Author: Scott

Tomorrow night, Barbara and I get to go see Coach Armstrong’s daughters. They are in town for the fundraiser dinner for his foundation. They are all married now. They are women doing very well. Seeing them always reminds me of Coach. And when I think of him, I think of all the times that we sat and just talked. There are moments at the gym before and after people would arrive that we would just have conversations about life. No topic other than life. There were times that we talked about certain world events. Certain people in our lives. Critical conversations. Conversations that he was teaching me morals and values in. And I know I’ve said this before. Coach was so much more than a basketball coach. I miss those conversations. I miss those phone calls. I miss him.

Nobody will ever replace Coach Armstrong. That void will always be a void. No doubt about it. But I have been blessed the other men have stepped in to different roles in my life. Some men I have known for several years. Others for only a couple of years. Veterans and civilians alike. And I know that God was preparing me and them for my life without Coach Armstrong. Each of them bringing different aspects to the table. Mentors. Advisors. Accountability partners. Brothers in Christ. And I am very thankful for each of them. That is so very important. Having this type of relationship with others, is so very important to all of us. People who can actually help you keep your life on track. Even help you change your life. The Bible tells us how important this is. And the Bible warns us just what bad company can do to us.

So today, ask yourself who your mentors are. Ask yourself who your influencers are. Ask yourself who holds you accountable because they love you. Ask yourself who celebrates your victories. Your successes. Take a look who you have surrounded yourself with. Your inner circle. I’m not telling you to abandon anybody that you love. I’m just telling you that we need people of Christian character in our lives for very important reasons. We must remember just how important Christian associations are. Relationships with people who believe in Jesus. Who strive to serve Jesus. Because they can influence you in so many different ways. Work. Hobbies. Homes. And more. And I think a good piece of advice is…Pray over this! Pray over your circle. Pray over who influences you. Pray over who you should let influence you. God will show you. If your relationships are built on material items or social ideals, they will end as soon as those items and ideals go away. That I promise you. Place God first in your heart. Place God first in your relationships. And watch how God changes your life and those around you. He will do so because he loves you.

Sometimes when I wake up, I have a hard time, deciding what to write about. Sometimes it’s a struggle to come up with a topic. Nothing seems to come to mind easily. Nothing seems to inspire me. I look to God to show me what to read and to write on. But I find myself stuck. But if I really think about it, there is the topic. Struggling is the topic.

We all go through times where we seem to struggle and nothing we do can fix it. Nothing that we can do seems to solve the issue. The struggle seems to linger on, and on, and on. Sometimes by our doings. Sometimes by the doings of others. I think it’s during those times that God is building us for what is to come. I think it’s during those times that God is using what we are facing to teach us something. But I also believe that we must view it this way…in order for us to learn what God is trying to teach us. I’ve said many times that one of the greatest gifts that God has given us is ability to choose. And that includes the ability to choose how we view things. We can choose to be a bitter at what has happened. We can choose to be bitter about what is happening right now. But, being bitter about something only results in us being bitter about something. That’s not good.

Now, I am not saying that we shouldn’t feel pain or be upset about something. That’s part of being human. That comes from being part of this earth. It’s going to happen. It’s unfortunate. But it is going to happen. What I am saying is that we can choose to use tough moments as building blocks to grow closer to our Lord and Savior. One of the ways I think we can do that is by praying. Maybe we know the solution and we need to pray for strength to put it into action. Maybe we know the source of the struggles and we should pray to know the way to make those sources go away. Or maybe we just need to sit and pray for wisdom. To be still for a moment. And to let God work on our hearts and our minds. I don’t know your situation or your struggles. But I know God has the answers. You can choose to face them on your own. And you might possibly solve them. But you might not. Or we can choose to let God guide us and no matter what we face, the end will be glorious, and God‘s grace will be revealed.

I remember when the movie Top Gun came when I was a kid. It was awesome. After watching it, we were all going to be pilots. I don’t think any one of us went on to do that. At least I don’t know anyone who did. And when Top Gun Maverick recently came out, we were thrilled to go watch it. And it did not disappoint. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend it. It was worth the almost 40 year wait. But I’m not writing about a movie today. There was a couple lines near the beginning that kind of hit home.

I don’t want to give away the story of the movie for those of you that haven’t seen it yet. So I’ll be short. Tom Cruise‘s character, Maverick, is getting ready to do a test run on a plane. One of the guys helping monitor this flight said to him, “Do you know what happens if you go through with this?“ Maverick’s response was, “I know what happens to everyone else if I don’t.” This may sound cheesy. But it was a powerful moment in the movie for me. And it made me think about something else.

