haircut

Indiana Pacers Night Out

We were given free tickets to go to the Pacers game last night. We drove an 2 and a half hours to get there and the same back. We had a blast. We started out in the balcony, when a gentleman, also known as an Angel to Tauni, that gave us upgrade tickets to the floor level. We went from $15 seats a piece, to $125 seats a piece. It was crazy awesome. So much fun. Check out the pics and video.

Pictures from the night.

A video of Michael after the game all hopped up on Cotton Candy and Pepsi.

What's next?

There has been some praying going on in our family. Ok, a little more than usual in that we are wondering what is coming up next. As most of you know, we are living with a family that has graciously extended part of thier home so that we could have a bit of a transition time. This was/is not a permanent move, so we are really trying to understand what God wants us to do next.

We basically have residence 45 min to an hour away from where most of our lives are lived. It has been very difficult on the kids, seeing as though it seems that they have gotten a bit of Tauni's car sickness passed down to them. We are traveling back to Columbus/ Delaware 4-6 times a week.

God's call on my life has not changed. There is no doubt that as I continue to bring the Word of God, that the Spirit seems to be getting stronger. The problem that we are running into is that I am not speaking enough/paid enough to continue in the exact same way that we have been going. Financially, things need to change for us.

I have had ideas and thoughts about how to handle this, but maybe a little fear and self pride stand in the way. When we first started on this journey, God promised He would take care of us.

The one way that I have been processing for awhile has been the idea of raising personal support for the ministry. I need a church or organization that would be willing to take this on as an endeavor and be willing to accept all the money and then turn around and support me. I would also have to approach friends and family for the financial support.

I could ask Churches to support me as a missionary as well. My home church, Water of Life, does this already with a monthly stipend.

I could begin, and have a little already, to charge a certain amount to go around and speak. It is something that I have steered away from for several reasons. I am afraid it will keep me from being able to bring a message to places because they can't "afford" me. I am also afraid that I will speak less, and I want to be able to do that as much as possible.

I believe that it has been hard for me to do this because I do not speak because of money, but because of the call God has placed on my life. But if it is going to be something that I can live from, I need to support my family, and maybe I cannot accomplish both with the same task.

It may be time for me to get a second job, part or full time, to help pay the bills. I know that this seems to be the most logical, but that doesn't make it any easier. I know that God told me to quit my job, and that he would take care of me. I have "worked" very hard to not "help" God out over the last couple of years.

I am asking you to pray for our family. We are trying to figure out a lot of things, and they all have to intertwine in many ways.

What is the final job/ ministry going to be?

How much is Speaking involved in it?

Where are we going to live?

What are your thoughts and ideas? What is God laying on your heart?

Scott

Speaking update

Wanted to give some new dates for speaking coming up.

Feb. 5-7 Quaker Haven Camp

Jr High and High School

July 19-23 Camp for a church in Cleveland

Continue to pray God will fill the schedule. If you know of anyone looking, or just want to bring me in to speak, email me and we can work on something.

Scott@ScottBiddle.com

Christmas Sermon Series

Come check out the line-up of speakers for Christmas this year at Water of Life.

Stretch Heads

Check out Michael and I as we have some fun tonight.

chided

I was chided tonight from my grandma for not writing lately. It seems as life has been very crazy. I will hopefully go into deeper explanation of things later but here is an update.

Bug infestation

communication issues

lonely feeling

Revival in Michigan

Buckeyes clinch Big Ten Championship

Stepped on a nail

Hit a deer

Thanksgiving

when I write about these, they will be post dated.

so much change, so little time

here have been a lot of things that have been going on in the life of the Biddles, and it is so hard to put them all down.

Our trying to understand what God is doing has not been cleared up yet. We are still waiting on a firm answer from God.

I am debating, and leaning toward, getting a part time second job. I have a revival lined up for the second week of November in Lupton, MI, and yet nothing else is seemingly opening up at this time. I am starting to wonder if this door is closing. The lack of chances to bring God's word has been very difficult to understand.

I met with a gentleman, Jeff Pinkleton, from Springfield, who was a connection of David Mabry's, that leads a "ministry" called "The Gathering" which helps to support and encourage men. I was meeting with him, I thought, to get some leads on some possible job stuff, and yet it might lead into helping with the speaking stuff. I am not real sure right now. It was a good meeting and got a contact with a song writer, worship leader from Springfield, which I am hoping to connect with in person soon.

