tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-246158582011-04-21T23:07:15.448-04:00The mundane, arcane, and occasionally insane ramblings, musings, and insights of a desperately grateful recipient of the great big grace of God.Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.comBlogger341100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-65999464122784003782007-11-17T16:10:00.000-05:002007-11-17T16:11:47.927-05:00

The blog can now be found at:http://fiercegrace.wordpress.com/Thanks!

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-66687537929902143762007-10-12T13:17:00.000-04:002007-10-12T13:39:09.902-04:00

Some of you who read a copy of my "Annotated Bibliography" a few years back will remember that Jerry Cook's first book, Love, Acceptance, and Forgiveness, was on my all time Top Ten list. It's still there, and it's now been joined by it's sequel, Monday Morning Church. MMC is one of those books that made me say, "Yes, this is what I've been trying to communicate to the church!" Of course, Cook's

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-80860109966369232722007-10-10T16:58:00.000-04:002007-10-10T17:06:51.751-04:00

I'm working on a project and here's what I’m needing – We use the "Finding Your Spiritual Gifts" inventory by Peter Wagner with our folks who are seeking to know more about their gifts. It is a revised and expanded version of the old Wagner-Modified Houts Questionnaire. And yes, I realize Wagner's identification of 27 spiritual gifts is controversial in some circles, but I managed to get past

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-74593516959051956252007-09-20T14:35:00.000-04:002007-09-20T15:36:14.986-04:00

On a forum I am active in, a fellow member, and pastor, wrote this:A local minister on Sunday rose and told the congregation that he would be taking a sabbatical with his wife. They had had problems and the marriage was suffering greatly - they were crashing. The leaders allowed them to take some time away. If when they return things have not improved then he will resign his position. It is sad

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-41632534433640689172007-09-13T09:49:00.000-04:002007-09-13T09:55:36.497-04:00

1. The gospel informs the doctrine, not the doctrine the gospel.2. If we don’t multiply as a church we will die.3. If we can simply agree on where we are going, we’ll be able to figure out how to get there…together!4. Unity does not mean we always agree, but it does mean we will do all we can to get along in spite of disagreement.5. Our structures must adjust to allow us to be empowered, not

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-63235016638013412007-09-12T12:55:00.000-04:002007-09-13T09:56:37.355-04:00

"Walking after the flesh is living independently of God, and it doesn't matter if the world rewards or punishes it. Flesh is flesh no matter how good it looks. And if it's flesh, it's sin."-- Preston Gillham, Lifetime Guarantee Ministries

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-66277323930914536882007-09-11T10:59:00.000-04:002007-09-11T11:15:32.229-04:00

She turned 43 last week, but I swear when I look at her I still see that 17 year old girl I met on my first day at Atlanta Christian College. In honor of her, I have composed a list of 43 things I love about her. The real chore here was deciding what to leave out! If she lives to be 120, I will still have lots of good stuff that couldn't fit on the list.In no particular order...1. Her beautiful

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-14064046581675710212007-08-08T10:28:00.000-04:002007-08-08T10:45:59.029-04:00

In our pastor's prayer group this morning, someone mentioned wanting to start a "book of Acts" kind of church. One of the other guys spoke up and asked, "How come nobody ever wants to start a church out of the book of James?"Hmmmm....

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-85013069849320578452007-08-07T10:07:00.000-04:002007-08-07T10:41:59.997-04:00

I bought a fountain to put on my desk. It was cheap and plastic, but it came with real rocks! I've told everyone it was my "stream of living water..." But there's an unanticipated problem: the batteries wear out, and the never-ending stream stops flowing. Of course the issue is the power source - double "A"batteries are only temporary, they get weaker and weaker, and eventually they die.And the

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-75949855467789991222007-07-23T12:56:00.000-04:002007-07-23T13:23:10.619-04:00

We had a very successful week at the fair - gave away over 1000 bottles of ice cold water, and tons of free materials! We heard encouraging comments - one young lady said our booth was "the best one at the fair"! And we made contact with some folks who are searching for a church home. Hopefully, our act of not-so-random kindness said to them, "Welcome Home!"We also had many "thank you's" and "

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-54434973450476047132007-07-23T12:27:00.000-04:002007-07-23T12:44:21.711-04:00

Wow, this place looks like no one's been in here in years!Well, I guess no one has, except for faithful readers who logged on looking for wit and wisdom, got diddley-squat instead, and grew disenchanted, moody, and estranged...What can I say? Other things muscled their way to the front of the line and the blog waited in the back like a chubby kid with horn rims and dress shoes on at a pickup

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-89991710748359850322007-03-26T00:00:00.000-04:002007-03-26T00:17:25.049-04:00

"For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful." OK, I made up the headline. But that seems to be the fascinating conclusion of recent research, as reported on ABC’s Nightline for Thursday, March 20th.Here’s an excerpt from the online edition…At the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Andrew Newberg has been conducting a scientific study of the phenomenon for a long time.

