Author: Scott

On this morning, one year ago, many people were waking up to hear the news about what happened to Damar Hamlin in the football game the night before. Many of us watched it live. It was really difficult to watch. He went into cardiac arrest after making a seemingly routine tackle. The medical personnel performed CPR on him for several minutes and were able to get his heart beating again. I think it’s fair to say that we watched him die and then be brought back to life. The NFL made the right choice and canceled the rest of the game.

As the medical team was doing their work, a majority of all the players and coaches went to their knees to pray. They didn’t know what else to do. So they prayed. Which was the right thing to do. I am a firm believer in the power of prayer. I have been on the receiving end of the power of prayer. My family has as well. Friends that I know too. When we find ourselves facing difficult times, we should turn to prayer. Why is that? My answer is this: I know that we serve an awesome God. A loving God. A God whose plan is beyond our understanding. But it is perfect.

I would also like to suggest something. Many of you are already doing this. Many of you are not. And I know that I need to be more consistent myself. Let’s begin making prayer a priority in our lives. And I don’t mean pray just pray. I mean let’s make prayer a real priority. Let’s be diligent about it. Let’s be focused on praying when we are praying. Maybe we should all begin each day going to our knees in prayer. Just as human fathers want to hear from their children, God wants to hear from us. His children. It’s a way that we can “bless” God. Let’s not just pray when times are tough. Instead, let’s pray for his guidance. Let’s ask him to lead us so we can serve him. And after we pray this prayer, let’s believe and know that he will guide us. Because he loves us. He always has. He always will.

You are not alone. God has you. Years ago Hezekiah had to speak these words to his people. They were getting invaded. He knew that the people were fearful. He knew where that fear came from. He knew they would forget who God is. He knew they would forget His almighty power and glory. Hezekiah knew that he couldn’t just be a good king and a skilled general. He knew he must also be a wise pastor to his people. 

As they were preparing for the Assyrians, he didn’t want the people of Judah to think that they were left alone. He wanted them to know that they had been blessed. And not forget God was with them. He told his people: “Be strong and courageous! Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side!”

Being fearful isn’t something that only pertains to people from years past. Being fearful is a human experience. Therefore, we experience it in today’s time as well. But also, experiencing God is not something that is only reserved for past times as well. God is present today. And he will be present in the future. So when you experience fear, or experience times of uncertainty, remember that God is here for you. And as the Bible tells us, “Be strong and courageous.” He will see you through. But it’s up to us to turn to him. It’s up to us to ask him. It’s up to us to let him take control.

Here we are beginning a whole new year. As we age, it’s interesting to me how we view New Year’s Eve. How we celebrate it. Or how we don’t celebrate it. Some of us stay up to watch the ball drop in our time zones. Others of us watch the ball drop in New York City, and then call it a night where we are. Some of us are sleeping long before midnight. So many different emotions that people feel as a new year begins. Excitement about it. Doubt about it. Determined about it. Or fear about it. These emotions are natural.

Sometimes we look at our lives and we wonder why they don’t like those around us. Because we envy them. It can be natural to do so since we are human. Sometimes we try to manipulate our circumstances to get what we want or desire. That’s natural as well. Wishing we had more things. Or more opportunities. More of this. More of that. Also natural because we are human. There are even moments that we will lower our standards because of disappointment that we are trying to avoid. Expecting less of ourselves to do so. And as we stated earlier, this is natural because we are human. 

But you want to know what we have in our arsenal. We have grace. We have grace from God. Which gives us the ability to have faith. Grace and faith. Incredible! These are gifts from God. Therefore, they are not natural. They are not human. Because they are of God. So as we will begin this new year, let’s realize that God gives us the power to believe. He gives us grace in what we are facing. He gives us hope and peace. He gives us the ability to look at this new year, this new beginning, as a new opportunity to grow stronger in him. And to serve others. Let’s build our lives on belief in him. Let’s boldly seek him. And let’s see where he takes us.

Today is the last day of the year. Yes, I know. And I agree. This year has flown by. It was full of highs and lows. Joy and sorrow. Triumphs and tragedies. We have struggled at times. And we have celebrated as well. But, we made it. We’re moving on into 2024. For some it might be a fresh start. A time to begin anew. For others it might be more of the same. A year of building on from where you are now. Regardless of where you are now, or where you are headed, know that “purpose” is in the plan. 

