I was just watching Pastor John Hagee on TBN. Pastor Hagee was asked how long do we have to preach the Gospel. Pastor Hagee gave one of the best answers that I’ve ever heard. Pastor Hagee said “Every day that the sun comes up.” He went on to say that the “finish line is near and the checkered flag is waving.”
It’s no big secret that Biblical prophecy is coming to bear at a rate that this world has never seen since the days that Jesus walked the Earth. My personal belief is that we are getting close and I feel that everything right now is hinging on Israel and Israel setting its borders. I also believe that a great deal is hinging on Iran now and their development of nuclear weapons. My personal opinion is that we are getting close but we are not quite to the point of Christ’s return BUT I will say this, when I go to bed at night I’m never absolutely sure that I’ll wake up here on Earth. I know that the time is close enough that I might wake up in Heaven at any time with my Christian brothers and sisters.
Over and over again I hear in my head what Jesus said in Matthew 24:42 “So be prepared, because you don't know what day your Lord is coming.” With things happening like they are and Jesus telling us to be prepared it has given me an incredible burning in my heart to reach the lost.
I don’t want anyone to go to hell but Jesus is very clear about the fact that people need to repent and accept Jesus as their savior. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21 “Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as `Lord,' but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven.” And what is it that one must do to obey the Father? The Apostle Peter answered this in Acts 2:38 “Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” And what happens to those that don’t turn to Jesus and repent? Jesus said in Matthew 25:41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, `Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his demons!”
As we see it’s pretty plain and clear. Everyone must obey and repent and be baptized. If they do that they will be saved! If they choose not to then it’s extremely clear, they will not go to Heaven and they will go to a REAL HELL and suffer eternal, forever and ever, in the pits, the fires of hell! Wow, if that’s not encouragement to reach the lost I don’t know how much more you could need!
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Happy People?
I’ve been chatting online in an umpire’s forum and in that forum we had one guy that likes to put people down, particularly those that are not working at the level that he is. I couldn’t take it any more, I had to let loose. The following is the reply that I posted to his hatred.
One thing that I've learned over the years is that those that have to attack or belittle someone are in general not very happy people. How miserable it must be for someone to get their self esteem out of putting someone down. Anyone that puts others down to justify their own position are falsely inflating their status.
I don't subscribe to that way of life. That way of life will bring nothing but heartache and bitterness. The happiness that putting someone down is temporary. While someone may get a rush out of belittleling someone it leaves a very big hole in their spirit. So what do they do? They have to find someone else to attack and belittle. It's an addiction and the only way to feed that addiction is to continue in that addiction. The problems with addictions are that they are never satisfied, they keep growing and growing and will eventually consume that person.
I get my rush out of reaching out a hand. If I can find someone to help I feel good. But this is where the difference is. The good I feel is not temporary because instead the big downward spiral of addictions we build on each other. We lift each other up.
We have one Mega-Complex here with about a dozen or so fields. On any given evening you may see anything from kid’s tee-ball all the way up to college level baseball going on at the same time. All of the umpires share the same dressing room. Do we see the upper level umps berating the LL umps? Absolutely not! In fact it’s not unusual to see the big guys giving advice to the LL umps.
I once was a LL ump and yes I kind of stunk when I started. But I was fortunate enough to not have someone come and tell me how bad I stunk. Rather I had a couple of guys decide to pour in to me their knowledge and professionalism. By them doing that I was able to work my way up through the ranks. Now I do the same.
One of the summer NBC leagues that I work we are always looking for good umps. What do I do to try and find those umps? I go right back to the LL umps and see who is working hard and doing a great job. When I find those people I ask them if they would consider moving up. We then work with them and we wind up with some pretty good umps. Do I try to get the LL out of them? No, why would I? If they developed a good work ethic and sense of fairness in LL then they need to bring it with them.
When I made the jump from LL to NBC in 2001 I did nothing different in the NBC from what I was doing in the LL. I brought a strike zone that was by the book and I brought my sense of fairness not giving anyone any favoritism. It didn’t take long for everyone to know that I was there to do my job. I came to call strikes and outs just like I did in LL. By the end of the season I was a crew chief and in 2002 I was the head umpire.
I don’t say what I said above to brag, I say it as an example that anyone who works hard and does right can get ahead regardless of where they start at. I also challenge anyone to reach out a hand and lift someone up, give them encouraging words and see how much more fulfillment you get rather then belittleling someone and running them down. It worked for the Grinch and it can work for you too!
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
One thing that I've learned over the years is that those that have to attack or belittle someone are in general not very happy people. How miserable it must be for someone to get their self esteem out of putting someone down. Anyone that puts others down to justify their own position are falsely inflating their status.
I don't subscribe to that way of life. That way of life will bring nothing but heartache and bitterness. The happiness that putting someone down is temporary. While someone may get a rush out of belittleling someone it leaves a very big hole in their spirit. So what do they do? They have to find someone else to attack and belittle. It's an addiction and the only way to feed that addiction is to continue in that addiction. The problems with addictions are that they are never satisfied, they keep growing and growing and will eventually consume that person.
I get my rush out of reaching out a hand. If I can find someone to help I feel good. But this is where the difference is. The good I feel is not temporary because instead the big downward spiral of addictions we build on each other. We lift each other up.
We have one Mega-Complex here with about a dozen or so fields. On any given evening you may see anything from kid’s tee-ball all the way up to college level baseball going on at the same time. All of the umpires share the same dressing room. Do we see the upper level umps berating the LL umps? Absolutely not! In fact it’s not unusual to see the big guys giving advice to the LL umps.
I once was a LL ump and yes I kind of stunk when I started. But I was fortunate enough to not have someone come and tell me how bad I stunk. Rather I had a couple of guys decide to pour in to me their knowledge and professionalism. By them doing that I was able to work my way up through the ranks. Now I do the same.
One of the summer NBC leagues that I work we are always looking for good umps. What do I do to try and find those umps? I go right back to the LL umps and see who is working hard and doing a great job. When I find those people I ask them if they would consider moving up. We then work with them and we wind up with some pretty good umps. Do I try to get the LL out of them? No, why would I? If they developed a good work ethic and sense of fairness in LL then they need to bring it with them.
When I made the jump from LL to NBC in 2001 I did nothing different in the NBC from what I was doing in the LL. I brought a strike zone that was by the book and I brought my sense of fairness not giving anyone any favoritism. It didn’t take long for everyone to know that I was there to do my job. I came to call strikes and outs just like I did in LL. By the end of the season I was a crew chief and in 2002 I was the head umpire.