Let’s go back 2,000 years in our minds. Let’s go back to the last night before Jesus was arrested. I’m wondering about the conversation that could’ve taken place. Might’ve taken place. I’m wondering if someone could’ve said to him the same thing: “Do you know what happens if you go through with this?” And I can imagine Jesus’s response being very similar. “I know what happens if I don’t.“ Jesus knew what was getting ready to take place. He knew why he was here. He knew tremendous pain was coming. Can you just imagine! He knew all these things, and he still took it upon himself. Because, he knew his purpose was to be sacrificed for us. He had to go through with it to pave the way for us. He had to go through it to show us what love looks like. Holy cow! Now…can you imagine what Life might look like today if He chose not to? No thanks. So today, let’s work on lifting others above ourselves. Let’s remember that many people don’t know Jesus. And remember what happens if they don’t come to know him.

I grew up in a household with one TV. As a matter of fact, the first one I remember having was black and white. And whenever dad was home, we watched what he wanted to watch. Being a soldier, he liked war movies. He liked westerns too. But, he preferred war movies. I enjoy them myself. Especially World War II movies. Like the Big Red 1. And I believe it’s because of growing up in that household. When I was a teacher, I prefered teaching American history. Because, I got to teach on the wars that the American soldiers fought in. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I think war is good. I think that it’s an important part of our history. And we need to remember that. And we need to honor those that lost their lives. Actually, we need to honor all of our troops. 

In the Bible, there are stories about battles. Stories of war. But more importantly, the Bible has imagery. Imagery of war. Imagery of battles. And from times thousands of years ago all the way through now, there’s a battle taking place. It is spiritual warfare. It’s a war against the demons of hell. And it’s ugly. But what’s awesome about our God is that he gives us everything we need to face this battle. And sometimes it’s personal. It’s personal because we fight our past. Maybe even our present. But most definitely, we fight for our future. We don’t have to let our past define us. We can learn from our past. Especially from our mistakes. We can learn from our choices that were destructive. That’s part of the blessing from God.

Fighting this battle, it’s up to us to stay in contact with God. Especially, during times of struggles. We need to remember he gives us everything we need. We also need to remember that the victory has already been declared. Jesus did that for us on the cross. And just as we must honor all of our troops, we must honor Jesus and what he did for us. Even more so. Stay in contact with your Lord and Savior by praying. Talk to him. He wants to hear from you. Staying close to him will keep giving you the weapons that you need in this battle. Staying close to him will help you heal from your past. It will help you solidify your present and your future. And the greatest victory is this: We can have eternal salvation with our Lord and Savior in heaven.

Thursday was our Monthly Men’s Bible Study. If you haven’t been able to join us yet, you should. If you’re not local, you can do it on Zoom. It’s the third Thursday of each month. Right now we’re going through Hebrews. Part of our conversation talked about this mountains we face. We all have those. And just as soon as we climb one mountain, we face another. They keep coming at us. Illnesses. Anxiety. Depression. PTSD. Even facing death. All mountains. 

At one of our past studies, one of the veterans shared that he was diagnosed with cancer several months ago. Talk about a mountain to climb. I bet some of you can relate. What stands out about his circumstance is how he faced it. He told his doctor this when he found out he had cancer: “It’s a win-win situation. If cancer takes me, I go to heaven. If I beat cancer, I’m still alive here. It’s a win-win.” He was making the best of his circumstance. So powerful.

All of us are going to struggle at times. Especially, when we face circumstances that seem overwhelming. They seem hopeless. We can lose our joy. We can lose our peace. We can lose our hope. But…I would like to suggest this. Our circumstances do not have to define us. They do not have to control us. We can face them knowing that our God is bigger than all of them. The Bible tells us to not be anxious about anything. It tell us to always be thankful in everything. And the word “anything” means anything. Everything means everything. So that includes our circumstances. Even the ones that are not good. Even the ones that seem hopeless. Our identities are in God. They should define us. And people should realize that about us when they see us. So today, let’s not allow our circumstances to control us. Let’s control them. By changing how we view them. By letting God take control over them. If we do this, we change everything about what we are going through. And just like the veteran said, they become a win-win no matter what the results are.

