By The Numbers

Here's the report on a study I did. These numbers are for Wichita, Kansas. If you live somewhere else in the United States you can probably safely assume that the percentages are still pretty close! I received some updated info since I last posted this info so here it is updated. To make things easier I rounded the numbers to the closest thousand.

By The Numbers…

600 Churches in Wichita (apx.)
250 Seats per church average (apx.)
150,000 Total Seats
362,000 People in Wichita
217,000 (60%) Claim to be Christian
67,000 Too few seats if everyone shows up for church on Sunday
58% Average seats filled on Sundays
87,000 Average Wichita Sunday Attendance
130,000 (60%) Christians miss church in Wichita on Sundays
275,000 (75%) People in Wichita don’t attend church on Sundays

To make matters worse one of our local TV stations, KSN, reported on Friday, November 14, 2008 that only 5% of teenagers attend church! By comparison KSN said that number was 44% in 1944. The last US Census Bureau said that in Wichita 27.1% of the population is less than 18 years of age. Here’s the breakdown on that data.

98000 Youth
4900 or 5% Attend Church
93100 or 95% don’t attend church (WOW!)

While the above numbers may not be scientifically accurate, the numbers should be pretty close as I compiled them mostly from national averages plus what I could compile locally.

Now, my commentary! I hope that the above numbers help explain why our nation is headed in the direction it is headed! If we are only having 5% of our youth in church learning about and worshiping Jesus where in the world will we be in 20 years when these youth become the lawmakers of our country if we don’t do something now to turn this country, and more importantly our youth around.

The good news is that there is still time. It’s not going to be easy and it’s going to take all of us to make this happen. When I say all of us I most certainly include Jesus and his Holy Spirit because His Holy Spirit is going to have to lead us through this monumental battle that we are facing.

What’s it going to take for this nation to repent? First it’s going to take God’s people doing just what Jesus commanded us to do. Mark 16:15 says "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” Where is the world? Step out of your front door and you’re in the world! What do you need to do? Share your faith! That’s it, it’s that simple, just share your faith! Need help sharing your faith? Drop me an email and I’ll hook you up with a really simple way to share your faith called “Share Jesus Without Fear.”

Until next time…

Be Blessed!

BIG SCOTT

The Harves Is Ripe

One thing I keep hearing over and over again from the Lord is get my people ready! There is a HUGE harvest to be had right here in Wichita! The Lord keeps reminding me that if just 25% of the people that claim to be a Christian here in Wichita ever showed up to church on the same Sunday at the same time there wouldn’t be anywhere near enough churches to hold everyone! Can you imagine that… Just 25% would overwhelm every church in town!!! By the way, you could apply this to virtually any city in the United States.

Wednesday Cessna & Spirit Aerosystems announced the joint venture to build a new jet here in Wichita & between the two of them they would hire 1700 new employees. In addition the news reported that the spin off would generate about an additional 5000 jobs here in Wichita. When I heard this, the Lord spoke to me and told me that with thousands of new people coming to Wichita if we do our part our harvest will be huge!!!

What is our part? It's taking the Gospel to the streets. Getting out & telling people about the Good News of Jesus Christ! Not just going to Old Town on the weekends but going throughout the city witnessing wherever and whenever we can! Every time you make a purchase hand the person taking your money a “million dollar bill.” Going door to door starting right in the neighborhoods by our church and first apologizing to the people for not contacting them sooner and then invite them to church and give them a nice flyer or something to hang on to.

I don’t need to tell you that the signs for the end of time are at hand! If we truly believe Hell is a real place and it is as bad a place as the Bible says it is and if we truly love our neighbors, our family, our friends we had better get out and tell the world about Jesus because we don’t have much time left!!! I keep hearing the same scripture over and over again in my head, Matthew 9:37-38: "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

Thanks! I just wanted to get that off of my chest!

Be Blessed!!!

Big Scott

Mother's Day Poem

There is a poem that is so old I’m almost sure it was around in 146 BC. It’s quite silly, but trust me when I say that if you memorize it and then say it to your mom on Mother’s Day, it will melt her heart.

M is for the million things she gave me,
O means only that she’s growing old,
T is for the tears she shed to save me,
H is for her heart of purest gold;
E is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
R means right, and right she’ll always be,

Put them all together, they spell MOTHER,
A word that means the world to me.

On the day of Pentecost Peter stepped forward to address the crowd and said "In the last days,' God says, 'I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike—and they will prophesy."