I don’t say what I said above to brag, I say it as an example that anyone who works hard and does right can get ahead regardless of where they start at. I also challenge anyone to reach out a hand and lift someone up, give them encouraging words and see how much more fulfillment you get rather then belittleling someone and running them down. It worked for the Grinch and it can work for you too!
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
Monday, March 27, 2006
Wow! I'm FINALLY Back!
First of all I need to apologize for taking so long since my last blog to get this one up! Between one of our daughters breaking a finger and going in for surgery today (Monday) and everything else that was going on during Spring Break I just didn’t get much of a chance to write. Add to that my internet was down for three days and I went nuts trying to figure out what the problem was just to have everything all of a sudden start working again after I did everything short of building a new computer. Come to find out Ma Bell had problems on their end and I was good to go all along!
I guess one of the good things that came out of no internet for three days was being able to get some work done on my book. I actually got pretty close to having two chapters wrote, rewrote, rewrote again, and then edited two or ten times. You get the picture. I’ll say this, writing a book is not as easy as it sounds. If I make a flub up here on my blog it’s not that big of a deal, I can just make a correction in the next blog. But when it’s in a book you have to have it right when it’s done!
With me having both Bipolar & ADHD I’m writing my book to be an inspiration to both those that have mental afflictions as well as those that don’t. My mantra is that if God can work through a bruised and broken vessel such as myself that he can work through anyone. I open up and talk about my struggles in life and how my disorders affect my life. But one thing that I’m noticing as I get into my book is that even though I have these disorders my struggles are not that much different then those that have no diagnoses of mental disorders. The only difference that I’m seeing is that sometimes my disorders exaggerate my struggles.
I’ve been doing a great deal of seeking, praying, and spending time in God’s Word over the past few weeks. In addition I’ve started seeking input from various Christian leaders in the area about what they are seeing. What I’ve found out is that there is a bunch of hurting people out there. Mental illness is on the rise and from what I’m hearing is that the rise is straight across the board. It doesn’t matter if you’re researching the Christian community or our population as a whole, Mental illness is on the rise.
Another point that I’m hearing is that the Church is ill prepared to deal with this increase in mental illness. I happen to belong to one of the few churches that has a ministry to those that need mental help. One thing that I would love to see is for the Church to step forward as a whole and reach out to those that are hurting. What better witness could the Church have?
As I’ve said in earlier blogs I’ve got mood swings with my Bipolar disorder. Right now I’m on an up swing and I’m starting to enjoy life again. One thing that I want to do now that I’m up and going again is to do what I can to help energize the church. I want to reach out to those that are hurting. I want to be Jesus to a hurting and broken world. It’s Jesus that gets me through the low, tough times and it’s Jesus that I want to share with others to give them hope and the reassurance of salvation.
I’ll finish up with expanding on something I said at the start. Our nine year old daughter is going in for surgery to repair a badly broken finger. She is going to get three pins put in along with a brace to hold those pins. After the doctors finish putting in the pins she will get a cast on her hand and arm. I am so proud of her. She is facing this surgery like a trooper! In fact right now she is showing less stress over it then I am!
As a parent you really do hurt when one of your kids get hurt especially if it’s bad enough to require surgery. I made the comment to my wife the other day that I wish I could trade places with our daughter. To hand one of your kids over to someone else so they can do surgery on your child is tough. One thing that I am seeing in all of this is that as a father I hurt when one of my children hurt which opens my eyes to better understand how much more our Father hurts when one of His children are hurting.
I’ll let you know how WE do! I just hope I get through it as well as our daughter does!
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
I guess one of the good things that came out of no internet for three days was being able to get some work done on my book. I actually got pretty close to having two chapters wrote, rewrote, rewrote again, and then edited two or ten times. You get the picture. I’ll say this, writing a book is not as easy as it sounds. If I make a flub up here on my blog it’s not that big of a deal, I can just make a correction in the next blog. But when it’s in a book you have to have it right when it’s done!
With me having both Bipolar & ADHD I’m writing my book to be an inspiration to both those that have mental afflictions as well as those that don’t. My mantra is that if God can work through a bruised and broken vessel such as myself that he can work through anyone. I open up and talk about my struggles in life and how my disorders affect my life. But one thing that I’m noticing as I get into my book is that even though I have these disorders my struggles are not that much different then those that have no diagnoses of mental disorders. The only difference that I’m seeing is that sometimes my disorders exaggerate my struggles.
I’ve been doing a great deal of seeking, praying, and spending time in God’s Word over the past few weeks. In addition I’ve started seeking input from various Christian leaders in the area about what they are seeing. What I’ve found out is that there is a bunch of hurting people out there. Mental illness is on the rise and from what I’m hearing is that the rise is straight across the board. It doesn’t matter if you’re researching the Christian community or our population as a whole, Mental illness is on the rise.
Another point that I’m hearing is that the Church is ill prepared to deal with this increase in mental illness. I happen to belong to one of the few churches that has a ministry to those that need mental help. One thing that I would love to see is for the Church to step forward as a whole and reach out to those that are hurting. What better witness could the Church have?
As I’ve said in earlier blogs I’ve got mood swings with my Bipolar disorder. Right now I’m on an up swing and I’m starting to enjoy life again. One thing that I want to do now that I’m up and going again is to do what I can to help energize the church. I want to reach out to those that are hurting. I want to be Jesus to a hurting and broken world. It’s Jesus that gets me through the low, tough times and it’s Jesus that I want to share with others to give them hope and the reassurance of salvation.
I’ll finish up with expanding on something I said at the start. Our nine year old daughter is going in for surgery to repair a badly broken finger. She is going to get three pins put in along with a brace to hold those pins. After the doctors finish putting in the pins she will get a cast on her hand and arm. I am so proud of her. She is facing this surgery like a trooper! In fact right now she is showing less stress over it then I am!
As a parent you really do hurt when one of your kids get hurt especially if it’s bad enough to require surgery. I made the comment to my wife the other day that I wish I could trade places with our daughter. To hand one of your kids over to someone else so they can do surgery on your child is tough. One thing that I am seeing in all of this is that as a father I hurt when one of my children hurt which opens my eyes to better understand how much more our Father hurts when one of His children are hurting.
I’ll let you know how WE do! I just hope I get through it as well as our daughter does!
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
Sunday, March 19, 2006
How Much Greater Challenge Can There Be
Before I get going on what’s on my heart I’m going to put up a link on an absolutely hilarious Christian video. I take no responsibility for the content of this video. This video has been making the rounds on the web and in the Christian underground. I hope you enjoy it! Here it is, click on it: “Baby’s Got Book!”
OK, now that we got through that I wanted to comment on something that I’ve learned as I’ve been going through some of Ray Comfort’s teaching. I’m sure that you’ve heard before the saying “God love’s the sinner but He hate’s the sin.” I’ve heard that over and over too and I’ve always just assumed it to be right. The truth is that saying is no where to be found in the Bible, it’s unscriptural.