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-28469336243680321962007-03-24T11:05:00.000-04:002007-03-24T11:20:37.892-04:00

New regular feature, quotes and articles that make a good point in a compelling way...Priscilla Brown Jamora writes a funny and thought provoking piece in today's Lafayette (IN) Journal and Courier. Here's an excerpt:[A]s a society we used to reserve clapping for major accomplishments, such as Mother Theresa winning a humanitarian award or the Boston Pops at their famed July 4th concert,

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-46820015323929802782007-03-23T08:23:00.000-04:002007-03-23T08:39:25.518-04:00

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Imperial Majesty Scott the Implacable of Buzzing St Helens Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title ------------Last night we experienced the particular joys of The Sixth Grade Variety Show. "Variety" was accurate: Wisecracking emcee's... kids who sang surprisingly well (the young man who sang "Drift Away" really blew it out)... some funny skits... dance

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-3255791937792752672007-03-12T13:11:00.000-04:002007-03-12T13:23:38.852-04:00

Right up front, let me be clear – I believe that the preaching of the Cross is the power of God unto salvation. I believe we need to lift up Christ, who said He would draw all men unto Him. I believe we must "preach Christ crucified" to see genuine life change in the people we minister to.I don’t give 'talks' on how to have a better marriage, advance your career, or raise happy, shiny children. I

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-65034950976521504532007-03-05T10:24:00.000-05:002007-03-07T11:32:41.093-05:00

The magazine section of Saturday's paper included a fascinating article on life expectancy, and included a link to http://www.livingto100.com. On the website, I completed a "life expectancy calculator." It asked questions about diet and exercise... home life and family... job related stress... personal hygiene (you can add up to fours years to your life by flossing your teeth everyday!)... family

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-91768413871009718742007-03-02T16:44:00.000-05:002007-03-02T16:54:51.178-05:00

Working on some improvements around here. More regular blogging... links to some fun and interesting stuff... a "blogroll". Blogger has added some help for tech-mo-nology dummies like me, so it should be a little easier to do what I set out to do with this place.Anyway, any helpful comments or constructive criticism would be appreciated. In other words, the "mean stuff" will never see the light

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-83437807306646706462007-03-02T16:03:00.000-05:002007-03-02T16:05:21.653-05:00

My cousin's son's death in January... a couple who lost their son in the war... the death of high school students in the tornado in Alabama... the bus crash that killed the members of a college baseball team this morning. I sit with tears in my eyes as I recoil in horror at the thought of losing a child. No matter the reason or cause of death, the pain is unimaginable and unthinkable.A ministry

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-1170520481251232332007-02-03T11:19:00.000-05:002007-03-02T16:06:58.932-05:00

A very unusual natural phenomenon occurs in Mobile Bay in south Alabama. From time to time, and only just before daylight on warm summer nights, sea creatures will swarm the shores of the Bay. Blue crabs, shrimp, flounder, stingrays, eels – so many of them swarm the shallows that the water seems to be boiling. People living near the shore ring bells and knock on doors and call out to alert their

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-1165856019733259262006-12-11T11:40:00.000-05:002006-12-23T12:28:29.393-05:00

Pastors know pornography is a problem in society and in the church – somewhere in the neighborhood of 40% of pastors admit to struggling with porn THEMSELVES! Nearly half of all Christian men admit to viewing pornography in the recent past. Porn has been called “a cancer on Christendom”.I first met Steve Siler a year ago. He is the adult son of a couple who are members of our church. Steve is an

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-1163439364388550022006-11-13T12:23:00.000-05:002006-11-13T12:37:51.556-05:00

Book recommendations are tricky. Too many times I have had someone come to me all excited about a book that supposedly set their hair on fire, and I read it and go “Ho. Hum. I wonder if there’s a King of the Hill rerun on…”So, I’m taking a major step out here. If you decide to read the book I’m going to recommend, and it does nothing for you, please do two things: 1. Check your pulse, and then, 2

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-1162582144188235342006-11-03T14:23:00.000-05:002006-11-03T14:29:04.226-05:00

When the news about Ted Haggard broke on Thursday, so did my heart. I have read, referenced, and enjoyed his writings and ministry for several years. Today, we know that Brother Ted has admitted that at least “some” of the accusations are true. The whole sad, sordid story will undoubtedly play out in the media in the days and months to come.“All have sinned,” Paul said, “and fall short of the

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-1156856683884477672006-08-29T09:00:00.000-04:002006-08-29T09:04:43.896-04:00

The woman was not a penitent. She was terrified and certain she was going to die a gruesome death. She most likely pleaded for her life and promised not to do “it” again. But repentant? Not hardly.She is dragged, kicking and fighting and possibly nude, to the feet of the rabbi.The men are cocky and confident. If they didn’t have to drag a naked, spitting, screaming woman they would be swaggering