Let me ask you something. Are you seeing visions? Are you dreaming dreams? Let me ask this a little bit less forceful. Do you have a vision for your life? Is the vision you have for your life God given? Do you ever dream of doing something special, something that the Lord would have you do?

Let's take this a step further. Have in the past you had a vision for your life, a dream to do something special with or in your life? Has that vision, that dream been displaced by something else? Is there a hurdle standing in your way that is blocking you from fulfilling your dream or vision? If there is, congratulations, you're normal.

If I had to count all of the people that I've spoke with in my short 44 years here on this Earth that have told me they've had the vision to do this or that or that they dream of being able to do something but they know in their hearts that they never will the numbers would be to high for me to count. Christians are no exception, in fact I would have to say that I've heard this more from Christians than any other group of people that I've talked with. The truly said part is that a great number of these dreams and visions that people have shared with me were no doubt in some way brought forth via the Holy Spirit.

Why do so many people have these visions and dreams but yet fail to act on them or if they do they fail miserably at trying to achieve these visions and dreams? There are three main reasons. First is lack of planning and council. People try to do things on their own and don't seek wise council and plan far enough in advance to succeed.

Secondly people try to follow their own dream, their own vision, rather then the vision, the path that God has laid out for them. I can testify to this one. More then once I've received a vision from God for me to do something and I got a big head and I tried to do it in my own way, not God's way, and because I was doing it my way I failed miserably!

Finally, there is one underlying thing, or should I say being that works against all of us doing everything possible to make sure we fail. Satan. Jesus said in John 10:10 "The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy." The thief that Jesus is talking about is Satan.

Simply put, the reason visions and dreams fail is that first we fail to plan, pray, and seek council. Add to that our selfish self fulfilling desires and the door is left wide open for the enemy to come in and steal, kill, and destroy our visions and dreams. Dare I ask that you've had visions and dreams that have been destroyed or put aside? If you're truthful the answer will be a resounding "Yes!"

Do your visions have to be gone? Do your dreams have to be dead? If you know Jesus the answer is a resounding "No!" God did not give you dreams and visions and not give you a way to achieve what He has shown you. If you're like me you've got something down inside you somewhere gnawing at you and you know in your heart that what is down there was placed there by God. For some of you it may be something small that you visit once in a while. For others, and this would include me, that gnawing is eating you up knowing that your not where God wants you and your not doing what wants you to do.

So where are you? Something little, something big, or are you somewhere in the middle? I know where I'm at. I know that God has called me to finish college with a degree in Christian Ministry. I know that God has called me to preach. I also know that God has called me to encourage and equip others to do God's will.

Are you where God wants you to be? If your like me the answer is no. But how do we get back to where God wants us to be so we can once again pursue the visions and the dreams that God has given us? First, and most importantly, you need to do just what I did and acknowledge that you've failed God and seek God's forgiveness.

The next step is to seek God and ask him for new visions, new dreams. Ask God what it is He would have you to do. I'm not saying that you need to quit your job, pick up, and go straight to work for God. God very seldom calls anyone to do that. If you're the norm, which believe it or not would include me, you've got a family, or at least you've got some responsibilities. Remember God will never call you to abandon the responsibilities that you have taken upon yourself such as family or financial such as money you would owe on a car or your home. You've made a solemn commitment to people and God expects you to fulfill those commitments.

In 1 Chronicles 22 King David was building the Temple and when the instructions were given out and in verse 19 David ordered at the start of the construction Israel to "seek the Lord your God with all your heart and soul." That is what we need to do. As we are starting to build something new we to should seek the Lord with all our heart and soul! By doing this we will not be led astray by the enemy.

And finally, seek to work your way to your vision and your dream. Build slowly, seek wise council, and keep seeking God so that you will not be swayed one way or the other but rather you can you set your pace, run your race like Paul spoke of in Hebrews 12:1 & 2 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith."

I could go on and on here. I could even turn this blog into a book if I wanted to and the Lord would have it. But you get the picture. Don't let your visions and dreams be buried forever. Seek God, move forward, and see if God will not give you more joy and fulfillment in your life.

I'd love to hear from you about your visions and dreams. Drop me a line and let me hear what's on your heart.

Be Blessed!

BIG SCOTT

WinterJam!