Look at what 2 Peter 3:9 & 10 says:
“He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.”
Now look at Jesus had to say in John 3:16-18:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.”
"There is no judgment awaiting those who trust him. But those who do not trust him have already been judged for not believing in the only Son of God.”
And finally Revelation 20:15:
“If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Those three passages pretty much sum up why I have such a heart for witnessing and seeing the non-believer come to Christ. There are no second chances. Either Jesus is your savior or not. It’s that simple. I don’t want anyone to die and go to hell.
There is so incredibly much false doctrine being taught these days and I believe the record needs to be set straight. This is not some minor thing that is on the line. No, what is on the line the eternal destiny of every man, woman, and child on this Earth. How much of a greater challenge can there be? None!
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
OK, now that we got through that I wanted to comment on something that I’ve learned as I’ve been going through some of Ray Comfort’s teaching. I’m sure that you’ve heard before the saying “God love’s the sinner but He hate’s the sin.” I’ve heard that over and over too and I’ve always just assumed it to be right. The truth is that saying is no where to be found in the Bible, it’s unscriptural.
Look at what 2 Peter 3:9 & 10 says:
“He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.”
Now look at Jesus had to say in John 3:16-18:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.”
"There is no judgment awaiting those who trust him. But those who do not trust him have already been judged for not believing in the only Son of God.”
And finally Revelation 20:15:
“If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Those three passages pretty much sum up why I have such a heart for witnessing and seeing the non-believer come to Christ. There are no second chances. Either Jesus is your savior or not. It’s that simple. I don’t want anyone to die and go to hell.
There is so incredibly much false doctrine being taught these days and I believe the record needs to be set straight. This is not some minor thing that is on the line. No, what is on the line the eternal destiny of every man, woman, and child on this Earth. How much of a greater challenge can there be? None!
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Back To My 1st Love!
I felt the Lord asking me a really hard question today. This was a question that made me very uncomfortable to say the least. It was one of those questions that I couldn’t answer, or at least I really didn’t want to answer. It was one of those questions that can only come from the Lord.
It seems every day I here more and more about the persecution of Christians. From what I’ve been reading Christian persecution is increasing at an ever alarming rate. Being a Christian in India, Asia, or the Middle East today means that you risk humiliation, beatings, torture, and all too often execution. Even here in America we are starting to here of Christian persecution.
Seeing all of this the Lord today asked me what I would do if I was forced to suffer persecution and/or torture for the Gospel? What would I do? Would I take and speak blessings on my captors like so many of our current day martyrs are doing? Would I persevere or would I wimp out and be a Peter? To save myself from torture would I renounce Jesus?
The Lord wasn’t kidding when he asked me this today. I felt it was one of the most serious, life defining questions that the Lord had ever asked me. The Lord was really getting to the core of my heart. God wanted to see the REAL me. God wanted to know just how much I really did love Him.
Tonight after I got my family in bed I watched a couple of web casts from Ray Comfort. I watched “Hell’s Best Kept Secret” and “True and False Conversion.” Both of these run about an hour in length but they are a must watch if evangelism means anything at all to you. You won’t be disappointed!
When I was watching “True and False Conversion” the Lord took me back to the day I got saved and the two years that followed. The day I got saved I cried like a baby! I had so much sin in my life and I was carrying so incredibly much garbage that when I got to that altar I let it all go! Man did I give it up to God! In that moment when I said “I’m yours Jesus!” I was completely transformed, made new, stripped of my worldly garments, lifted up, and given a new robe of grace to wear. I rose up, lifted my hands to Heaven and praised Jesus for what he had just done in my life!
I couldn’t hold in what had just happened to me! I had to tell the whole world what Jesus had just done for me and that’s exactly what I set out to do! It didn’t matter who it was if they would give me an ear for just a few seconds they would get the story of how Jesus saved me and set me free! I was the man on death row with no hope who all of a sudden was a free and restored man. The world was my stage and Jesus was what I was proclaiming!
The first two years or so after I got saved I preached the good news of Jesus without fear. I didn’t care if I was persecuted for Jesus. If someone sought to persecute me they found that their attempts were in vain. In fact there were those that sought to persecute me and they found that it was impossible. I was pressing on no matter what!
But what happened after those first two or three years? I guess I let life get in the way. Slowly but surely little things cropped up here and there and I slowly started sharing Jesus less and less. I finally got to the point where I went to church two or three times a week and the rest of the time was focused on survival. I was fighting to just get by.
Tonight Jesus told me enough is enough. Tonight Jesus called me back to my first love. My first love is and has always been preaching the good news of Jesus Christ! Tonight God called me to relight my fire, to start the fire anew and once again become enthralled in a burning passion and desire to tell the whole world about Jesus and what He has done for me and what He can do for them.
It’s time to quit sitting on my butt and get up and get going for Jesus! I’ve really felt in my heart that this talk I received from the Lord tonight has been some time in the making. I also know that I’m not the only one receiving this call! If God has given you this call too I’d love to hear from you!
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
It seems every day I here more and more about the persecution of Christians. From what I’ve been reading Christian persecution is increasing at an ever alarming rate. Being a Christian in India, Asia, or the Middle East today means that you risk humiliation, beatings, torture, and all too often execution. Even here in America we are starting to here of Christian persecution.
Seeing all of this the Lord today asked me what I would do if I was forced to suffer persecution and/or torture for the Gospel? What would I do? Would I take and speak blessings on my captors like so many of our current day martyrs are doing? Would I persevere or would I wimp out and be a Peter? To save myself from torture would I renounce Jesus?
The Lord wasn’t kidding when he asked me this today. I felt it was one of the most serious, life defining questions that the Lord had ever asked me. The Lord was really getting to the core of my heart. God wanted to see the REAL me. God wanted to know just how much I really did love Him.
Tonight after I got my family in bed I watched a couple of web casts from Ray Comfort. I watched “Hell’s Best Kept Secret” and “True and False Conversion.” Both of these run about an hour in length but they are a must watch if evangelism means anything at all to you. You won’t be disappointed!
When I was watching “True and False Conversion” the Lord took me back to the day I got saved and the two years that followed. The day I got saved I cried like a baby! I had so much sin in my life and I was carrying so incredibly much garbage that when I got to that altar I let it all go! Man did I give it up to God! In that moment when I said “I’m yours Jesus!” I was completely transformed, made new, stripped of my worldly garments, lifted up, and given a new robe of grace to wear. I rose up, lifted my hands to Heaven and praised Jesus for what he had just done in my life!
