Author: Scott

Isn’t it simply awesome that we have a Lord and Savior in heaven. Sitting on the throne. He went there to prepare a place for us. Waiting for us. All the while, he’s guiding us on earth. Watching over us. Giving us hope and joy. And that is incredible. Simply incredible. But we cannot forget what happened before he ascended to heaven. The crucifixion.

I heard a message one time at church. Very powerful stuff. It was titled The Four Calls of the Cross: Universality, Conviction, Compassion, and Forgiveness. It’s important for us to remember these things. These are the reasons why Jesus paid the ultimate price. So today, let’s work on these four things. Let’s follow the example led by Christ.

First, let’s be united. Let’s be united in serving one another. There is strength in numbers. Let’s be united in our mission to show others grace. Second, let’s follow our convictions. God‘s not going to stop convicting us. We can choose to act or not. Up to us. But, I suggest we follow our convictions. Third, let’s have compassion. Compassion towards one another. Let’s break our hearts and be open to serving others in this manner. Finally, forgiveness is so very important. Let’s release what’s burdening our hearts. Not easy. I know that. But let’s work to forgive to release what we’re holding on to. That’s a gift from Jesus to us. It gives our hearts amazing peace. What Jesus did on the cross for us was of his own doing. Not ours. We made the mess. He cleaned it up. He did so for us to be united with him. Universality, conviction, compassion, and forgiveness. All for us. All done on the Cross.

Barbara and I love the moments where we get to spend time with our kids and our grandkids. No agendas. No time constraints. Just moments together. Moments where we get to spend afternoons just talking. Talking about the good things happening in our lives. And talking about the not so good things happening in our lives. Unfortunately, it seems like many people that we know are currently going through some not so good things. It’s a sad reality. But it’s part of being human. Even though the path has been paved. Even though we have paradise waiting for us. We must face the struggles here on earth.

Everyone goes through difficult circumstances at one time or another. We find ourselves discouraged. Losing jobs. Our health taking a turn for the worse. Financial struggles. Relationships ending. Facing death. So many things. And it’s during those moments that we can lose sight on God. We can lose sight on the hope that he provides. I believe that is when Satan creeps in and tells us God is not there. Telling us that if God loved us so much, why would he allow us to struggle. He is the ultimate liar.

No matter what we are going through, let’s remember that this is temporary. Let’s remember that God promises hope and love. No matter the struggles, let’s remember these things. Just remember that eternity is waiting for us. Take rest knowing this. Let’s never turned a blind eye on the sacrifice Jesus made. Instead, let’s always believe in the joy that awaits us. The pain and struggles we face or temporary. And they are nothing in comparison to what awaits us in heaven.

It is a time of year, where the ministry really is active serving veterans. Operation Spoonbill. Women’s retreat. Couples retreat. Different expo events. Prayer groups. Bible studies. Etc. Each of these provides us opportunities for amazing fellowship. And we see lives change because of the Holy Spirit. At one of the recent events, the message given talked about taking that step towards knowing Jesus. Taking that step to move towards him in our lives. Taking that step towards eternity with Jesus. It was a short message. But it was a very powerful message. And it was very fitting with Easter almost here. Because the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, gives us the opportunity to take that step towards him. Wow!

As Christians, Easter weekend is the most momentous weekend in history. Quite possibly more important than Christmas. Think about why it is that we are celebrating this weekend. What it is really about. This weekend is about three things: Jesus’s death, burial, and Resurrection! That’s it. Those three things. And those are for us. He died to pay the sacrifice for our sins. The ultimate sacrifice for our sins. So we can then inherit eternity with him. Read that again. He died so we can have eternity with him. Wow! This was an incredible victory over sin. A victory over death. A victory for us. 

Now, I would like to pose a more important question for you. I’m not saying that this is more important than his death. Or his resurrection. But it’s something that we must truly consider. As you read this, be honest with yourself. Be truthful. Analyze yourself. Look deep inside. Here it is: “What are you doing now…that honors Jesus?” We cannot sit back and let his final act on earth just be considered a final act. We must do all that we can do show others the importance of it. There’s one way to heaven. And that’s through Jesus. And there are people out there that don’t know this. Even more distressing is that there are people out there that do know this, but do not care. It’s our job to teach them. To show them. To help them understand what was so important with what took place some 2000 years ago. Let’s keep that in our minds and in our hearts. And let’s do what we can to help others come to understand that too. Let’s remember that Jesus loves us so much, that he suffered for us, so we can be united with him. Let’s take that first step. And let’s help others do the same.

Sometimes we catch ourselves getting caught up in doing things just to do them. It’s easy for that to happen. It’s a very busy world that we live in. Technology has made things easier. But it also has made things happen quicker. And with that, we find ourselves doing “more” things. There’s nothing wrong with being busy. We have heard the saying, “An idle mind is a dangerous mind.” But there is a danger if we’re not careful. The danger of being too busy is that we can lose sight of our relationship with God.

