Finding God in America

Just a Reminder

2011-11-17T23:48:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to remind everyone that the blog has moved. You can reach the blog at www.findinggodinamerica.com. I hope to see you there soon.

New Blog Posts

2010-08-13T22:46:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone, if you didn't already know, I changed blog hosts. This means that you will need to go to the new blog page to continue to get the rss feed. I have a couple new posts up, please check them out and start following from the new blog host. www.findinggodinamerica.com

New Blog Post

2010-07-26T18:19:00.000-04:00

For those of you that don't know, the Finding God In America blog has moved to another server. It is now on WordPress so you will have to change your rss feed, etc. to continue to receive the blog. The url is the same www.findinggodinamerica.com, so you can go there and tell me what you think. As always, you can see what is happening with Right Side Up Ministries by visiting our web page www.rightsideupministries.org. We just finished a skatepark in MS and we are now heading back to Haiti for another week of service.

New Blog Server

2010-06-28T15:14:00.002-04:00

And so it goes! The process that I thought would take me a week or two only took me a day. I have decided to switch over to Wordpress for all of my blogging needs. There are many factors that went into the situation, but the primary reason is that Wordpress appears to have more options and expansion opportunities, as well as, better templates and an overall more professional look. The downside is that I cannot carry my domain over for free. I now have to pay a yearly subscription to use my own domain name. I have started the process, which at this point has not been working. Until it does start working the domain is http://www.findinggodinamerica.wordpress.com. Hopefully findinggodinamerica.com will start working. I believe it is just a matter of time for the domain to get transferred from one nameserver to another. I am also looking to find a way to bring all of my past blogs from blogger into my Wordpress blog. If anyone knows how to do this I would greatly appreciate the help. I hope that you enjoy the blog and its new look.

Today it Begins

2010-04-23T18:30:00.000-04:00

Here's a quick rundown of this weekend and the events that will soon be taking place.

What are we doing?
In the next hour I will be constructing, hopefully with help, our weekend "Haiti Home" which I and two interns from Mississippi Gulf Coast Youth for Christ will be calling home. We will spend our two nights sleeping in it and our days hanging out in it, except the two of them have to work crazy hours tomorrow, but I will be there. This might very well be the craziest thing I have ever done. Well, maybe not the craziest, but it definitely ranks up there. Did I mention it is raining? And when I say raining I really mean intense downpour! That's cool though, because the idea is for people to get a picture of what life is like for those who are living in homes similar to the picture above. We're staying in this for 36 hours.

Why are we doing this?
Simple, because "The love of Christ compels us..." 2Cor 5:14. Because people are in need and we NEED to do something about it. The truth is, between 1.3 and 1.8 million people are displaced after the earthquake on January 12th. This means they have no place to live. It means either their house cracked or shifted, or it fell completely to the ground. Either way, it is unsafe! That is as many people as live in Philadelphia or two Indianapolis' or three Atlanta's. In short, it's a lot of people and somebody has to do something. We are raising funds to return to Haiti to help in this process. Our goal is $6,000.00, and if we reach that goal any extra raised will go to aHomeInHaiti.org and other organizations working on the housing crisis in Haiti.

How can I help?
Glad you asked! There are a few ways you can get involved.
1) Help get the word out- Tell all your friends about what we are doing and send them to the RSUM website for more info.
2) Pledge to the cause- Help us raise the funds we need to return. You can pledge a single amount or you can pledge by the hour. Either way you choose works for us.
3) Come visit us on location- We will be at 1501 24th Ave in Gulfport, MS, between the Youth for Christ office and the Xtreme Teen Center.
4) A Home In Haiti- You can send a tent to Haiti. Just visit aHomeInHaiti.org. You can send a tent, purchase a tent, or donate toward the purchase of a tent.

There are so many ways to get involved with the relief efforts in Haiti. Our goal is to return to Haiti to help, as well as to keep awareness alive about the overwhelming need that is in Haiti right now. Rainy season is here and people are sleeping in make shift homes, "Haiti Homes", like the ones above. We are determined to do what we can to help. We are committed to helping the people of Haiti stay dry, safe, fed, and clothed. Please take a moment and pray about how you can help.

You can help financially by clicking the "Donate" button below. Online gifts ARE NOT tax deductible at this time. for a tax receipt please visit the Right Side Up Ministries website and click on "Contact Us"

Help Haiti Fund-Raiser

2010-04-20T13:31:00.005-04:00

What are we doing?
Here's the rundown- April 23rd-April 25th we will be constructing a "Haiti Home" out of scrap wood, tarps and sheets. We will be staying in the "Haiti Home" for 36 hours to raise funds to help Right Side Up Ministries return to Haiti.

How can I help?
Glad you asked! There are a few ways you can get involved.
1) Help get the word out- Tell all your friends about what we are doing and send them to the RSUM website for more info.
2) Pledge to the cause- Help us raise the funds we need to return. You can pledge a single amount or you can pledge by the hour. Either way you choose works for us.
3) Come visit us on location- We will be at 1501 24th Ave in Gulfport, MS, between the Youth for Christ office and the Xtreme Teen Center.
4) A Home In Haiti- You can send a tent to Haiti. Just visit aHomeInHaiti.org. You can send a tent, purchase a tent, or donate toward the purchase of a tent.

There are so many ways to get involved with the relief efforts in Haiti. Our goal is to return to Haiti to help, as well as to keep awareness alive about the overwhelming need that is in Haiti right now. Rainy season is here and people are sleeping in make shift homes, "Haiti Homes", like the ones above. We are determined to do what we can to help. We are committed to helping the people of Haiti stay dry, safe, fed, and clothed. Please take a moment and pray about how you can help.

You can help financially by clicking the "Donate" button below. Online gifts ARE NOT tax deductible at this time. for a tax receipt please visit the Right Side Up Ministries website and click on "Contact Us"

Not A Wall Runner Througher

2010-03-25T13:47:00.000-04:00

Recently I posted an update that asked, "When you come up against something big in life do you tend to face it or run? I tend to run."

I based this question out of Romans7:15, "For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do."

As I have spent time lately in prayer, meditation, and study of the Bible I have come to some harsh realities in my own life. One is my response to the above question. I tend to run. It isn't pretty, but if I am going to be honest, it's the truth. When I come up against a wall, I tend to run the other way. I am not a wall climber, runner througher, or knocker downer. It just doesn't come natural to me. I just don't seem to have the tendency or ability.

I have some things in my life that are head on issues that I need to face. We all have them, for that matter. But what we don't all have is the desire to avoid them. I have an uncanny ability, on a somewhat consistent basis, to work around the big stuff. I have learned to function in life without dealing with these things head on. It needs to change, and here is why- I have a strong desire to do amazing things for God. I want to succeed at this ministry thing. I want to run my course with success!

A big misconception I have had is that if I'm called into ministry, God will automatically make me a success. I was told many times that if it's God's will, He'll make it work, despite my actions. This is simply just not true and I am learning this more and more each day.

I have seen many truly successful people, and one thing they all have in common is the ability to face problems and tough situations head on. They have a natural ability programmed in their DNA that allows them the bust through any wall that they may come up against. They can look at a problem and see it as an opportunity to succeed. I see it as an opportunity to fail. Call it pessimism, negativity, or what have you. I call it a core root issue. I see it as a huge problem and the main reason why I cannot do more in ministry. I see it as a major barrier to becoming a huge success.

Don't get me wrong, I do face the problems in my life quite frequently. I am not saying I don't, but merely pointed out my natural tendency to avoid them. Let's put it this way, if I can, in any way, avoid the problem, I will. Through this I have missed God, struggled way too long with things, and just plain made life difficult.

With so much coming for myself and Right Side Up Ministries in the future, I felt a need to get this out, to make it public. By doing so I hope to put my life on the accountability platform. The Bible tells us that if we make light of our sins we bring them out of darkness and are able to be cleansed. Change is possible, even in the most impossible, life proven habits. We can break through the toughest issues if we are willing to get it out and let it go.

If you have the same tendency I do I want you to know that God is able to help. He is able to get you through this struggle. The first step is to let it out into the light and then start making a conscience decision to go another way. That is, after all, the true definition of repentance. Repent of not facing your giants today and let God form you into a warrior worthy of your calling.

What are your biggest struggles in life? Are they things that you are willing to share with others?

Haiti: Expenses and Explanations

2010-03-11T10:56:00.000-05:00

It has been just over a week since our return form Haiti. My mind has had some time to process what we experienced during our week, but I am still not able to process everything that I would like to.However, I am able to more clearly communicate some ideas of what our future will look like in Haiti.

I am currently planning a second trip to Haiti. I hope to leave on March 22nd. The plan is to stay in Haiti for four weeks. During this four week time I will be assisting in the requisition and distribution of temporary housing, i.e. tarps and tents. I will also assist in the distribution of food and supplies to remote and virtually unassisted villages in Haiti. I am also working on acquiring contacts for shoes and clothing which I will distribute to a number of the fourteen orphanages we visited on our last trip. All I need to do is find the stuff I need so I can get it out to those who need it.

The key to working in Haiti is to find out who has what and working my way into the system so I can start gaining access to the large amount of supplies that are already in country. I know it sounds easy, but in reality, it can prove to be quite difficult. Many governments and organizations have supplies in country, but for fear of finding items on the black market, they keep tight reigns on what they have. It's there, I just need to get my hands on it.

This next trip is going to be much more expensive than the last. $6,000.00 expensive. To put it into perspective, it cost three of us around $3,000.00 to go on the first trip, minus personal expenses for travel food, immunizations, etc. So here is a basic breakdown of the expenses needed to make this trip happen.

- Personal expenses while gone:     $500.00/m
- Safe place to stay in Haiti:    $400.00/m
- Interpreter                                   $560.00/m
- Transportation                             $2,240.00/m
- Airfare                                        $800.00
Total                                            $4,500.00

- Extra/ emergency funds $900.00
- tithe to local Haiti church             $600.00
Total                                  $1,500.00

Grand Total                                $6,000.00

One great lesson that Tim Williams taught me on our first trip was that putting money into the local economy was important. This is why we purchased many of our supplies that we gave out to the orphanages. It filled a need and put money into the local economy.

I recently read an article about the upcoming rebuild/ reconstruction phase of Haiti. In the article they talk about the need to restrict the involvement of organizational/ volunteer work in Haiti. At first glance I was offended. "How dare they not want organizational/ volunteer workers? Don't they know how much money we will save them?" Then it hit me, volunteer work takes away from paid work for the locals, and money that would otherwise go into the local economy. I realized the importance of the local economy having a shot in the arm with locals making a regular wage. With unemployment so high before the earthquake, Haiti could really use the economic boost that this rebuild effort can bring.

This is why I have so much going into interpreters and transportation. I don't just want to go to Haiti, do what I do, and leave as cheaply as possible. I want to be a blessing to Haiti and right now one way to bless them would be to employ everybody that I can. These are real needs that I have while I am there that I may be able to get around if I worked really hard at it, but I want to help in a real way. This means hiring locals for interpreter and transportation needs. If you add it up, it is only $20/day for an interpreter and $80/day for transportation. All in all, not very expensive, but a big boost for those that I hire.

I have been contacted by three different people we worked with while in Haiti acquiring about my return so they can have work. I know that I cannot hire all three at once, but the plan is to hire all three of them periodically while I'm there. I have interpreter and transportation needs while there and I know these people are the best for what I need. This is the best way that Right Side Up Ministries can have the biggest impact in Haiti. To give people a handout will help them for the moment, but to employ them will help them in the long term.

I have come to realize that the biggest mistake of nonprofit organizations and volunteers in the long term recovery is to rely solely on volunteer work rather than to hire locals. Sure it costs more to hire the locals than to work with volunteers, but the goal of Right Side Up Ministries it to have a long term impact in Haiti. We want to help people get back on their feet. All three of the people we worked with daily in Haiti had real jobs that no longer exist. They will remain unemployed until there are some serious rebuilding efforts put into action.

So, in conclusion, this is what it will cost for me to return to Haiti for a one month stay. This is what it will cost for each additional month that I return. I know that it is a large amount, but as you can see, it is money well spent.

If you would like to help this next phase of RSUM in Haiti simply click the "DONATE" button below or visit the RSUM web page for more info.

Online donations are NOT tax deductible at this time!
For more info or for a tax deductible donation please visit the RSUM page.

Some Post Thoughts on Haiti

2010-03-03T18:55:00.000-05:00

I read a blog by Anne Jackson called "Unfinishedness" that has opened a floodgate of emotions about Haiti. I still have not had time to fully digest all that I experienced there. My heart and mind are having a hard time lining up. My heart breaks for those I left behind, the ones who are working so hard for a better life. I never met people so strong and resilient. It seems that no matter what they come up against, they fight and move on. Extreme poverty is nothing new to Haiti. They have been poor for as long as anyone knows. Missionaries have been there for decades helping ease the pains of a badly dealt hand of cards. I have had two of my new friends contact me since I have been home and as I think of them and their situation it becomes increasingly difficult to choke back the tears that my heart longs to get out.

If I were asked to put my experience in one word, that word would be pathetic. Not for the Haitian people, but rather for those of us who have lived so close and have done so little. I once read an article about why people of other nations seem to have a hatred for the U.S. and it concluded that it was based on our wealth to giving ratio. In the eyes of other countries we have so much wealth but do so little to change the plight of so many in the world. I won't say if I agree with this or not, but I will say that perception IS reality for those on the outside, which means we could probably be doing a whole bunch more.

I know some may say, "What about all those in the U.S. that are going hungry and living in poverty? Why don't you do something about that first, then go help another nation?" My responding question is this, "Why don't you?" I am no expert, but I have seen a pattern that disturbs me. Most people that I know who complain about any given topic and their dislike of any given situation are DOING ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO CHANGE THE SITUATION! I'm not writing this to start an argument or enrage people, but instead, I write this as a plea for Americans to think outside of our borders. I know that times are difficult. I know that we have our own needs in this country, but what I saw in Haiti is unacceptable. It is unacceptable for me to live so close to a people who are hurting so much without doing everything I can to make a difference.

I talked to people who lost everything. They lost their home, their job, their car, their family, and their sense of stability. I was there when a 4.4 aftershock killed another 200 people. It seemed so slight that I managed to sleep through it. It shows the instability of life in Haiti. It shows the uncertainty of the future of Haiti. Yet, through all of this, I heard people worshiping God in the middle of such destruction. I heard people praising God that He was still with Haiti. I saw a woman who had a stroke praising God, not because she was healed, but because she had less pain than before we came. I saw a man jumping up and down with such joy yelling, "Praise Jesus!" in creole because we brought him some tarps so they could have some protection from the weather. I held the had of little children who had no parents to hold them, and though we couldn't communicate with words, we did through physical contact. I saw the joy on a kids face when he received a bicycle from an American who saw a need and did something. This same child sat with his right foot bandaged, unable to use the bike at this time because he had to have two of his toes amputated. I saw a child with scabies so bad that he had dozens of open, oozing sores all over his body and all he could do was sit there and cry and scratch because there was no medical treatment. Say what you want about our health care system, but at least a child like this could have a chance at treatment here. I saw things that I never expected to see and it moved my heart to make a difference.

Like Anne Jackson, I too cannot sign off on Haiti as completed in my life. I cannot stop thinking about Haiti, feeling for Haiti, and hurting for Haiti. I will be returning by the end of the month to spend at least four weeks there. I don't know if this will create the conclusion that I am seeking. I don't know if I will have a huge impact on Haiti, but I can be assured that I will impact those who God has brought into my path. I can do everything I possibly can to make a small change in a country with seemingly no direction and a people with little hope for a better future.

Haiti Concluded

2010-03-02T22:00:00.000-05:00

Made it back home. I don't really know how I feel about being back in the U.S. I can tell you that I do feel guilty every time I spend money on things I don't really need, like coffee or junk food. We ate at Panera Bread today after getting a Venti coffee at Starbucks. I didn't think about it until we were in the car on our way down the road about my friends in Haiti who will be sleeping in the streets tonight. If I'm not careful the guilt will become overwhelming. I realize there is only so much that we can do, but until I am finished with my part I can't stop thinking about the little things. The things like good coffee, good food, clean water, a roof over my head, and a hot shower. They have a name for this kind of guilt, I don't know what it is, but I have it. I'm tired and ready to go to bed. I am glad to be home, but can't wait to get back to Haiti. There is so much to be done there. There are tents to acquire, food to distribute, shoes to put on kids feet, and people to pray with and for. I have much to do the next two weeks. I have tents to find, tickets to buy, supplies to gather, and money to raise. It's all worth it when I think about all those beautiful smiling faces on all those children we saw. Each one deserves to live better. Each one deserves to have the basics of survival. I know that we can't help them all, but the ones we can help will be helped. That is my commitment to God, and to Haiti.

