Author: Scott

Here’s a pretty cool story for you. As I write it, it still brings a smile to my face. Hopefully it will you too. But, recently I was sitting in a checkout line. I looked up and noticed a woman walking towards me smiling. I could tell by the way she was looking at me that she was going to come and talk to me. As she approached me, I reached out my hand to introduce myself and say hello. She told me her name is Susan. And that I had spoken to her freshman orientation class at Missouri Southern State University in 1995. Back then it was still MSSC. She told me that my story meant a lot to her. And made a lot of impact on her. Wow! Talk about humbling.

As our conversation continued, we discussed how we are called to serve. How Jesus calls us to serve others. That “that” is why we are here. Serving others. Then she began to tell me how her husband had recently lost his job after several  years. That it was not expected. Kind of a bad deal. And how they are getting close to the end of the severance package. But what was cool, is how she talked about them doing a daily devotion all year long. And how God has been speaking to them through the devotions. And that they know they are going to be fine because God has them covered with his grace. Wow! Also talk about humbling. 

Recently, we talked about having purpose. So let’s emphasize that again, our purpose is to serve others. Our purpose is to serve others through Christ. No matter where we are. No matter what we are doing. We never know what we are going to say to somebody that’s going to make a difference. We never know when we are going to say it. We never know where we are going to say it. God puts people in our paths all the time. Just as he put me in her path 28 years ago. But we should be ready for that moment. We should be ready to serve whenever the opportunity presents itself. We should be willing to step out and share Jesus with other people. Plain and simple. We should be willing. So today, be ready for that moment. Be ready for when the opportunity comes. Be ready to share Jesus with others.

Often times it’s easy for us to question why we are here. Why is it that we exist? Many of us go day to day trying to find our purpose. Trying to figure out what it is that we should be doing with our lives. I remember years ago after my surgery wondering why I was still alive. I’ve always prided myself as being a good husband and father. But I felt like there was more being called of me. Actually, I knew there was more. I just didn’t know what it was God was telling me to do. Ever feel that way? I’m sure most of you have. You might be feeling that way now.

Here’s what I know. This is what I fully believe. We were all created by God. We were all created with a purpose from him. Not only that, we were all created with a purpose for him. Read that again. Created with a purpose for him. And I believe that our purpose is to serve him. The trick it’s to find out how to fulfill that purpose. It’s easy to get lost searching for that. It’s easy to go around trying to figure it out. But, finding your purpose might be easier than you realize. You have to do one thing to move in that direction. And that one thing is this: Search for God. Look for God. That’s it. Let me explain.

If we put God first in all that we do, he will show us what it is he wants us to do. He will reveal it to us. But first, he wants an intimate relationship with us. It doesn’t matter whether you are a cashier at a store. Or if you are a teacher in a school. Or maybe you own a business. God will have you where he wants you if you seek him first. He will use you to show his glory, wherever you are, if you do that. He will bring out your greatness. He will bring out your talents. So start by praying to him to draw closer to him. Start by seeking him in all that you do. Do that, and watch what he does with your life. It will be amazing. It will be glorious. It will be beautiful. No matter where he uses you, your purpose will be to fulfill what he has for you. And that is awesome.

When our kids lived at home, I would tell them that we understand when they felt bad. We understand when their bodies ache. Or when they are sick. Nobody is immune from that. You can’t control it. There are viruses and bugs all around. Eventually, we’re going to come across some. We also told them, those are not green lights to being hateful. Or rude. Just because you don’t feel well, you don’t have to treat others miserably. Those are mind over matter moments. We can control how we react to situations like those.

Our minds are powerful. Probably more powerful than we realize. Our thoughts are the same way. So powerful, that they can control us. Seriously! They can control us if we let them. Satan knows this. And he will use them against us if we let him. As I’ve gotten older, I have learned how to better control my thoughts. I have learned how to switch my thoughts from one thing to another. If I catch myself thinking about something I shouldn’t be, I intentionally move on to something else in my mind. or sometimes I will stop what I’m doing and begin talking to God. That helps me get my mind where it is supposed to be.