I couldn’t hold in what had just happened to me! I had to tell the whole world what Jesus had just done for me and that’s exactly what I set out to do! It didn’t matter who it was if they would give me an ear for just a few seconds they would get the story of how Jesus saved me and set me free! I was the man on death row with no hope who all of a sudden was a free and restored man. The world was my stage and Jesus was what I was proclaiming!
The first two years or so after I got saved I preached the good news of Jesus without fear. I didn’t care if I was persecuted for Jesus. If someone sought to persecute me they found that their attempts were in vain. In fact there were those that sought to persecute me and they found that it was impossible. I was pressing on no matter what!
But what happened after those first two or three years? I guess I let life get in the way. Slowly but surely little things cropped up here and there and I slowly started sharing Jesus less and less. I finally got to the point where I went to church two or three times a week and the rest of the time was focused on survival. I was fighting to just get by.
Tonight Jesus told me enough is enough. Tonight Jesus called me back to my first love. My first love is and has always been preaching the good news of Jesus Christ! Tonight God called me to relight my fire, to start the fire anew and once again become enthralled in a burning passion and desire to tell the whole world about Jesus and what He has done for me and what He can do for them.
It’s time to quit sitting on my butt and get up and get going for Jesus! I’ve really felt in my heart that this talk I received from the Lord tonight has been some time in the making. I also know that I’m not the only one receiving this call! If God has given you this call too I’d love to hear from you!
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Just Click And Watch
This is the shortest blog that I’ve ever wrote. As the parent of an autistic son I was very moved by the story of Jason McElwain. Please click on the link below to watch the story. If you haven't seen it yet prepare to be blown away!
Jason McElwain Story
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
Jason McElwain Story
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Writing A Blook
I’ve been doing a little bit of editing work on the book that I’m writing this evening. I have to say it’s a little bit exciting to be taking on a project such as this for the very first time. Just in case some of my readers missed out on what I’m doing I’m taking the best of my blogs and putting a book together. There is actually a name now for this in the publishing world. When a person composes a book using their writings from their blog they call it a “blook” which is short for “blog book.”
My thesis for my blook would be something on the line of “Encouragement in a broken world from a broken person.” My goal is to encourage others to succeed, to push ahead, and to grow closer to God in the process. My point is that if someone such as myself that is bent and broken having multiple mental disorders can be a success in Jesus then others, no matter what obstacle they have in their live, can do the same.
In a way I’m really humbled that the Lord would pick someone such as me who has a quite long track record of failures to use as an example of how He can turn a life around and use that life for His glory. I’ve even more humbled and even blown away that the Lord would use me to speak through and offer up encouragement to others who are either hurting or are facing some kind of disorder or disability in their life. I want to reach those that need to know that God is still in the restoration business.
Through my life experiences and through the leading of the Holy Spirit I hope to develop a book that is just a little bit different than any other book that is out there right now. There are a ton of self-help books on the market now but I have yet to find one wrote by someone who has the mental disorders that I have. I don’t want to preach in my book, I just want to write from life experiences how to have more of God in your life.
One of the greatest inspirations I have in writing both my blog and this blook is when someone asks a tough question. I’ve had a few that have opened up some wonderful dialog. If anyone has any questions please pass them on to me. I won’t use your name or identify you in any way but your question may show up on my blog and/or in my blook.
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
My thesis for my blook would be something on the line of “Encouragement in a broken world from a broken person.” My goal is to encourage others to succeed, to push ahead, and to grow closer to God in the process. My point is that if someone such as myself that is bent and broken having multiple mental disorders can be a success in Jesus then others, no matter what obstacle they have in their live, can do the same.
In a way I’m really humbled that the Lord would pick someone such as me who has a quite long track record of failures to use as an example of how He can turn a life around and use that life for His glory. I’ve even more humbled and even blown away that the Lord would use me to speak through and offer up encouragement to others who are either hurting or are facing some kind of disorder or disability in their life. I want to reach those that need to know that God is still in the restoration business.
Through my life experiences and through the leading of the Holy Spirit I hope to develop a book that is just a little bit different than any other book that is out there right now. There are a ton of self-help books on the market now but I have yet to find one wrote by someone who has the mental disorders that I have. I don’t want to preach in my book, I just want to write from life experiences how to have more of God in your life.
One of the greatest inspirations I have in writing both my blog and this blook is when someone asks a tough question. I’ve had a few that have opened up some wonderful dialog. If anyone has any questions please pass them on to me. I won’t use your name or identify you in any way but your question may show up on my blog and/or in my blook.
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
Monday, March 13, 2006
Sustained
The biggest single thing that I hate about my Bipolar disorder is the mood swings. When I’m up I’m a happy guy. I get excited about life and I get even more excited about Jesus. I noticed however that when I’m in a down swing I find it hard to get excited about anything and unfortunately that even carries over to my walk with Jesus.
How do I push on to seek Jesus when I’m in a down swing? Some times it’s not easy. Getting into a daily regimen where at a certain time every day I spend time with Jesus helps immensely. Every night after we get everyone off to bed I’m left alone with just me and my computer. I use this time to write my blog and get in to God’s word about what He has put on my heart.
I shudder to think what I would be like if I didn’t have my quiet time with the Lord every night. It is only by God’s word that I am sustained when I’m in a down swing.
Psalms 119:117 says
“Your words are what sustain me.
They bring me great joy and are my heart's delight,
for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty.”
Jeremiah 15:16 says
“Your words are what sustain me.
They bring me great joy and are my heart's delight,
for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty.”
Like I’ve wrote in earlier blogs I try to read a chapter of Proverbs every night. I read whatever chapter that corresponds to that day. Reading a book of Proverbs just in itself has given me great wisdom and understanding in dealing with life on a daily basis. By following what I read in Proverbs I know what the Lord would have me do even when I’m down.
To do my scripture reading and research I use BibleGateway.com. BibleGateway.com has been a huge blessing to me. BibleGateway.com has just about every version of the Bible there is and you can search and read in any of the versions.
Getting alone with God every night without exception is the one reason what I am still alive and functioning. I can not begin to encourage others enough to get a time when they too can be alone with God. If a person wants to have a life changing experience with God all they have to do is one simple thing. Find time and get alone with God every day. It’s that simple.
When it comes to seeking God these scriptures come to mind.
Psalms 17:7
Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways.
You save with your strength those who seek refuge from their enemies.
Psalms 69:32
The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
Let all who seek God's help live in joy.
Proverbs 3:6
Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.
Matthew 6:33 (American Standard Version)
“But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Matthew 7:7 & 8
"Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.”
I hope that this encourages you to seek Him too!
