Author: Scott

Yesterday was the third anniversary of Coach Armstrong’s death. It’s no secret the relationship that I had with Coach. Still hard to believe that he’s gone. A couple of months before his death, he gave a message at his church. During one of his points, he became very emotional. He was talking about how we are in a fight. It’s a fight for our souls between the enemy and Jesus. And it is vicious. And he reminded everyone that Jesus loves us. Doesn’t have to. But chooses to. And that alone deserves our devotion to him. 

In the Bible (John 5), we read how God cares about us, no matter what we are going through. No matter what. No matter our past. No matter our present. No matter our future. NO MATTER OUR DEMONS! God loves us. That is awesome. We have a God that never waivers in his care for us. He is constant. He is secure. He is forever. And that is waiting for 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. Sometimes we need to step out of our comfort zones. Show that we believe. He will help us do these things if we ask him to. 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 three 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 on 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!!!

This morning’s topic is hard to make clear. Stay with me as I stumble through it. 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. During a recent conversation I had 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 so. God is not going to stop convicting her. And that is a very real example of the truth that the Bible teaches us.

Yesterday was the opening day of trout season. Thousands of people found them selves lined along side the river casting time after time, trying to land that one “lunker” that has avoided them cast after cast. We say a lot, that sometimes the best conversation between two men is simply saying hello, casting a line, hours of silence, then saying goodbye. Just knowing someone is there can be therapeutic. Just knowing someone is there can be very peaceful.

We believe that man, all men, are searching for peace. We have stated this before. And we’re going to do so again today. Because we believe it might be the one thing that all men are looking for. Question is, “Where do you find it?“ Just as we believe that all men are searching for peace, we also believe that finding it is going to be different for everyone. Let me rephrase that. How we find it is going to be different for everyone. Because the one true source of peace is Jesus. The one true answer for peace is Jesus. He is peace. No question about it. Therefore, finding Jesus is the key to finding peace. 

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.

Family dynamics are interesting to me. Sometimes, family members can be best friends. Other times, they are not so friendly with each other. In my family, the tree branches off in many different directions. It can be hard to keep track. 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. I, for one am thankful of this. I am undeserving of his love. There’s no way that I have earned his grace. I never will. Yet, he still extends it to me. 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.

Here’s something that I read recently online. “Influencers in social media are people who have built a reputation for their knowledge and expertise on a specific topic. They make regular posts about that topic on their preferred social media channels and generate large followings of enthusiastic, engaged people who pay close attention to their views.” And to be considered one of the top influencers, a person needs over 1 million followers. That means they have over 1 million people that regularly engage in what they post. Kim Kardashian is one of the top. Over 344 million people follow her. Why? I don’t have the answer. I don’t get it. Why would anyone want to follow her is beyond me. But they do.

We live in a world where people like Kardashian can influence thoughts and beliefs of those that read what they post. If you do the math, you begin to realize just how many people follow influencers. You can see just how much power and influence they have. And that is scary. Especially when it comes to young minds. Influencers can say that something is good or all right to do, and regardless whether or not it is, those that follow them might begin to believe it. We have people that identify as animals now. Or as pronouns. Because they believe that it is all right to do so. That belief had to come from somewhere. And I’m betting that probably was found on the Internet.

By now, you probably understand where I’m going with this. Jesus Christ is an influencer. I say that because he has millions of followers. Including me. I watched an argument on Facebook. (It’s easy for people to argue online because there’s a keyboard and a screen between them and the person that they are talking to.) Anyways, this one person was telling the other that Jesus does not exist. There is no God. Oh how wrong he is. The believer was arguing back. One point that he made stuck out. Basically, he said maybe he is wrong. Maybe there is no Jesus. But believing in Jesus, right or wrong, is going to help him lead a good life. A life serving others. Which is awesome. And if he is right, he’s going to be rewarded with eternity in heaven. Either way, he wins. On the flipside, those that don’t believe in Jesus, have an eternity waiting for them that is not pleasant. Very risky way to live. So today, let’s strive to follow Jesus and not follow the ways of the world. Let’s let him lead us. Let’s let him help us serve others. And let’s show others that love that only comes from knowing Jesus.

Do you experience anxiety? Do you know somebody who does? I think we all either experience it ourselves, or know somebody going through it. 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 an 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. In a conversation I was having with a veteran, we were talking about this topic. 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. They are not going to go away. I’m not sure we can cure them. But God 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, we completed our first 22 days of fasting and prayer. It was a time of growth. During the 22 days, several people 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.