September 29, 2008

human being

I want to talk to all the computer crazed people out there.  There is a huge debate and sometime anger, or jealousy, that happens when you mention 2 words, PC and Mac.  Everyone has a side that they fall on and people, including me, like to argue about the better of the two.  

I am a Mac guy.  There, I said it.  I have done my share of bringing devout PC users to a boil.  Every time one of those hilarious, "I am a Mac, and I am a PC" commercials come on, I have to stop what I am doing just to see the next "truth" that is going to be pointed out.

Microsoft windows has just launched it's own commercials.  I don't understand the ones with Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld, but that is neither here nor there.  They have released a couple saying, "I am a PC, and this is my office,"  or "I am a PC, and this is what I wear."  You know, trying to get rid of the stereo type that Mac has so famously done to who a PC owner is.  

On one of those commercials at the end is a guy who says something that is so profound to me.  

"I am a PC and I am a human being, not human thinker, not human doer, 
but human being."

That has got me thinking so crazy lately..., of course, not about computers.  I have been thinking about what that means for a follower of Christ and the church.  We as humans get into trying to accomplish something and thinking a certain way, that we neglect to see that those are not the absolute truths that we are to be following.  It is about who we are, not what we think or what we do.  

As a Christ follower, you think and do because of the relationship you have with Christ.  It is about who you are, it is about who you spend your time with that influences the deepest, darkest recesses of who you are.  It is a change that happens so deep that you do not even know that you are thinking and doing like Christ, because it has become "being" for you.  There is no differientiation for you.  It is all caught up in your being.  Thinking and doing is a reflection of something deeper.

To a Christ follower it is not about "Christ follower thinking" or "Christ follower doing", but about "BEING a CHRIST FOLLOWER".

To a Christ follower, it is not about "church thinking" or "church doing", but about "CHURCH BEING"!

Are you prepared to venture into being, as opposed to JUST thing and doing?

What does that mean?
How can we do that together?
What are the steps to getting there?

September 27, 2008

Decisions

Have you ever felt God call you do go in a certain direction or make a decision but were very afraid to do what he wanted? Maybe you weren't sure which way was right, or even the best of the goods.

This past summer was a time for me to make a decision of where God was calling me. I was given the opportunity to entertain the thought of being a Youth Pastor again or continuing on with Speaking the Word of God to whoever wants to listen, or even more importantly, who will hire me.

I had to make a choice. I had to make a decision. I was at a place where I felt God was going to bless either way that I went. I had to ask, "What is the best of the two?" Not only the right, but the best.  It was a difficult decision.  

My prayer through these couple of months of praying and at times fasting, was that I would be able to follow Him where ever He wanted me to go and to not make a decision based on fear.  There were fears on both sides.  Through different situations, I have felt that I need to continue to follow God on the surface of the water that I have been walking on for the past year.  He has provided for me so far, and feel that I don't want to go back to the boat, or land, quite yet.  

Thank you all for praying for me and encouraging me in listening to God's voice.  There is so much to say about the body of Christ working together, serving together, and encouraging one another to follow God with everything that we are.  

And that is all He wanted me to say,
Scott

September 25, 2008

past and future

I spoke at a retreat this past weekend, which is the second year in a row.  It was an awesome weekend.  

After spending the weekend there, I have looked back over the past year and feel like there has been a night and day change in Speaking the Words of God.  I say that because I feel like I am able to follow God's leads a little easier while I am speaking.  As I look at last year when I started, I was so nervous about going from speaking as a "part" of my job to speaking "being" my job.  I needed to be really good to make it.

I can look back and see the need that I had to be so on line and following my notes, that it kept me from listening as much to God because of my need to check every note that I had.  It is funny because when I first started preaching, I would write down 5-6 words that meant something and go off of that.  As the years went on, I added more and more notes, and made it a little more jumbled in my head.  I think the added pressure of speaking and being good, made me go even more off the deep end. 

I can see over several times of speaking how listening to God and waiting for him has changed anywhere from part of what I was going to say to all of what I was going to say.  I have had times when I was not going to say anything about a certain topic because of all the background to it, you know, not touching something with a ten foot pole, to God leading me to address it and seeing some healing take place.  