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
How do I push on to seek Jesus when I’m in a down swing? Some times it’s not easy. Getting into a daily regimen where at a certain time every day I spend time with Jesus helps immensely. Every night after we get everyone off to bed I’m left alone with just me and my computer. I use this time to write my blog and get in to God’s word about what He has put on my heart.
I shudder to think what I would be like if I didn’t have my quiet time with the Lord every night. It is only by God’s word that I am sustained when I’m in a down swing.
Psalms 119:117 says
“Your words are what sustain me.
They bring me great joy and are my heart's delight,
for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty.”
Jeremiah 15:16 says
“Your words are what sustain me.
They bring me great joy and are my heart's delight,
for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty.”
Like I’ve wrote in earlier blogs I try to read a chapter of Proverbs every night. I read whatever chapter that corresponds to that day. Reading a book of Proverbs just in itself has given me great wisdom and understanding in dealing with life on a daily basis. By following what I read in Proverbs I know what the Lord would have me do even when I’m down.
To do my scripture reading and research I use BibleGateway.com. BibleGateway.com has been a huge blessing to me. BibleGateway.com has just about every version of the Bible there is and you can search and read in any of the versions.
Getting alone with God every night without exception is the one reason what I am still alive and functioning. I can not begin to encourage others enough to get a time when they too can be alone with God. If a person wants to have a life changing experience with God all they have to do is one simple thing. Find time and get alone with God every day. It’s that simple.
When it comes to seeking God these scriptures come to mind.
Psalms 17:7
Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways.
You save with your strength those who seek refuge from their enemies.
Psalms 69:32
The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
Let all who seek God's help live in joy.
Proverbs 3:6
Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.
Matthew 6:33 (American Standard Version)
“But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Matthew 7:7 & 8
"Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.”
I hope that this encourages you to seek Him too!
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
One Step At A Time
This afternoon my wife and I were out and about, driving around, and in general, just getting out for a bit. We were talking about what we could do. I suggested that we might go look at some open houses. As we were driving by the first open house I felt the Lord start speaking to my heart.
I started hearing “One step at a time, one step at a time.” I knew what the Lord was trying to tell me. As bad as my wife and I would love to get into a new and/or bigger home this is not the right time. What we need to be focusing on is the here and now.
God has us where we’re at for a reason. Until we overcome the problems and challenges facing us right now we have no business looking far forward and focusing on something other then what the Lord wants us to focus on right now. We’ve got enough problems to deal with now without trying to add anything else to our plate.
We kept driving around for a while and the Lord kept showing me things. One of the big things the Lord showed me was how someone very close to me became a big overcomer. This person was dealt many of the same cards I was dealt. What he did when he was dealt a bad card he dealt with it. Whatever it took he just dealt with it. And because he was dealing with the here and now properly he was able to deal with it.
The Lord was trying to drive home the point made in Matthew 6:34. Jesus said "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today.” Take life one day at a time. Deal with your bills, your troubles, your home, whatever comes up, deal with them today.
I really felt that the Lord was trying to surmise it all as this. Take care of today what needs to be taken care of today. Don’t put off taking care of until tomorrow, or worse, what needs to be taken care of today. If you do that you don’t have to worry about your future, the Lord will show you your future. The future the Lord will show you will be the future He has for you. It will be a future that will be better then any future you could possibly dream of yourself.
I’ll wrap this up with three scriptures.
Jeremiah 29:11.
For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD.
"They are plans for good and not for disaster,
to give you a future and a hope."
Psalms 27:11.
Teach me how to live, O LORD.
Lead me along the path of honesty,
for my enemies are waiting for me to fall.
Psalms 27:14.
Wait patiently for the LORD.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
I started hearing “One step at a time, one step at a time.” I knew what the Lord was trying to tell me. As bad as my wife and I would love to get into a new and/or bigger home this is not the right time. What we need to be focusing on is the here and now.
God has us where we’re at for a reason. Until we overcome the problems and challenges facing us right now we have no business looking far forward and focusing on something other then what the Lord wants us to focus on right now. We’ve got enough problems to deal with now without trying to add anything else to our plate.
We kept driving around for a while and the Lord kept showing me things. One of the big things the Lord showed me was how someone very close to me became a big overcomer. This person was dealt many of the same cards I was dealt. What he did when he was dealt a bad card he dealt with it. Whatever it took he just dealt with it. And because he was dealing with the here and now properly he was able to deal with it.
The Lord was trying to drive home the point made in Matthew 6:34. Jesus said "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today.” Take life one day at a time. Deal with your bills, your troubles, your home, whatever comes up, deal with them today.
I really felt that the Lord was trying to surmise it all as this. Take care of today what needs to be taken care of today. Don’t put off taking care of until tomorrow, or worse, what needs to be taken care of today. If you do that you don’t have to worry about your future, the Lord will show you your future. The future the Lord will show you will be the future He has for you. It will be a future that will be better then any future you could possibly dream of yourself.
I’ll wrap this up with three scriptures.
Jeremiah 29:11.
For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD.
"They are plans for good and not for disaster,
to give you a future and a hope."
Psalms 27:11.
Teach me how to live, O LORD.
Lead me along the path of honesty,
for my enemies are waiting for me to fall.
Psalms 27:14.
Wait patiently for the LORD.
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
Thursday, March 09, 2006
I Pray In School!
“As long as there are tests in school there will be prayer in school.” Anonymous. That’s just exactly what I was thinking this evening as I was headed to college to complete my last mid-term final. I was sweating this final and I was praying for God to help me out as I needed to get a good grade tonight. When I got to class and took my seat I had a great overwhelming feeling of not wanting to be there. All I could do was just say under my breath “OK God, I really do need your help here!” Before me I had a one hundred final exam in my computer Hardware/Software class. When our instructor said “Begin” I just took a really long, deep breath and once again speaking under my breath I said “OK God, here we go!”
The test was taken on a computer which I liked as I was just able to click and choose answers. I made good time on the test. I was the third person done with the test. When I was finished with the test I took another huge, deep breath and clicked the “Finished” button. The computer analyzed my test and gave my results immediately back to me.
The way the computer gave your results back to you was by displaying all one hundred answers with your cumulative total at the end. The first thing that I saw was the very first answer and it was wrong. My heart sank. My first thought was that I blew it. I couldn’t look at any other questions. I just scrolled straight to the bottom to see how I did over all.
I got to the bottom and I had to do a double take. For some reason I had to reassure myself that the score I was seeing was indeed my score. There it was, the highest score of any test I’ve taken in this class and this was my final! The hardest class of this semester for me and right there before me was sitting a “B” grade for the final! I couldn’t hold it in, I had to let out a shallow “Yea!”