It’s Saturday evening @ 11:45 & I’m sitting here with my head still pounding and my body still bouncing to the beat from the WinterJam concert that my wife and I went to tonight! For those that haven’t heard or been to a WinterJam concert it features Sanctus Real, Hawk Nelson, Newsong, Steven Curtis Chapman, Jeremy Camp, & The Following. It was 3 ½ hours on pretty much non stop rock and roll for Jesus! It was awesome!

I’ve been to both Steven Curtis Chapman & Newsong concerts in the past and I can tell you this, they never rocked out at those concerts like they did tonight! It’s nice to see that some of the guys that have been around for awhile can still rock out with the kids! Oh, and by the way… Hawk Nelson has been compared to AC/DC from 25 years ago. I don’t agree! AC/DC has never been as good as Hawk Nelson was tonight!

Lest I should save this until the end, out of the 7500 or so people that were there tonight a little over 1000 made a commitment for Jesus! Pretty awesome for a Christian concert!

Be Blessed!!!

BIG SCOTT

The Promise!

Sometimes it sure can be tough waiting on God to move in your life. One of the things that have been on the heart of both my wife and myself is finally getting our finances in order. Before I got sick a couple of years ago we were doing a pretty good job with our finances but not being able to work steady for over a year really put us in a bind. It is only by the grace of God that we were able to stay afloat this long.

Now I’ve finally got a great job selling cars. With the paychecks that I have to look forward too in the next couple of weeks along with our income tax refund we are planning to get caught back up on our bills and finally give us some breathing room. Things are looking good for our financial future for once. It is that future and that hope that the Lord has given us that gives us the strength to push on.

About three weeks ago I had talks with our store manager, Kelvin, and Alan from the corporate office. We discussed whether or not I could make it in the car business and if I could survive the slow winter. Both men told me I had the talent and encouraged me to hang on. The next morning after having my talk with Kelvin I got up and turned the TV on to TBN and the first thing I heard was evangelist Marilyn Hickey say “Winners never quit and quitters never win!” That was my confirmation that I needed to stay right where I was at and do my best, give God the praise, and let the Lord do the rest. I’m glad I did because I’ve had a good month ever since then.

A good salesman, regardless of what he sells treats his job like his own business and builds a solid customer base. That’s what I’m doing now and it’s starting to pay off. Like I said, I’m having a good month this month. Right now I’m in second place at our store for the month and from what I’ve been hearing city wide I’m doing exceptionally well. For this I give God all the praise. I know that my success comes from the Lord. If it wasn’t for me finding favor with the Lord I sure wouldn’t be selling the number of cars that I’ve sold this month!

I can tell you this, if you’re thinking of giving up and throwing in the towel seek God first. Seek to find out what the Lord has in store for your future. Are you where God wants you? Does God want to bless you right where you’re at? Does God want to raise you to a higher place? Of course he does!

You’ve probably heard of Jeremiah 29:11 which says “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.” Keep reading and see what verses 12 – 14 have to say! “In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes.”

That’s a promise I can gratefully accept!

Be Blessed!

BIG SCOTT

Feeling Old!

It’s been said that age is mostly a matter of mind. If you don’t mind it doesn’t matter! I had one of those times this past week that can you feel just a few years older. I’ve been having some problems with my eyes so I thought that I’d check out the vision benefit on my new health insurance and get my eyes check out, for the first time in twenty five years I might add!

The eye doctor had me in the chair and had that thing on my face where he spins around the different dials to see which settings you can see better with. After a few minutes of spinning the dials the doctor pulls his contraption back and says “Well it looks like you’re going to need bifocals.”

Bifocals! I’ve never even wore glasses before and now I need bifocals! I immediately felt about ten years older! And the to pour a little salt in my aging wound the doctor explained to me that it’s not unusual for people “my age” to need glasses for the first time. When people get to be my age their eyes start to change and may need a little help.

I told the doctor that I could see just fine at a distance and that I didn’t have a bit of trouble when driving. My doctor told me that I had a mild case of astigmatism and that glasses would make my distant vision even better. Once again he told me it was an age thing. At the rate we were going I felt like the doctor was going to recommend a walker for someone at my fragile age!

Until I get my prescription glasses the doctor had me get a pair of reading glasses at Wal-Mart. As a consolation I can see much better to read now. I should also give kudos to my wife. She did a great job of making me feel better by telling me that my glasses make me look more sophisticated and intelligent! It’s great having a wife that knows how to make you feel better!

Be Blessed!

BIG SCOTT