We can also strengthen our ability to control our thoughts. We can work on it. We can feed our minds with tools to help us battle what Satan tries to push on us. And as we do this, we can work on serving God better. We can train our minds and our thoughts to try to focus in on what it is he wants us to do. That’s where the Bible comes in the play. That’s where prayer comes into play. That’s where who we associate with comes into play. When I was coaching, we worked on perfect practice. That would better prepare us for the games we had. The same can be said about our spiritual life. Perfect practice will help us be better equipped for when the evil one attacks. So today, work on strengthening your mind and your thoughts. Let’s do this together. Let’s work on serving our Lord and Savior better than ever we ever have before. Let’s do so because he loves us. He always has. He always will.

Yesterday we talked about the video on Facebook of the young lady still winning the race after falling at the second hurdle. I hope some of you tried to find it. It really is worth looking for if you have not. The devotion was on not giving up. Staying the course. Because, we win if we do so. Today let’s talk about letting go. Letting go is much different than giving up. Giving up is something that we allow to happen when things do not go our way. God does not want us to give up. But he does want us to let go. Most of us have heard the saying: Let go, Let God. 

When we let go of things that we cannot control, we are giving them over to God. we release them. It’s an act of a surrendering to God. Letting go is trusting Jesus. It can be very difficult to do. My bride has an amazing story about this. In 2013, our son was in a dark place. His demons were attacking him. They had been for a while. He wasn’t responding the way he should. He was giving into temptations that the Satan was placing in front of him. Barbara went to him and spent the day battling Satan back. But she was losing. Nothing she did mattered. Finally, she broke down and turned it over to God. She even told Trey she was doing so. That it was between him and God at that point. Talk about an act of faith. Wow!

Turning Trey over to God actually freed Barbara. It was an act of love on her part. Because she was giving everything to God. Before she returned home, Trey called instead he was ready. Within days we had him in Florida getting the help he needed. God had taken control. He had taken control because Barbara turned Trey over to him. And Trey turned his life over to him as well. They had placed everything into God’s hands. Trey is now a pastor at a church. He’s married with three children. We must remember that in this life, we will not be able to do many things on our own. And we must remember, that God is more than capable of doing everything. So today, look at things that you might need to let go. And turn them over to God. Let him have them.

There’s this amazing short video going around Facebook. It’s one of those that seems just a pop-up without searching for it. It looks like high school girls. Whatever their age, they are running a hurdles race in track. When they get to the second hurdle, the young lady in first place trips and falls. The rest of the field continues on. Incredibly, she gets up, kicks it into the gear, and finishes the race. But that’s not what’s incredible. What’s incredible is that, not only did she finish the race, she won the race. She actually passed every girl on the track and won the race. I’m sure if you search for it, you can find it. It’s only about 15 seconds long. But worth watching.

I love the life lesson that’s being put out there in that video. I’m sure you know what it is. And, the video goes hand-in-hand with something that my wife brought back from the Women’s Retreat she went to a couple weeks ago. One of the notes that she took during one of the speakers simply says this: “You win as long as you don’t quit.” The young lady in the race definitely didn’t quit. She got up, continued on, and won the race. She didn’t quit. She had every reason to. But she didn’t. And she won. We can all learn from this. In our every day lives. Because we’re all going to see struggles. Obstacles. Hurdles in our way. And we can all learn from this and apply it to our faith.

The world is going to come at us daily. The world will try to defeat us. Crush us. So remember this, Satan is of the world. Therefore he is in it. And therefore, he is going to put hurdles in our way. He is going to do all that he can to bring us down. To stop us. To keep us from moving forward. He is going to do all he can to keep us from finishing the race. I always call him the great deceiver. The great liar. The snake. Because those are accurate descriptions of who he is. Of what he represents. So today, when he comes at you, when he puts hurdles in your way, don’t lose track of where you are headed. Don’t let him knock you down, and keep you down. Jesus has paved the path for us. He has already declared victory for us. We must keep the faith and never quit. If we do this, we win. We win! Read it again…We win! 