Four years ago we were stuck right in the middle of the pandemic. If I recall, Joplin was the hotbed for the country during the month of June. Hard to believe that it’s been that long ago. Last year in the month of May, President Biden declared that the public health emergency and the national state of emergency had both ended. Much of life has returned to normal. But it is definitely a new normal. Just think about how people work remotely. Definitely an example of the new normal. Although the pandemic may be over, there are still lingering effects. For me, it’s how I view things. What is important. What really is not important.

As life moves on, COVID-19 is still a virus that mutates into other variants. There will be infections. There will be sickness. And for some, there will be death. It is here. It’s not going anywhere. I am not sure we will ever know the exact number of infections. But I’m certain it is well in the millions world wide. COVID-19 leaves people with numerous questions for God. For many of us, I imagine that the virus attacked them emotionally. Mentally. And spiritually. Chances are that you know someone personally who had the virus. Maybe even lost someone to it. My family had to face the death of the man who raised me. It was shocking. I felt countless unexplainable emotions. Anger. Sadness. Abandonment. Confusion. Helpless. 

In the Bible, we read of people feeling the same feelings. David is an example. David felt anger and anguish. But just as he was feeling these feelings, he felt confidence. And he also was able to praise God. Even when going through difficulty and pain, David found rest in God. We can too. I never doubted God‘s presence through all the turmoil that we went through with COVID-19. Actually, he comforted me throughout the whole time. I felt his love. His unfailing love. And I was reminded that God is forever. The pandemic is not. I was reminded that even when we stare death in the face, God is with us. Pain and suffering is part of this world. It’s part of life. But the hope and peace that we get from God overcomes it all.

At many of our events, we try to give out Bibles to our guests. The ones that we give out are covered in brown vinyl. Look a lot like leather. And we engrave our logo on the front of them. They make for a very nice gift. Often times, we hear from guests that this is the first time someone has given them a Bible. And that’s humbling. But what’s important about what takes place during those moments is not the action of giving them a Bible. Yes that is important. But the point of that moment is this, we tell them that the answer to every question that they may ever have will be found in this book. And that is true.

Have you ever had a moment where you were confused about something and you opened up the Bible? You simply opened up the Bible and the verses that popped up on the page you open to were exactly what you needed to hear? Something is going on in your life that you needed encouragement. And there it was. Something is going on in your life that you needed guidance. And there it was. That’s awesome. I think that’s God’s way of saying to us: “Here I am.”

The Bible is full of stories. Full of history. Full of advice. When we read the Bible, we can find encouragement. We can find hope. We can find love. But I think we find those, if we are seeking God while we read. The Bible is our manuscript. It is our directions for our lives. It is our instruction manual. The Bible is full of wisdom. The Bible is all of these, because the Bible is a gift to us from God. We read about putting on the armor of God. To help protect us. A big part of us that needs protected is our minds. Because Satan is going to try to infiltrate us. Trying to get into our minds. If we turn to the Bible daily, we help protect our thoughts. And this protects our minds. So today, try to start making it a daily habit to read the Bible. BUT…be sure to seek God while you do so. If you’re not doing it already. And if you are doing it already, continue seeking wisdom from God. Seek his peace. Seek his hope. Seek his love. All of us need these. I know I do.

Yesterday at our event, I spoke with a female veteran about how Charlie 22 Outdoors was founded. But more importantly, we talked about why we were founded. What we are trying to do. And how we go about doing it. It was a great conversation. Before we knew it, we had been together almost 2 hours. I can talk forever about the ministry. Why we were founded. How we were founded. Where we were. Where we are. Where we are headed. I can talk your leg off. In an interview that I did last year about the ministry, there was a question asked at the very end that really hit home. I was asked this, “What have you learned about yourself through this experience with Charlie 22 Outdoors?“ I was speechless for a moment. I never really have thought about that. What a great question though. Instead of talking about my role with the ministry, he wanted me to do self analysis on what I have learned. Holy cow! 

In this day and age, we watch people go from one thing to the next. Faster, faster, and faster. We live at breakneck speeds. Worried about not getting something done in time, or being someplace in time, or simply missing out on something because of timing. Those of us that live in Missouri, think about I-44 from Joplin to Springfield. Driving on that is now like the Indy 500. If you’re not doing 80 miles an hour now, you’re going slow. With people on your rear bumper. Upset at you, like you’ve ruined their whole day for making them slow down for five seconds. Point being, we are in a hurry. Nothing wrong with a fast paced world. But when we’re in a hurry, we can easily lose sight on what we are doing. And why we are doing it. 

