Barbara and Anna both went out there and they waited for me to back up in my chair. It scared me. It really did. I’m not so much afraid of heights, as much as I am not being able to react if something were to happen due to my paralysis. Either way, it scared me. 

Are there things in your life that keep you from reaching your full potential? Is fear one of those? Do you let it control what you attempt to do? At one point or another, we are all going to experience fear. But we cannot let it dictate our actions. Let’s remember that God has a plan for us. Sometimes it is going to take us out of our comfort zone. Sometimes it’s going to require us to face what makes us fearful. But every time, it is for our good. It is for his good. Because his plan is good. Although it may be difficult for us to fulfill. Although it may be hard for us to see why we are going through it. It’s always for our good. We will be better because of it.

Let’s look at it like this. God has a reason for everything. Even when he puts us in situations that causes us to be fearful. There is a reason. Sometimes it’s for our growth. Sometimes it’s for our long-term success. Sometimes it results in happiness. Always, the situations he puts us in builds our faith. If we let them. God did not give us a spirit of fear. So let’s not be afraid to fail. We can learn from failure. And always believe this, God is greater than any fear that we have. God is greater than any failure that we may go through.

Fear is a big reason why people give up. It can make people slow down. Stop trying. It keeps people from reaching their full potential. It can cause failure. Sometimes people don’t feel qualified to succeed because of fear. Some of us allow fear to control our lives. Just hearing the word fear, can cause fear in people. Although some of us have this over us, God can still use us. Here is something that I read: “God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies those who are called.”

In the Bible, we read of several people who were fearful. But God still used them in amazing ways. Moses, David, Saul, and Noah. We know their stories. Pretty incredible. And as incredible as they are, each man was fearful. Even lacking faith. Even though they exhibited fear, God took these men and used them to fulfill his plan. And he can use us too. Even in times we are scared, God can use us. Even in times we doubt ourselves, God can use us. We just need to turn our eyes on him. Listen to what he says. Trust in him. We need to keep him at the center of our circumstances.

So today, let’s keep God in the middle of our lives. Let’s work to have more faith than we do fear. Let’s believe he can get us through. And let’s take each step, knowing he is there. Moses, David, Saul, and Noah, are all examples for us. Overcoming fear. Having faith. Let’s learn from them and let our faith see us through. We will be able to do amazing things. God can use us in ways we will never be able to comprehend. Let’s be ready, because God may call on us when we don’t feel the time is right. He may call on us during our times where we feel the most fear. If he does, trust him. And take comfort in knowing that it is part of the plan he has for us. And that is glorious.

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!!!