Author: Scott

For those of you that follow us on Facebook, you saw where Barbara and I had went down to Eureka Springs yesterday. We spent the afternoon and evening together. By ourselves! Unfortunately, we don’t get to do that as much as we want to. We still go on dates. But to have that much time together by ourselves is a very rare thing. So we took full advantage of it. And it was great. We went to Eureka Springs to see The Passion Play. I’ve been to the property before. But never to see the play. She went there as a kid to watch it. One thing that you will find on the property is an art museum. Actually has several items that Jack Dawson has done. So that was pretty cool. But, what caught my attention the most were the paintings and items from the 1500s and 1600s. Really amazing stuff. And then there was a sculpture of Jesus‘s silhouette. Dating back to 800 A.D. Holy cow! 1200 years old.

As I was looking at it, something struck me. His silhouette from that point of history is basically the same thing that we portray today. And that is very fitting. Because Jesus is the constant. He is the one thing that has never wavered. Ever! He is the one thing that will always remain the same. Humans fail at this. I know I do. We are constantly changing. For some of us, it’s day to day. Because we find ourselves selfishly doing things. Maybe unknowingly. But we do it. If we can find ourselves in emotional roller coasters at times. Some of you can really understand what I’m talking about. The point we’re trying to make here is…no matter where we are in our lives. No matter what we are doing in our lives. Jesus will be steadfast. he will be the constant. He will always be here for us. We just keep our eyes on him, and he will see us through.

I have used this Bible story before. Actually, several times. Because it’s very fitting for what we are talking about. On that stormy night, everyone in the boat found theirselves fearful. Found theirselves scared of the possibility of sinking. They even thought they saw a ghost. It was Jesus in the water. Standing there. On the water! And Peter got the courage to go out to him. And he was successful, because he kept his eyes on Jesus. He had faith in our Lord and Savior. And Jesus blessed him by making it possible for him to walk on water. So awesome. But as the story goes, Peter loses site of Jesus, gets anxious, and begins to sink. He was going to drown. Jesus never wavered. Remained constant. Reached down and pulled Peter back up out of the water. That’s the kind of Lord and Savior that we have. Never wavering. And always reliable. All we have to do is accept him and keep him in our focus. It’s up to us. If you haven’t done so, make today the day that you accept Jesus. And rest easy, knowing that he will always be here for you. Because he loves you. He always has. And he always will.

This morning as I was getting up, there was a great story on ESPN. I’m so glad that the reporters take time to share stories like this. Especially in this day and age where, whenever you turn on the news, it seems like we are just being force-fed negativity. We are being force-fed division. We are being force-fed things that are evil and ugly. I know that is what grabs attentions. But I’m tired of seeing it. So much to the point that I don’t watch the national news much anymore. But the story today is different. This is one that should inspire us all. Because it is one of truly serving somebody else. Giving some thing up for the good of somebody else.

Chris Creighton is the head coach for Eastern Michigan University‘s football team. On August 3, he was talking to his team. Talking about Zack Conti. Zack is a senior offensive lineman on the football team. He has been a walk on his entire career at the school. During which he has played 23 games in the last two seasons. But this year he is going to be starting. Going into the camp, he was still considered a walk on. For those of you that don’t know what that means, he’s been playing without a scholarship. He’s been working a different jobs to raise the money to go to school. Because he loves football that much. Brian Dooley is also a senior on the football team. He is from Bowling Green, Ohio. Which means he is out of state. Prior to this team meeting, he went to the head coach and told him he was going to give up his scholarship in order for Zack to have one. Yes, you read that correctly. He gave his scholarship up so his teammate could have one. Now…that might not seem like a big deal. But it is. Especially for this reason: Brian is taking out a $25,000 student loan to go to school this year. Would you have done that?

We’ve been talking a lot about serving others. We’ve been talking a lot about the Holy Spirit taking control. We’ve been talking about our Lord and Savior loving us so much that he sacrificed himself for us. So today, let’s all learn from Brian. Let’s all learn about truly giving what you have to serve others. I’m not saying you must go out and give up your scholarship. I’m not saying you must go out and give out money you don’t have. What I’m saying is, let’s find ways to give of ourselves, to serve others. Just as Brian did. Just as Jesus did. Just as Jesus still does today.

Here is an interesting question. One that might really cause you to think. This is a question that we should all really consider. Because I think it reveals what it is that we are prioritizing. The question that I am asking today is, “What is your most prized possession?“ There’s probably several ways to look at this. Is it something that is of monetary value? Like a home. Maybe a vehicle. Is it something that we rely on daily? Like my wheelchair. Or is it something that we cherish with all of our hearts? Maybe like a family heirloom. Whatever it may be, I definitely believe it reveals our priorities.

