Where is God going?

Have you ever wondered about where God is leading you?  You have prayed and prayed, and still wondered?

I have been in a quandary here lately.  As I have written before, and maybe not enough, since I think and pray about it alot, is where God is calling me to now.  I have been following God the only way I know how, with everything that I have, and I wonder if he is telling me to turn in a new direction.  I am returning to the thoughts on being a Youth Pastor.  I have continued to think about it.  I have since talked with the Pastor, and he was "hesitant" to get together with me a week and a half ago because of the "brute honesty" that I had shared with him.  I do not regret that conversation at all.  I expressed fears and joys of ministry and working in a church verses volunteering, me traveling to different churches to being in the same place.  His hesitancy was based on our conversation, which I think is great.  He was listening and taking in what I was saying.  

My problem now is, I have grown in ways that I did not even know myself in the last couple of years.  There are things that I have overcome, and others as I look into my past, was never the issue.  I have been able to look at past "failures" and realize they weren't.  There were many circumstances, and what I thought I lacked, I might not.

I am in no way saying that things were rosy in the past, that I did not make mistakes.  I have made mistakes, but they may have been a little different than what I thought they were at the time.

I still have no complete thought on where God is calling me, but some of God's word has been a part of my life since my ministry began (just a few years ago, ha ha) that hit at the heart of who I am, and what I am called to be.  Where is sending me is exactly where God is going.  I just want to follow him where ever that is.

Numbers 9:15-23

On the day the tabernacle, the Tent of the Testimony, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire.  That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire.  Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped.  At the LORD’s command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp.  When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the LORD’s order and did not set out.  Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the LORD’s command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out.  Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out.  Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out.  At the LORD’s command they encamped, and at the LORD’s command they set out. They obeyed the LORD’s order, in accordance with his command through Moses. 

I am praying for myself that I can see the "Cloud of God" and where it is at.  I ask that you continue to pray in the same way for my family and I.  

If you are wondering about the same things, you can either leave a comment and let me know how I can pray for you, or you can leave a comment to encourage and up lift me.  I would much appreciate that.

Until next time,

Scott

Teaching Surfing

While you are paddling out, have your body on the board, laying down, and paddle out. When you feel the wave begin to push you, paddle 3 more times. Then push off with your arms right at your sides like this.


Pop up off the board and be in a crouch position. It looks something like this.


Never pop up and stand straight up. If you do, you will definitely drink some water.

This is me speaking at CSBY in North Carolina. I was teaching them to surf on a skinny table. I checked while I was up front, and it seemed sturdy. So I decided, why not?

I have no idea why I would ever teach anyone how to surf. I suppose I can, as long as they don't make me go to the ocean to show them in person what it is suppose to look like in person. Because I drank most of the ocean while I was in San Diego, learning myself.

I have found that it is pretty easy to learn to surf mentally. I understand the moves, movements, and the mechanics of it. I can teach someone else "how" to do it. But I would not be able to actually do it myself.

I think it is easy for us to get caught up in the same thing with our faith. As I travel around and speak, I can tell people anything I want, or God wants, and yet it is so much harder for me to live and do some of it.

Where is it that you tell other people how to do things, and yet you either do not, or cannot do the same thing? Should you be doing what you are teaching or telling?

"Because you care"

I was just watching a rerun of a show where an FBI agent went off to solve a case that he had been working on for over 20 years. It was one of his first cases and he always returns to it on the anniversary of the case. He left his team behind without telling them where he was going or what he was doing. He asked a member of his team for some info but told her not to tell anyone what he was doing. She ended up telling someone that she was worried about what he was doing. The rest of his team flew out to where he was at and found him. When they showed up, he told them to go home.

He turns around for the first time and looked them in the eye and asked, “why do you care?” One of the team members answered, “Because you care.”

That is where us as followers of Christ need to be. We care for others and what they do because they care. We care, because they care, which means God cares. There is no other reason for doing and being who God has called us to be. God called us to care and love each other, and we do that by living and going through things with others just because they care.

Not because we want to feel better about ourselves. Not because we have to. Not because we want them to become followers of Christ. That is the end result we want, but it should not be the reason we do things. Our reason is because God told us to love God, and one another.

Matt. 22:37-40
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Enemies, friends, family, and we do that by caring for what they care about. From little things to huge, gigantic things in their lives.

Who do you care about enough to get involved with what is going on in their lives?
Who should you care about enough?
Do you need to find some more people to care enough about?

Family Days

We have had a chance to spend some time with family in the last 24 hours. We met Sean and Julie in Canton on our way through from Camp Gideon to home. We met for dinner and spent some time at a park.