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-1155656984156505522006-08-15T11:47:00.000-04:002006-08-15T11:51:09.123-04:00

Max Lucado once said he learned more about God by being a father than by reading any theology book. More than once these past 16 years, I've pondered that wisdom and generally concurred.Something utterly new occurred in our household today - I drove two of our boys up to a public schoolhouse door, wished them well and waved goodbye. We have homeschooled for 11 years and today was the first day

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-1153497985452007482006-07-21T11:58:00.000-04:002006-07-28T15:06:12.770-04:00

Sometime you read something that just perfectly expresses your own thoughts. That's what this little piece did for me...I like all kinds of music. But when it comes to church music, I confess I like the oldies best. I prefer the old songs because they put me in a nostalgic comfort zone. They bring back memories to me.For instance, I love the song, “How Great Thou Art.” It was sung at the funeral

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-1153247333590776552006-07-18T14:18:00.000-04:002006-09-30T13:47:01.490-04:00

There’s a widespread problem in the Body of Christ – I know, I know…There’s more than one! – We tend to place all of the emphasis of Grace at the point of our initial forgiveness, but almost none on the ongoing work of transformation of life where it is so desperately needed. We get saved and then immediately take control of our lives out of His hands and plunge right back into “making it” by our

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-1151341611285105872006-06-26T13:01:00.000-04:002006-07-29T23:43:53.146-04:00

I went to an auction recently. It was a household auction, with lots of furniture, pots and pans, and tons of miscellaneous stuff. I spent $20.50, and came home with an iron that cost $70 brand new, an antique floor lamp that an experienced dealer said he could sell for $50, and a box of “junk” that contained copies of Look and Saturday Evening Post magazines from the early 1960’s. I think I did

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-1150220350786946282006-06-13T13:34:00.000-04:002006-07-26T13:07:29.236-04:00

Someone passed along an awesome video clip that illustrates the "fierce grace" of our great God.It's from a recent service at The People's Church in Franklin, TN. The clip is about 8 minutes long.Listen to it here: http://www.fourthavenuechurchfamily.org/pc.wmv and be blessed!

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-1149270496007684912006-06-02T13:43:00.000-04:002006-07-28T17:33:18.043-04:00

6 year old Ashlyn Blocker literally feels no pain. Ashlyn is one of a handful of people in the world with Congenital Insensitivity to Pain, or CIPA, an extremely rare genetic disorder that prevents her from sensing pain.“You might think that’s a good thing,” says Ashlyn’s mother Tara, “But it’s not. Pain is there for a reason.”We humans will do anything to avoid pain in life. In some Christian

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-1147968964103265572006-05-18T12:01:00.000-04:002006-10-14T09:58:51.476-04:00

I've been involved in some good discussions lately about theology. The conclusion that has been reached in most of those discussions is that there are very few "pure" Calvinists or Arminians.Most of us are "Calviminians" - with beliefs that reflect some of both and all of neither.Not too long ago I put together the 5 Points of Calviminianism to serve as a starting point for discussing what I

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-1147361242233586112006-05-11T11:01:00.000-04:002006-05-11T11:52:44.500-04:00

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 (NASB)Right after one of the most familiar verses in the Bible (y'know "saved by grace through faith"...) is this little gem. Several thoughts come to mind...We are created in Christ for good works and not by good works. In other forums I've expressed

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-1147101543984190762006-05-08T11:17:00.000-04:002006-05-12T13:54:39.150-04:00

When I was a kid, our old Quasar would receive 3 TV stations - two and a half really, because one of them was only on part of the time. There were a lot of movies on "regular" TV back then - Hollywood blockbusters would be shown on Saturday nights, Sunday nights, and usually a weekday evening as well.When a movie came on there would often be a graphic superimposed on the screen for a moment that

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-1146766934675437162006-05-04T14:17:00.000-04:002006-05-08T11:21:07.546-04:00

Some gems found stashed among things people have passed along...Signs of Life (kudos to the author, who is unknown to me...)1. Breath: Just inhale, then exhale and hold your breath .... Breathing is essential for life. It is interesting that in Scripture that the word for "spirit" is interchangeable with the word for "breath". There must the work of the Holy Spirit within a church for there to be

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24615858.post-1146583756495621332006-05-02T11:15:00.000-04:002006-05-02T11:30:09.310-04:00

The revival speaker said the sons of Jacob were first sons, then brothers, then a nation, and then tribes. The fellowship, or in this case family, seems to precede the mission, or function.Christians will quickly and enthusiastically come together for mission - to complete a project or task. This unity is usually short-lived, and too frequently it is questionable whether it is of any lasting

Pastor Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03460029004533516984noreply@blogger.com0