In the Bible, there’s a story that is a great example on what we are talking about here. You probably know which one I’m referring to. In Luke, there is a woman who had a bottle of perfume. Probably one of her most valuable possessions. This woman was known for her sins. And she took her perfume and poured it on Jesus’s feet. A very kind gesture. One of the great symbolism if you ask me. And there’s an amazing lesson that comes out of it because of what Jesus did. He was being criticized for allowing this sinner to approach him the way she did. But in typical Jesus fashion, he welcomed her, and he forgave her of her sins. How awesome is that?

We are talking about this story, because that is what encountering Jesus should be. It should be worth more than any possession we have. Anything we could ever value. And we should be willing to turn whatever it is, that we consider valuable, over to serving Jesus. Our time. Our resources. Our money. Placing him above anything we consider valuable shows our Lord and Savior just how much he means to us. So let’s think about that for a moment. The think about ways that we can prioritize our lives around Jesus. Let’s think of ways that we can serve others by putting Jesus first. And let’s be thankful at the same time. Let’s be thankful that we have a Lord and Savior willing to allow sinners to approach him. I know I am thankful. Because I would be lost if he would turned sinners away. I would be lost if he had not forgiven me of my sins.

Last day of August. Hard to believe that September starts tomorrow. But here we are. It’s been almost a week since the banquet. And I’ve heard from several people about how much the night meant to them. How much it moved them. How much more they want to be involved. And that is awesome. Because that’s the Holy Spirit. What we told everybody Saturday night is that all the things that we have accomplished have nothing to do with us. Yes…I understand we are the hands and feet. I get that. But the Holy Spirit is what makes all this possible. Because the Holy Spirit is moving in people’s lives.

People might question how powerful the Holy Spirit is. They might question just what is it that the Holy Spirit can do. Here’s the answer: It just takes one encounter with the Holy Spirit for your life to change forever. Read that again. It takes just one encounter with the Holy Spirit for your life to change forever. Pretty powerful if you ask me. How many other things, how many other experiences, how many other encounters, do you know of that could change your life forever? Not many that I can think of. And that’s why the ministry is doing what it’s doing. Because the Holy Spirit is guiding people. 

Yesterday I was talking with one of our supporters. We communicate a lot through email and texting. But every now and then we get a moment where we get to talk on the phone. And we were discussing this very topic. The Holy Spirit moving in people. It may seem like we repeat this point to death. But why not. We talk about it all the time because it’s the truth. It’s the plain truth. And people need to hear it. We need to hear it in order to serve like we are supposed to. If you go into one of our events with a servants heart, serving others, as the Holy Spirit leads us, you come out of the event more blessed than you gave to others. And that my friends is the Holy Spirit. And remember this. Jesus can change your life. He loves you. Always has. Always will. 

Yesterday I mentioned that the memory on my Facebook page was of our daughter, Anna, in ICU. Then today, the memory is of her still in ICU, but getting to eat food. And then being sent home. I remember that being so confusing. How does somebody go straight from ICU to home. Well, we found out that later on that she should not have been sent home. Because, she ended up back at the doctor getting treatment that she should have received by the hospital. Either way, doesn’t matter now. Because she has moved forward.

As we stated, that was a tough time. A very difficult few days to say the least. But that comes from being part of this world. Because in this life, we are going to face hardships. We are going to face trouble. And there are a couple of reasons for this. The first one may be hard for us to accept. But it’s true. We have a sinful nature. Something that we must battle daily. Something that’s not going to go away. It’s through God’s grace that we can overcome it. But it’s there. Second, the snake. The enemy. The evil one. Always scheming against us. Doing what he can to hold us down. And to keep us down. Because that’s how he operates.

Now, if you remember, Jesus warned us about troubles coming and going. He did so to prepare us. Because he loves us. And sometimes the truth hurts. Another reason why he warned us of troubles, is so there is no doubt on who to turn to when those times come. We might become fearful. And that is human nature. But he can help us overcome our fear. And let’s also remember the example he set for us in times of trouble. Let’s remember how humble and obedient he was. He remained steadfast. Never wavered. Even staring death in the face. So, as we face difficult times, or our family faces difficult times, let’s remember this. We can get through those. Because we have a Lord and Savior who cares. Who cares enough to tell us that these times would come. But also, who cares enough to be here for us when they do. 