As this is an advanced class you have to have department head approval to just get into this class and I just nailed it with a “B!” All of our testing and grading in this class is all done computerized it only took a minute to compute our final grades for the class. Our instructor came back to me and told me that I had just raised my final grade for the class to a “B” also. I was so excited I just about jumped up and gave him a hug!
I grabbed my stuff and headed for the parking lot to our van. As soon as I got out the front door I was on my cell phone to my wife. When my poor wife answered I probably just about blew out her eardrum yelling “I DID IT! I NAILED MY FINAL! PRAISE GOD I DID IT!”
I got to our van and I still had my wife on the phone. All I could say as I was driving home and talking to my wife was “Thank You Jesus! Thank You Jesus!” Can you tell I’m just a little bit excited? Probably not!
I’ve had some doubts this semester about whether I made the right decision going back to school. I’ve also had some setbacks in a couple of classes too. I had a ton of weight decision wise riding on my mid-term finals. I took my English Comp test last night. I love my English and I aced it like I expected to. But tonight was the real test. If I didn’t do well tonight I would have probably taken a hard look at whether college is right for me or not.
I once again hope that my success can encourage others. If a hard headed guy like me that has both Bipolar disorder and ADHD can be successful in college taking difficult courses such as I talked about here then just maybe I can give that gift of hope to others to attempt difficult and challenging things. Just because you have a disability or a disorder doesn’t mean that you can’t succeed. Rather I hope others do what I did and look to God for guidance and strength to push onward and upward.
And when you do succeed remember where your success, your support, and your determination in your heart comes from. Look to the Heavens and say…
THANK YOU JESUS!!!
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Just A Little Bit Freer
One of the little quirks that I’ve noticed with my ADHD is that I have to sit in the back of the class. If I sit in the front of the class I am so distracted by what’s going on around me that I can’t concentrate. For me to sit in the front of the class would mean constant looking around, and looking over my shoulder, rubber necking if you will. If I can sit in the back of the class then I know that nothing is going on and I can concentrate and even at times learn something.
Tonight in Speech class I was sitting in the back row just like I always do. I’m not sure why but a couple of the other students chose to come back and sit with me. The students that came and sat with me were the same age as our oldest daughter. I guess that since I’m one of the two class clowns they figured that I was a pretty kewl guy and I was OK to sit by. It actually made me feel kind of good.
Tonight in speech it was time for everyone in the class to give their demonstration speech. A demonstration speech is pretty much just what the name implies. You get up and give a demonstration on how to make something, fix something, or how something works. I was the third person to go and I gave my demonstration speech on how to clean a computer mouse so it works properly. I didn’t nail my speech just perfect but I did get an A so I came away pretty happy about it.
The next person up after me was this kid fresh out of high school that has both learning and speech disabilities. This kid is different from everyone else in the class. When he speaks he really has to fight a stuttering problem, you can tell that many times it’s a labor for him to get his words out. If you watch him walk or move it’s always in a determined, methodic, business like manner. In addition he always sits in the front of the class by himself.
I was watching the kid set up for his speech and seeing that he was extremely prepared but he was still having some problems. It was at this point that something came over me. I was sitting there in the back of the class chatting with my fellow classmates killing time while waiting for the kid to start when I just had the urge to start making fun of this kid. I knew that if I did I would probably be even more accepted by my fellow students.
At first I was shocked that I had that kind of urge and I was even more shocked that I had to fight to resist that urge. Why did I have that urge? Where did that urge come from? These are the kind of questions that I’ve been asking myself ever since class ended.
I really feel what I was feeling was just the reverse of what I’ve felt for so many years. With my Bipolar disorder and ADHD I have had to endure years and years of brutal torment and teasing when I was in school. I believe what happened in class tonight was the anger and hurt that I’ve had all bottled inside of me for so many years was wanting to come out. As those feelings started coming out they manifested themselves in to wanting to cause pain and hurt to someone else just like what was done to me.
I know that the Lord let those feeling come to the surface like He did for a reason. Now that I’ve started to identify the anger I have inside of me I can now give God another place to come in and work on me. I know that the anger inside of me that has been caused by all of the teasing I received in school has all of these years been eating at me. By bottling up that anger for all of this time and letting that anger remain inside of me I have to this day been giving control over my life to those that hurt me.
God wants to change that. God doesn’t want anyone to have control over my life except for him. If I give up that anger then I am no longer bound by that anger but rather I am set free. Free in Jesus is a wonderful place to be. My hope and prayer is that every day I become just a little bit freer in Jesus. By striving to become freer in Jesus I know that my future becomes just a little bit brighter every day!
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
Tonight in Speech class I was sitting in the back row just like I always do. I’m not sure why but a couple of the other students chose to come back and sit with me. The students that came and sat with me were the same age as our oldest daughter. I guess that since I’m one of the two class clowns they figured that I was a pretty kewl guy and I was OK to sit by. It actually made me feel kind of good.
Tonight in speech it was time for everyone in the class to give their demonstration speech. A demonstration speech is pretty much just what the name implies. You get up and give a demonstration on how to make something, fix something, or how something works. I was the third person to go and I gave my demonstration speech on how to clean a computer mouse so it works properly. I didn’t nail my speech just perfect but I did get an A so I came away pretty happy about it.
The next person up after me was this kid fresh out of high school that has both learning and speech disabilities. This kid is different from everyone else in the class. When he speaks he really has to fight a stuttering problem, you can tell that many times it’s a labor for him to get his words out. If you watch him walk or move it’s always in a determined, methodic, business like manner. In addition he always sits in the front of the class by himself.
I was watching the kid set up for his speech and seeing that he was extremely prepared but he was still having some problems. It was at this point that something came over me. I was sitting there in the back of the class chatting with my fellow classmates killing time while waiting for the kid to start when I just had the urge to start making fun of this kid. I knew that if I did I would probably be even more accepted by my fellow students.
At first I was shocked that I had that kind of urge and I was even more shocked that I had to fight to resist that urge. Why did I have that urge? Where did that urge come from? These are the kind of questions that I’ve been asking myself ever since class ended.
I really feel what I was feeling was just the reverse of what I’ve felt for so many years. With my Bipolar disorder and ADHD I have had to endure years and years of brutal torment and teasing when I was in school. I believe what happened in class tonight was the anger and hurt that I’ve had all bottled inside of me for so many years was wanting to come out. As those feelings started coming out they manifested themselves in to wanting to cause pain and hurt to someone else just like what was done to me.
I know that the Lord let those feeling come to the surface like He did for a reason. Now that I’ve started to identify the anger I have inside of me I can now give God another place to come in and work on me. I know that the anger inside of me that has been caused by all of the teasing I received in school has all of these years been eating at me. By bottling up that anger for all of this time and letting that anger remain inside of me I have to this day been giving control over my life to those that hurt me.