Recently, I have been challenging some of my friends to get out of their comfort zones and to lead messages at our events. People have done research and have proven that speaking in front of your peers is one of the greatest fears that we have. It can be uncomfortable having all the eyes in a room looking at you. No matter the size of the group. Your palms can get sweaty. Your heart rate can go up. So can your blood pressure. As I said, it’s getting out of your comfort zone. But this devotion is not about speaking in front of other people. It’s about doing what God has called you to do, even when Satan is telling you otherwise. 

One of my friends was the speaker at our recent turkey hunt. A week or so prior to the event, he was going to a men’s prayer breakfast. But he kept feeling the pull to be in the woods hunting. He had other things he wanted to do as well. He sat in the truck for several minutes before going in. He was debating whether he was going to go in or not. Satan kept telling him not to worry about it. That missing is it going to be an issue. He does that. He’s sneaky like that. Trying to keep believers from showing others who God is. But something else kept after him as well. The Holy Spirit was telling him to get out of the truck. To go inside. To hear what was going to be said that morning. It took him a while, but he got out, went inside, and listened. He pushed Satan out of his head. And he got out of the truck.

As you are reading this, I want you to think about what it is that’s blocking you from what you were supposed to be doing. I don’t necessarily mean speaking in front of groups. Or maybe I am. You know you. You know what you are called to do. But what is stopping you is the question. How is Satan creeping in? Is he telling you that you should be hunting? Fishing? Is he telling you that reading the Bible isn’t necessary right now? Is he telling you that praying can wait till tomorrow? Think about it. I’m sure there are ways that he’s out for you. The sneaky ways. He’s after us all. It’s our job to recognize him for what he is. The snake that he has. It’s our job to work on pushing him aside and doing what God wants us to do. I know it’s not easy sometimes. I know we think there’s always tomorrow. Or next week. Or whenever. But I conclude with this…make today the day that you start doing what God has called you to do. Make today the day that you push Satan out of your head. Make today the day that you get out of the truck. 

Today was the end of Operation Stockton Lake. We had around 20 veterans and volunteers on site. It was a weekend of faith, fellowship, and fishing. Nothing better. Great way for people to heal. Working together through their issues while having a line in the water. One of our volunteers is a retired Army Colonel. Mark Costello. We met a couple years ago. I like to say that we have developed a friendship during this time. It’s more than acquaintances through the ministry. I’m bringing him up, because he was our speaker last night. And he spoke on hope.

Let’s talk about that. Let’s talk about hope. Let’s talk about what that looks like for different people. I look at hope like this. Hope gives us something to look forward to. Something to count on. Something to believe in. Knowing that the result is going to be amazing no matter what happens. It may sound far-fetched. But that’s how I view it. Jesus is my hope. Actually, Jesus is everyone’s hope. Many people just don’t realize it. It’s a sad state to have no hope. It might be a sadder state to have your hope placed in the wrong things. I know that feeling. I know what it’s like to have no hope. Because, I didn’t at one time.

I bet most of us know somebody who tries to find hope in a beer bottle. I bet most of us know somebody who tries to find hope in something that they smoke. Or maybe they put it in their arm. I think you get the point. When people do that, when they place their hope in something so temporary, when it ends, so does their hope. When the bottle is empty, their hope is gone. And I know something else. And this is awesome. Jesus will never end. He will never end. Never! He’s not going anywhere. He will always be here. Always waiting. Always welcoming. Therefore, when we have hope in Jesus, our hope never ends. And that is incredible. So today, put your hope in Jesus. And watch how your life changes forever.

Ever catch yourself just on the go? The minutes, hours, and days, all seem to be go-go-go. You accomplish one task and then move onto the next. Almost robotic. Your time ends up simply “doing” things. It’s easy to get into that kind of rhythm. I know I sometimes find myself doing that. Nothing wrong with setting out to accomplish something. Nothing wrong with having goals in mind. A destination to head towards. But we need to be mindful of our purpose. Our goals need to have reason. Why is that?