Coming home seems to be just as hard as leaving in the first place. We spent all day washing clothes, chasing kids and running errands. We had to go grocery shopping because we haven't had to for the last month and a half. We have been in and out.

We spent this evening celebrating Eric's birthday. He turned the big 3-0 today. We went to Chili's and then went to Mom and Dad's for cake and more time to make fun of Eric for being old.

Good times

Climbing the huge "mountain" in Lisbon, OH.

Ok, maybe not quite a mountain. But I climbed it just the same.

Michael and Mommy coming down the water slide together.

Michael approving of the fears that God is calling the teens to give up. Not really sure why he decided to get in, but he did.

Yes, that is a pair of underware on his head. And yes, he does take after his mother and not me. Ok, maybe it is Uncle Sean that he takes after.

Good times... are worth 1000 bad times. When God calls you to do things, he wants you to take the bad with the good. Too many times we want think that when God calls us to do something, that it is going to be all roses. And I think it just might be. The problem is, there are also thorns on those roses.

I struggled with where the Spirit was going this week, and it was difficult, but I had some great family members and friends that backed me up with some much needed prayer and encouragement. Thank you so much.

Home comes to me, and Unchangeable

I was a groomsman in a wedding yesterday. Oh yeah! I was looking good in a beige, pin striped tux... wearing sandals. You know, that is how I roll. This wedding was in Canton, Oh which is about 2 hours north of Columbus. It was for my cousin Christopher Peters and his lovely new wife, Monica. It was a great wedding, a little warm in the church (no AC), but the fans were very powerful, especially when I was right in front of one of them. Ha ha.

But for me, it was really cool because home(Columbus, Water of Life, family, friends), came to me. Not being home for so long has disconnected me from some good friends and family, and this was a connecting point for me. I wish I would have had more time to hang out. You forget how much your friends and family mean to you, until you are away for almost a month and a half. Also, being on the West Coast, messed up the timing with family and friends. I got to be home for a couple of days and nights before going to Canton, but not enough to be with just my family, or to connect with extended family and friends. (Don't worry Barrett, I am looking forward to one of those famous cookouts when I get home).

For those of you at the wedding, I want you to know that I was not getting overly emotional there. I am still not sure why my eyes were so red. I am still dealing with it this morning. I am really hoping it is not pink eye, but I am not sure where the closest drug store is around here to run out and get something for it. You know, I am in the boonies.

About the boonies, I am now at Camp Gideon, the Evangelical Friends Church, Eastern Region sponsored camp. It is in Salineville, OH and just northeast of Carrolton, OH. I am speaking to teens coming out of 6th grade through 8th grade. The theme is :Unchangeable, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever," Hebrews 13:8.

It is good to remember that, when you are going through things in your life that are difficult because they are hard, or difficult in decision making. God will never change, whether you are a speaker, Youth Pastor, or you know what ever "you" are going through. As you make decisions, knowing that where God has been faithful in the past and provided for you, he will provide in the future, just maybe in a different way and/or different area that you need it. I am definitely writing this for me, and if you want, you can apply this to your situation as well. Maybe different issues, but the same big, awesome God.

Until later,
Scott

CSBY, Family and Elijah

I am now in Ridgecrest, NC at the LifeWay Conference Center.  I will be speaking at the Cambodian Southern Baptist conference to the youth and young adults.  I enjoyed a nice 8.5 hours traveling in a van yesterday with Keo and his parents.  I am still operating on West Coast time, so my sleeping and eating habits are off just a bit.  

God has given me some messages to speak this weekend that I am very excited about.  As I was talking with Keo last night and seeing what videos were planned, we realized that what God laid on his heart, is the same that I have on mine.  It is so cool when that happens.  Go figure, God knows what he is doing.  

It is always hard to leave my family.  I had to leave them in Oregon as I flew into Columbus this past Wednesday.  I am never prepared for the emotions that come up when I leave.  Michael had just woken up and wanted me to keep holding him.  That was very special for me.  

I am still walking through the possibility of a full time youth ministry position.  The senior pastor and I have been playing phone tag.  The biggest thing that I want to check out is if they are looking for someone with the gifts and talents that God has given me and able to accept and compensate for the lack of gifts in other areas.  I have not met a complete person that has it all.  I have met some that are really good though.  I believe that if we can operate in our strengths and let others do the same, we will be a complete church, but not if we are expecting one person to do it all. 

God has been good to me.  I was reading the story of Elijah, which is one of my favorite people in the Bible.  In 1 Kings 19,  he came to God out of desperation and looking for guidance, he mentioned that he has given everything that he is to serve God.  That is my  only request of myself.  That I give everything that I can, that I follow where ever he asks.  Then, and only then, can I be happy with who I am and where I am.