Michael has been sick a couple of times, Tauni has felt somewhat under the weather, Zoe and I have just been a little tired.

We are still trying to find a groove, and not sure if that is gonna happen or not. The question has arisen whether I am suppose to get into a groove. That sounds very uncool right now, seeing as I think it would help tremendously.

Michael has been very active in preschool, and I believe he enjoys it. When I ask, he says no, but when he comes out of class he seems to have had a good time and loves showing us his artwork he has made. He has already hit his teenage years of not wanting to talk to us sometime. He say, "stop talking to me. I'm not talking to you anymore", and then grunts when we talk.

Zoe has been doing better at her colors. I was afraid there for a bit that she was color blind, because she just couldn't get it. I'm still not totally convinced, but feeling better.

I am sorry that I have neglected to keep the updates coming, it has just been a whacky couple of months.

Scott

Why God?

Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009

I am in a place of wondering what God is doing. We have moved out to Cable, Ohio, into the home of Michael and Christy Will, the pastor of Mount Carmel Friends Church. (If you are google mapping it, you will have to put in the zip code of 43009) It is a very rural area, in between Marysville, Urbana and Bellefountaine. We have lived here as a family, for the past 5 days. It has been an odd transition, and not sure what God has in store.

I have been looking at our situation, and all reasoning has told me that we should still be living in Columbus. We are able to live here without having to pay rent, so hoping to pay off some bills. I have been thinking of getting a second part time job, and that would be better in Columbus. Our church and Michael’s Preschool are in the Columbus area. So the money that we are spending on gas is going to be in the same neighbor as the cost as rent.

I am sitting back and it just doesn’t make sense to Tauni or I, and yet we are confidently sitting in the palm of God’s hand knowing that He has called us to this place, physical and spiritual.

I have been thinking about why it is so difficult to be in the place, mentally and spiritually, that we are. My first issue is that I am feeling a little purposeless right now. I need to have something to do, and my schedule is not exactly filling up the way I was hoping and believing it would.

The second I am not ready to put into words.

Scott

thoughts @ dream

My last post was about a dream that God gave me.  And I left it by saying, what was God saying?  To get caught up, read What God?

I believe it was about a couple of things.  I have been called and sent to rescue those in the darkness.  There will be some encouraging, and some lifting up and some knocking out of the “guards” that are posted to keep them down.  Some will get out, some will not.  I am not responsible for the action others take, but am to do what God has called me to do.  I cannot force anyone to get up and leave the darkness, but I will do my best to lead in the right direction.  

I also know that there will be an upset enemy that will do everything he can to attack the one that beating him at his game, and I will be attacked.  The ones I am freeing will not have the strength or understanding to turn around and help fight off the attacks that are coming, especially as I am only around for a short amount of time.  

And lastly, I woke up to early.  Though I know that I cannot expect those being freed around me to stick around and fight with me, I know I have people around me that are with me, fighting with me, praying for me, and that is why I can continue to do what God has called me to do.  Only through the support of my family and friends can I keep going, and have the energy and freedom to do so.

Thank you so much for doing all that you do, for fighting and protecting me, and giving guidance when you see God calling for it.  The victories that I am seeing in my ministry are just an extension of your ministry.

Scott

Heading Home

So, I am ready to head home.  I have accomplished my task of delivering Scott and Karen safe and secure to Portland, OR and carried a few boxes here and there, and am past the point of missing my family very badly.  

As I was playing Wii this morning, I realized that I hadn't played Wii with Michael for awhile.  It was something we did together for a while, and we have slipped from that time.  I have missed the couch(wrestling) time with my kids.  I miss holding my wifes hand.  What I am trying to say, I can't wait to get home.  

The trip has been awesome, and I will probably never experience the trip that I just took ever again, and I loved it.  But I am feeling very purposeless, and am ready for it to be done.  

pictures from the trip

Here is the link for pictures so far.

http://picasaweb.google.com/sbid11/CrossCountryTrip02?feat=directlink

Pictures of the Day

Laney Elizabeth Biddle.  This pic was sent while I was on the road.

I had a chance to stop in and see Grandma Weinbrenner on my way through Iowa yesterday.  It was a good 20 minutes or so.  Dusty sent a picture of Laney Elizabeth just as I was telling her she had another Great Grand Daughter.

map

This is a map of our trip through tonight.