This morning when I woke up, my phone sent me a memory on Facebook from last year. For those of you that remember, Anna was in ICU. Pneumonia and Type-1 diabetes were attacking her. That was a very helpless feeling for me. As much as I hated to watch her go through that, I actually felt sorry for myself somewhat. I know that’s selfish. But as a father, the helpless feeling was terrible. Yes, I definitely prayed. And I am aware of just how powerful that is. But when a moment like that comes, you never know how you’re going to react. Not being able to help her physically rocked me. As a father, we are supposed to protect our children. Keep them safe. Keep them out of harms way. And I felt like I had failed her.

Now, let’s fast forward. A year later Anna is thriving. She is living back at home. She’s a junior in college. Dating a solid Christian man. Pursuing a social work degree. She wants to do something in the medical world with it. She had a social worker when she was diagnosed five years ago. I had a social worker 33 years ago when I was at Craig Hospital in Colorado. We both were blessed to have them in our lives. Because they did all they could to make our transitions back to life out of the hospital as smooth as possible. Now, Anna is considering doing something very similar. That is awesome. She’s always had the heart capable of serving others. Sometimes as a teenager, that wasn’t her first priority. But now you can see it coming back. And as much as I hated being helpless last year, I am more than that humbled, watching her, become the woman that she is. Watching her let the Holy Spirit guide her. Nothing better as a father.

Now, let’s think about this for a minute. Let’s think about God in heaven. Our father in heaven. Our Lord and Savior. What is it you think that he wants for us? What is it you think that he wants for our lives? Do you think he wants it to be easy for us? If you do, I’m going to tell you that I believe you’re wrong. And I may be wrong in this thought, but I believe God wants to guide us in all that we do. He wants the Holy Spirit to take hold. He wants us to “allow” the Holy Spirit to take hold. Sending Jesus to die for our sins wasn’t just because. That purpose was for us to not be slaves to our sins. Which intern allows us to seek the Holy Spirit. And then, if we let him take control, what we do will be blessed. Plain and simple. As Anna is finding out now. Letting the Holy Spirit guide her will bless her efforts. Something that we all should do.

Saturday night was our annual dinner banquet. This is our fifth time hosting this event. And it just simply keeps getting better, and better, and better. And that is because of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is making an impact on people’s lives. And they want to contribute somehow. They want to be a part of something. They want to be a part of the Charlie 22 Outdoors family. Because they believe in the mission and they want to support the cause. Everyone has a role in making the events that we do successful. Including the banquet. Nobody has any more important role than another. Because it takes all of us to make it work. From contributing items. To working in the kitchen. To taking out trash. To being on stage. Doesn’t matter. We all have our roles.

As I look back on what took place two evenings ago, there are a couple of things that stand out to me. First, the interaction took place between the guests and the volunteers. You could just see it and feel it. Handshakes. Hugs. Laughter. Tears. The interactions were all over the place. Something else that stands out to me is watching the audience. I often hear how much things sell for above their true value. It really is amazing. Here’s what I think is happening. And it goes back to what I was saying a minute ago. I think the Holy Spirit is moving and people want to contribute. So they are spending money towards something that they want. And then above the value of the item they are contributing to the ministry.

What does any of this have to do with the devotion? What does any of this have to do with God’s grace? I waited two days to write this, because I wanted to give a clear answer to these questions. When the Holy Spirit moves in peoples lives, great things happen. And I don’t mean just the banquet. I’m talking about every day. When someone experiences the Holy Spirit, it’s very moving. And what took place on Saturday, on, and off stage, was very moving. When we are talking about veteran suicide, we’re talking about a very dark topic. It’s a hard topic to talk about. But, when we are talking about the Holy Spirit moving and lives changing, we’re talking about a very bright topic. Nothing dark about it. When I hear a veteran say that an event they came to changed their life, I let them know that was the Holy Spirit moving in them. Not me. Not us. Not the event. It was the Holy Spirit. And that’s the point of the devotion. When the Holy Spirit moves, lives are blessed. Because God loves us. He always has. He always will.

Last night really was pretty incredible. All the work put into the evening really showed. The volunteers prepared for and ran one of the best banquets we have had yet. The food we served was delicious. The items up for bid were gorgeous. The auctioneers finished the live auction right at 9 PM. Which is always our goal. Pretty incredible considering we had 41 items auctioned. But what we want to make sure everyone remembers the most is the night’s purpose. The whole reason we did it was to support the cause of the ministry. To push the mission forward. And that is to always show God’s grace.

