Month: March 2023

The Eiffel Tower is 984 feet tall.  In this picture it looks smaller than the person because the person was a LOT closer to the photographer than the tower was.

I suspect that when my problems feel too big it’s because I’ve allowed them to get closer to me, in my mind’s eye, than God is!

You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.  Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”?  But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”  Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.  Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

James 4:4-10 Emphasis Added

Be Edified,

Pastor Scott

Ephesians 5:11 tells us to not participate in deeds of darkness but to instead expose them. Awana has been doing Children’s ministry for 70 years. I thought this was important enough that I should pass it on to parents and grandparents. Not for us to worry, but for us to pray and to be aware!

Pastor Scott

Dear Matt, Katie and family, There’s a weighty topic that was once on the margins of society and is now front and center, and it’s this: the transgender revolution. There was a time when children were more removed from the “issues of the day,” but that day is not today. As a matter of fact, children are now very much at the center of these cultural formation issues. As you know, Awana is all about the Bible. We like to say Awana is centered on the Gospel, rooted in the Scriptures and will never move even one inch off of the Bible. So as I write about this timely topic, I write with faithful, biblical conviction that’s rooted in the truth, grace and compassion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Why would Awana speak about such a sensitive topic? In the most simplistic response to this question, here’s why: The transgender revolution is a lie, and children are caught in the crosshairs of this aggressive lie.As you and I know, Genesis 1:27 says, So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. These words were also reiterated by Jesus when in Matthew 19:4 He said, “… Have you not read that He Who created them from the beginning made them male and female?”There’s a famous quote that says, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” As Christ followers, it’s our job to speak and live the truth, even when that truth may be difficult or come with social consequences. Jesus himself said in Matthew 18:6, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”  So, why speak about this issue? If we the truth-bearers of the Gospel say nothing, then we let the secular culture control the narrative, and that narrative is a lie. And this lie, unlike others, is resulting in the mutilation of the human body. It’s a big lie with significant, long-term consequences. Our only biblical option is to follow Christ in faithful obedience and to speak and live the truth in clarity and humility. Our children need the truth. They need reality. And the Gospel is what’s real. I received my first phone call asking for help on this topic from an Awana ministry director in 2017. Since that time, we’ve received an increased number of phone calls and emails from churches across the U.S. asking how to navigate this complex issue. Our response as Christians to this issue cannot be to stick our heads in the sand. We must shepherd and equip with biblical truth, grace and compassion. To respond to this growing need for help, the Awana team has created three practical resources for church leaders, parents and volunteers. If you are interested in getting equipped, consider doing the following:Read this Article. A good first step for anyone who wants to protect and prepare children to thrive in their faith in our cultural moment is to read this article, which specifically gives practical perspective and advice to children’s ministry leaders and Awana leaders/volunteers.Watch this Teaching Video. If you have a group of key leaders, volunteers or parents, this is a MUST-WATCH for your team! It’s a beautiful, three-part, documentary-style teaching video from theologian, historian and expert on this topic Dr. Carl Trueman. In this video he walks us through not only “How did we get here?” but also “What can I do about this?” as a parent or church leader.Download the Gender Identity Parent Guide. This is a clarifying, biblical and practical resource for parents. In today’s world, this sort of resource is essential! Please encourage all of the parents in your ministry to download this resource for biblical wisdom in a rapidly changing world. When Jesus was pressed on marriage and divorce by the religious leaders (Matthew 19), He didn’t become more permissive; He actually became more conservative. He gave the religious leaders two options: marriage or celibacy. At the same time, when Jesus confronted the woman at the well and the woman caught in adultery, He was also filled with great grace and compassion.  As Jesus Christ disciples and advocates in a broken world, we don’t waiver from biblical faithfulness when it comes to human sexuality. We align with Scripture and the Christian sexual ethic of the past 2,000 years. We also walk alongside broken people with the grace and compassion of our great shepherd, Jesus Christ, as we point them to love and live like Him. I pray you find these resources helpful as you reach and disciple children and youth. If you do, consider joining us either online or in person this fall for the Child Discipleship Forum; you’ll find resources like these and so much more to help you disciple today’s children with resilient faith.Forming a Resilient Generation, Matt Markins   Awana President and CEO  P.S. If you are considering attending the Child Discipleship Forum Sept. 21-22 in Nashville or online, register by March 31 to save up to $150. Register now!

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Not of preaching, not of life – don’t read this that way.  I just feel like I could sleep for a week.  Anybody else?  For us it’s likely been travel, some concerns, this goofy time change, and the yo-yo weather all piled on top of one another.  I appreciated this clipping from almost 30 years ago 🙂 

REST – According to a Greek legend, in ancient Athens a man noticed the great storyteller Aesop playing childish games with some little boys. He laughed and jeered at Aesop, asking him why he wasted his time in such frivolous activity.

Aesop responded by picking up a bow, loosening its string, and placing it on the ground. Then he said to the critical Athenian, “Now, answer the riddle, if you can. Tell us what the unstrung bows implies.”

The man looked at it for several moments but had no idea what point Aesop was trying to make. Aesop explained, “If you keep a bow always bent, it will break eventually; but if you let it go slack, it will be more fit for use when you want it.”

People are also like that. That’s why we all need to take time to rest. In today’s Scripture, Jesus prescribed time off for His wearied disciples after they had returned from a prolonged period of ministry. And in the Old Testament, God set a pattern for us when He “rested from all His work” (Gen.2:3).

Shouldn’t we take His example seriously? Start by setting aside a special time to relax physically and renew yourself emotionally and spiritually. You will be at your best for the Lord if you have taken time to loosen the bow.

Our Daily Bread, June 6, 1994.

Yours Because I’m His,

Pastor Scott

On Sunday (⅗) I got my tongue tangled while I was trying to tease Pastors Jim and Jad whilst also thanking them.  I’m not talking about my Eutychus* joke, I think that was fairly straight-forward. 🙂  I’m talking about the point I was trying to make about the difference between topical and exegetical preaching.

Topical preaching (or stand alone messages) can be like medicine or wound care.  The preacher, especially in cases like these where he’s part of the body, observes an issue but isn’t tied to the next paragraph in the book he’s preaching on, so he can tackle the issue.  It’s a good and necessary use of God’s word!

Book studies (verse-by-verse; expositional, & exegetical) is what I normally do.  Think of those as food or dietary supplements.    The better your diet, the better you can fight off diseases (the corruption of this world).  But we all are troubled sometimes; so I’m thankful for Pastoral EMTs who can apply necessary medicine in good season! 

Glad to be back and glad Jim amd jad had my back,

Pastor Scott 

*“Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together. And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead.  But Paul went down, fell on him, and embracing him said, “Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him.”  Now when he had come up, had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he departed. And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted.” 

Acts 20:7-12

Thank you Word of Grace!  Thank you for your prayers, thank you for your notes and cards, thank you for your financial gifts.  We ran out of town on the last Monday in January without any thought about the need to pay for gas and food, etc.

God showed Himself to be a miracle-working God in so many ways in Tyler and Abbie’s story, but I’m also really struck by how He didn’t forget us.  I was almost puzzled as people immediately started sending money.  Checking out of the hotel after the first week disabused me of that puzzlement, and greatly reinforced the truth that God knows our needs BEFORE we even ask  (Matthew 6:8,32)!

Because He loved us first,

Pastor Scott