Map

View Cross Country Trip in a larger map

On the road

Well, I am on the road now.  I am on a cross country road trip, helping to drive some friends of mine as they move from Columbus, OH out to Portland Oregon.  It has been a good day.  We started out by loading up the truck and cars, and were on the road around 1:00 or so.  It was a rough lead up to leaving because there were a lot of things happening at home that was making it hard for me to want to leave.  

Anyways, the first picture if of us leaving Ohio.  The second is pointing out Michigan St and Ohio St exit in Indianapolis, and the third is what I had to look at all day as I drove the Lowe's vehicle.  

We made it to East Peoria, Ill. and are getting ready for driving 550 miles tomorrow.  

The rest of my family, who I am missing very much right now, is at some friends house in Cable, OH.  Today, as my friend explained to me on the all important facebook, they had a great pillow fight, and have been tickled.  Michael told me on the phone that Zoe went potty on their trip to their house.  

What God?

I was going into an underground tunnel to rescue some people from danger.  As I was running in, I could see a closed door and yet there was sunlight coming from around the outside of it.  I yelled at them to run toward the door and open and run out, but they coward in fear together.  They saw the men that were standing there guarding the door and the hallway.  I told them to follow me, I helped them to their feet, and ran at the guards myself.  I threw myself at them, knocked them down, and opened the door.  Some of the people escaped, while others stayed inside for fear of what would happen if they tried.  As I was through the door, I was tackled by 3-4 of the guards.  They were not able to really harm me, like broken bones or kill me, but they were doing something to the effect of pinching me with their whole hand.  The thing was, I knew that it wasn’t life threatening, and yet it did hurt.  One of the escaped prisoners came to help for a moment, but then rest just ran off with the rest of them.  I was left to deal with the pain myself, alone.  

Then I woke up with the sensation of pinching all over me.  

This was the night that I went to bed feeling as though I had been in a war, spiritually, at camp.  

What was God saying through this vision that he gave me?

Scott

The War Zone

As Thursday night came to an end, I felt like I had been through a war.  I went back to the room, tired mentally, spiritually, emotionally and physically.  It was as if I was all beat up, unable to concentrate or focus anymore, and yet know that the victory flag of God was raised all over camp.

I was going into evening chapel that night a little unsure of what was going to happen.  scripture that said exactly what God was wanting to say, but was not practiced up or organized as much as I wanted to be.  I had ideas of different things I could do, but not a final plan.  It is nerve racking for me to go in not knowing what is going to happen, what to say exactly, have my stories lined up, and points set out, but as it has happened in the past, God shows up.  Not because I am unprepared, but going in God ordained.  It doesn’t make it any easier before, or during speaking, but when I know it is God, I just have to go with it.  

I started and knew that I was going in the right direction, and yet felt like I was struggling with coming up with the next thought and where I was going.  I wasn’t sure if the teens were tracking where I was at or going.  I was tired, felt like I was failing, and yet I kept going.  As I finished I played a video of the first Passion ONE Day of the song “Wonderful Cross”.  I went to the back, and thought, “that was horrible”.  I was feeling empty, like I tried to give everything, but nothing came out.  It wasn’t in a neat little package.  

I invited them to come to the front and kneel at the cross that was painted on the front wall.  And it wasn’t happening.  Nothing was happening, except a video being shown.  Then, 4 girls got up and went forward.  2 counselors joined them to pray.  I asked the assistant director of camp if he would mind going up and playing his guitar while whatever was happening happened.  The video ended.  Justin sat up front with his guitar and sang, unplugged.  I sat back and just watched.  Another counselor got up and went up front and sat by himself and began to worship, and a few from his cabin followed.  Another counselor went forward, and a few from his cabin went up.  They were sitting there just worshipping God in their own way.  

I had a chance to pray with a young lady that evening.  There was a visual right in front of me as I entered the room, of spiritual warfare.  One student praying for another.  One going to bat and leading the other.  The other not knowing what or how to accommodate  what was being spoken, just reeling from past experience, and self doubt.  The kids had fallen asleep while I was speaking, which was the first time all week, luckily, because I had a chance to ask Tauni to come in and pray as well.  She was in her element that night, and it was able to also bring a strength to me.  God brought a peace that night to this young lady, and brought an end to the pain that she was feeling in a different way then how she was masking it before.  She is not yet a follower of the King of Kings, and though the peace that she felt might be short, she still got a glimpse of the light, and I will continue to pray for her.  I know that there was victory, maybe not in the way that sometimes we think of, but we need to learn that we cannot make someone else think or do as we want, they make their own calls, we can only point out the truth in love, and yet sometimes very pointedly.  We have to let God sort those times out for us.