There are 3 points to this I think we need to remember. First, our purpose is to know God. Not just know who he is. We should strive to “know” him. Second, our purpose is to make disciples. We should strive to help others get to “know” God too. Finally, God has a purpose for us. Unique to each of us. He’s paved the path for us. Even in times of despair, there’s a purpose for us. We should strive to find it and follow it. No matter how hard it might be, we should work to fulfill the plan. 

Here’s what is cool about these points. If we let him in, God will work in us. We will accomplish all three of these through him. He’ll give is the strength to do it. He’ll see us through. The Bible tells us that we have the tools. We can work “with everything good for doing his will” in our daily lives. So as we finish 2023, and move into 2024, let’s remember where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going. Let’s learn from our struggles. Let’s build on our successes. And let’s strive to find and fulfill our purpose for God. As we do so, let’s be thankful and praise him for the opportunity to do so. And let’s celebrate knowing that the victory has already been declared. All the while, let’s be mindful that God loves us. Always has. He always will.

“The Chosen” is a series on Netflix. I’m not sure how accurate is. It may or may not be. But so far it’s interesting. There was a line in it that resonated with me. Mary Magdalene was talking to Nicodemus. He had noticed a change in her and commented. Her response was, “I was one way and now I am completely different. And the thing that happened in between was Him.”

The ”Him“ she was referring to was Jesus. And she is spot on. When we come to know Jesus, really know Jesus, we should be made new. Our lives should be changed. We should be one way before knowing him, and become completely different after coming to know him. And I would like to suggest that people should see this. They should see the change in us. They should question it. They should want to know more. The light should be so bright, that they should be unable to NOT see it.

I don’t know where you are in your walk with Christ. I don’t know if you are walking with Christ. But I do know this, come to know him and he will change you. Come to know him, and you should want to serve him. Come to know him, and you will feel a peace and hope that only comes from his love and grace. Come to know Jesus, and know that you have eternity waiting for you with him. How awesome is that! We are so undeserving. But he is still delivering. And he always will. So maybe today is the day for you to ask him into your heart. Maybe today is the day for you to allow him to change you. Maybe today is the day for you to begin serving him like never before. Maybe today is the day for you to be the light for others to see. And then watch their lives be changed by Jesus to. So incredible.

I say all the time that it takes a family to do what we do. It takes a family to battle veteran suicide. I say that we all have our roles. Whether we are volunteering, praying, contributing financially, etc. We all have our roles. Each one is important. Sometimes I hear people question what it is that they have to offer. Or I hear them say that they don’t have much to offer. What a person contributes, or how much they contribute, is not what is important. What is important is that we get involved serving others with God in our hearts.

We have been blessed with tremendous support. Landowners have graciously opened up their properties to us to bring veterans to hunt. Sometimes passing up their own hunts to allow us to do this. Pretty amazing. Volunteers giving up their time to serve at our events. Whether we are at expos, hunting or fishing, or preparing meals. Doesn’t matter. They have given their time to serve. Also pretty amazing. Donors have sent financial contributions. What we do costs money. We have received everything from a few dollars to several thousand dollars. And as before, also pretty amazing. 

We have already mentioned, it’s not the amount you give. It’s not how much you serve. And it’s not the capacity in which you serve. Yes they’re all important. But none of them matter if you do not do these with God in your heart. God knows our hearts. And he will bless our efforts if we are serving him. A couple years ago a woman gave us $8.00. She was actually kind of embarrassed. I told her that she just gave 75 people a bottle of water at one of our events. She just blessed 75 people. Pretty amazing. A few years ago we did our first event at Roaring River State Park. A veteran that was there understood that showing God‘s grace is the purpose. He understood the mission. That has led to several more events. Multiple events in Colorado. Monthly horse therapy sessions. And volunteers making items for fundraising. Several hundred veterans have been served out of what took place years ago. Pretty, pretty, pretty amazing. So remember, it’s not what you give. Give because you have God in your heart. And be ready. He will take what you have to offer to places you never dreamed.

Ever feel like you got into a rut? Feel like you are just stuck and can’t move forward? Nothing you do is enough? You try, try, and try, and seem to be going nowhere? Sure you have. We all go through times like this. Moments where we feel like nothing we do is good enough. No matter how hard we work, or try, nothing is good enough. Well let me tell you this, you are not alone. Everyone struggles at different times. And let me tell you this too, you are not alone in the fact that God has placed a gift in you. And his gift is enough.