God wants to change that. God doesn’t want anyone to have control over my life except for him. If I give up that anger then I am no longer bound by that anger but rather I am set free. Free in Jesus is a wonderful place to be. My hope and prayer is that every day I become just a little bit freer in Jesus. By striving to become freer in Jesus I know that my future becomes just a little bit brighter every day!
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Vision, What Is It?
Where there is no vision, there is no hope. George Washington Carver
Vision without action is a daydream. Action with without vision is a nightmare. Persian Proverb
Vision, what is it? The Merriam-Webster dictionary has this to say. 1: a manifestation to the senses of something immaterial. 2: the act or power of imagination. 3: mode of seeing or conceiving. 4: unusual discernment or foresight.
Vision is important in our lives. If we do not have a vision for our life how will we know where we’re going? As Merriam-Webster says above in the third example vision is a mode of seeing or conceiving. If we do not see where we are going or if we’re not conceiving a plan for our future how can there be any hope for success?
I like what motivational speaker Dennis Waitley had to say. “The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don't define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.” Does this sound like having a vision? It does to me.
I know that personally for me there are times when I forget or give up on the vision that the Lord has placed in my heart. When this happens I stagnate, I falter, and I start to fail at whatever it is that I’m trying to do. When I give up on my vision I have no choice but to fail. I need the vision that the Lord has given me to move on and move forward.
We should all have the basic vision of life. That is to be happy, to have a career that you enjoy, and if you’re a spouse or parent to be the best husband/wife and/or parent that you can be. But we’re talking beyond that. What do you want to do with your life, where do you see yourself being in five, ten, even twenty years from now?
Do you have that vision? Where are you going? Do you have set goals for your life? What about God? Have you ever asked God what His plan is for your life? Three verses in Proverbs addresses this directly. Proverbs 16:3 “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” Proverbs 16:9 “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” And Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.”
If we don’t have the Lord’s plan for our life then our plans, our vision for our life may not ever amount to anything and may not ever come to bear. The visions we have for our lives may very well have been placed in our hearts by the Lord. We simply need to go to him and ask him if our vision for our life is His vision for our life. If it is, great! If it’s not then we need to ask the Lord for Him to give us His vision for our life. If we follow the vision the Lord has for us then we will be a success at our God given mission in life.
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
Vision without action is a daydream. Action with without vision is a nightmare. Persian Proverb
Vision, what is it? The Merriam-Webster dictionary has this to say. 1: a manifestation to the senses of something immaterial. 2: the act or power of imagination. 3: mode of seeing or conceiving. 4: unusual discernment or foresight.
Vision is important in our lives. If we do not have a vision for our life how will we know where we’re going? As Merriam-Webster says above in the third example vision is a mode of seeing or conceiving. If we do not see where we are going or if we’re not conceiving a plan for our future how can there be any hope for success?
I like what motivational speaker Dennis Waitley had to say. “The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don't define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.” Does this sound like having a vision? It does to me.
I know that personally for me there are times when I forget or give up on the vision that the Lord has placed in my heart. When this happens I stagnate, I falter, and I start to fail at whatever it is that I’m trying to do. When I give up on my vision I have no choice but to fail. I need the vision that the Lord has given me to move on and move forward.
We should all have the basic vision of life. That is to be happy, to have a career that you enjoy, and if you’re a spouse or parent to be the best husband/wife and/or parent that you can be. But we’re talking beyond that. What do you want to do with your life, where do you see yourself being in five, ten, even twenty years from now?
Do you have that vision? Where are you going? Do you have set goals for your life? What about God? Have you ever asked God what His plan is for your life? Three verses in Proverbs addresses this directly. Proverbs 16:3 “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” Proverbs 16:9 “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” And Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.”
If we don’t have the Lord’s plan for our life then our plans, our vision for our life may not ever amount to anything and may not ever come to bear. The visions we have for our lives may very well have been placed in our hearts by the Lord. We simply need to go to him and ask him if our vision for our life is His vision for our life. If it is, great! If it’s not then we need to ask the Lord for Him to give us His vision for our life. If we follow the vision the Lord has for us then we will be a success at our God given mission in life.
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Why Can't I...
Who am I called to be? That is the question that the Lord put to me tonight. I’ve been thinking over the past couple of days of how I’ve reacted when temptation or adversity came my way. My focus was on how this preacher or that evangelist would have handled a given situation that presented itself to me.
I was listening to Jesse Duplantis on television the other night talk about how he had been propositioned in an airport. Jesse said that he jumped up and shouted “Spirit of Jezebel! Be gone from me!” I thought when I heard Jesse say that “Man, why can’t I be more like Jesse!” On I went. I kept telling my self “if only I could…” The problem is I’m not Jesse.
I am me. I am who I am. I am who God made me. I was not called to jump up and shout when temptation or adversity comes my way. I’m not saying that I should just cave in, that would be terribly wrong. What I am called to do is to tackle temptation and adversity in a way that God has provisioned me to do so.
No two people are made by God to handle temptation and adversity in the same way. God made us all to be different. The Apostle Paul speaks about this in 1 Corinthians Chapter 12. In verses 19 & 20 Paul says “If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.” We are all different but yet we are part of one body. We are a body of believers, the Church.
How do we know though on how to deal with temptation and adversity? It’s simple really and it’s something that when I do it, it works wonderfully. Proverbs 3:5 & 6 says “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.”
Focus on God, trust in God, and be led by God. When I do those three little things they cause one big thing to happen in me. I become the man that God wants me to be and I can face any temptation or adversity that comes my way. I’m sure God made it simple for guys like me!
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
I was listening to Jesse Duplantis on television the other night talk about how he had been propositioned in an airport. Jesse said that he jumped up and shouted “Spirit of Jezebel! Be gone from me!” I thought when I heard Jesse say that “Man, why can’t I be more like Jesse!” On I went. I kept telling my self “if only I could…” The problem is I’m not Jesse.
I am me. I am who I am. I am who God made me. I was not called to jump up and shout when temptation or adversity comes my way. I’m not saying that I should just cave in, that would be terribly wrong. What I am called to do is to tackle temptation and adversity in a way that God has provisioned me to do so.
No two people are made by God to handle temptation and adversity in the same way. God made us all to be different. The Apostle Paul speaks about this in 1 Corinthians Chapter 12. In verses 19 & 20 Paul says “If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.” We are all different but yet we are part of one body. We are a body of believers, the Church.
How do we know though on how to deal with temptation and adversity? It’s simple really and it’s something that when I do it, it works wonderfully. Proverbs 3:5 & 6 says “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.”