Our last two days in Haiti were busy. We went to Pastor Fermin's church in the morning. We all had a chance to speak, and of course, I took advantage of the opportunity and preached. It was only fifteen minutes, so I was respectful of time. After that we set up for our third and final clinic. We saw around 200 people in five ours. Once again I took my interpreter, Jasmine, and we went hut to hut and spoke to as many as would listen. We had dozens of people ask us to pray for them for strength, provision, and healing. We prayed for some to accept Jesus for the first time or for their hearts to be rededicated. The time we spent in the hot sun was well worth it.

Yesterday morning we went back to the orphanage where the lady with the stroke was. We had a couple hundred pounds of food for them, along with some tarps, water, and laundry soap. When the pastor saw us coming with our hands full of supplies he started jumping up and down with his hands raised up yelling "Thank you Jesus" in creole. It was hard to choke back the tears. the little girl on the right in the pink dress came up to me and grabbed my hand and held it the entire time we were there. She made it so hard to leave. Now, when I think about my last moments in Haiti I see this beautiful little girls face and wish that I had the means to adopt her and give her a better life. One thing I learned on this trip to Haiti is that it takes no time at all for you to fall in love with every child you come across. They are all so amazing and cute. I miss them the most of all.

Alan and I came back last night. We drove all night to get to Mississippi by this afternoon and he took off again to drive to Indianapolis. David stayed behind. He will be there until the 15th of March. I am currently planning another trip to Haiti that will leave in two or three weeks. I plan to stay in Haiti for an entire month. This will be the biggest step of faith yet for me and Right Side Up Ministries, but I know God wants this. I know in a couple days I will start to think straight and be able to put things in a clearer perspective, but until then, this is the best that I have to offer. I will digest the past week and put some things down in words and hopefully be able to put it into a synopsis of sorts. Until then, God Bless and thank you for all your support during our trip to Haiti.

Haiti Day 6

2010-02-27T22:15:00.000-05:00

It's raining in Haiti. I can't stop thinking about all the children that are sleeping outside in the rain. I want so badly to have shelter for all the people that we come across. We have had three translators working with us this week and non of them have water proof shelter. We were able today to give a tent to one of them and will have another one in a tent at the end of our time here.

We still have not received the tents we were told we would have, but we did get thirty tarps from Samaritans Purse. They were also able to give us the contact numbers to several other organizations that will be able to help us in the future. We will be able to put some great stuff together for our return trip. We have also made many local contacts, which will help us a great deal.

Today was day two of our clinic. We saw around 250 people in six hours. I had the opportunity today to go tent to tent and door to door to talk with people and let them know that we were here and what we are doing. I had the opportunity to pray with people for comfort, strength, healing, and provision. Most of the people we talked to were Christians.

We skipped breakfast this morning so we could leave early but our Tap Tap broke down and we had to get a new one. Our old one came back this afternoon, then broke while we were on the road back to camp. Our driver ran out and had another one within twenty minutes so we were able to make it home in time for dinner. It was a true Haiti experience that I don't think I wan to experience again.

Tomorrow is busy again, we are speaking at a local church in the morning, running another clinic in the afternoon, taking supplies to a couple orphanages after that, then packing to leave on Monday. I don't want to leave, but I know it will create an opportunity to do better ministry the next time we come. Until tomorrow night, God Bless.

Haiti Day 5

2010-02-26T21:40:00.000-05:00

Today was a long and hot day. We held a medical clinic in a small tent city near where we are staying. We saw 200 people in our clinic today. It was a loud, hot, high paced day. We ended up one translater short so my guy was moved into a more needed spot which prevented me from walking through the tent city and talking to the people. I still tried to communicate, but when all you can say is "what is your name?" "my name is Scott" "Hello" "Thank you" and "smile" it limits the communication. Most of the people we saw were children who had fevers, were dehydrated, and malnourished. It was sad to here the medical team telling mother after mother to feed their children regularly, or to give them bottled water, and to feed themselves so they would have breast milk to feed their babies. I can't get over the lack of knowledge of basic life skills or the lack of resources to keep a community relatively healthy. I have been totally spoiled by my middle class suburbia mentality.

I have been in third world countries before, but never anything like this. I have never seen this much poverty with my own eyes. I can honestly say that I will never look at world poverty the same again. The need is so overwhelming that it can cause us to want to just give up and go home, but in the end that is not an option. There is no way we could leave without doing EVERYTHING we can to help. That is why getting tents is such a high priority. When you look at where the people are sleeping it breaks your heart, but when you see the children living the same way it rips your heart to pieces. The photo above on the right is of a woman who recently had a stroke. This was the first medical treatment she has received. The bed she is sitting on is the same bed she sleeps in. Notice the mattress, it is a piece of memory foam, that's it. The picture below on the left is of a pair of bunk beds that the children sleep on. No protection what so ever. There is a building on the property, but it was damaged in the quake and continues to sustain damage with each aftershock. The locals will not sleep inside for fear of "the big one!" Every time the earth shakes they wonder if this is it. With rainy season around the corner it makes it difficult. On one hand they want stay dry, but on the other, they are willing to live outside in the rain if it means they will live. Time is running out for the Haitian people to have a dry place to live.

We have been promised a bunch of blankets, food, and fifty tents. We have also obtained an old wheelchair for the lady in the picture above so she can move around a bit easier. Our goal this weekend is to get tents to the twelve orphanages that we visited, distribute the food we have received, and get the wheel chair to the woman who needs it. We are expecting a big turn out for the medical clinic tomorrow. Please be praying for our team and the people we are working with, along with the numerous humanitarian workers we are camped with here in Haiti. I will be returning Monday, but only in body. I can't imagine I will ever leave this place in my heart. I will be back and will make a difference, that I can promise you.

Haiti Day 3 & 4

2010-02-25T21:01:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was intensely hot. It seemed like such a long day. We only went to three orphanages instead of our scheduled five. It was the first time that we drove through some of the hardest hit areas. The destruction is unbelievable. Words cannot describe what we drove through and what we saw. I can’t wait to get pictures posted.

One orphanage we went to had a three story building that collapsed. The miraculous part is that the kids where in the building when it came down and not one of them was seriously injured. Three hours later, we were told, "the earth brought forth water.” They had started to set up in an outside concrete courtyard area when suddenly the well started to push water out. In a matter of minutes they were flooded and had to move everything to the mountains. They eventually moved back, but after the overnight earthquakes of this past week they decided to move to the mountains again. They have little to no water proof shelter when the rains come. My heart is broken at the thought of these beautiful kids living and sleeping in the rain. It will be hard, even with tents, but it big step that needs to take place. If you had seen these kids and heard their story I promise you that you would have done everything in your power to help them. We spent an hour there delivering food and teaching the kids how to play “Duck, Duck,Goose”. This is only one of the many stories that we have been a part of this week.

Today was the hardest day yet. Emotionally it hurt. We went to an orphanage that was is good condition and seemed to have things under hand. The hardest thing for them is that every building in their place has to be torn down and rebuilt. They all sustained some kind of damage in the quake. Even though they were in better shape than most, they still need a lot of help. They feed forty neighborhood kids along with the fifty they have in the orphanage. These kids are so amazing. They run around laughing and smiling. They love to be hugged and held. The hardest part was when we had to leave.

The next place we went to was the hardest for most of us. We had to drive through a river to get to the orphanage. When I say river I really mean a swift moving stream that was about ten feet wide. No bridge, just water running over the road. Our tap-tap driver was a bit apprehensive about driving through it, but in the end, he gave in and drove through. They had beds, cots, and bunk beds sitting outside with no shelter at all. There was an elderly woman who recently had a stroke and had not yet received any medical attention. As the medical personal took care of her and a few of the children we hung out with the older boys and kicked a flat basketball around like a soccer ball. The orphanage backs up to an ice factory with a river running between the two properties. The river looks like a trash dump with a stream of water running down the middle of it. They just seem to through all of their trash over the fence and into the river. It's hard to describe how it makes me feel to see that people live like this. When we left it was clear to me that we had to work harder on getting these tents. We are also looking for a wheel chair for the woman who had a stroke so she can at least get around better than before. It is a difficult situation, but it will get better.

Tomorrow will prove to be a productive day. We are looking for our tents, as well as getting our hands on some blankets and a wheel chair. We are also getting some blue tarp from Samaritans Purse so we can put some tarps up to help with some kind of shelter. We still have more orphanages to visit and hope to have a clinic going Sunday afternoon in a local tent city. Please be praying for everything to line up by the time we leave, that we will have shelter, medical supplies, and food to all that we have on our list. Hopefully our internet will continue to work so I can update tomorrow. Until then, God Bless!

Haiti Day 2

2010-02-23T23:25:00.001-05:00

Last night was a bit on the interesting side, at least that's what I heard this morning. We had two earthquakes in the middle of the night. Apparently dogs were barking and children were screaming. Our team is sleeping in tents right next to where the children in the orphanage sleep and somehow I managed to sleep right through all of it. I didn't hear a thing until the morning when I saw all the children and their caregivers sleeping under the big mango tree out in front of the building. Everybody here was alright. Apparently I was REALLY tired and not even two earthquakes could wake me up!

Today was a good day. We spent the day taking food and medical supplies to five orphanages. We were able to hug and love some little ones along the way. We also had a chance to hear the stories of many of the people who run the orphanages. We met a baby girl who was born the day of the earthquake and saw a pair of twins born just days after. To see these children and how they have to live is heart breaking. It makes it hard to leave soon. We have many pictures, and even some video, but will probably wait to post it until we return.

The hardest thing about today was seeing the children that live at the orphanage were we are staying. They were all children that were hurt during the earthquake. They had casts and braces on different parts of their bodies. They really seemed to like us being around though. We could tell by the huge smiles they all seemed to have on their faces as we hung out with them. It really makes me think about what I consider a rough time in my life.

We drove through some very hard hit areas today. Haiti has always been a dirty, trashed out place, but the impact of this earthquake has made things worse. Many people just seem to wonder around during the day and find any place they can to sleep at night. Tent cities are full of people sleeping under ripped tarps, sheets, and blankets, non of which are waterproof. Nobody will sleep inside, and the few who venture in at night are quickly run out with after shocks. There is a heaviness of fear and uncertainty about Haiti. They are a resilient people, but you can see they have taken a heavy hit in their armor. The locals that we have talked to share their fear openly. The director of one of the orphanages told us today he was uncertain about moving the children into buildings because they say there will likely be another big quake. This has struck fear in the Haitian people and makes me wonder if they will ever let life get back to normal.

On a lighter note, every night the children where we stay, and their caregivers, go into one of the buildings and sing songs and praise God. It is such a huge comfort for me to be around while they are singing. There is such a peace that comes over this place while they sing. I know that the Bible tells us to praise God in ALL situations, and it's easy to talk about, but how many of us could honestly say that we could do that. I know it is hard for me and I have never faced anything like this. To see the people's spirits so high is a huge boost in our spirits. It shows that even with the fear that they live with right now, they are sure of better things to come.

The biggest needs we saw today, outside of food, water, and medical supplies, was shelter. There is a huge need for dry shelter with the upcoming rainy season. Our interpreter is sleeping outside because the "steelers", or thieves, came and stole everything they had. They have one tent, but it is too small for everyone to sleep in. He just bought a house, but they were told they could not sleep in it. We committed to get him dry shelter before we leave.

Right Side Up Ministries is working hard to be a part of the solution to this problem. We have the ability and desire to get the tents out to the people, but we lack a connection to supply them. We are working on lining everything up for another visit this month. We will be back in the U.S. on March 1st and we will begin to raise awareness, as well as finances, to make this next trip possible.

It is late and my eyes are getting heavy so it is time to say good night. Thank you again to all who made this trip possible. With your support we were able to touch the lives of hundreds of orphans today.

Haiti Day 1

2010-02-22T21:25:00.002-05:00

Tonight will be short. I am completely exhausted. It has been a long 36 hours of packing, travel, setting up camp, and now writing this. We arrived without a glitch. The airport was a bit of a mad house, but those familiar with Haiti say it has always been that way. We loaded all our belongings and ourselves into these small, beat up, little pickups and drove to the camp we are staying in. As we drove through town you couldn't help but notice the devastation all around. I am told that some of this has always been that way, but some has not. We drove by two tent cities on the way, one looking upscale, with nice matching quonset hut looking tents, and the other, just a sea of sheets and tarps tied together in a makeshift, patch quilt looking manner. As we drove on further we saw a water distribution spot where hundreds of people where grabbing and fighting over cases of water. Not long after that we turned down a road, labeled such only because that is its intended use, and came back to the compound we are staying in. Yes I said compound, complete with armed guards and all. We unloaded our stuff, set up our tents, ate dinner, and then went to our first daily meeting. We talked a little about what we would be doing and what we could expect out of the week. Now I am struggling to keep my eyes open as I write this, just waiting until things calm down enough so I can sleep without being woke up. The sounds of the night are those such as a 5 ton military truck just pulled into our compound to unload a shipment of water that just arrived in port and a building full of people singing and worshiping God as loudly as they please. Not complaining, just sharing. I love to hear them singing and to see a huge truck full of water is an exciting sight as well. That's about it for today. Tomorrow starts early as we head into some orphanages to bring food, supplies, and the love of Jesus to the Haitian people. Until tomorrow night, Be blessed and thank God for the comfort and security from which you are able to read this from. Don't forget to pray for the people of Haiti and our team of eight. We have a busy week ahead and can't wait to see how it goes.

Thoughts on My Trip to Haiti Pt. 3

2010-02-20T19:32:00.000-05:00

It is now less than 48 hours until we fly out for Haiti. It is hard to describe how it feels to finally be heading out. All the anticipation is coming to a head as we head out for Florida tomorrow night.

I really have no idea what to expect when I get there. I have heard numerous other people say the same thing just before they went. This is a tragedy that is unprecidented in my eyes. I have never even thought of going into a situation like this. To be honest, even after it first happened it never crossed my mind to go. That's usually how this stuff works for me. I watch, with everybody else, the devastation of natural disasters and think, "how sad", then I turn the TV off and go about my life.

This disaster was no different. In fact, I had a friend contact me shortly after and ask if I was going because they felt a need to give. I told them no and redirected them to other organizations that I knew that were doing stuff there. A few days later, while watching more news footage, I heard the call to go. From that day until now I haven't stopped thinking about or working toward this trip.

I heard so many people say not to go. I heard all the reasons under the sun, but when God calls it's time to go. That is what we are doing. We have a three man team going with Right Side Up Ministries. We are meeting another team of six members from Tim Williams Healing Hands International Ministries in Florida. We will be working with orphanages, bring them food and supplies. We will also be a part of a small medical team that will be helping those with medical needs. What else are you doing you ask? I have no idea. This is what I know and what we are working to make happen.

What to expect! I keep asking myself this, what can I expect? My mind races to find a scenario that I can relate with so I know what to expect. I can't! I've been to Mississippi after Katrina, Texas after Ike, and Atlanta after the floods, but nothing seems to compare to 212,000 dead and hundreds of thousands homeless. Nothing seems to compare to make shift tent cities with 70+ thousand people living under tarps during rainy season. I am convinced that nothing can fully prepare us for the devastation we will see. The only comfort that I have is that God is in control. He knows what we are going to do, what we are going to see, and what we are going to say. He has prepared us before hand for such a moment as this. Our job is to trust Him, spend time with Him, and let Him direct our steps on this trip.

We are working hard to prepare in every way we can by getting passports, shots, rain gear, and tents. We are doing what we can to prepare spiritually by getting in the Word, praying and spending time with God. We are doing what we can to prepare mentally by learning as much as we can about the situation and what to expect, learning a little about the culture, etc. All this preparation so that we can go. So that we can be a part of a healing process instead of just watching it on TV or the internet. All this to help a people that most of us never thought twice about before January 12th, 2010.

All this preparation will mean nothing if we don't do one important thing, go! So tomorrow night we go, Monday we arrive, and next week we do. God is good and He loves the Haitian people and we are going there to show them just how much He does. We are going to show them that they are not in this alone and that we are committed to see them through every step of the way. We are going to be the hands and feet of God and to live out the Biblical church, to bring the Gospel to the world, and to bring hope and healing to a scared and hurting people.