I say this not to pat myself on the back and say look at me, but to say, "look how God is good and can lead us and make us better."  Sometimes we need to look back, not to see all the mistakes and mishaps that we have been through in particular, but to see where God is taking us.  

I am excited to see how much I have changed and following God just a little bit closer, and really pumped to see what God is going to do this week, month, and year.

and that is all He wanted me to say,
Scott

September 16, 2008

When the Lights go out



What do you do when the electricity goes out at your house?  

Our electricity went out this past Sunday night.  It was hard in respects to watching football, but we managed.  We decided to get out some candles and enjoy it.  We also went out and played and got blown around in the 70+ mile per hour wind.  The kids loved it.

It is funny, or sad, that we have no idea how to live or have fun with out our toys.  It was difficult for me to communicate with people that didn't have any telephone.  It was hard not being able to check internet stuff.  

But it was great fun for my family.  I know that I rely way too much on my electronic toys to communicate with God even.  I have the Bible on my computer, palm pilot, use the internet to prepare for messages, and communication for speaking engagements and contacting people.  Technology is great, and I try to take full advantage of everything that I can.  I am sure you are nothing like me, but unplugging sometime is hard to do.  God speaks in all kinds of ways, and one of those does not include electronics of any kind.  

Are you connecting with God?  Are you able to enjoy and fellowship with him outside of electronic toys?


September 9, 2008

No Reception and Prophets

Yesterday was an experience, or lack there of. I was invited to participate in a day of prayer and fasting with some local pastors. It involved silence, praising, God's word and teaching. The day was an awesome day of people using the gifts of the spirit in the way that God has designed. Encouragement, speaking in tongues, prophesying, teaching... it was absolutely amazing.

The only bad part was..., I seemed to be getting absolutely no reception at all from God. No matter how hard I tried, thought about, praised, listened, or concentrated, it was like I was watching from the outside. I really wanted to participate in the spirit as God was moving. I felt like a shell of a man. I could hear everything, see everything, and understand that God was moving in a way that I wanted to be part of. But I couldn't. It was so frustrating. It was like God was staring in my face, and I couldn't respond.

I can tell you that I witnessed the Body of Christ, reaching across barriers of denomination, to share in the gifts of the spirit, and I am so glad I was there to at least see it. To see God manifested in that way, makes me want to see it again.

In this group were two prophets that made me see how God uses, and speaks to, and gives visions to. They were very distinct in the way God used them. One prophet taught from the Word of God and brought the Word alive. He had great teachings for the entire group and to lead in a particular direction. The other had a word of God for particular individuals.

I have believed and studies for the past couple of years that God has given me the gift of prophecy, knowing that God does give me His Word for certain places and times. I can say that being a fly on the wall during this time was difficult, but gave me great encouragement, and insight into being a prophet. God is awesome.

I do not believe that I have ever encountered a Prophet that spoke the Word of God to individuals like I did here. I know that he was real and true because he spoke what I knew needed to be heard for 3 other people that I knew that were there, and then he gave me a message, which was my life story from scripture for the past year and a half. I can tell you that he preached the exact same message, that I have given numerous times, about Peter walking on water right back to me. He didn't know me at all. Not even my name, let alone what God was doing in my life.

I have always told myself, and others, that God still uses and gives all the gifts that were used in the Bible. But if I am totally honest with myself,I am not sure if I really believed that God still used Prophets for particular people and times..., until today. I always have questioned if what I see on TV and other things, if they are real. I can tell you today, whether or not it is true on TV, that God is still speaking to people and giving the gift of prophesy for particular people and time. This actually opens up more than speaking the word, but for me travels into healing, raising from the dead, miracles. It showed me the power of God, and realistically, the possibility for what God could be preparing in me.

I believe as Peter walked on water, he did so because the he experienced and saw Jesus do it first. The adventure was there and Peter wanted to join in. I believe God has shown me an adventure and gave me a glimpse into what actually can happen. I don't believe that means that I am going to be given this form of prophecy, but I know it is there, and KNOW God can, which is different... from yesterday.

I AM CHANGED!!

Scott