Sometimes we need to just sit back and take a moment to refocus. To make sure we keep our sights on God. Sometimes we need to simply reset. Reconnect. In the Bible, we learn about being still. I may be wrong, but I think that’s God‘s way of telling us to make sure that we are seeking him in all that we are doing. Because, it’s in that moment when we are sitting still, that we can truly turn our eyes towards God. Focus on listening to him. 

So today, let’s take inventory on what we are doing. Let’s make sure that we are not simply doing things to say we did them. Charlie 22 Outdoors is focused on keeping the mission on point. Simply striving to make sure that everything that we do is in line with showing hope, love, and a personal meaning that comes from God‘s grace. We can also align this mission in our personal lives. No matter what we are doing. We can always strive to show God‘s grace. Let’s make today the beginning of doing this. Let’s strive to listen to his voice every day. Because he loves us. He always has. He always will.

Most of us wake up each day, and we have a pretty similar schedule to what happened the day before. Especially during the work week. We wake up. Get ready. Have breakfast. Head to work. Next day. Repeat. Often times, our weekends can also seem to be a routine. Even though we get caught in the rhythm of repeating ourselves, I still believe we always have an end goal in mind. We keep in focus why it is we’re doing what we are doing. Everything is geared towards the purpose. The reason we’re doing it.

This is Final Four weekend in Division I College basketball. This is the end of a long grinding season for everyone. The end goal is within reach for all of the teams playing this weekend. And that would be to win a championship. They have been working towards this for several months now. Practicing. Training. Conditioning. Over, and over, and over. I imagine most of the players have had very few, if any, days off. Pushing towards this end goal. The purpose for why they put themselves through all of what they have gone through.

Our spiritual life should also have an end goal in mind. Our spiritual life should have a purpose. Our purpose should be to serve God. We should live our lives daily like this. Routine or not, we should follow the plan that God has in place for us. We should take steps each day towards the purpose. Towards the end goal. Obviously, we want to spend eternity in heaven with our Lord and Savior. But while getting there, I believe we should spend our time trying to show others who he is. That should be our purpose. Worshiping him. And showing others who he is. Whether we’re going to work each day. Or we spending the weekends relaxing. The end goal should be our focus.

Last Saturday, we hosted Operation Spoonbill. For those of you that don’t know, this is a fishing event we put on for veterans. Basically, you troll through the river or the lake trying to snag these fish. We will had around 40 veterans and volunteers there. Two things about this day stuck out to me: Serving others and Snagging. Let me explain.

Jesus tells us to serve others. There are several reasons why. Here are a few. We do so to help them. To show them love. And to show them the grace that only comes from Jesus. Ultimately, trying to lead them to a relationship with Jesus. And that is what our boat captains and volunteers did. Serve others! Placed the needs of our guests before their own. Doing what they could to show them grace. 

Now, as you read this, realize that I am not saying anything negative about what we were doing. Stay with me, and I think you will get the point. Snagging shows us something else. If we’re not careful, we can find ourselves in the traps of the evil one. If we’re not careful, we can find ourselves in a hopeless situation. He’s out there. Waiting for the opportunity to trap us. Often times, baiting us into traps. Other times, chasing after us. However he may be pursuing us, we must be vigilant and not get caught up in the snags. But here is something that’s even more incredible. If we do catch ourselves in the traps of evil one, Jesus will still be there to pull us away. To lead us out of the snags. He will not forsake us, even when we are undeserving. He is always there. Waiting for us to seek him. And He will accept us, even when we have gone astray. So maybe today is the day for you to seek him. Maybe today is a day for you to get out of the snags of the evil one. Maybe today is the day for you to receive the grace that only comes from Jesus. Maybe today is the day for you to start believing that Jesus is our Lord and Savior. Make today…The Day.

Today, this is a difficult topic for many of us. Including myself. As I have gotten older, I have gotten better at this one. Don’t get me wrong. I still have a long way to go. Probably something that I will be working on for the rest of my life. And I know many of us have a very difficult time with this. But, we have to work on getting bitterness out of our hearts. We have to work on getting it out of our hearts as soon as we begin to feel it. If we catch it early, it’s easier for us to move past it. If we let it sit, it will begin to fester. And then we will have a bigger mess just like a wound that has not been dealt with for a while.

Now…we might question why this is important. Why should we remove bitterness as much as we can? After all, we are seeing people hold onto anger and hatred towards each other like never before. Even among some of our elected officials. We are seeing backbiting. We are seeing sabotaging. Deliberately trying to discredit each other. It’s a real ugliness. Not everyone is doing this. But we’re seeing enough, especially in the media, that it looks like it’s the majority. It may or may not be. That is not the point though. The point is, we need to do what we can to get this out of our hearts. We need to move beyond it. But why?