We still need 32 people to give $50.00 to help get us there. We are going with or without it, but could really use your help to reach our goal. If you would like to help us go to Haiti you can click the DONATE button below. A donation of any size will be a huge help!
Online donations are NOT tax deductible at this time!
For more info or for a tax deductible donation please visit the RSUM page.

Thoughts on My Trip to Haiti Pt. 2

2010-02-12T14:10:00.000-05:00

Here are some new thoughts on Haiti and the upcoming trip that Right Side Up Ministries is taking there.

Good things have happened in the last 24 hours. I have made a contact and found a place to stay. We will be able to eat and sleep here. I am also waiting on confirmation for a travel partner to go along on the trip. We will be taking food and supplies to orphanages. We will also be with a small medical team, so there will be some medical stuff involved. This is a huge answer to prayer.

Next on the agenda, finalize the team list, buy tickets, and get everything in order to go. We have several needs for this trip to be a success.

1) We need reliable communication, which means a new cell phone and an international plan.
2) We also need a new tent, one that is more waterproof than the one I currently own. (The tent will stay in Haiti when we leave.)
3) Finish up with vaccinations. OUCH!
4) Finances to bring us over the top so we can leave some for the locals to continue the work when we leave.
5) A strong prayer team to lift us up each and every day! (MOST IMPORTANT!)
6) People that will commit to help us get the word out about the trip via facebook, twitter, myspace, or any other social media site. Just briefly tell people what is going on with a link to http://www.rightsideupministries.org.

Thank you for all of your help. More details to come in the next few days. We are working on a prayer page on facebook and an email prayer team. If you would like to help us with any of the above list then visit the Right Side Up Ministries website for more info on how to help. To be a part of the email prayer team or if you have any questions email me at scott@rightsideupministries.org.

I have to say that the reality of this trip is starting to sink in. I remember driving to the Mississippi Gulf Coast just days after hurricane Katrina thinking to myself, "What have I gotten myself into?" Just this morning I had the same thought about Haiti, "What have I gotten myself into?" I can feel the butterflies in my stomach starting to reproduce like rabbits, skipping the coccoon, larva phase and jumping straight into flight. I wouldn't call it fear, just a healthy concern for the unknown. Any time you put yourself out there to follow God's lead, your comfort zone will melt away to a life stretching experience. I look forward to being stretched outside my comfort zone. Growth is not a painless process, especially when it comes to spiritual maturity, but thank God that He is able to lead us into ALL truth and use us to the farthest extent of our potential.

When was the last time that God asked you outside of your comfort zone? Are you willing to be stretched?

If you would like to help us go to Haiti you can click the DONATE button below
Online donations are NOT tax deductible at this time!
For more info or for a tax deductible donation please visit the RSUM page.

Thoughts on My Trip to Haiti

2010-02-06T15:16:00.001-05:00

"Don't go to Haiti! Unless you have a search and rescue or medical background, your only going to be in the way." I have heard this said in one way or another for weeks now. People who know more about what's going on are telling me to stay home. "You'll only be a hindrance." This is what one person said. So, what should I do?

I believe very strongly that I can, and will, have a huge impact in Haiti. Why? Because I know when God wants me to do something, and I know He wants me to do this. Thank God the Bible says that we aren't to walk by what we see, but by faith. I know this is the right thing to do.

I know that many people have made some huge mistakes recently in Haiti, especially when it comes to the children and the orphanages. I realize that, with good intentions, some have made mistakes that have put them in legal situations. It proves that heart intention doesn't always equal good results. So, as I prepare to go to Haiti in just a few short weeks, I am, to say the least, a little nervous.

At this point I have not been able to nail down any solid connections. I have to trust God in this and make plans anyway, knowing that I could very well end up alone in a foreign country. I have to prepare for the craziest, knowing that in the end, God will show up big and amazing things will happen. A huge part of living by faith is just trusting that God can do it. I think so often this is overlooked by those of us you walk our lives by faith. Sure, we trust God, but human nature takes over and we want physical proof before we act. I am guilty of it as much as anyone. For me to really walk out this faith thing I have to trust God on ALL levels. I have to know that He is who He says He is and that He can do what He says He can do.

So, in closing Haiti looks like this. 1) I have no solid connections, YET! 2) I don't have all the finances to go, YET! 3) I don't have a travel partner, YET!. 4) I don't know what God has in store for this trip, YET! What I do know is that people in Haiti need the love of Jesus. They need a hope bigger than they can see and God is able to make all grace abound toward the people of Haiti. He just needs those who are willing to be His hands and feet.

With all that said, I am still going. I am still going to make a difference and I am still absolutely, with out a doubt sure that this is God's plan for me. I will find an organization to work with, which may happen today, or may not happen until I am in country. Either way it is on me to make the next move and I am willing to do it without knowing the next step.

Isaiah 6:8 "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: 'Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?' Then I said, 'Here am I! Send me.'"

What are you willing to do for God without knowing the next step? Are you willing to go? Will you do it even if He doesn't tell you the next step until your foot hits the ground.

If you would like to help us go to Haiti you can click the DONATE button below
Online donations are NOT tax deductible at this time!
For more info or for a tax deductible donation please visit the RSUM page.

Spiritual Lessons Learned From Skateboarding Part 1

2010-02-04T19:18:00.000-05:00

I started skateboarding the summer before my senior year of high school. The summer after I graduated from high school is when I really got hooked. I skated everyday. I built my own mini park that we would move in and out of the street I lived on. I got my brother and any other friend I could into it. In less that two months I had convinced friends to buy boards and learn with me. We rented every video we could from Lee's Sporting Goods and completely immersed ourselves into the scene. I was so hooked that when it came time for me to go into the military the following winter I actually considered not going because I couldn't skate while I was in. Honestly, the only reason I went was because when I had visited a Marine Corps base in Okinawa, Japan while in high school I saw an eight foot half pipe on the base. I was convinced that one day I was going to skate with Tony Hawk, Steve Cabellero, and Christian Hosoi. I was also convinced that going in the military wasn't going to stop this plan. Reality hit a little over a year later when I arrived in Okinawa Japan and found out that as a service member I was NOT allowed to skate the half pipes on ANY of the military bases on the island. Bummer #1! With my heart crushed I gave up skating and the dream of fame and fortune.

Years later, after starting a similar trek in snowboarding, with grandiose ideas of fame and fortune, summers became unbearable. Their was nothing to do in the off season. So, through a brief stint with rollerblading, which I am NOT proud of, I started skating again. Suddenly my dreams came rushing back to me. This time, however, age was not on my side.Pain and injury took longer to heal, real life got in the way, and, all in all, I just plain STUNK! Heartbroken again! Bummer #2!

With the sliver of hope left in my heart, one night we started filming ourselves riding various spots. Excited to see how much like the pros I looked, we raced home, put the tape in the VCR, you remember those, right? As the tape started, anticipation climaxed. To my utter despair, however, I looked nothing like the pros. In fact, I looked nothing like a skater at all. I looked more like a disaster on a plank. Heart CRUSHED! Bummer #3!

Here I thought I was a pretty good skater. I thought, even though I couldn't go huge, I had style. It turns out, not so much. Not only did I find out that I had no style, but I also lacked the slightest shred of talent. What a gut busting night that really turned out to be. I never took skating serious again.

The reason I mention this heartbreaking, tragic story with you is because a few years later, while reminiscing about the past desires to succeed at skating, God showed me an important lesson that I have never forgotten.He taught me about humility, ironically, through humiliation. He taught me to not think higher of myself than I should. He taught me to not let pride build up in an unhealthy way. He taught me to not think of myself so highly that I begin to be filled with pride and put myself on a pedestal.

After years of being a Christian it is easy to forget that I am not perfect. Just because I have overcome many obstacles in my life does not mean that I have the right to put myself on a spiritual pedestal. I am not as good as I think I am. I have to remember that no matter how long I have been at this, there is always something more to learn. No matter how GOOD I think I am, if I saw a video of my life it wouldn't be any better than that skate video I watched of myself. I may truly think I am right on track, but the truth is, I am probably missing some important elements, keys to my success. Thank God His grace covers those moments, but that is only through my willingness to be humble and to know that on my own I can do NOTHING!

I have big dreams in life. I have a huge vision for ministry that I am not able to succeed at on my own. If I had given skateboarding to God from the beginning maybe things would be different. Truth is, I'm not willing to make that mistake in life. I don't want to be sitting around wondering what could have been. Success will come, but only through a commitment to God and His plan for my life. It will only come through a humble approach in life, knowing that I am no better than anybody else on this earth.

I have since met Tony Hawk and am convinced, because of their connection with Christian skateboarding, I will soon meet Christian Hosoi and Steve Cabellero. God is good. He can, and still will, use my love of skateboarding for His glory. How? I'm not really sure, but I can imagine that it will be big.

What are some big dreams you have in life? Have you ever caught yourself on the "spiritual pedestal" in life?

Remember, Right Side Up Ministries is leaving soon for Haiti. We cannot do this without your help! If you would like to help simply click the DONATE button on the right or visit us on the web at www.rightsideupministries.org.

Spiritual Lessons Learned From Eating Out

2010-02-02T19:12:00.001-05:00

"Tip? You mean I have to tip for that crappy service? I don't think so. Not a chance."

I use to say that all the time. I use to base my tip on whether or not I received "tip worthy" service. I felt justified in this because, after all, this is a performance based industry, the service industry that is. For years this was my standard, you want a tip, you serve me like nobody else ever has. One day I experienced something that forever changed my though process. What was it, you ask? I'll get to that, but first I want to tell you a little story.

I have these friends that are interns at an organization that I use to be an intern at. They are great guys, young and energetic, and really have a desire to serve God. The other night we went to eat at a large national chain restaurant. We had a great time, but the service was, well, less than stellar. In fact, it was the worst service I have ever seen at this particular chain. If you've ever been in this situation you know that when service is bad you start looking deeper into other areas for problems. You start pointing out the littlest of offenses, things that would otherwise be overlooked. The napkin didn't completely cover the fork, the glass of ice water wasn't full enough, the bathroom is too dark, and WHO THE HECK picked this carpet? This only leads to more dissatisfaction and more frustration. Soon crazy thoughts start to enter your head like, could I get away with not paying? We ordered our food, but should we just leave? Who do I send a comment card to? Which car in the parking lot is my waiter driving, I'll show them?At this point you wonder how anything good can come out of this experience.

To be honest, most of the time I wouldn't think twice about anything good and just walk out irritated. Last night, however, was a different story. There is something about hanging out with these guys that makes me want to be on my best behavior, spiritually speaking. I don't know if it is my age or what, but I just can't help but turn moments like this into teachable moments. How old of me, right? Maybe it is just a fatherly...um...brotherly instinct. Call it what you will, but I was determined to use this evil from Satan for good.

As we sat at the table waiting, and waiting, and waiting for our checks to come the conversation turned to whether or not some of us were going to leave a tip. I really think there are justifiable moments for some of us not to leave a tip. For me, however, I cannot do that. My thoughts went to the time God taught me about the tip. How He had drawn a parallel between wait staff earning, or deserving, a tip and us earning, or deserving, salvation. Once the line was drawn there was no turning back for me. I realized that if God would forgive me and give me the free gift of salvation, even though I didn't deserve it, then surely I could give a good tip to someone who didn't deserve it. So I settled in my heart that no matter how horrible the service is, I will always leave a GOOD tip. It's not easy, but I am determined to succeed at this. After all, these people pay their bills with this money. It's not like they're pulling down six digits waiting tables. Besides, I don't know what their day, week, month, year, or life has looked like. Maybe they have a really good reason why things went the way they did with me.Who am I to judge? I am, by no means, perfect!

As I thought about this I decided to share it with the group. I'm not certain, but I think someone may have changed their tip amount. Even if nobody did, it's not on me, I did my part. The cats out of the bag now. Once you hear, your now accountable for. Not saying this is Biblical truth or just a heart conviction on my part, but it seems to fit all criteria for a Biblical truth. What do you think? So, next time your out to eat and your getting bad service see if you are able to handle it the same way again. Check inside yourself to see of there is something you can do in this situation to bring a little joy into the life of another human being. Most people who work in the service industry know when they haven't earned a tip, so show them otherwise. Show them that you are willing to show them grace just as God has shown it to you. You never know where the starting point for change in someones life will come from, maybe it's you.

Have you ever stiffed a waiter/ waitress? What was your worst experience with service?

Don't forget, Right Side Up Ministries is going to Haiti. There is still time for you to get involved. Click the DONATE button on the right or visit the RSUM website for more info.

Faith- The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

2010-01-30T13:19:00.001-05:00

My dog just got back from the vet after needing Heartworm treatment. This is extremely expensive, but worth every dime. My biggest financial supporter was directed, BY GOD, to go another direction and give the finances elsewhere. My camper is in need of repairs and finding parts are next to impossible. My truck needs breaks, transmission service and an oil change. My car insurance is due in a few weeks and finances have been anywhere but where they need to be, and now God is calling me to go to Haiti for a couple weeks. Why do I mention this? Not to complain, I assure you. I couldn't be happier or more blessed. God always makes a way he always supplies my needs.

The reason that I mention this is because if I am going to be honest about faith I need to share the good, along the bad and the ugly. The truth is that just because I have faith and just because I believe God wants the best for me does not mean that it will be all smooth sailing. Walking by faith is not a guarantee that nothing will go wrong. It means the exact opposite, otherwise, what would I have to stand in faith for? Look at Paul in 2 Cor 11:22-28:

Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers of Christ? ––I speak as a fool––I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one.Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness–– besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches

Not many would argue against whether or not Paul had faith. He spent a good amount of time talking about faith. He wrote about some of the faith giants in Romans. Many say he wrote Hebrews, which is where you find the Hall of Faith in Heb. 11. Yet Paul, as he went through life, went through struggle as well. He had things that he had to be in faith for. Why did he struggle? Because God had a problem with Paul? No! The answer is in John 10:10:

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

We have an enemy. This enemy will do whatever he can to stop the work of God in your life. I would venture to say that if your not experiencing struggles, your not a threat to the enemy, the devil. Struggles are a part of our Christian life, they are a part of our walk with God. God's best for you is not to suffer, but struggles equal growth, which equals spiritual maturity, which equals victory over the enemy.

After all the struggles Paul went through he said he had learned something. He learned how to continue on the path God had him on regardless of what he came up against. Phil 4:11-13:

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Not only did Paul learn how to survive through these struggles, but he also knew how to go to the next level in the midst of all this struggle. Phil 4:4:

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

That's a bold statement coming from a guy who talked about all his struggles in 2Cor 11. Also keep in mind that when Paul wrote Philippians he was in a prison where he hung by chains for most of the day. Scholars say he was knee to waist deep in human waist while hanging in shackles. And when he was let down for a short time, Philippians is what he wrote.

I made a commitment in an earlier blog about being more active on my blog and to be myself. I go through phases of isolation, doubt, unbelief, and struggle. I have been hesitant to share my times of struggle with fear that people would get the wrong idea about who God is. Like most Christians, I want to tell everyone about the good so it makes God more appealing to others. I want people to see God for what He is, a good and loving God. The funny thing is, God doesn't need me to make Him look good. He can handle His own PR. He is more than capable of making Himself look good. He needs me to be open and honest about life. He needs me to help others find a real and true path with Him, a path that includes great times, as well as some struggles.

God is God, and I am not! Great words to live by. When struggle comes it is not my place to question God, but instead, to trust Him for the answer out of the struggle. I know this phase I am in is only a phase and standing in faith means, like Paul, I too can praise Him, even in the difficult times. I too can know without a doubt that God loves me and will see me through the good, the bad, and the ugly. Faith is putting your faith in God above your faith in what you see. Be bold today, trust God!

Have you ever been mad at God? Have you ever blamed God for a situation in life only to later find out is was all on you?

Right Side Up Ministries is going to Haiti to help others through a pretty intense struggle. If you would like to help us go to Haiti please click the "DONATE" button to the right, or visit the RSUM website for more info.

Even Just One

2010-01-28T20:46:00.001-05:00

This is an email that I received today. I wanted to share it because it is a great example of Luke 15:7 "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety–nine just persons who need no repentance." This email comes from Dara.