I rejoined the worshipping, as it had continued the entire time I was away.  It ended within a few minutes of coming back.  As I look back, it was as if they were using worship as a guard for what God was doing somewhere else, without even knowing it.  I sent them talk over and share what God did or was doing in them that night and for the week.  

That evening, as I saw the young lady I prayed with earlier, there was a new fire in her eyes, a lightness that I hadn’t seen all week.  It was a relief, and yet I know that the fight is not over.  The peace will only last for a certain amount of time, until she receives the Power of God to withstand the darkness.

As I talked with a few people and told them how bad I felt about the message I gave, because I still didn’t feel good about it, I was reminded by 2 campers as they walked by and said, “good talk Scott”, that it is not that I feel good about it, but that God uses it, and those around me that he chose for me to minister with.

And as I went to sleep that night, I knew that “I fought the good fight, I finished the race, I kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7) of Challenge Camp ‘09, Boot Camp style.

Scott

Leading of God

Yesterday was a very quiet day.  I mostly sat around, layed around and surfed the net from late morning till dinner, of course eating lunch in there somewhere.  Very relaxing, which is not always the case.  

Last night I spoke to the teens about a radical obedience.  The fact of needing to follow God exactly the way that He has called us to.  We are always able to come up with millions of reasons why we shouldn't, but we it is God, and He has our best interest in mind.  I had them close their eyes, and think about a situation or group that they know God has been asking them to be obedient to, and if they had some that they needed a push, or that they know they need to be obedient, to simply open their eyes and look at me.  Just about all looked up at me.  I then felt that I was suppose to give them a chance to come up front, and have the camp staff and counselors pray for them.  Some of the staff came forward, and not one teen came up.  I decided not to be discouraged because it was God who asked me to offer, and I did what I was suppose to do.  I asked the counselors to reach out their hands toward the campers, and I prayed.

As I sent the campers and counselors off to cabin time to discuss what God was speaking and doing in their lives, I stayed in the room and just sat in the front row.  I was still reeling from speaking, which is a good thing, and knowing that there was something wrong, just began to pray for understanding.  There has been a good connection with the teens all week, and God has been moving, so the lack of coming up front was particularly disturbing to me.  It is not something I do all the time, just when I feel I am suppose to offer.  

I looked to the back of the room and saw the 3 directors still sitting in the same spot, and praying.  

It began to feel like there was a lid on top of the campers, and it wasn't lifting off.  Like one more layer to get through.  He continued to show me that we are dealing with a number of campers that have grown up in the church, and are more than likely leaders in their youth group, and that they have more than likely created this facade of themselves and they are not able to break that.  They have been duped into believing, just as I was a teenager, and even into my adult life, that I had to look like I had it all together all the time to be a leader.  I was looked up to and put on a pedastel by my peers, and I had to live up to it.  

In came a friend of mine, that had been on staff for a number of years at Camp Gideon, busting the door open.  It was more like just opening a door, but in the midst of what God was doing, it seemed more like busting.  He came in and said a few things to the directors quietly and made his way towards me.  I was still under the influence of what God was doing, and yet went ahead and asked him how he was doing.  I was listening the best that I could, and yet still looking to the directors to see where they were at, and believing in my heart that this was a distraction from what God was doing.  Nothing sinister or wrong on his part, just timing wise, God was doing something and he came in.  Next, another person "burst" through the door, someone that is on staff for the summer, but was not working this week, and came to the camp for the first time last night.  I knew that the two could not be a coincidence.

I looked at my friend and apologized to him and asked if he would join us in some prayer.  I brought him back to the directors along with the other person and asked if they would all pray with me.  I explained what God was doing and where I believed he was going, and we prayed.  It was a great prayer time. 

Through this, I was able to see what I am suppose to talk about tonight.  Having such a short notice and prep time, I was not prepared for tonight, but God revealed it in His time.

Once we finished praying, I apologized again to my friend for interupting our conversation, but I could not fully concentrate on him until God was finished doing what He was doing.  

The camp director later told me that she knew God was doing something and that she knew we had some distractions trying to get us off track.  

This leading and understanding is not something that happens real often, but when it does, I pray that I can continue to realize it and not have an ADD moment and tune it out.  