Now back to the question. I don’t recall what I told him Word-for-Word. But it was something along these lines. I have learned that I need to keep the mission to focus. That I have learned to not place my desires above anything else. That I have learned to serve others. To place their needs above mine. And that’s why the ministry is where it is now. Not because of me. But…because everyone involved believes in the mission. They “get” it. There’s no personal agenda. And God is blessing it. So today, I want you to remember this. Our plans are nothing compared to God‘s plans. Our peace is nothing compared to the peace that God can provide us. What we think our talents are, are nothing compared to the talents that God has given us. Take a moment, and ask yourself what he asked me. Look inside yourself and reevaluate. And make sure when you do so, you place God before everything else. And then watch what happens. It will be glorious.

When my father was stationed at Fort Carson Colorado, we lived in Colorado Springs. I was in 6th grade. I went to Bricker Elementary School. We lived in a house that had split levels. It was four floors. But, they were staggered. It was pretty cool. Outside our window you could see Pikes Peak. I remember enjoying Colorado. All except for my job. Yes I had a job in the 6th grade. I had a paper route. An early morning paper route. Daily, I would wake up around 4:30 AM and go to the garage to roll papers that I then delivered. I would either walk around the neighborhood, or I’d ride my bike, and deliver those things. And I hated every bit of it. It was my first “real” job. And I hated it with a passion. I loved the money. But, I hated the job. I did it for a couple of months. There was one night that we were all watching TV and I fell asleep. I woke up at bedtime and proceeded to go to the garage to start the roll trash. The next day, my mother made me quit the job. Probably a smart decision.

Some of you might be able to relate to this. Not liking the job that you have. And that’s unfortunate. But, I want to talk about something here that I feel is important. If you recall, a few weeks ago I mentioned talking to a nurse about God having her right where she supposed to be. And the point of that conversation with her is that I don’t care where it is that you work, you can still serve God. There are ways in all jobs that we can still serve God. And even those of us that are not working anymore, there are ways that you can still serve God. We are called to serve him and all that we do. And if you think about it long enough, I’m sure you can find ways that you can show others who God is. Maybe it’s putting verses on your email signature. Maybe it’s simply hanging a cross on your wall. What would be even cooler is people simply seeing you and knowing that you are a believer. The way you hold yourself.

So today, pray over your efforts. Pray that God blesses what you are doing in order for others to see him. Pray that what you do is for him. And not for people. That may be hard to understand. But pray that you are working for God, and then that will lead to you serving others through God in all that you do. If you do this, and you do as God convicts you, your efforts will be successful. He will bless your efforts. Because that will bring him glory. And maybe, just maybe, for those of you that don’t like what you do, maybe you will begin loving what you do. Because…God will be in it. And that my friends is glorious no matter what it is that we do. How awesome is that!

Last year, on this day, I wrote about my nephew. And since I just bumped into him recently, it’s fitting that we talk about him again. His name is Jess Hettinger. He works for the local water and electric department. He is married. He and his wife are raising their family in Carthage, Missouri. It has been a blessing for me getting to watch him grow. I think that both his father and him will tell you that he wasn’t raised in a Christian lead household. Yet, he has changed that cycle. He is leading his family through faith. Through his relationship with God. Not only has that filtered down to his family. It has filtered up. His father is trying to work on his relationship with Jesus as well. Just so very cool. Made me proud of them. 

Jess told me the story about when he first really heard God talk to him. How God had been convicting him. He is on the security team at his church. A few months ago he was outside the sanctuary. Keeping watch. And he felt God tell him to go in. So he went in and he felt a presence like never before. I told him that was the Holy Spirit. Well, let’s just say that the Holy Spirit took hold. And his relationship with God changed then. He began to understand what having faith is really about. What having a relationship with our Lord and Savior is really about. And that’s what happens when somebody opens their hearts and lets God in. Their lives change. Just as Jess’s did. 

I gave him a piece of advice. Something that he probably already knew. But we all need to hear it every now and then anyways. God is going to convict everyone of us. And he’s not going to stop convicting us until we act. We can choose how we act. Our decision is our decision. Some of us choose to not follow the conviction. And often times, those choices lead to bad results. I know from experience. And I also know this, if we do follow what God is convicting us of, good things will happen. He will bless our actions. Because they are what he wants us to do. Does not mean they are going to be easy. Sometimes very difficult. But they are part of the plan for us. We must listen to God. We must open our hearts and truly listen to what he’s telling us. And remember, his plan for us is good. And it will bring him glory. And that is exactly what we should do.