I think that if we keep our priorities straight, then we can set time to be still with God. We can rest for a moment with God. This is important. It helps keep us from burning out. It helps us continue to find joy in what we are doing. And makes us less vulnerable to attacks  from the great deceiver. These all then help us keep our accomplishments in line with the plan God has for us. 

So today let’s do some self-reflection. Let’s take time to reconnect with God. Let’s focus on working on what He’s called us to do. God wants to bless us. Let’s let him. Let’s let God start doing more with our lives. If we do, we will feel his grace. We will see that what we work to do, will in fact accomplish what we’re called to do. God’s plan is perfect. And it will be perfect if we stay focused on it, and not focused on simply “doing” things. 

Today is National Superhero Day. Pretty neat day for all of the DC Comics and Marvel Comics fans. I’m not so much anymore. But when I was a kid, I was a big Spider-Man fan. I liked most of the superheroes back then. But Spider-Man was my favorite. I also really liked Thor. There was a time that I was a pretty decent artist. I used to draw all my favorites. Nowadays, I have to admit that I have enjoyed watching the Iron Man movies. But I’ve lost interest in watching the rest of those stories. I guess for me, there are too many of them. Hard to keep up. But I know several people who love them.

I think it’s obvious to most everybody who reads what I write, that my heroes have changed over the years. The obvious ones are my family members. Like my children. Watching them battle through struggles that they have had. Illnesses. Emotional draining times. Spiritual battles. Makes me proud to be their father. And my wife…what an amazing trooper she has been. The things that she has had to overcome the last 5 to 10 years. Never wavering in her faith. We can all learn from that. My other heroes are the veterans that I get to serve. Not only them, I actually look at all veterans and other military personnel as heroic. I know they wouldn’t call themselves that. But I do. 

Then there is Jesus. Or I should say, there’s Jesus, and then there’s everyone else. There are so many reasons why I view him as a hero. I’m fully aware that he is our Lord and Savior. I’m fully aware that we receive eternity with him because of what he has done for us. I get it. I’m not sure calling him a hero is powerful enough. He is beyond heroic. Need an example? Let’s go back 2000 years. The Bible tells us that there’s no love greater than laying down your life for someone else. Definitely heroic. So the sacrifice Jesus made for us qualifies beyond measure. The crucifixion was horrific. And he did that for us. Plain and simple. For us! There are many things that we can call this. And I think heroic is one of them. Jesus did this because he loves us. So we should look at him in a light like no other. So today, enjoy talking about your superheroes. Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, etc. But don’t lose sight on who we should really be revering. Jesus.

This morning‘s devotion is going to resonate more with those of us that grew up without the Internet or smart phones. Back before the worldwide web or AOL existed. There was a time that I could go trick-or-treating without having a parent watching over it. I know that sounds funny for this devotion. But stick with me. I think I can explain.

Technological advances really are incredible. Many things can be performed and conducted much easier. But there’s a downside. Actually a couple downsides. One, we are losing more of the one on one skills. The in-person skills. The people skills. The kind where you shake hands when you make a deal. The kind where we look someone in the eyes as you discuss things. And that I think has led to much of the distrust that we have. The trick-or-treating example shows this. I don’t know any parents that just allow their kids to go on the road now. That’s because of the distrust. 

Another downside is this. Yes, things are much easier. Things happen at a quicker rate. But…that puts us in a hurry. In a rush. Trying to get as much accomplished as fast as we can. Nothing wrong with accomplishing things. Nothing wrong with getting things done quickly. The problem lies within losing sight on what we should be focused on. We can lose sight on the “why” we are doing things. We can lose being in the moment. In the Bible, Jesus never ran anywhere. Never seemed to be in a hurry. Let’s learn from this. Let’s not simply be driven. Let’s let the Holy Spirit lead us. Guide us. Let’s look at our lives and make sure we keep the focus on the ”why” we are doing things. Let’s allow our lives to be blessed by slowing down some. Keeping focus where it should be.