"Did you hear about the 16 year old girl they pulled out alive yesterday in Haiti? She had been in a bathroom, and managed to stay alive for the last 15 days by drinking water from the bath. I was thinking about how absolutely miraculous that this girl is still alive and in relative good health, beyond the obvious dehydration. Then I started thinking about how the world has been celebrating whenever one more person is found alive- just one person in the midst of hundreds of thousands- and we celebrate with tears in our eyes that even just one more is alive. And then it clicked- that is what heaven is like when just one more person is saved. Its not the number that matters, it is the feeling of utter gratitude and amazement that one more person has been pulled from disaster and death, and brought into the land of the living. It is one more life that has a second chance at living. It is one more miracle of God. That is why even just one person matters. And that is why we should celebrate the one- even just one."

We rejoice more over the one survivor in Haiti than the thousands who are already known to be alive. We sit on the edge of our seat in anticipation when we hear that they may have found another survivor. Our anticipation and excitement quickly turns to tears and rejoicing when we get our first glimpse at a survivor as they are pulled out. It's not wrong, just human. It's not that we don't celebrate the life of those alive, we are just reminded about the frailness of life and rejoice at those who beat the odds. As the miracles continue to happen, let's not forget where they come from. Let us not forget who orchestrates such miracles as these. As miraculous as it is to see this girl still alive after fifteen days, it is even more miraculous to think that we have an opportunity to be in a relationship with the One who created us. Why? Because we are reminded of the frailness of our spiritual life and rejoice for the one who comes to know Jesus just beat all the odds. So together, let's celebrate one-even just one.

Have you ever "beat the odds" in your life? What made it possible for you to overcome?

If you would like to help Right Side Up Ministries be a part of the healing process in Haiti please click the DONATE button on the right or visit the RSUM website.

Solutionated

2010-01-27T16:19:00.001-05:00

Let's face it, Americans are opinionated. We have an opinion about everything from the Apple iPad, to the health care system, to the price of oil, to whether or not our favorite star was on the best or worst dressed list at the Emmy's. Opinion, opinion, opinion! It's what we're all about.

Recently, while reading some articles about Haiti I caught myself starting to form an opinion. How American of me, right? Let's take a tragedy like this and form an opinion about it. Which government is doing more, who got there first, who is doing the best at fighting the social injustices of Haiti, who is finally going to do something about child trafficking?

The problem I noticed about my opinion was that the next day when I watched the news again nothing had changed. The very thing I had formed an opinion about had not changed one bit. Suddenly it hit me, "my opinion DOESN'T change the world." Stellar epiphany, one that more Americans would benefit from, if you want my OPINION!

I recently read a blog by Shaun King where he talked about the new word for Haiti being "organize". It suddenly hit me, you can't organize if all you are carrying are your opinions. Organization isn't dependent on your opinions to operate, but instead on your actions. We need to do something to make a change. I heard in church on Sunday that your intentions don't determine your destination, your directions do. If I take an honest look at my opinionated life I see an army of opinions lined up behind good intentions that never lead to a desired destination. Opinions=intentions, such a novel thought to come from my mind. So its not opinions+intentions that=destination. WOW! So if that is the case then what am I missing? Action! I need to put an action to my opinion, which, ironically, in my opinion, creates a solution. Put solution with direction and you have a destination.

My question is this, are you going to be "opinionated" and watch everyone around you do something so you can form your opinion and complain about it, or are you going to be "solutionated" and be the one everybody else is complaining about? I don't know about you, but for me, I want to be doing the solution. Let's become solution oriented and get something done. Let's start a new movement and call it SOLUTIONATED! Say it with me, "I am going to be SOLUTIONATED, not opinionated!" There, that wasn't so hard was it? Now it's time to get involved and make a difference.

What are you doing to get involved? Could you do more?

Here's some people doing something about it. These are people who are "Solutionated":

Shaun King- from The Courageous Church
Chance Craven-from Its Chance
Drew Benton-from Project Live Love

These are only a couple people doing something big. If your doing something big let me know. Leave a link to a web page so I can see what your doing to get involved. Who knows, maybe I will get involved with you.

If you'd like to help us get involved in Haiti you can donate to the Right Side Up Ministries trip by clicking on the donate button on the right or by visiting the RSUM website.

Spiritual Lessons Learned from Lorelei

2010-01-25T12:16:00.001-05:00

Lorelei is my niece and is almost three years old. She is adorable and has quite a large vocabulary for a kid her age. She's a pretty smart kid, which means she is more than capable of doing everything herself, knowing everything she needs to know, and can make her own decisions on everything important in life... at least in her own eyes. If you've ever been around a two-something kid you know this is the age of independence. This is the age where they want to go potty by themselves, eat by themselves, get dressed by themselves, and the list goes on. This is also the age where if any of the above is not allowed then sudden fits of rage resulting in screaming, crying, throwing hands in the air, and (my personal favorite) throwing their bodies around in ways that will only result in harm to themselves. I like to refer to this stage as whiney-pants-itis. This necessary stage of childhood growth can be more than a little taxing on the grownups who are subject to the daily onslot of tantrum after tantrum. The funniest thing about my niece is that sometimes, well most times, she starts to whine before she is even told no. It's like she is anticipating the worst before it ever happens. She is so determined in her two year old little mind that her parents are out to get her and they will never let her have anything that will make her happy. The thing she hasn't figured out yet is that if she would have not started whining or throwing a fit she probably would have received whatever it is that she desired. If she would just slow down and relax, use words in a normal tone, and be calm about her approach she would have a much higher chance of success. Why? Is it because my sister and brother in-law want to make things hard on her? No, absolutely not, but instead they wish to teach her there is a proper way to do things. They want to let her know that you can succeed with your desires if you go about it in the proper way. They also want to teach her that sometimes, no matter how cute she is, things cannot work out the way she wants. Sometimes her safety and protection have to come before her own perceived happiness.

Sounds a whole bunch like us in our relationship with God. We come to Him expecting the worst, so we come to Him with the wrong heart or intent. We come to Him expecting Him to say no to everything that we want in our lives. It's like it is bred into our DNA to expect the worst from God. Recently I suffered from whiney-pants-itis with God. Not in a "violently throwing myself to the ground while screaming at the top of my lungs" kind of tantrum, but rather an "I don't want to do that, why am I here doing nothing, I want a new life" tantrum. The worst part of this tantrum is that I was so comfortable doing it that I didn't even notice it was happening. I didn't even notice that I was out of line or acting in a whining, woe is me, self-pity way. I didn't even catch that I was freaking out, expecting the worst, and acting a fool before I even talked with God. So many times kids get mad at their parents without either side saying a word. They get upset for no real reason, just an imaginary issue that never existed to start with. This was my approach to God.

Throwing a fit with God will lead to nothing productive. Not because God wants to ignore me or doesn't want me to have what I want. It has more to do with the approach that I take with God. One thing I noticed with Lorelei is that when she starts whining prematurely she has no faith in my sister that she will get what she wants. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith [it is] impossible to please [Him], for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and [that] He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” My tantrum before I ask is not faith. It has absolutely nothing to with faith in God. On the contrary, it has everything to do with my own insecurities and uncertainties with God. It shows God what I really trust and rely in, which is not Him. Like my niece, I put all my trust in what I think I know and not in what is really true.

Mark 11:24 tells us how to receive from God, “"Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive [them], and you will have [them].” If I am going to have anything that I ask for then I have to ask it in faith. Like I said about Lorelei, I know that if she asked without whining she would have received much more of what she wanted. Whining to God is not asking God in faith, but rather demanding in doubt and unbelief that God is going to act on your demand rather than on His Word. People say that it is arrogant to pray in "faith" for things and expect God to move. What is true arrogance is to demand something from God and expect Him to move because you've demanded it. God works with faith, “But without faith [it is] impossible to please [Him]..." God is under no obligation to you and your whiney requests, but He does have an obligation to those who come to Him in faith.

When was your last "whiney-pants-itis" moment with God? Do you think it really accomplished anything?

P.S. if you would like to help us go to Haiti please click the "DONATE" button on the right or visit the Right Side Up Ministries web page.

The Truth About Haiti

2010-01-22T16:34:00.001-05:00

This morning I was catching up on some blogs that I follow. I have a list of about 15 or 20 that I read. There's one that I have taken a particular liking to. It's by author Anne Jackson. I think I enjoy it because she is able to say things the way that I wish I could say them. The reason I mention her blog is that while reading her post about going to Haiti I came across the most disturbing picture that I have seen come out of Haiti. It is the picture of a mass grave where bodies are piled on top of each other in a large pit. It seems so uncivilized. It seems so inhumane and unthinkable. It seems in a time when the world is capable of things never before imagined that we could do better than this. It made tears well up in my eyes to think about how huge this catastrophe really is. Estimations go as high as 200,000 dead, this picture (it is very graphic) is about 50. That's a representation of .025% of the people that died! Unfathomable! I cannot picture in my mind just how many people that is. To put it in perspective- in nearly 30 combined years of war (Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan) the U.S. has lost 103,770 military personnel. In 45 seconds Haiti nearly doubled that. The saddest part... people continue to die daily from lack of essentials like food, water, and proper medical treatment. People are living in the streets under makeshift tents made of tarps or any other semi waterproof material they can find. Children at orphanages are living without food, water, or shelter. People are laying everywhere in need of medical attention that range from needing stitches to needing brain surgery. All this amongst aftershocks that continue to come and continue to knock building down and put peoples lives in danger. To put it simply, this is a war zone! You might ask, why the war analogy? (Eph 6:12) “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual [hosts] of wickedness in the heavenly [places].” Because we are in a war. The scary part... we can't see our enemy with our eyes. I can't turn and look and see him pointing a gun at me. That doesn't change the fact that he's there and he wants nothing more than to destroy me, to destroy us! (John 10:10) "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." Don't be mistaken, this is a calculated attack on mankind from an enemy who has blinded us; from an enemy who wants nothing more than for us to point fingers everywhere and anywhere, as long as they don't point to him. The battle we fight here isn't fought in the flesh, but fought in the spirit. And it can only be won by God through our prayers and our acting on the Word and what it says. By all means, SEND people. Help those who are willing and able to go, but most importantly PRAY! Pray for Haiti, for its people, and for the thousands who are there or heading there to help. Pray for safety, provision, strength, encouragement, and hope. A hope in a God that loves them and is available to them. A God who wants nothing more than to have a relationship with each and every one of them. What's the truth about Haiti? It's a spiritual war zone and is in need of those who are willing to fight for it in the spirit! Are you willing?

If you would like to help us go to Haiti you can simply click on the DONATE button to the right or go to the Right Side Up Ministries web site. We will be leaving some time in Feb. The team will consist of 2-5 people and cost between $6,000.00 and $15,000.00. We really need your help!

If you would like to help a larger organization or people who are already in Haiti click on the links below.

Its Chance
Shaun in the City
Samaritans Purse
Guts Church

These four links are churches and organizations who are doing HUGE things in Haiti. I believe in all of them and thank God for them and there willingness to go the extra mile!

Help Send Us To Haiti

2010-01-20T22:55:00.000-05:00

OK, so here's the deal, I need your help. After the earthquake in Haiti I was able to come to terms with the fact that it was just not reasonable, or possible for me to go. Any emotion I felt I shrugged off as just that, emotion. The more I watched the news as time went on, the more I knew I was suppose to be there. Big problem! No passport! Problem solved. My renewal is in the mail as I type. Next problem- I don't have a single connection in Haiti. I am currently working on this problem, and because of my "Big problem" I have a little time to put the connection together. Next problem- finances! This could be in the "Big Problem" category as well. I have been researching plane tickets and they run anywhere from $650-$1100. This is where you come in. You can help in a big way. To the right of this blog there is a "DONATE" button, click it to give an online donation. DISCLAIMER- there are currently no tax receipt option through online giving at this time. If you want a tax receipt you need to go to the Right Side Up Ministries website. You will see an address, as well as instruction about who to write the check out to, etc.

If you have it in your heart to help send RSUM on this trip, now is your chance. The estimated cost is $3,000.00 per person and I want to put a 2-5 person team together. If you do the math you will find that comes out to $6,000.00- $15,000.00. This is the biggest task I have taken on to this point. I know it can be done, but I need you help! Without your help this trip is not possible. I know times are tight for many of you right now, so if you can't give I am asking you to tell your friends. Get people you know involved! Direct them to this site, or to the RSUM site! You can also direct them to the RSUM Fan page on Facebook or our Twitter page. There are so many people in need in Haiti right now and I know we can make a difference. Thank you in advance for all your help.

If you may be interested in going to Haiti please email me Scott@rightsideupministries.org. Keep in mind, this is not a comfort zone trip. Be prepared to do the unimaginable and unthinkable. Nobody know what the next few weeks has in store for Haiti, so we could be walking into just about anything.

Haiti Needs our Help

2010-01-18T12:39:00.003-05:00

With the recent earthquake in Haiti I had one question for myself, "Why don't I have an updated passport?" I'm in the process of getting that done, and as soon as I have it I will be heading to Haiti. Details are not known at this time, but I will update you as they are known. In the mean time I will be raising funds to make my presence in Haiti a reality.

If you would like to help the people of Haiti, here are four ways you can help.

1) Help Right Side Up Ministries (this is us) go to Haiti. Or click on the DONATE button to the right.
2) Help a friend of mine, Chance, go to Haiti. He's leaving with a team in less than 72 hours.
3) Help some other friends of mine at Courageous Church in Atlanta do some unique things in Haiti by clicking here.
4) Help Samaritans Purse as they work in big ways in Haiti.

Which ever way you help I just want to say thank you for your support. The people of Haiti are in desperate need of our help and with your help it possible for people to make a difference and show Jesus' love. If you are interested in going on a trip with me to Haiti please email me, scott@rightsideupministries.org.

I Just Need To Be Myself

2010-01-06T11:50:00.000-05:00

OK! So, I've been reading about how to make my blog better. I've found many conflicting ideas. It seems for every magic idea there is an equal and opposite magic idea that will work just as well. Some say to never delete a comment, others say to delete comments that don't fit into a predetermined set of guidelines. Some say blog 7-10 times a week, we don't want our readers to be bored. Others say to blog 2-4 times a week, we don't want to over power our readers with too much to read. With all this info out there it is tough to decide the best approach, so what I've decided is to do what comes natural, be me. This idea isn't unique to me. I actually got it from a blog I read by Anne Jackson. She wrote it best, "Just Be Yourself", so that's what I intend to do. She had more points, but this is the biggie, I just need to be myself. A part of being myself is to write about the experiences that I have on the road. To write about things that I am passionate about. To write about what I see and how I feel. So, in 2010 I plan to write more, be more open, and to show more of how experience and the Bible work hand in hand. I know that my ideas, opinions, and experiences may not line up with what others say and that's OK. I don't always agree with everybody who's blog I follow so why would I expect others to agree with me all the time? Just know that what I write is from a pure desire to help others experience God in a more real way. It is my goal in 2010 to help people understand the love of God and how He showed that love through His Son Jesus. I won't always write about God, but I will always seek God's guidance before I write. I hope that you will continue to follow this adventure God has me on through 2010 and I hope through this blog that it will help you to find God in America as well.

What are some great blogs you follow? What makes them great?

The Worst Best Gift Ever

2009-12-28T22:33:00.000-05:00

Now that Christmas is gone many of us look through our stack of gifts and can't help but have a favorite. I received some cool stuff this year, including an electric coffee cup, which is pretty cool considering how much time I spend on the road drinking cold coffee. Those days are over forever. Another great gift...cash money. I love cash money. It has a way of just making me feel all happy inside. The best gift this year, however, had to be the Itunes gift cards. These puppies are invaluable to me. I can't put into words what it's like to open an envelope and see the glorious, bold Itunes logo on a gift card. Over the past couple years I have become quite a fan of buying movies, music, and TV shows through Itunes. I spend more time than I'd like to admit shopping through the Itunes online store picking out my next big purchase knowing Christmas was coming and there was a good chance I would get another batch of these little chunks of plastic heaven. I already had my next big purchase planned. It was Chuck season two, arguably the best show on TV. So the first thing I did when I saw my gift cards was to unpack my not-so-portable computer, hook it up to the internet, and start down loading. I downloaded most of the night away, spending the gift cards in a matter of a few minutes. As soon as an episode was complete I started watching...and watching...and watching...and watching. I watched every episode in three days time. Three days! How insane! Sitting on the tale end of a TV show marathon binge and feeling the withdrawal affects I can safely say that was the worst way to spend three days. Now my mind can't get focused. I can't think in reality, only in fiction. My mind is so overwhelmed with thoughts of 22 episodes of pure entertainment bliss. My productivity is non existent. I sit in my world of withdrawal now knowing that the best Christmas gift made for the worst productive three days of my life. Although I am grateful for the gift, I think I could use a good class/seminar/rehab on moderation and self control. Just when I think I have it all together worst best gift ever!