Recently, I have had several conversations with friends of mine. Veterans that I know. People that we come in contact with. All with the same theme: “What is my purpose? I feel useless.” I tell them the same thing. Satan is after them. He is the great deceiver who uses the storm of self-doubt. He finds ways to bring you down to the depths that seem too deep to recover from. And he piles it on. The kids aren’t behaving. You can’t find your keys or your phone. Your car breaks down. The pipes in your house freeze. Stuff is piling up at work. Etc. Etc. Etc. Satan takes times like these and pokes at you. Making it hard to breathe. You can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

But remember this, you have the ultimate weapon to fight against these times. You have what it takes. You have Jesus in you. The Bible tells us to call him, and he will answer. He will show you the way. He will provide you the strength. And if we do it correctly, going through times like these strengthens us. Builds us. Helps us be better servants for God. People can see the light through us as we go through the storms. And how powerful is that! God‘s blessings and grace are enough. So what are you waiting for? Maybe today is the day that you go to your knees and you ask him to get you through. Maybe today is the day that you call on him. He is gracious. He is loving. He will answer. His answer may not be as clear as we hoped it would be. But his answer is enough. Because he loves you. Always has. Always will.

My wife and I have been married for over 20 years. Hard to believe. It seems like it was just yesterday we were dating. Now here we are two decades later with three kids and five grandchildren. Truly blessed. And blessed as I am to have been married to her this long, I am inspired by those that we know that have been married 40 years, 50 years, even longer. Amazing examples of what true love is.

But, what is true love? Where does love begin? Where does it come from? These are some deep questions. But I think the answer to all three is one word. The same answer for each question. I believe the answer is God. God is love. The Bible tells us, “We love each other because he loved us first.” Nothing can be more truer than that verse. God created us out of his love. And because of that, we can love others. And that is awesome.

It’s easy for us to get caught up in “earthly” love. Easy to love possessions. Easy to love experiences. Easy to love what others have. But those types of love will fade. They will end. Because those things end. I can tell you this in all confidence, God‘s love for us will never end. Because he will never end. He came before us. He is here now. He will be here when we are gone. He is the constant. He has never wavered. And he never will. Therefore, his love is constant. His love will never waiver. His love will never end. So if we have our love for others is a built on God, those relationships will never end. They will last for eternity. How is that you ask? Because Jesus is the key to eternity. Maybe today is the day for you to ask God to show you love. To show you how to love. Ask him, and he will.

We live in a world where success is determined many different ways. Wealth. Power. Fame. And more. We also often determine life’s purpose in measures. We like numbers. They’re easy for us to follow. And there’s nothing wrong with any of these. Each of them can be great tools for us serving God. But, they can become problematic if that is where we put our sole focus. 

As believers, our success is determined by one thing. Our purpose too. And there really isn’t a way to numerically measure it. LOVE!!! We should work to show LOVE. This can be easier said than done. We will come in contact with obstacles. Loving others can prove to be difficult. 

But it is love that makes us one with God. Our faith in Jesus is built on love. And serving others should be built on love. And I know this, if we work to love others, and we ask God to help us, he will make it possible. Plus it is part of his plan for us. A plan that we should follow. Loving others shows our willingness to do his work. It requires effort on our part each day. We can do it though. God will see us through. He will show us. Because he loves us. Always has. Always will.

Today is Christmas. Today we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. We celebrate him coming to earth to be flesh. As we celebrate, I would like to suggest that we think about what took place some 2000 years ago.

Jesus left heaven and came to earth. He left the throne to come be with us. Came to world full of sin. Knowing what was ahead, he still came. He knew the pain and suffering he was going to face, and he still came. He knew the death that awaited him, and he still came. 

While he was here, he lived a very humble life. Surrounded by those the others would turn the noses up to. But even before then, think about his birth. Without the comforts that we have today. Without the comforts they had back then. No bed. No crib. A manger. His life began in simplest of ways. And he spent his life showing us how to serve others. How to love others. So today, celebrate knowing our Lord and Savior loves us so much that he left everything to be with us. He sacrificed it all. Even died for us. Because he loves us. Always has. Always will. Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you have a blessed day. Love you all.