The president of the ministry said something at the end of the evening that hit home. The point he was making is that now the real work begins. The banquet brought everyone together. We celebrated. We laughed. We ate. We cried. But now it’s time for us to regroup and the focus on each event coming up. To make sure that the mission is being followed. And in order to do so, we must make sure that Jesus is first in all that we are doing. Because that is what God wants. He wants Jesus to be the focus. Preeminent. Most important. Our number one. Before everything else. And if we keep it this way, God will bless our efforts. And that will mean more people being served.

The Bible is full of stories that are examples for us to learn from. Stories where people kept their eyes on God. Where their efforts were blessed. Stories were people took their eyes off of God. And those stories didn’t end so well. Think about Noah. Could you imagine what everyone must’ve thought about what he was doing. Go back to that time in your mind. I’m sure the ridicule was crazy. But he never wavered. Think about Daniel. Think about David. When they kept their eyes on God, he blessed them. And then there is Saul. Quite literally his eyes were part of his story. And when he finally turned to God, he was blessed. Today let’s all remember this. No matter what we are doing. No matter where we are going. Let’s always keep our eyes on God. Let’s keep our focus on God. And he will bless our efforts.

Two years ago we lost 13 soldiers at an explosion near the Kabul airport. These were soldiers younger than my children. They knew very well when they signed that line there was a possibility that they may be put into harms way. And for that, I am forever grateful. Because, when they signed that line, they signed it to serve our country. And that means that they signed that line to serve me. They signed that line to serve my family. My friends. Without even knowing me. They did so. And for that, I am forever grateful. Signing that line was the beginning of their military careers. And those careers ended with their deaths. I am not grateful that they died. But I am thankful for their service. And I will forever be thankful.

At our banquet two years ago, we took time out to honor of them. To show their face is on the screen. To remember them by name. And I believe that’s something that we should all do. To honor them. And to remember them by name. Their deaths are the ultimate example of serving others. We hear words like paying the ultimate price. We have words like the ultimate sacrifice. And those words should not be taken lightly. Because saying those words also honors them. But, I would like to suggest that we do something else. That we find ways to serve others. Not necessarily to our deaths. But, we should serve others without hesitation. 

This final point that I want to make I have made several times. And I continue coming back to it because it is the “ultimate” reminder of serving others for us. And that is the example that Jesus left for us all on that final night. So it’s worthy to read over, and over, and over. It’s worthy for us to learn from. It’s worthy for us to teach others. That last night, Jesus washed feet. He did so to show the disciples how to serve others. He did so knowing what was coming ahead. He did so knowing he was fulfilling his purpose here on earth. He lowered himself. He lifted up others. And then he washed their feet. Let’s think about ourselves for a moment. And be honest with ourselves. Would we have done the same thing? That is a challenging question. But no matter how we answer it, we should all look for opportunities now to serve others.

The devotion is late today. That’s because when I woke up this morning things took a different turn. It never stops to amaze me how when we’re preparing for an event, Satan does all he can to keep it from happening. Sometimes he uses the tactic of things not going just as you plan. Other times he uses illnesses of those you are close to. He even stoops so low that he tries to damage what you’re doing. Or even hurt those you care about. 

Now, what never ceases to amaze me, is how God completely destroys Satan‘s tactics. Because no matter what it is he’s doing, God steps up even bigger. Today is an amazing example. Immediately I caught myself behind in the schedule. I had to play catch-up. Not just with preparing for the banquet. But there were office matters I had to deal with. Then, some of our key volunteers had some health issues come up. People who were going to help me today. So nothing really terrible happened, just things that were inconveniences that made it all take longer to do. Which is always hard on those who are trying to time their days with you. But as the day progressed, I didn’t focus on what it was the “snake” was doing. I focused on the blessing of getting to do what I was doing. And God totally came through.

I was able to pick up several of the items that we’re going to have tomorrow. And I was blown away by the quality of the work that went into them. And I got to see the people who did them. And they were so thrilled about being able to be a part of it. Talk about a blessing. Incredible. Then tonight, we literally only took right about three hours to get the entire church set up. That’s because the volunteers stepped in and got to work. Like clockwork. Everyone doing their job. And the church looks awesome. Talk about another blessing. Amazing. And then we prayed as a group as we began to close up. Prayed over the event. Keeping the mission the focus. That tomorrow night is about bringing people together to do God’s work. To ultimately show grace. That my friends, was the most amazing blessing of the day. So let’s remember that. And remember that no matter what it is that Satan tries to do, he fails. Every time. If we let God take control.