What was your best gift? Have you ever received a gift that has completely kept you preoccupied for hours, days, or even weeks?

Looking for Input

2009-12-27T00:23:00.000-05:00

Recently I have been looking into how to blog better. There seem to be many schools of thought on this topic and I'm not quite sure which approach to follow. I would like to solicit your help. Let me know what you think about the blog. Don't be shy, tell me your thoughts, tell me what you like or dislike (be honest, I can take it) and tell me what you think would help improve Finding God In America. Is there something specific anything that you've seen or know works well? I will also be making some changes soon to the Right Side Up Ministries site. I know the importance the internet plays in our lives today and I am looking to use this medium to spread the message of Gods love. I look forward to hearing from you.

Christmas, Xmas, Happy Holidays?

2009-12-22T16:12:00.000-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS! After all, it is that time of year. It's that time of year when children can't sleep in anticipation, when eggnog actually has sales revenues, and when the church and the world battle over who owns the rights to Christmas. Should it be Christmas, Xmas, Happy Holidays, or some other classy spin on words. With this argument at it's peek over the last couple weeks I couldn't help but put together my own opinion about all this banter. I sat around attempting to put my thoughts down when another "Radical Realization" hit me, I have no idea what I think!

I have no idea what I think about this topic. In one sense I VERY much know it is about Christ, but in another I don't really know what I should hold a non-believing world accountable to. Should I expect someone who has not experienced Christ in the same way I have to walk out their beliefs the same way I do? In all reality, can I even expect another person who has experienced Christ like I have to walk their life out the same way I do? I think the answer is no. I do see a huge importance on Christ followers to emphasize Christ in their Christmas, but can I judge someone else for not doing it? Let's not forget that Christmas is about giving. It's about the greatest Gift that God ever gave, Jesus! And in this giving, we were taught to give things to others, specifically love. So in the season of giving love let's not forget that love is not only given in a wrapped up gift under a tree. It is also given in a kind act to others, or in a warm smile, or in a hug, or in a simple hello. It is also given in accepting others where they are. Not everyone knows Jesus, so not everyone can be expected to have Christmas be about Jesus.

I don't think anything has irritated me more this Christmas season than the idea of listing stores Christians should shop at by how CHRISTmas they are. Judging on such standards as to whether or not the cashier says "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays", whether there are nativity scenes or Santa with his reindeer, whether the Christmas music is a hymn or a catchy Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer rendition. I once owned a business and I chose to have an emphasis on Christ in my business, but not all companies do, and not all companies are owned by Christians. To be honest I would be disturbed if I walked into a Family Christian Store and was told "Happy Holidays" while surrounded by a jolly fat St. Nick and his reindeer, but not if I'm at Sears or Old Navy. So our loving Christian way is to boycott these pagan establishments at all cost? I don't think that I can do that and I don't think you should either. The Bible tells us to let our light shine in this world, so let it shine right in the middle of a shrine to Santa. Let your love for Christ shine by being a blessing to these establishments. Stop giving the non-Christian world a reason to hate Christians. Love people where they are. Support the unloved this Christmas holiday, and by all means boldy reply to "Happy Holidays" with "Merry Chrismas". Let the light of Christ into the darkness of the world around us. Support our economy and buy where the experts are, not necessarily where the Christians are.

Shouldn't we hold people accountable to what they profess in THEIR lives, not what we profess in OUR lives? Shouldn't we take Christ to the lost world and not just cuddle our beliefs amoungst other believers? What are your thoughts on Christmas and where to shop? Is it Christ like to shop at a non-Christian business? Why or why not?

A Radical Realization!

2009-11-27T16:32:00.003-05:00

A radical realization hit me this week. I have no home. I know I have been on the road for almost six months. I know I haven't had a "home" as we know it. What I never really thought about is that I truly have no place that I could stay without outstaying my welcome. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bash on all the wonderful people that I have stayed with, but let's face it, it can get old having someone hanging around too long. I'm currently in Gulfport, MS, the place I call home. This is where my home church is, Family Worship Center, and where my ministry PO Box is. My bank is here, along with an incredible circle of friends. So all in all, this is home! But then again, is it?

I recently came into town for the Thanksgiving holiday and to get some much needed R&R from nearly six months of non stop travel. It occurred to me the other day that the house I'm staying in isn't my house, this isn't my water, this isn't my electricity, and this isn't my internet connection. Then it occurred to me that no matter how much I might consider Gulfport "home", I don't have a real home of my own. At some point, no matter how gracious our heart is, it does get old having somebody there who doesn't live there. Nothing has been said, or even implied, just a realization on my part. I don't think I have ever looked at life this way before, completely homeless in the most literal of terms.

My parents moved out of their house and into a travel trailer for their retirement years. My sister in Michigan lives in an apartment that doesn't allow dogs, my brother lives in a small apartment in Indianapolis, and my other sister lives in a small house in Texas with a husband, daughter, and two cats. This means no extended place to live. The initial thought of this revelation sent me into a moment of panic, but I was quickly reminded of the words of Jesus in Matthew 8:20 and Luke 9:58, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air [have] nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay [His] head." Suddenly I realized this is me, and if I truly have no "home" while on this mission that God has me on that I'm in pretty good company. Jesus Himself had no permanent home after His ministry started. There are worse people to be lumped into a category with.

So, what I conclude from this radical realization, revelation, epiphany, or whatever label you might put on it, is that being "homeless" really isn't so bad when your in the middle of God's will for your life. I know not everyone is called to this lifestyle, but I am, and the more time I spend with God the more I am starting to like it. God is good and He does take care of every need that I have, whether it be food, gas, clothing, or a place to stay, He's got my back. The saddest part of this realization for me is their are millions in the U.S. without a "home", but unlike me, it is not a choice. For them there is no place to have to worry about overstaying their welcome. There is no place to stay warm or eat a hot meal. There are people everywhere that literally have no place to lay their head, or a place to call "home". I challenge to every person that reads this is to look for a way that you can be a blessing to those in your community this holiday season. Look for a way that you can help those who have no "home". Stop complaining about the problem and help be a part of the solution. Love people right where they are. The reason they are their isn't important. What is important is what are you willing to do to help. Love truly is contagious, pass it on!

P.S. to anyone whom I may have overstayed my welcome, I am very sorry! I will work harder in the future to stay within my limits. I am grateful for and love every person and family that has welcomed me into their homes. I couldn't have done what I have without them.

So what are your thoughts? Can someone outstay their welcome? Have you ever outstayed your welcome? Have you ever had a friend or family member outstay their welcome with you? What can you do to help someone in need have a happier holiday season? How can you pass God's love on?

We're Not Called To Be Comfortable

2009-11-03T20:30:00.014-05:00

In this journey of faith I have been in many, many situations outside my comfort zone. Everything from helping in local missions to ministering to people on the streets of Indianapolis to praying with home owners devastated by flooding near Atlanta. Everywhere I go it becomes the same "freak out" story. Every time I find myself in the middle of a new level of uncomfortable. Why would I expect anything different on Nov. 1st.

November 1st was a day that I had been planning for well over a month. It was an outreach at the Atlanta Pride Festival put on by Craig Gross and Jason Harper in connection to their new book "Jesus Loves You This I Know". The premise of the book and the outreach was to let people know that Jesus loves them right where they are. Our mission seemed simple enough, show Jesus love to those involved in a gay pride parade. We met on Friday night, talked, prayed, and labeled bottles of water with the simple message "Jesus Loves You This I Know." We left the meeting with a location and time to meet on Sunday afternoon. As I drove back to Hiram, GA where I was staying I found myself battling fear and doubt. Some might say that was God telling me I was doing the wrong thing, but I know His voice enough to know it wasn't Him. Over the weekend I thought more and more about the upcoming event and I felt more and more uncomfortable. What was really in store for me?

As I drove into Atlanta I was flooded with many different emotions. I had an urge to turn around and forget the whole thing. My thoughts were racing. Would people reject us, would they get angry with us, would they attack us verbally or maybe even physically? These questions were all running through my mind as I made my way through Atlanta traffic. My expectations were leaning toward the worst possible outcome. These expectations couldn't have been further from the truth.

As I walked through the crowds of people I couldn't help but notice the real reason for the parade. It is a deep rooted need to be loved and accepted. People have this need no matter where they are in life. As I handed out bottles of water I could see the effects of the love message. People were open to what the bottle said and open to talk with us about our mission. One encounter stands out more than the rest, it was Grace. She came flying over to us yelling, "I want one! I want one!" When she got to us she grabbed a bottle, read the label, and said "wow, the two most important things in life, water and Jesus!" and ran back to her group. This encounter stuck with me. It set me back a few steps. I had always assumed that people involved in the gay and lesbian lifestyle were completely closed off to the message of Jesus. It was a shock for me to find out otherwise. I know there are "gay" churches out there, but it always seemed to me that they were open to there circle, not mine. It amazed me the gap that love was able to bridge.

This is the point were I feel I must make a few statements to clarify. I cannot, in good conscience, say that I agree with the gay and lesbian lifestyle, nor do I believe it is a God honoring lifestyle. I do, however love those in the gay and lesbian lifestyle without prejudice or judgment. With that said, I do believe that Jesus loves the gay and lesbian community as much as He loves me. If that isn't true then it must be possible to earn a right to be loved by God, yet the scripture says otherwise. "God so loved the world..."(John 3:16) and "While we were still sinners"(Rom. 5:8) would mean nothing if I had to be in right standing to accept Jesus. I also believe that we can go to God just as we are, sinful, filthy, and broken and let Him cleanse us. I know in my life, if I were held to absolute perfection I would fail... every time! I absolutely believe that when we accept Christ that we are held to God's standard for our lives. He does hold us accountable for whether we followed His Word or not. I also know we are a work in progress. God works on different things at different times in all of us. It is not my job to clean my life up before I go to Jesus any more than it is the clothes job to clean up before they go into the washing machine. Just as the washing machine cleans the clothes, God cleans us through His Son Jesus.

We want to classify sin in our society. We want to believe that some sin is worse than others, but God puts such of sin in one category. (1Co 6:9-11)“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”- There are a bunch of sins listed with homosexuality that I am guilty of, so why would I, or should I, feel the need to condemn others? I am forgiven when I turn to Jesus and so will those in the gay and lesbian lifestyle. I'm not saying we should tolerate everything that people do. I am saying that we should tolerate people no matter what they do and let God clean them up in His time. We should always walk in love... after all "Love never fails..." 1Co 13:8

If your always comfortable in what you are doing for God then are you really doing what God wants you to do or what you want to do? We were never promised comfort by following Jesus, but we were promised that no matter what we did that He would be right there with us. Be challenged today to reach outside your comfort zone to show the love of Jesus with others.

Flood Victims Deal With More Than Just a Flood

2009-10-25T20:55:00.007-04:00

As many of you know, I have been in the Atlanta area helping with the flood relief efforts. I can't believe how devastating this flood has been for so many. The statistics that I have heard are that in Austell, GA nearly 50% of the residence can no longer live in their homes. That is astounding! Another statistic that I heard was that less than 10% of those affected had flood insurance. That leaves a whole lot of people that lost everything, or most everything with little hope for rebuilding any time soon. FEMA has pulled out, along with many other organizations, which leaves people even more hopeless. People are hurt and afraid and are very concerned about what lies ahead.

Meet Janice! We went to her house last week to clean up the drywall edges and spray for mold. It was an easy job because they only had a foot or two of water on the first floor. In a very short time we were finished and standing at the front door to talk and pray with Janice before we left. As soon as Alex, our team lead, mentioned Chaplains that were available to council, she began to cry. As our team ministered to her she wept and wept. All we could do was tell her that we loved her and that God loved her and it was going to be OK. We asked her how we could specifically pray for her. She told us that just two weeks before the flood she had buried her brother. She had twin sons who were both in Europe awaiting deployment to Irag. Her one son's wife filed for divorce the day he arrived in Germany and Janice is now taking care of two of her grandchildren. Now comes the flood and they lost everything on the first floor of their house, they had no flood insurance. As she spoke I choked back tears as my heart was broken for this woman and her situation. We talked to her for about ten minutes and prayed for her, gave her a Bible and walked away. There was nothing more we could do.

This is just one story of the dozens that I have heard since I've been here. Janice and her husband only had the first floor damaged. They could still live in their house. As I drove away I started to think, "What about all the other people who lost everything? What are they going to do?" My heart began to break even more. That night, in a large group setting with other volunteers, I told Janice's story. This time I couldn't choke back the tears. It is so hard to see this first hand and not have it effect you emotionally. People are hurting so bad and their seems like so little we can to, but our God is bigger than this. Our God has empowered us to bring hope to the hurting and that is what I am doing. Janice is one of many people who I have been able to be a part of giving hope to. There are many, many more just like her. We can't forget that these people's lives cannot be put on hold because of this. They must keep living and with that, things still happen in their lives. Amongst the everyday situations and happening they have the flood to deal with. The situation on TV may look small, but it is everything to those affected by it.

I know at some point I have to leave here. I don't want to, my heart doesn't want to. My goal is to stay another two weeks in this area. This would put me at almost a month here. With staying another two weeks comes a big cost. I am asking that you prayerfully consider helping financially with this effort. All money raised will go directly to flood relief expenses, as well as giving what I can to help others continue the work here. It is a difficult road ahead for many, but I know that together we can help ease some of the stress and give hope to the hopeless. Please stand in prayer with me as I not only help people rebuild their homes, but also rebuild their lives. Thank you so much for your prayers and support, I wouldn't be here without them.

If you would like to give financially please visit RightSideUpMinistries.org to find out how you can give a tax deductible gift.

Absolute Truth as I Know It!

2009-10-11T17:41:00.009-04:00

I was thinking about something the other day while I was looking ahead to my coming birthday. Have you ever heard anyone say "I refuse to turn 40," or "I will forever be 28"? We have all heard someone say something like this, but we know it's not true. It can't happen. The thought of us staying forever any age, or refusing to turn a certain age is ridiculous. No matter how many times we may think or say these things it doesn't make them true. No matter what we say or do we are still getting older and older every day. Why do I bring this up? To show that there is such a thing as absolute truth. No matter how much we want to say truth is subject to our own interpretation or belief system, there is such a thing as absolute truth and this proves it.

We are surrounded by absolute truths everyday. Here's some examples I've seen in my life. 1) Look at the law of gravity, what goes up must come down, if I jump off a building I will hit the ground. And depending on how high I jump from, it will probably be a pretty hard hit. 2) Every day I look in the mirror and say, "Go away gray hairs, your not wanted here," yet every so often I notice a substantial increase in gray hair. 3) Morning comes everyday and with it comes the sun. We can't change it no matter how many times we confess we are not morning people. 4) No matter how much easier it is to say, "funner" is not a word. It is either "fun" or it is "more fun", but it cannot and never will be "funner". These are some things that can't be changed no matter what we say, think or do. Much like wanting fast food to actually be fast, or wanting people in the express lane at the grocery store to actually have less than 15 items. How about customer service being about the customer? I could go on and on, but I'll spare you the rant for now.

My point in this is that as a believer in Jesus Christ it is my obligation- my mandate, to tell people about Him. Many people tell me that "what is true to you isn't necessarily true for me." How can that be? Either Jesus is Lord or He isn't. There is no in between. I started to get really angry by this response. So much so that I started to wonder if I really could "forget I'm a Christian for the moment," then I could "take matters into my own hands" and take care of some business. As much as I would like to I can't. I can't for two main reasons. 1) I am a wuss! I can't fight my way out of a wet paper sack, never could. I would get my butt handed to me the first time I tried to "take matters into my own hands." 2) It wouldn't do any good to "forget" I was a Christian, because absolute truth prevails, I am one! I'm caught in my own argument. Pretending to forget doesn't change the truth. Rather than resort to any crazy hypocritical tactics I decided to come up with a great analogy to convince others of absolute truths. After all, nothing beats a great analogy!

So I decided that I would approach this from two angles. 1) I tell people that they don't need to believe something is true for it to be true. You don't have to believe that the air we breathe is produced by trees from the air we exhale, which they inhale, then exhale our air, in order to make it true. It's true whether we believe it or not. How cool is that? God made it so our waste was another's essential who's waste becomes our essential again. All I can say is sweet! 2) I also tell people they don't need to see something to know it is there. Many people like to use the brain as an example, but I have a hard time believing I even have one some times. Man can I do stupid stuff...anyway! So an example I like to use is the sun. An absolute truth I mentioned earlier is that the sun comes up everyday. It does, right? How do we know? Because we can see it. What about a cloudy day? I can't see the sun anymore, does this mean it didn't come up today? Or better yet, what about in Alaska where the sun doesn't come up for days, or even weeks in the winter time, does that mean it exploded and doesn't exist anymore? We know the answer is no, the sun didn't stay down, nor did it explode. The sun exploding and us still being alive is a ridiculous thought because if the sun did explode it would be like -2,000 degrees and we probably wouldn't survive that temperature drop. Well, maybe you would, or Rambo, or Mr. T, but not me. Right now I'm struggling with the low 40's at night, like I said, I'm a wuss!