We are called to serve others. We are called to love one another. We are called to look past the faults of others. We don’t have to like what they are doing. We don’t have to agree with it either. And nothing says that we must say it is ok. And I’m not saying people should not be held accountable. I believe in accountability. And I am not saying people should not be brought to justice. I believe in justice. Especially, when the Law has been broken. But holding on to the bitterness, can overtake the joy in our hearts. Holding onto it does not make the situation better. Actually, maybe just the exact opposite. Seeking revenge does not solve anything. If we let it go, it releases us. We can move past it. If we can let it go, we can focus on much more glorious things. Much more beautiful things. And that is such a Release! More than I can explain. Please believe me…I know from experience. So today, let’s work on releasing the bitterness. Let’s focus on Jesus. Let’s focus on joy. Let’s focus on love and serving others.

This morning, let’s ask ourselves an interesting question: Who is Jesus? Let’s sit back and think for a second. I’ll ask myself. Who do I think Jesus is? Who do I think he was? Then that leads me to ask you the same thing. Who do you think Jesus is? Who do you think he was?

Historians have proven that Jesus lived around 2000 years ago. We don’t question that. And the Bible teaches us about the miracles that he performed. We shouldn’t question that. We learn about the throngs of people that followed him around. Waiting for the moment to hear him speak or just to see him. The personal accounts of stories where he changed peoples lives. We read about him being a carpenter. A simple man. Leading a simple life. And more importantly, we read about him, and learn about him, being our Lord and Savior. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the key to our salvation. He is the one who died for us so we can inherit eternity with him.

So let’s go back to the questions I asked. And really think about this. Who do you say he is? Who do you believe he is? If you don’t have a relationship with him, maybe today is the day for you to start. Maybe today is the day to really dive into the Bible and learn about who Jesus was. To read more about the man that he was. Maybe today is the day for you to begin to know him. Really know him. To understand what he did for us. To know that he left paradise to come to earth to be human for us. That’s pretty powerful. To know that he paid the ultimate price for us. So maybe today is a day for you to go to your knees, and pray to him to show you who he is. To ask him into your heart. To ask him to guide you. Then I promise you, you will learn who he was. And that what he did on earth was for you.

Growing up in a military family, we were constantly being moved. Missouri, Michigan, Colorado, Texas, Germany, etc. My mother and I counted one time. I had 25 different addresses in the first 15 years of my life. I remember being situated for two weeks, then being told to grab your things. Time to move. It was actually an exciting lifestyle. Everyone around us was doing the same thing. That’s just what we thought was normal.

It really wasn’t until we moved into the civilian world that I began to feel unaccepted. The first time I remember that was in Colorado. Although I tried and tried, I wasn’t accepted. I think it was because we lived off base while we were there. I didn’t relate to the civilian families. The second time I felt that, was when we moved back to Missouri. My father had been medically discharged due to leukemia. We were no longer living in the military environment. So we moved to Carthage, Missouri. Near my mother‘s family. Let’s just say that small-town clicks are hard to break into. Eventually, I was welcomed. It took a couple years. I was welcome, but…I’m not sure I was truly trying to fit into the crowd as “me”. It’s hard to look back at that time in my life and determine if I was being myself or not.

But just imagine with me for a moment. What must be like to constantly try to gain acceptance by others? No matter what you do, you are not welcome. No matter how you treat others, you are not welcome. You don’t meet their expectations. Although you try, and try, and try. It’s never enough. There are people going through that all the time. It is unfortunate. What we must realize is that we will only feel true personal satisfaction when we find our identities in God. His love for us will never waiver. We will always be welcome. So today let’s focus on God. Let’s pray to God. Let’s surrender to God. Let’s find our identities in God. And let’s feel welcome and have a real sense of personal satisfaction.

With the ministry, I am blessed to be able to sit with veterans and just listen to them talk. Mostly talking amongst themselves and their life experiences. But every now and then, talking with me. When I am sitting there listening to them talk about their personal experiences in the military, I keep seeing a common theme. Whether they were in Vietnam, Afghanistan, or anywhere else, didn’t matter. What they experienced was very real to them. What they experienced has led to dark moments. It has led to PTSD. Anxiety. Suicidal thoughts. And more. I’m sure, that most of the veterans that we serve probably can relate. Especially those that have been in combat. Male and female. 

Hearing the stories is very humbling to me. Hearing them puts a whole new perspective on how I view them personally. My respect for them has always been there. But, my gratitude for them continues to increase. War is not pretty. It is a very dark moment. It is a very dark time. Dark things happen. I would never understand this, because I have never been there. So I don’t pretend like I know what it’s like. None of us that have never been there should think we understand. There is no way we can. The countless battles they were in. The blood shed that they saw. The friends that they lost. 

War can take its toll on people. And I’m not just talking about the deaths. One of the things that my wife has shared with me in the past is this statement: “It takes many battles to win a war.” And she wasn’t talking about wars between nations. The whole point of it was that life can be like a war. How is that? Every day can be a battle. Just as our soldiers fighting war. It takes many battles to win. Our daily lives are like this. We battle Satan every single day. Every single day! He is after us. He wants us. But let’s remember this, Jesus wants us too. Let’s remember that Jesus won the war for us. He declared victory years ago. Let’s battle every single day knowing this. EVERY! SINGLE! DAY! Let’s battle Satan, knowing that with Jesus, we win!