March 22, 2009

A weekend of prayer

It is interesting that this weekend for me here in Morgantown, WV at SOY Retreat was given to me to be able to refresh and be prepared to continue in the ministry that God has directed me to do, and yet God used it for something else.

Not that I was not refreshed, but refreshed in a totally different way than what I thought. There were several times that God put people on my mind to pray for. One was very strong and even to the point of deep, deep burden and tears. It hurt and I continued to try and shake it off so I could move on with my day, with even the interruption of the house keeper, which I was able to ask to come back.

There was another point where God laid someone on my mind and was able to pray very specifically for someone.

It is funny, because, I will admit that I am not a prayer warrior by any stretch of the imagination, and yet God has been laying this at my feet for the last couple of months.

I still do not claim to be a prayer warrior, but God has been teaching me.

There are two things that I have learned that have helped me. This is not a way everyone should do it, just my way. When someone asks for prayer, I try to do it on the spot. I know myself well enough to realize that in most cases I will not do it later. I will forget. The second reason is, in most cases, if someone is asking for prayer, they would like it on the spot. Now, if there have been times that people have asked for prayer and I haven't done it for you there, I am sorry, I am still working on it. Secondly, when God brings people to my mind, I do what I can to stop and pray for people. It has been happening a little more often lately, and has inspired some great times with God.

And that is where the refreshing has come from this weekend. I admit that I am going home with very tired eyes, and tired spiritually because of those encounters, and yet connecting with God is always refreshing.

Just thought you would like to know that your prayers are being answered, and that I very much appreciate all that you can throw my way.

Scott

March 20, 2009

Prayer for refreshing



March 20-22
video update

March 11, 2009

Just in Time to Spirit moving

I want to get back to doing videos again.



See if this is to your liking.


I recorded this almost 2 weeks ago, and am just now uploading it. This happened March 8th.

March 7, 2009

Guys night out

Last night we had our 3rd successful guys night out in the last couple of months. We gathered at Water of Life Friends Church for action packed games of Ultimate football. We had a total of 14 guys turn out, some from Water of Life, a couple from some other churches, and some that do not participate in the body of Christ at this time. We played from 9:00 pm until midnight and decided to break bread, salad, tremendous 12's, buttermilk 5's, country fried steaks and so on together. It was a great evening of a lot of exercise, some bunions and great laughs at Perkins.

It was cool as I scanned the guys that came to see men that I have known at different stages of my life. Some from jr. high and high school, some from more recent times at Water of Life, and even the meeting of a new friend, which is the son of an old friend.

The thing that brings us all together is knowing and remembering the times that we have been together before, and knowing the relationship that we had, have or would like to improve. It is exactly the way that God has created us, to connect with others.

I hope and pray that you are making those connections with people around you.

Scott

March 6, 2009

notch counting

On Saturday morning, I was thinking about my reporting of what God has been doing and the response of people to His message and was feeling a little uncomfortable in the fact that some may think that I am keeping count of people accepting Christ and bragging about it.  That makes me very uneasy.  I have known people in the past that have figuratively made notches in their belt so they could keep track of "souls won", and make sure that everyone around them knew it.  

I want to be very clear and honest with you, I cannot remember, at this moment, even the numbers from this past week and a half.  My only purpose in reporting is to let those know who are reading and praying about the journey that my family and I have been on that God is moving, and doing some new things.  It is exciting to me to see God doing something new that I have never really seen in my ministry in the past.  I also want to make sure that you know that it is God that is directing me in the way that I proceed with where I am going as I speak.

I have always been nervous to ask certain things while speaking, especially in respect to people standing and raising hands, because it has always felt like if nothing happened and no one made a decision for anything, I had failed.  

God has recently been speaking to me and letting me know that if it is Him that is asking the questions, and letting me know the questions to ask, that it is of no consequence to me if nothing happens, and not my doing if something does.  That is such a relief to me.  It is not about what I say, but what He says, I just have to repeat it.

Are there things you you know God has been wanting you say to someone, and you have been putting it off?  

God wants you to know that it is not a reflection of you on how they respond, but a reflection towards God.

That is all He wants me to say.
Scott

March 4, 2009

Be Still

Sunday, I got to speak to Senior Highers in Canton, Ohio, about spiritual disciplines.
I gave a brief, and I mean real brief, description of what and why we have spiritual discplines.  

After that, I gave a short talk on silence, meditation and prayer, and how they are imperative in our walk with Christ.  They then had a chance to take some time and sit, pray, meditate, write or draw in some silence.  It is probably one of the hardest things I have done because I was given so little time to do it.

I had to give the same talk twice, and God taught me something very valuable during the silence of the first one.

I was using the ever famous scripture of Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God".  I was taking the time to do some meditating myself and noticed that as I was thinking about the verse, that I was not actualy being still.  Now, what I mean is that I learned that to be still was not infact the act or physical position of not moving, but a "being still" of the soul.  For some, it may very well mean that they have to sit in the same place and not move so they can concentrate, but for others it is different.  The cool thing is that God has made us each individuals and that He relates to us the way that He has created us.

I challenge you to take some time today and meditate, or think and let God direct your thoughts on what it means to "Be still, and know that I am God".

That is all He wants me to say.
Scott