Again you might be saying, "WHAT'S THE POINT?" The point is this, I don't need to see God to know that He exists. I don't have to doubt if He is there or not, even in the hardest times or the biggest storms. Why? Well, it's just like the sun. I have seen it enough in my life to know it is there whether it's covered by clouds or not. The same is true with God, I know He's there whether my life is covered with clouds or not. My moment of salvation, my born again experience, my moment of faith in Christ, the very second I became a new creation I experienced enough of God to last my life time. If that was the only time I saw Him in my life it would be enough. If He never made Himself known to me again like that I would know that He was there. Have you ever had a sun burn, I mean a real bad one? You know, the kind that blisters bubble up and pop and your skin peels a gagillion layers? I have, and I can tell you that I will never doubt the sun again because of that. You will never be able to convince me there is no sun because I've felt the power of it. You will never convince me that there is no God and no Jesus because I have felt the power. I have been brought up out of hell in my life and brought to a new level. It's an act only God could have performed. Because of this I know that God is an absolute truth.

Another absolute truth I know is that Jesus loves you. I don't care where you've been in your life, where you might currently be, or how many horrible things you have done in your life, He still loves you. I said it before and still believe it to be 100% true, Jesus loves you more that He despises your sin! The Bible tells us that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God- ABSOLUTE TRUTH! If your struggling with this God thing it's OK. God isn't going to leave you because your struggling with Him. In fact, I would dare say that He may be using this blog to tell you something right now, HE LOVES YOU! So if you've been thinking about this absolute truth thing like I have I hope this helps. If you have it down, well, I apologize, this is all I have for now. This is absolute truth as I know it.

Atlant Needs Our Help

2009-10-06T21:24:00.001-04:00

On October 12th I am leaving Kalamazoo, MI and heading to Atlanta, GA to help in the flood relief efforts. I am raising money for the trip and to give to the church that is organizing the relief efforts. I am raising $2,000 for the trip, $1,000 to cover the ministry and my expenses for 2-3 weeks and $1,000 to give to the church. If you are interested in helping in this effort please go to www.rightsideupministries.org for more info. You can also see what is happening at www.hopeatl.com. If you are unable to help financially please pray for Right Side Up Ministries and the people of Atlanta. Thank you for your support.

Why Change?

2009-10-03T10:16:00.018-04:00

Being in my home town has its advantages. The biggest one is that I know where to go and what there is to do. A few days ago I went to a park that I have been going to for years. It was a beautiful, sunny day outside and I thought it would be nice to go outside to read. When I arrived at the park I walked around for a while then headed to my favorite reading bench. It sits in the main part of the park on a little island in the creek that runs through the park. When I came around the bend I saw that it was occupied. My heart sank. What was I to do? I can't just change reading benches! can I?

At this moment I realized something, I don't like change. I'm a traditional guy. If it works, why fix it. Let me give you some examples- this very park use to have this awesome triple decker rocket ship to play on- it's now gone- I don't like that. The old Tiger stadium was replaced by a new and more luxurious Comerica Park- I don't like that. Baseball changed the pennant race to a two round play off system complete with wild card teams- I don't like that. Hockey changed rules to protect the goalie and took away the two line pass- I don't like that. My favorite coffee shop that I have been going to for over a decade is still in business and still brews amazing coffee- I do like that. The bench I like to read in the park is still here after decades- I really like that. You see, I love when things stay the same and I resist change. I understand the need for change, but I still don't like it.

Here's what I understand about change. The park people took the rocket ship out to build newer and safer stuff for the kids to play on. The Tigers built a new stadium with hopes of generating more money and bringing more people to the games. Baseball changed the pennant race to accommodate an expanding league and to generate more post season income for playoff teams. Hockey changed its rules to protect players and to help speed up the excitement of the game. Change makes sense in my head, but my heart doesn't like it. Our society is constantly saying "out with the old, in with the new". We live in a time when the quickest to change is the one who stands to make the most money. It seems we can't change fast enough.

Ironically, I feel completely the opposite when it comes to the church. I am drawn to churches that break away from tradition and start something new. I love ministries that think outside the box and reach people where they are. When we talk about church traditions I cringe. I am reminded of the scripture where Jesus says that our traditions, the traditions of men, make the Word of God powerless. It saddens me to see churches put more emphasis on tradition than they do in the love of Christ. Churches that once had thriving congregations are now reduced to a mere shadow of their former existence. All because of a refusal to change with the times. There is this strong misconception that if you change with the times you have to change your message or water down the Gospel. This couldn't be further from the truth. I recently heard a pastor say that you need to keep the same message, but change the package. It's like you changing your wardrobe to fit the current style, but you on the inside are still the same. I believe this is true for the church. In our lightning fast society that is ever pushing the speed envelope with faster food, faster computers, faster internet, and faster ways to shop. With these constant changes in our society, it is increasingly important for the church to change as well.

Have you ever seen a cereal box from the 1950's? Compare it to the same cereal box today and you'll see a radically transformed package that fits today's advertising trends with the same product on the inside. The Bible is as relevant today as it ever has been, but if we don't change the packaging we aren't going to be effective in today's society. People need the Gospel of Jesus. They need us to reach out to them in a way that speaks to them. At one time "turn and burn" may have had some results, but love always prevails. Showing people guilt through sin may have worked in days past, but today people need to know that Jesus loves them more than He despises their sin. I once read a witnessing survey that asked this question:

What do people need most today?

a) time

b) money

c) love

d) other

It amazed me to hear peoples responses. Money and time easily topped the opinion poll. The fact is that money, time, or whatever else people are focused on are things they use to fill the hole that love should fill. They are only surface issues that point to a deeper root problem. Just like trying to get rid of weeds in your lawn, if you only deal with the surface issue and pull the weed then it will grow back every time. If you go after the root of the weed you can stop the weed from returning. If we want to see change in our society and in our world we need to get to the root of people's problems. We need to show people what is really missing in their life. I know Christianity has done some stupid stuff in the past in the name of God, and I'm sorry for that. If you have been hurt by a Christian who wasn't walking in love I apologize. Jesus told us what the greatest commandments are- love God- love others. Do you see the common word between the two? It's love. If Christians live those two commandments to a radical extent I believe we will see results that far out weigh what any law can do.

What it comes down to in the end is this- if the church doesn't change its packaging and it doesn't love people where they are it will fade out. A church can change its packaging, but if it does it for any reason other than love it still fails. Be challenged today to show radical love to those around you. Step outside your comfort zone and love the unlovable. Give those without hope a reason to be. This is what I thought about today when my reading bench was occupied.

How do you feel about change? Does change scare the bejeezies out of you too?

Oh yeah! I ended up getting the bench and reading my book. What an awesome day!

Why Don't I Just Quit?

2009-09-24T20:34:00.010-04:00

Have you ever had a day where you just felt like giving up? I have...today actually! 'Why don't I just Quit?" That is what went through my mind. Today is the second time in as many weeks that I have thought about quitting. It is insane to me that I even entertain the idea. What else am I going to do? Where would I go? If I did quit I would merely be running from God, from His will. I am reminded of Ps. 139:7-8 "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence. If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there." As you can see, running really isn't an option for me.

I am continually irritated with myself at how low my struggle threshold is. I hit a bump in the road and I want to quit. I turn into a head wind and want to pull over and wait. I drive into the rain and want to pull under an overpass and call it a day. The truth is that I have nothing to complain about. I was reminded today at what the disciples went through back in the day. They were persecuted at every turn. Somebody always wanted to throw them in prison, beat them, and kill them. Nobody has wanted to kill me yet. If they have they haven't told me about it. I look at Paul and I see a bunch of issues- "Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—" 2Cor 11:23-27

In case you didn't catch it the first time, read those passages again. At my current pace, I would have given up with one shipwreck, or one time being beaten. Or worse yet, I would have given up with the mere threat of any of the above. When I get into moods like this I just have to remind myself that I haven't seen anything yet! Don't get me wrong, I don't want to quit, I just think about it from time to time.

What it comes down to in the end is that I can either do what God has called me to do or I can run from Him. The problem with running? Psalm 139- I can't go anywhere without God being there. I can't escape Him, and in all reality, I don't want to. Been there, done that. Years of running led to years of pain and agony. Then I look at Paul and I think- don't want that either. It is a catch 22 of sorts. At least it is in my mind.

All this runs through my head, then I meet a guy like Corky. I was walking my dog Kali and he turned to try to pet her. She is timid, so that didn't go so well. I went to walk on when I heard God's Spirit speak to me and say "talk", so I did. In less than five minutes he opened up his life to me, all his ailments and all his problems. Five minutes, that's it! We walked only one city block. When we got to the end of the block I realized we were going separate ways, so I stopped him and asked if I could pray with him. He said yes, absolutely! I told Him that doctors may not be able to help, but God can. We prayed and he went on his way. As I walked back to the apartment I realized one important thing, I can't quit! I won't quit! It's just not in me to quit. Why not? Corky, that's why I won't quit!

Have you ever quit? Have you ever wanted to quit? How did you keep yourself from giving up? Do you have a secret to success in this area that we could all learn from?

Meet Billy

2009-09-23T17:23:00.008-04:00

I went out today and walked the streets of Indianapolis with my dog, Kali. She loves to go for walks while we are in Indy. While I was out walking I prayed for opportunities to be a blessing. Yesterday I had seen this homeless man sitting along a fence. I had a strong pull inside to stop and talk to him, but didn't. Today I told God that if I saw him again I would be obedient this time. I've said that a hundred times and maybe three times I have had a second chance. Today was a second chance day. As I walked down the street I was praying about who to reach out to. I asked God to show me who needed His love today. I turned the corner and guess who was there again today? Yup, it was the same man. I knew God had something for this man.

I walked over to him and introduced myself. I told him that I wanted to sit and just talk to him for awhile. I never realized until I saw the sparkle in his eyes how nice it is when we just stop and say hi. He introduced himself, his name is Billy. I asked if it was o.k. if I asked him a few questions and he graciously replied "yes you can." So here is how some of the conversation went.

Scott- So, are you from around here?
Billy- Ya, I grew up here.
Scott- So, do you live around here?
Billy- Ya... I live on the streets... I am homeless.
Scott- I don't mean to be nosey, but how did you end up on the streets? Was it a choice, or where you forced into the streets because of circumstances?
Billy- I lost my job, industry left and now I can't find work
Scott- How long have you been on the streets?
Billy- About two years, maybe more...ya, it's been two years.
Scott- Again, I don't want to pry, I just really want to help people, maybe you can help me better understand how to help. Do you ever go to Wheeler?
Billy- Ya, sometimes in the winter. I mostly just stay in the streets though.
Scott- If there was one thing someone could do for you, what would be the most important thing you need right now?
Billy- I just need a place to stay, someplace to sleep every night off the street. I also need money, if you could help me in that arena I would appreciate it.
Scott- I travel around the country and the one thing I think people need most is love. That is what I want to tell you today, that you are loved. Not just by me, but by God. He loves you so much and wants to help you. Because of that, I want to help you. I don't have much, but what I have is yours.

At this point a smile came across Billy's face. I could see a genuine appreciation for what I was saying.

Billy- Thank you
Scott- Your welcome. Can I pray with you right now.
Billy- Yes, please!

There was much more to the conversation than this. I just wanted to give you a little look into how much you can give without giving the bank. I only gave him two dollars, not much, but it was all I had. Billy's response was "thank you, this is a cup of coffee later on." He said it with a smile and real appreciation.

I don't advise that people go around just giving money to homeless people. I know many times they are just looking to get their next fix, but I will say this, still give. Give food gift cards to fast food restaurants that can't be spent anywhere else or for anything else. Make sure there is easy access for them to the place you are giving the gift card for, otherwise, what kind of blessing is it really? Give gift cards to stores in the area like Walmart, Starbucks, etc. Give cash if you are led to. Don't be afraid to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit on this one. Most importantly give of your time, communicate and find out what people need. Listen to them and hear what they are saying. Nothing says "love" more than a listening ear. Whatever is on your heart to give, give it with all the love that Jesus has put in you.

Sure, Billy needed way more than two dollars and a fifteen minute conversation, but the fact is I gave out of what I had on hand at the moment. It says in Acts 3:6 "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you:..." Money isn't the only thing Billy needs, he knows that. I would be willing to bet that God is able to give him exactly what he needs, just be a willing vessel and God will fill the need every time.

I encourage you, go out and meet Billy. Not the same Billy that I met, but every town has a Billy. Every town has a guy or girl whose suffered a set back or two. I told Billy that I wanted my actions to speak louder than my words. I don't know if I succeeded today, but I do know that I gave it a shot. You never know unless you try.

The truth is, I can't give Billy much right now. In the future I would love to be able to give him, and others in his situation more. I would love to put Billy up in a nice hotel for a couple days, get him some new clothes and wash his old clothes. I would love to take him to a nice restaurant to eat an expensive, good meal. I would like to help him find a job and a permanent place to live. The truth is, without support from people like you, I can't give anything. I want people to see what it is that this ministry is doing, where our heart is, and how we can make a difference. I want people to buy into the vision, in a literal sense. We can make a difference, one person at a time, but we can't do it without you. Please prayerfully consider helping us financially, or in what ever capacity that you can. We have a list of needs in the right hand column. If there is anything you have on your heart to give to help, please contact us, the info is at the bottom of the page. Lives can be changed one at a time if we will work together to make it happen. Thank you for all that you do to help make this mission possible.

Love God: and Some Other Thoughts On Love

2009-09-22T14:18:00.017-04:00

It's been a long while since my last post. This is mostly due to the lack of internet availability. Although I had found a coffee shop in Hastings, MI that had a computer I could use, I never felt comfortable writing a blog there. I had tried from time to time, but the overwhelming feeling of "over the shoulder" watchers stopped me. I have been thinking about quite a few things lately so I will try to start putting them on the blog this week as I have time. Here goes the first attempt.

Recently I have had the opportunity to speak. Unless you have the same love, it is hard to explain the emptiness ministry can have without it. For many years I have wanted to do nothing more than preach. It has been much more difficult than I had expected to give up regular pulpit time to hit the road. It's almost as if I had to give up a part of me to travel. I know God will use this part of my life more regularly in the future, but for now, it is difficult to give up.

Lately, when I am given the chance to speak, all I can speak about is God's love. I know there are so many other issues in the Bible of importance, but since the revelation hit me that God loves me I can't get away from it. To be honest, I don't think there is a more important Bible topic than God's love. While I have been speaking on this topic I have come to understand that telling of God's love is easy, explaining what God has done to show His love is easy, but what is not easy is telling people how they can practically experience this love they so desperately need. Each person is so unique and special to God that He may commune differently with each person. One day, while giving an illustration, this hit me. I realized that this is one way God has shown me how this love thing works for Him. I wanted to share it here and hope that it helps others better understand how a love relationship is suppose to look and how you too can have this relationship with God.

So many people think that just because God loves them it is enough. That all they need to do is acknowledge His love and move on. People think that because God loves them they can essentially ignore Him and still reap the benefits of that relationship. That couldn't be further from the truth. A love relationship with God is no different than it is with a person. Let me use an example from my own life.

Many years ago there was a girl that I was completely in love with. She was it for me, I knew it, and it was settled forever, as far as I was concerned. I would do anything for this girl. I would buy her flowers, tickets to concerts, dinner at expensive restaurants, you name it, I would do it. If she needed emotional support, I was there. If she needed help, I was there. Whatever she needed I would take care of, even to the point of overextending myself financially. The only problem was that she didn't feel the same. At the end of the day, no matter how much I did, I knew that the relationship was empty. I knew that it was a one sided thing that had no chance of growing into anything more than what it was. I knew that it was doomed to destruction.

I left that relationship broken and empty, feeling hurt and lonely. The funny thing is, it wasn't until years later that I realized that was what I was doing with God all the while. I shut my heart off while He was doing everything He could to show me His love. He was always there, anytime, anyplace, no matter what I needed. I took Him for granted in so many ways and just expected Him to be there when I needed Him. My relationship with God was so much like my relationship with this girl, it was one sided.