Focus on God, trust in God, and be led by God. When I do those three little things they cause one big thing to happen in me. I become the man that God wants me to be and I can face any temptation or adversity that comes my way. I’m sure God made it simple for guys like me!
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
Thursday, March 02, 2006
First Submission!
I took a deep breath and took a leap today. I submitted my first writing for publication. For those of you that have been reading this blog for a while you might remember a hard hitting peace entitled “Spiritual Constipation” that I penned last November 30th. I’ve had several requests for reprints on that blog so I finally got the nerve to submit it as a short story/article. I should know in a day or two if it’s going to be accepted or not.
On a different subject here I’ve been reading about what’s been going on around the world and how the persecution of Christians has really stepped up lately. In Matthew 24 Jesus talks about the end of times and what happens when the time is getting close for the return of Jesus. If I were to tell you that I’m not just a little bit scared about Bible prophecy is starting to unfold around us at an alarming rate I’d be lying! I’ve included the full text of Matthew 24 at the of this blog for your convenience, I’d suggest that you read it and see if you don’t see a little bit of what I’m seeing.
I subscribe to “The Voice of the Martyrs” and in from the Middle East and out through India, Asia, and much of Africa the persecution of Christians from Islamists is growing at an alarming rate. The Dutch cartoons that depicted Mohammed as a terrorist is being used as an excuse to attack Christians day in and day out. All of this fits very nicely into Bible prophecy.
Let me just share what Jesus has been speaking unto my heart. Jesus is telling me that I need to get my act together and get busy for the time of his return is near. Jesus is calling me to deal with sin in my life and start putting Him first. The past two months have been pretty rough with my mental health and my Bipolar disorder. Jesus is calling me to move past my disorders and live for him. I can do better but only if I let Jesus lead me and put Jesus first in my life.
Here’s Matthew 24 for you:
Signs of the End of the Age
1Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2"Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."
3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"
4Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ, and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains.
9"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
15"So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. 22If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. 24For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. 25See, I have told you ahead of time.
26"So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. 27For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
29"Immediately after the distress of those days " 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.
30"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
32"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33Even so, when you see all these things, you know that itis near, right at the door. 34I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
The Day and Hour Unknown
36"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
42"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
45"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' 49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Be Blessed!!!
BIG SCOTT
On a different subject here I’ve been reading about what’s been going on around the world and how the persecution of Christians has really stepped up lately. In Matthew 24 Jesus talks about the end of times and what happens when the time is getting close for the return of Jesus. If I were to tell you that I’m not just a little bit scared about Bible prophecy is starting to unfold around us at an alarming rate I’d be lying! I’ve included the full text of Matthew 24 at the of this blog for your convenience, I’d suggest that you read it and see if you don’t see a little bit of what I’m seeing.
I subscribe to “The Voice of the Martyrs” and in from the Middle East and out through India, Asia, and much of Africa the persecution of Christians from Islamists is growing at an alarming rate. The Dutch cartoons that depicted Mohammed as a terrorist is being used as an excuse to attack Christians day in and day out. All of this fits very nicely into Bible prophecy.
Let me just share what Jesus has been speaking unto my heart. Jesus is telling me that I need to get my act together and get busy for the time of his return is near. Jesus is calling me to deal with sin in my life and start putting Him first. The past two months have been pretty rough with my mental health and my Bipolar disorder. Jesus is calling me to move past my disorders and live for him. I can do better but only if I let Jesus lead me and put Jesus first in my life.
Here’s Matthew 24 for you:
Signs of the End of the Age
1Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2"Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."
3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"
4Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ, and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains.
9"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
15"So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. 22If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. 24For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. 25See, I have told you ahead of time.
26"So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. 27For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
29"Immediately after the distress of those days " 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.
30"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
32"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33Even so, when you see all these things, you know that itis near, right at the door. 34I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
The Day and Hour Unknown
36"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
42"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
45"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' 49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Be Blessed!!!
BIG SCOTT
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
I Don't Always Have To Make Sense!!!
One of the problems with being a writer is when your brain is just blank. Now compound that with someone who tries to be a writer and has ADHD. I’ve wrote before that my English Comp instructor basically encourages me to write every time that I see her. It’s nice having someone that encourages you like that. If it wasn’t for my English comp instructor I probably wouldn’t even be writing this blog right now.
I’ve had my word processing program open now for about four hours trying to figure out what to write. It’s getting late and I need to get to bed so what I decided to do was just to start writing and see what happens. If any of this makes any sense tonight it’s by the grace of God because I’m sure at a loss of words.
Now that you mention it I really do feel that I’ve been at a loss for a couple of weeks now. Anyone that knows me personally would have a hard time believing that I would ever have a loss of words. So for those of you that believe I can just babble on and on I’ve got some good news for you. I’m running out of babble!
Maybe there’s a point here somewhere. The one I can think of is “never say never.” But then on the other hand, maybe I am just babbling on here and maybe those that think I would never run out of words are right. Right or wrong, I need to quit babbling.
To take a left turn here and head in another direction I see that we’ve once again come to the end of another month. Along with ending another month I also come to the end of another cycle in my reading of the book of Proverbs. When I get to the end of Proverbs I’m always reminded in Chapter 31 just how really great of a wife I’ve got! I love reading Proverbs 31 because wherever the Word says “wife” I can just insert my wife’s name in there. I get that warm, fuzzy feeling when I do that!
Oh well, time to get going and start focusing on the month to come and see just what kind of blessings the Lord has in store for not only myself but for my whole family!
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
I’ve had my word processing program open now for about four hours trying to figure out what to write. It’s getting late and I need to get to bed so what I decided to do was just to start writing and see what happens. If any of this makes any sense tonight it’s by the grace of God because I’m sure at a loss of words.
Now that you mention it I really do feel that I’ve been at a loss for a couple of weeks now. Anyone that knows me personally would have a hard time believing that I would ever have a loss of words. So for those of you that believe I can just babble on and on I’ve got some good news for you. I’m running out of babble!
Maybe there’s a point here somewhere. The one I can think of is “never say never.” But then on the other hand, maybe I am just babbling on here and maybe those that think I would never run out of words are right. Right or wrong, I need to quit babbling.
To take a left turn here and head in another direction I see that we’ve once again come to the end of another month. Along with ending another month I also come to the end of another cycle in my reading of the book of Proverbs. When I get to the end of Proverbs I’m always reminded in Chapter 31 just how really great of a wife I’ve got! I love reading Proverbs 31 because wherever the Word says “wife” I can just insert my wife’s name in there. I get that warm, fuzzy feeling when I do that!
Oh well, time to get going and start focusing on the month to come and see just what kind of blessings the Lord has in store for not only myself but for my whole family!
Be Blessed!
BIG SCOTT
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