I am pumped to see what God has in store for this night, and how He is going to work.

Scott

camp catch up

It has been a good start to "Boot Camp".  My family and I arrived this past Sunday evening after an awesome service at church on Sunday, with a combo service of our three congregations put together.

We arrived around 5:00, ate dinner with the staff, and registration for the campers was at 6:00.  I had a short intro to the week Sunday night and then the fam and I went swimming with the students Sunday night, while it was dark.

Monday morning, devos in the morning and sent them to spend some time with God.  Played ultimate frisbee late morning, lunch and then swam in the afternoon.  In the evening I spoke on the point, which is where God has been pointing me to ever since I knew I was speaking, of being created not as an individual, but as a unit.  In boot camp for the armed forces, they come in and are given clothes that look the same, same hair cut, live together, eat together, where one messes up, they all pay.  They are in essence, one.  Like it or not, there is no such thing as individuals, which is kinda ironic since that is the way life is described in the rest of America.  We are all out to get ours, not worrying about other people around us.  As I finished, I was not sure if I was finished with the topic yet or not, and am still not sure.  We will see what the rest of the week holds.

Tuesday morning, devos and quiet time.  Tauni, Michael, Zoe and I went to visit with the Kings for the afternoon.  We hit a closed road on the way there, and had to make up the trip as we went with no map, but I love that kind of thing.  Of course, we were thinking that spending some money on a GPS wouldn't be such a bad thing since we travel so much.  The Kings treated us like kings, and we appreciate their friendship.  We are hoping they will come visit us here at the camp another time this week.  On our way home, both kids were so tired that they fell asleep, before we even made it out of Alliance.

We got back to eat some Pizza, and then speak again.  Last night I spoke on Radical Trust.  Do we really trust God with our lives?  Will we entrust our lives to God's church family?  Will we serve God by serving others around us?  And the participation factor is so huge in those.  As  I walked away that evening, I felt empored and on fire from God.  It was great.  

Tauni, the kids and I took a stroll over to the Snack Shack for, you guessed it, and then went to do some star gazing.  It was pretty cool.  Late night for the kids.

This morning, breakfast, devos, quiet time and then the kids went back to the room to watch a movie while I did some internet stuff.  Lunch, then nap time, because of last night being so late.  

We are now back to now, and looking forward to what else God has in store.

Scott

Ministry, past and future

Ministry has been something that I have been doing ever since jr. high in some ways, and even before that.  

Ministry is doing what God has asked us to do, to Love God and Love others, and to show others how to do that.  

I believe that God has called us all to ministry, and given some the opportunity and calling to do it, and luckily get paid for it.  Ministry has taken on  a number of looks for me in the last several years, and I have to admit, I have no idea what it is going to look like tomorrow, but I do know that I will always be involved in ministry.

This past week, I spent some time in Montana, at a camp called Beartooth Mountain Christian Camp, where I had the pleasure of spending time with the band and worship leader, Joseph Barkley.  Joseph is an Associate Pastor at Ecclesia Hollywood, where he is teacher and leader of music and worship, and also travels to put on concerts and lead worship at different events.  

As I look at where God is moving, what I know is this, that God has given me gifts and talents, a passion, and what I believe a mission to challenge the Church, those in it and yet to be in it, to love God and love people.  This is a passion for the big Church, not just a local church, but also believe that I have been, for the past couple of years, entrusted with a desire for community, in which discipleship and evangelism are synonymous, because they happen so naturally in this atomosphere.

Some of the clarification of what lies ahead for me, that I am getting as of this point, is coming as a result of a couple of different things.  I believe that I have been listening to God the best that I can and obeying, even the smallest details, to stay within listening distance to Him.  Talking with Joseph and seeing what he is doing, a pastor and traveling musician, has given me an opportunity to see that this kind of relationship works, if you find the right place for it.  To be able to use the gifts and talents God has given me in the local church, and then that same local church having a sence of calling to "send" me out to the Church.  

I cannot say that this is definitely where God is leading, but I believe that God is clearing out those fears that I have, to at least put them back on the table.  As I spoke for Super Summer Jr. High last week, I ended with my defining message for the last couple of years, "Water Walking", and gave to God my fears of church ministry.  He is clearly cleaning the "cobwebs" that have formed in the past, and forcing me to face them.  

I know God is doing what is best for me, and I am feeling very open to where he is leading right now.

Scott