The fact that I had been treated this way and I knew how it felt should logically take me to a place where I wouldn't want to do that to anybody else in my life, especially God, right? Wrong! In fact, I found the exact opposite to be true. Instead, I was more eager to hurt others, as if I could in some way hurt this girl by hurting others. I could orchestrate some kind of revenge in life by being this way. I sort of blamed God for where I was. The truth is, it doesn't work that way. You know the best way to deal with someone who has done this to you, love them. This is not because I think God will smite them or heap hot coals on their head by loving them, but rather because they need that love. I have found that when I am most likely to hurt others in this way is when I am hurting on the inside. If I am not feeling adequate or loved, then I would try to make others feel what I was feeling, after all, misery loves company. I found that God was no longer in the picture in my thought life, prayer life, or any other area of my life. I could feel His presence from time to time. I could tell He was wanting to work in my life, but I was shut down to Him and what He wanted. The hurt that I felt inside was only amplified by my lack of love relationship with God.

How do we fix it then? It's not simple, but just like we are willing to pursue those we love and do what it takes to show our love to them , we need to pursue love relationship with God. We need to find ways to build a solid, two way relationship of love with Him. In order to experience God's love to it's fullest potential you need to be actively pursuing a love relationship with Him. Pray, spend time in the Word, and listen for and follow His direction for your life. Lift up daily praise to Him for what He has done and open your heart to be used in any capacity to share this love with others.

So a quick side note, how do we love those that have hurt us? I couldn't love this girl the same way as before without causing more damage in my life. Thank God that there were plenty of opportunities to show love without putting ourselves in any emotional danger. Here are a few things I learned in my life.

First thing is that you need to pray for them. Give them to God so He can fill them with His love. One truth I've learned is that until you let God fill you with His love, you'll never be able to maintain a healthy love relationship with anyone else.

Secondly, always, and I mean always, speak well of them. It only makes sense that you would have good things to say if you really did love them. Don't let yourself be caught in the trap of bad mouthing others. This can be one of the most destructive things you can do, not only for them, but you also. People know when they have done somebody wrong. Think about what it would say to that person if they heard the good things you were saying about them. It would speak volumes to their heart. The Bible tells us to return evil with good. Don't let the enemy convince you that this will make things better.

Thirdly, no matter what, don't judge them. Judgment is one of the worst things we can do to others. It caused our hearts to be hardened and it is just plain hurtful to those being judged. The truth is, we don't know what is really at the root of the problem for them. Judging them is only going to cause more harm. We live in a time of the church where God's judgment is delayed in our lives until we have lived them out. He is waiting to see what we will do. He is waiting to see if we will accept His free gift of love, if we will accept His Son as our Lord and Savior. He is giving us the benefit of the doubt. This is a great time to give others the benefit of the doubt. Let God work His love into their hearts so they can see what real love is.

Finally, forgive them. I think this is the most important step of all. This should be the first step. There is nothing more important for your life than forgiving others. I know it doesn't seem possible some times, but do it in faith. You may say, "You don't know what they did to me?" to which I respond, "Do you know what Jesus did for you?" If we can't forgive it really shows that we don't fully understand what it is that Jesus did for us. The Bible tells us that those that are forgiven much have much to be thankful for. I don't know about you, but I have a BUNCH to be thankful for. How can I possibly hold onto and not forgive others knowing that I have been forgiven of so much. I really believe that unforgiveness is the core root of strife and anger. Forgive and let it go to God. The truth is that He is the only one who could do anything about it anyway.

Does any of this make sense? It did to me when I wrote it. Tell me what you think. Has this ever happened to you? Are there more steps to mending love hurts? Can a love relationship with God really change your life?

Change Selfish to Selfless

2009-09-05T23:28:00.005-04:00

I have some time on my hands tonight so I thought I would write. My friends are in bed. They have three kids, so early to bed, early to rise carries a whole new meaning. My schedule is not compatible, which leaves me with some time to kill before bed. I have had two days in New Haven, CT. I've never been here before, but I like it. It's my kind of town. The home of Yale University and an incredibly diverse population. I came here with one goal- see a long lost friend. Goal accomplished! What I didn't expect was the overwhelming tug on my heart for this area and a desire to find a way to show God's love. You can be sure of this, I will be back.

This was a leg of the trip that I was devoting to me and me alone. After all, I haven't seen them in eleven years. There really is nothing wrong with that. I expected to hang out and catch up. What I didn't expect was that I would end up with an opportunity to minister during my visit. Last night we were walking into an ice cream shop and a guy stopped me to ask for some money. My first thought was to ignore him and move on. After all, that was what I was trained to do. Just don't make eye contact and walk on by. As this thought was going through my mind I was hit by an overwhelming warmth in my heart. The words of an earlier blog entered my head, "Can't Look Away." Before I could walk past the man my heart halted me and I stopped to talk to him. I told him I wasn't going to give him money, but I would gladly buy him some food. He looked confused, either nobody had ever done that before, or food wasn't his purpose. Which ever didn't matter to me. After a long pause he said sure. We found a pizza place, bought some food and a beverage and walked back to the ice cream shop to over indulge in God's greatest gift to mankind, ICE CREAM! Which I did with all the gladness of my heart.

The purpose for this story isn't to pat myself on the back, or to get people to say, "Oh, isn't he doing great things," but instead to show the impact one act of love can have on others. Not only on the man who received the pizza, but on the friend I was with as well. I had just got done giving her a long soap box speech about helping those in need and how the church wasn't doing enough and how we needed to be more sensitive to those in need and yada, yada, yada. Now, not five minutes later I am put on the spot. Sure, it would have been easy to walk past and ignore the man, but I couldn't. I had inadvertently given myself a line of accountability that I now had to live up to. I had no choice but to help. Don't get me wrong, deep in my heart I wanted to help, but I still found myself resorting back to old habits and old prejudices. When it was all said and done, a man ate a meal and a friend saw Jesus' love in action. She commented on how happy the guy was with the food he received and I knew that God just gave me a moment to show a practical demonstration of what it is that I now live for. Sure, if I hadn't done what I did it could have hurt my credibility with my friend, but worse yet, it would have hurt the very God I serve.

The point I'm trying to get across is to be open to God. Let Him take a moment of self gratification (no matter how justifiable) and turn it into a moment for His love to shine. You never know who is watching and learning from you. Your words can only carry you so far, but your actions can carry you over the top. Studies show that kids learn more from what their parents do than they do from what they say. Other people learn from you the same way. The truth is that people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. My friend saw Jesus and His love alive. The man we served saw Jesus and His love alive. Once again I learned a valuable lesson about Jesus and bringing His love alive. God doesn't bring crap on us to teach us, but He does work in mysterious ways. The mystery never ceases to amaze me. What more could you want from one moment in God's loving arms. Be courageous, and step out to act on what you believe. Give yourself accountability with others so even in a moment of weakness you can be strong. Jesus loves you and He loves those you come in contact with as well. Let the love of Christ shine in all you say and do.

Can't Look Away!

2009-08-28T00:40:00.008-04:00

We just came in from the New York City Rescue Mission. I like this place for many reasons. One of the biggest is that they are doing something for Jesus. It is exciting to go to new places and do new things, but what excites me more is when you hear two guys in a mission program talking to each other about Jesus. I never really realized what it was that missions did. I know they are all different, but the ones I've been through share one thing in common, Jesus. I haven't had much time to talk to the homeless that we feed at the missions, but I do get to talk to the guys in the programs there. You know these guys are going through some pretty hard times, yet they are happy and smiling because they have learned the truth about who Jesus is and what He did for them. Nothing brings me more joy than having somebody who is on their way up from a life low remind me of what Jesus did. Through the experiences I have had with the missions, God has given me a new heart toward the homeless population in America. I never wanted to see the legitimate side of homelessness, I just wanted to turn away. All of us have a story about a pan handler that has stepped over the line and we always want to climax the story with how we humiliated and rejected them and sent them on their way empty handed. It gives us a sense of pride to tell these triumphant stories of victory. I know, I've done it many times.

Over the past couple years I have been challenged spiritually to take another look at this "king of the mountain" approach to homelessness. God challenged me to find a way to help. I read a book called "Under the Overpass", written by a guy whose name I can't remember. Anyway, it is a book about two guys who decided to live homeless in 5 cities in the U.S. so they could experience life on the streets. I highly recommend this book because it opened my eyes to where the real needs are. It is easy to sit around and complain about what the government is, or is not doing about this. We can talked about welfare reform and food stamp fraud all we want, but it doesn't change the truth. People are going hungry on our streets. The truth is, it's not the governments job to take care of the needy, it's the churches job. Need proof? Read the Gospels and Acts, it's all there! I have been reading the parable of the Good Samaritan almost everyday for the past week and I learned something, my "religion" made has made me cross the street to avoid the real need. My position made me look away and hope someone else would take care of it. I can't do that anymore. I can't just sit around and hope someone else will take care of it. Jesus told us to love our neighbor as He has loved us. Who's our neighbor? The guy laying in the street. Jesus tells us this in Luke 10 when He is talking about the Good Samaritan. I can't look away anymore, and the saddest part is now I can't do enough. I don't think I can do enough to make up for the times I looked away, for the times I mocked and made fun of people in need. Zacchaeus promised to pay back four times what he had taken and I'm not able to break even. It would take too many years to pay it all back. This is where we can only rely on the unending mercy of God and look to the cross and the blood of Jesus. Without that the guilt would be unbearable.

My life is now devoted to doing what I can and nothing less. If I can do it, I will! It breaks my heart to see people in such need and hear people in the church comment or snub their nose. If Jesus where here today He wouldn't be in our churches preaching to capacity crowds. He would be in the streets, in the bars, at the Vegas strip. He would be reaching out to the lost, hurting, dying, sinful people that we can so easily look past as we walk down the street. Many of them need someone to believe in them, someone to love them and spend time with them. How do I know this? because I needed it once. Not because I was homeless, hungry or abandoned, but because without Jesus I was no better off. Don't forget where you came from. Lost and dying in the streets of New York is no different than lost and dying in the richest of houses in L.A. The truth is that without Jesus we are all lost and dying.

*for more info on some of the places I've visited go to Right Side Up Ministries website and click on the News, Events, and Links

Sit Up, Take Notice, and Act Out!

2009-08-24T17:48:00.003-04:00

Today we helped finish up with Project Backpack at the Market Street Mission. We spent a few hours yesterday handing out backpacks to families who can't afford school supplies and spent a few more hours today tagging what was left. It was an experience I won't soon forget. Hundreds of kids have school supplies now that wouldn't have otherwise. It really is a great program.

Today while we were tagging backpacks and eating lunch at the mission I started to think about what it was that I really wanted to accomplish with my journey. I know that the number one accomplishment is to show the love of Christ through action, but today I started to realize that there is more to it than that. We ran into Angel, whom I wrote about in an earlier blog "Reminders" and again she reminded me of something. The biggest thing next to spreading God's love I want to accomplish is to ignite others to become actively involved in a solution. A solution to what? anything. A friend recently wrote, "It is easy to sit up and take notice, What is difficult is getting up and taking action." I am sure that I heard that quote before, but today it rang differently in my ear.

Today the sound ringing in my ear was the sound of God calling His children to action. For years I only sat up to take notice, but now I can't wait for the next opportunity to take action. Am I special? heck no! Do I have special talents nobody else possess? heck no! I just have a heart to serve Jesus and am learning daily how to step out in faith and trust Him. While talking today with Susan, the woman in charge of the Project Backpack campaign, she told us how ten years ago she became involved with Market Street. It started for her with one person talking about being ordinary and doing something extraordinary. She said she worked in corporate America and decided to leave her job and volunteer with the mission and now look what she is doing for God. Over 800 kids will have school supplies because she decided to be ordinary and do something. I've heard it said that God doesn't call the qualified, but qualifies the called. There are hundreds of organizations around the world that need help. Maybe today is the day that you fill some holes for them. My help is only temporary, but yours may not be. At some point I move on to another town while the need stays. Believe it or not, I am happy when places don't have volunteer positions open because that means the local church is stepping up. Don't get me wrong, helping is what I do, but sometimes the job is better left to those who have a personal stake in what is happening. I encourage you today, if your sitting on the sidelines- stop. Get up and be an ordinary person making an extraordinary difference.

Thank you again to Angel for just being yourself and thank you to everyone at Market Street Mission for doing what you do.

Excuse Me, Where's the Pulpit?

2009-08-22T21:33:00.000-04:00

Today we worked at another mission serving food. The mission is called Market Street Mission in Morristown, NJ. We worked for a couple hours serving food to the men in their rehab program, as well as serving to people in the community. As I was serving I was reminded of something I wrote in my July newsletter and I wanted to share it with you:

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Col 3:17 NKJV)

I thought about this verse the other day as I was wrapping forks into napkins at a homeless shelter where I volunteered to serve food. I found myself wondering why I was doing that instead of all that I am qualified to do. A part of me wanted to ask, “Excuse me, but where’s the pulpit? I mean, I went to Bible School, I deserve better than this.” Thankfully I realized before it reached that point that it is not about me, it’s about the need. “If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land;” (Isa 1:19 NKJV) God needs us to not only be obedient, but to be willing to do whatever He needs. It’s only through our willingness and obedience that the love of God will truly shine through to others.

The reason I wanted to share this is because I had some of the same thoughts tonight. It seems as though Satan wants to get me off track by bringing my pride into play. He wants me to continue to think about me instead of others. The whole purpose for my journey is to look for God in everything I do. It is to serve those in need in whatever capacity needed. It doesn’t take long to realize where God is in the 100 or so people we served tonight. He is with them through the toughest moments. He is working in the littlest things, including meals, to touch their hearts and show His love.

Market Street Mission is a place where people with drug and alcohol addiction can come for help. It is a place they can clean up and learn how to stay clean. The people at Market Street also teach them life skills and help them to re-introduce themselves into society as an active citizen instead of a drug addict or alcoholic. They have numerous testimonies of how God has changed their lives and how it wouldn’t have been possible without Market Street Mission.

This brings me to the conclusion of what I am trying to say. The fact is most of the guys in this program have little hope of success without the help of others. Their success rides with those who surround them. Their biggest need right now is to know the love of God. The best way to show this love is through actions. Words will only go so far, it's actions that will stick for them. By doing the little things that many of us think we are above, we can show this love to them. Things like serving food, cleaning dishes, doing laundry, cleaning toilets, or even folding newsletters for the organizations that work with these guys. I’ve heard it said many times in sports that it’s not only the big names that put 'W’s" on the board, but also the everyday grind of the average player. I would consider myself the average player, the guy who has a great day in the game once in awhile, but mostly I have a bunch of average days that in the end add up to making a difference. The most valuable players in baseball are the utility players, the ones who will come in and do whatever is needed, and put their whole heart in it. The ones who want to win. They are the ones that fill the holes of the big names who get injured or need a night off. Without these guys there is no depth to the team. Without these guys a great team will become average.

We may not have the opportunity to play in what we would consider the big game, but we do have the opportunity to play. I was reminded tonight that it is not the size of the act that makes the difference, but the heart that is behind it. I know that most of the people that I have served food to over the past couple months will never get to know me. They will never know my name, or what I do, but one thing they will carry with them is that I did it. I pray that they will know why I do it. I do it because the love of God is shed abroad in my heart. I do it because Jesus died on a cross for all of them as well. I do it because if I didn’t, who would? The need is so great, but so many times I didn’t do it because I was “better” than that, or I was “too well trained” to stoop to that level. I didn't do it because my head got ahead of my heart. My ego took control and wouldn't allow me to. All of these things are lies. All of these reasons amount to nothing in our lives. The truth is that it really isn’t about me, but about the need.

I am reminded of John 13: 1-20. It is the story of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. The reason He did it was to show them how they were supposed to be. He was a living example to us. In Jesus day that was one of the lowest positions and Jesus humbled Himself and became a servant to all around Him. He did it to show them how to pass on His love. Even in His position, He did it. So it comes down to this, if He can do it, so can I.

Punishing Guilt

2009-08-13T10:50:00.010-04:00

Recently I have been reconnecting myself with old friends via the internet, more specifically Facebook. Many of these friends I haven't talked to in years. So many years that it brings a gushing flood of old memories every time I find someone new. The other day I found a friend that I hadn't talked to in at least eight years. This friend wasnt lost because of normal ware and tare of life, but instead because of a falling out of sorts. Once I requested this person as a friend I remembered all the undone, unfinished issues between us. I started to wonder if this would still be an issue or if maybe we could already be past this, as if a statute of limitations had expired. Then I started thinking about how many other friends that I had used and abused in my life and guilt slowly started taking hold of me and escentially it hung me out to dry.

For years I carried the guilt of all the people that I had mistreated and used in life. I would have trouble sleeping at night because of the fear that I had of the reprocussions of my choices. Then one day I met Jesus. Not the TV wimpy Jesus, the one who let everyone push Him around and pick on Him like the nose picking nerd in second grade. Not the Jesus I heard about from so many that would hold everything over my head for all eternity, or the one who was waiting for me to screw up so He could smite me (what does that mean anyway?). But instead I met the strong, loving, forgiving, and full of grace Jesus that the Bible talks about. Through my relationship with Him I learned in 2 Cor 5:17 that all the old junk in my life was gone and all this new stuff came in when I accepted Him as Lord and Savior. Man, what an awesome deal. I accept Him and He takes all my crap from me.

For awhile this took care of the guilt issue, as it should, but after some time I started thinking about it again. I realized that just because I was "born again" and just because I was a "new creation" and old things were gone didn't mean that my mind was brand new. In fact, I learned that I needed to renew my mind (Rom 12:2). I had to change the way I thought about myself and start thinking the way God thinks of me. This process is not easy, but in time I have learned to forget about the past and move toward the future (Phil 3:13). I have to constantly remind myself that Jesus paid the price for everything that I have done. He took it all upon Himself so I could live free. Free of guilt, free of regret, and free of condemnation. He took it all for me.

No matter what we've done God forgives us, but the reality is that people aren't so forgiving. If we have hurt people in our lives there are consequences that we will face. People hold onto pain and hurt much longer than God does. We justify our anger and resentment by telling ourselves we deserve to hold on. We deserve to be mad and upset, and even hurtful. This couldn't be further from the truth. Eventually we need to forgive or it will start to haunt us. I realized that those I had hurt had to come to terms with what had happened, just as I have to when I am hurt. I am not diminishing what I have done in the past, nor am I hiding behind God. I am ready and willing to take whatever consequence may exist, but now I can do it with the peace that I know Jesus gives me. I can stand up and be a man about it and ask forgiveness, knowing that if people won't forgive, Jesus does. Living with guilt and pain from the past may be a reality in your life, but it doesn't need to be. Jesus can take it and He will. Let Him deal with your past, it makes the future a whole lot brighter.

Acts of Random Kindness

2009-08-09T01:00:00.003-04:00

Recently I read an article that started my mind working. It was an article about a family from Georgia that had sold their house, bought an RV, and hit the road. There mission was to do as many Acts of Random Kindness they could get their hands on. They fitly named their trip The ARK Tour. The ARK obviously an acronym for... well, you get the picture. While reading this article I was struck by the courage of this family, six in all, to do what seems to be a completely ludicrous thing. I was also struck by the similarity between what they were doing and what I am doing and I started to wonder, "God, are you working a theme here? This isn't just a coincidence is it?" It's not that I am thinking I can work side by side with this family, or even have an opportunity to meet them face to face. I am thinking, however, that maybe God is working on the hearts of many more Americans to be old school type missionaries in their own country. Think about that... missionaries in the U.S.

I read another article a few years ago about how churches in Africa and Korea are now sending missionaries to the U.S. It talked about how Christians in these parts of the world are seeing the U.S. as one of the biggest mission fields in the world. One pastor even said his heart was so strong for the U.S. because the American churches had had such a strong heart for his country a half a century ago. I am amazed, and to be honest, a little worried that other countries that we have been missionaries to in the past are sending people over here as missionaries to us. I wondered why this was?

After thinking for some time as to why this was I turned the TV on and it all became clear to me. On the news it talked about violence, murders, rapes, child abduction, and natural disaster all in the same half our news program. It started to become more and more real to me that these other countries are hearing the same news and seeing the same horrible stories about cities in the U.S. I started to realize that these people have seen first hand how the Gospel of Jesus Christ has changed their homes and villages and even sometimes their governments. They can testify about the goodness of God from first hand experience and are now seeing same problems here in the U.S. It worries me to see where our country is going. You can't blame it on one president or another, or on this political party or that one. The truth is that as a nation we are turning toward hate and violence at a faster rate than we are toward Jesus Christ and the peace that He offers. I am reminded about the reality of what a people without Jesus can accomplish.

Through all this I have had a renewed desire to take the Gospel to the world. Not the "clean yourself up first" Gospel, but the "come as you are" Gospel. The very same Gospel that Jesus taught when He walked the earth. See, if there is one thing the Old Testament can show us, it is that no matter how many laws you pass, it WILL NOT bring a nation closer to God. The truth is that the only hope we have in this country is Jesus. A changed heart will go a lot further than a changed law. Jesus taught that God looks at the heart and not the actions. The law only deals with the actions and not the heart. To change the heart is to change the actions. The only way to change this nation is to change it's heart, and the only one who can change it's heart, is not a politician, but God Himself. The only way He can do that is if His people get out and do His work. That is a love work, not a hateful and judgemental work. I hope you can see, this is what the missionaries from Africa and Korea see, and what the family from Georgia sees. This is what they are coming here to remind us of. Jesus is the only way to change the heart of America and change the path of destruction we are on. It's time for the church to focus next door. Look to your neighbors and you will find need. Look to your neighborhood and you will find hurt and pain. Many times we really don't need to look any further than our bathroom mirror to find someone who needs help. Let's be love minded and others oriented. Let's show Gods love to those around us. Let's become a society of local missionaries serving local people.

Not everone is called to do what I have done, or what the Georgia family has done, but we are all called to do something. That something is to take the Gospel to the world. But before we can do that, we need to understand the Gospel in our own lives. To do that we need more time in the Bible, more time in prayer, and more time in a community of believer (local church). Let God to a work in your heart so you can do a work from God's heart.

If you would like to learn more about the family mentioned in this blog you can visit their website:
www.arktour.org

Reminders

2009-08-06T00:04:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I met Angel. She works as a waitress at the pizza place we stopped to eat at for lunch. Being the quiet guy that I am, I didn't start a conversation with her (which is what I am working hard to change). Instead, she started a conversation with us. It didn't take long to find out where Angels heart was, she was a Jesus freak! We only had a short conversation, but I can honestly say that I wish we had more time. She shared with me her frustration with religion, legalism, and a church of condemnation. She shared her passion for the truth and her love for Jesus. I couldn't have agreed with her more and in the short time I had with her I was reminded why I started out on this trip.

In our conversation I was reminded that it wasn't about painting an apartment (which is what I am doing this week), or about going to a week of church meetings, and it sure as heck wasn't about me. Man can I get focused on me quick. It's a weakness, really, but one that I am sure many of us have. Here I am saying that I am out to seek out ways to help others and get closer to God, yet at the first opportunity I start thinking about non other than ME! I was reminded that Right Side Up Ministries isn't about me, this blog isn't about me, and most of all, my life isn't about me. I am amazed at how God communicates with me. I knew as soon as Angel started talking to me that God was using her to remind me of my purpose for this journey. I know so many people who say they never hear from God, but in response I would ask, are you listening? It could have been so easy for me to ignore this God ordained appointment and just look at it from a natural standpoint. In the natural it was just a meeting of like minded Christians enjoying conversation, but to God it was a teaching moment. It was a moment for God to get through to me and remind me that my mission is to take the Gospel of Jesus to the lost and dying world around me through whatever avenues open up. It was God telling me again that people need to know that grace out performs sin any day of the week if we let Jesus have our lives. It was a reminder to tell people that Jesus loves them, no matter what they have done or have gone through. It was a reminder that Jesus was beaten, died on a cross, was buried, and rose again to pay the bounty that is out on the heads of all mankind. It was a reminder that no matter what happens love will ALWAYS prevail. God's love will ALWAYS prevail. It was a reminder that I am no more worthy of a savior than the worst sinner known to man, yet He loves me enough to give me a way back to Him, and if He loves me enough, then He loves you enough. It was a reminder that Jesus loves you and wants to be a part of your life and it's as simple as asking Him. These are some of the things this conversation reminded about.

These are the things that a ten minute conversation with Angel reminded me of. I hope sharing this with you may remind you of some things also. Thank you Angel for being a vessel that God could communicate with me through. I have to say that God named you fittingly!

Slactivism

2009-08-04T23:01:00.000-04:00

I was reading some blogs the other day and I found myself aggravated about a point of view that differed from my own. It bothers me when I am easily frustrated by an opposing point of view. It doesn't make sense that an idea can open an emotional worm hole that sends me into a fit of internal rage. Most of the time it is a political issue, and occasionally it has something to do with religious beliefs. I thought I would take a moment to vent about it if that's OK?

I wouldn't consider myself a Republican, or a democrat. I guess you could say that I am a moderate, politically speaking. This brings various difficulties, especially when you consider the line of work that I do(ministry, for those who don't know). So my dilemma is in how to balance my faith and relationships with my beliefs and political views. I find myself getting frustrated with people who are adamantly opposed to President Obama and the decisions he makes. On the other side, I find myself getting equally as frustrated with those who adamantly support him. My dilemma isn't with opposing views, but more with the reason for those views. It's one thing to have an informed and thought out view on a topic. It's something completely different to have the a view based on what an article says or what somebody else thinks. I think my biggest problem is with those who don't take the time to read, consider, and learn both sides of an important issue before voicing an opinion. I know we may have good intentions with our
sporadic and emotional response to things we read about, but the truth is that most often we don't take time to research what we are hearing before we take a stand against it. This is a dangerous way to live our lives. I'll use myself as an example: One of my goals is to find an issue I believe strongly in and take part in a protest supporting that issue. I want to experience what it is like to protest. I don't want to pick some little issue or something I don't know much about, but something that I know about and feel strongly toward. People tell me that I should just pick an issue and go protest it. What's the point in that? The truth is that I very well could end up in jail if the protest were to get out of hand. Who wants to go to jail for protesting? Not me, especially if it's not even an issue that I feel strongly about. So why is it that many times we are willing to take a stand for something when we don't know all that is involved, and in doing so put our relationships with friends and family at stake?

I had a kid in my youth group in Mississippi that would argue something with so much energy and compassion and later find out that what he was arguing about wasn't even the truth. How rediculous is that? I'm telling you, he would bet his own life that he was right only to find out he wasn't. I'm not saying that we don't know anything about the issue, but what I am saying is that maybe we don't know enough about what we are most passionate about. Don't you want to know what you are putting your neck out for before you put it out?

The truth is that we all have things we are passionate about. Some things we are so passionate about that we would be willing to die for them, and others not so much, and I understand that. What I am trying to understand is how we choose the things we are most passionate about. What causes us to have this need to get fired up over key topics like abortion and gay rights, and yet over look issues like world poverty and hunger. At what point do we stop being activists talking about the problems and start getting actively involved in becoming a solution to those problems? It's a whole lot like being a Monday morning quarterback, seeing only what should have been better. It's a completely other thing to be THE quarterback on Sunday morning and having to make decisions as things fly by. Judging a decision from a tv screen with different angles, zoom, and instant replay is easy, it's making them while in the heat of the game that is difficult. A player is not only great because of their talent, but also in how they make last second decisions to use it.

I want to encourage you to stop talking about what you would do and start doing it. There are three steps that will help you move forwrd, 1) get informed- do your research, 2) find a way that you can help, and 3) DO SOMETHING! That's right, I said it- DO SOETHING! It's one thing to talk, it's somehting completely different to walk. Walk today, you never know what you can accomplish until you get in the game. Fans on the side lines don't make it happen and they don't get the checks, the players do. Make a difference and be a player today!

Storms Will Come!

2009-07-28T00:37:00.000-04:00

The other day, while driving from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Indianapolis, Indiana we ran into some difficult situations. About a hundred miles into the trip the truck stalled while cruising down the highway. We called for a wrecker, were towed into Joplin, Missouri to a Firestone shop and spent $400.00 to get back on the road. Hours later, in St. Louis, Missouri, while on an overpass with no shoulder, we blew a tire on the camper. I had to drive almost two miles to a safe spot so I can change the tire. With the two incidents, we are now 7-1/2 hours behind schedule. Finally at 2:35am, Indy time, we arrive at our destination. This, together with blowing a radiator hose, which delayed us 2-1/2 hours on the trip from New Braunfels, Texas to Tulsa, Oklahoma sparked an interesting question about my current path in life, "Do you think maybe you've missed God?"

At first thought I would have to say a frustrating "YES, I missed Him. I had to have missed Him for this to happen," but upon further evaluation I have to change my position to a resounding NO. Many people I know would say this is God telling me I missed it, but I have to disagree. I am not sure why so many think that when you choose the path God wants you on that you will not meet any obstacles and that it should be the easiest thing you have ever done. So many times people assume this and end up leaving what God wants for them, assuming that they missed it because of difficulties and struggles that came up. I am reminded of a scripture in 2Cor 5:7 which reads, "For we walk by faith, not by sight." I cannot make a decision based on what I see. As I contemplate my situation, I realize that if I always go off what I see then I would never do anything. I know that I heard God and I know that no matter what comes up that He is with me. People will ask, "Then why are these bad things happening?" And the only answer that I have is found in John 10:10 "The thief comes not but to kill, to steal, and to destroy, but I have come to give life and it more abundantly." The enemy comes to make things difficult in our lives, but the good news is that Jesus came to give us a better way. This doesn't mean that we won't experience difficulties in our path, or hard times won't stare us down, but when they do we have a better way if we just trust in Him.

Jesus told a parable about two men who built a house. The first built his house on a rock, and when the winds blew, the rain fell, and the floods came, his house stood strong. The second man built his house on the sand and when the winds blew, the rain fell, and the floods came, his house was washed away. In this parable, Jesus is describing a life built on His word as apposed to a life built without it. He tells us in this parable that storms will come in life, so when they do you want to be standing on the rock. That rock is Jesus!

On two separate accounts Jesus told the disciples to get into a boat and go to the other side of the sea. I don't think you can be more in God's will than to have Jesus tell you to get into a boat and go to the other side, yet in both stories a huge storm hits them. The storms are so bad that the disciples fear for their lives. In both accounts Jesus comes in and calms the storm. In one story He is in the boat and the other is when He walks on water to get to them. Based on these accounts I find it hard to believe that we are suppose to have an easy, peaceful walk if we are in the will of God. God does not cause the storms that we come up against, but when we come up against them God is there to calm the storm and bring us to the other side.

I find in these times of strange occurrences and uncertain happenings that when I call on God, He always shows up. It is so easy to sit back and look at the negative while broke down on the side of the highway, but the truth is- it could be a whole lot worse. I know that saying can be an irritating cliche at times, but during the storms in life I find great comfort in it. I know that God is on my side and that He is working to create a peace in the storm that I will only experience if I let Him deal with things. I also know that the only way to get to the other side is to let Him be a part of what is happening. The Bible says to not worry about this stuff, let God take care of the worries in life. This is how I can leave a job and travel the United States during a time of recession and not worry about the who, what, when, where, why, and how's of life. I know that if I can bring myself to a point of not worrying, then I will see God do the miraculous, even in the ordinary! I will see God turn the rubble in my life into something spectacular that no one else can take the credit for other than God.

God has a plan for you (Jer 29:11), so don't be discouraged if you hit some bumps in the road. God is faithful and will finish the work that He has started in you. He will equip you to be able to finish the race that He has called you to. He told the disciples to "go over" and saw them through to the other side. If He will do it for them, He will do it for you. I promise that if you look at your situation agian you'll find God right in the middle of it working things out for you.

Small Beginnings

2009-07-19T00:14:00.000-04:00

This is the beginning of an interesting journey to find God in America. I have been fascinated with what Americans think about God, Christianity, and so called "traditional values" and have set out on a journey of discovery. A journey of discovering what connection ordinary, everyday Americans have with God and how God is influencing their lives. So many people have this view of a harsh, unloving God who doesn't care about them, or anything for that matter. Some have no concept of God whatsoever. My goal is to travel America in search of real people with real experiences that have shaped who they are. This blog is an attempt at having an equal playing ground for those to share where they are and what they are experiencing, and what, if any part is God playing in that. I will share my experiences during this trip and open up my intimate relationship with God for others to read. Hopefully through this we will all come to better understand our role in life and this world which we live in. I believe we all have a vital role to play in this world and I would love to see all of us find our God given place in it. This is the small beginning to what I truly hope becomes a much larger project- "Finding God In America"