Do you ever get preoccupied with yourself? Glad to hear I’m not the only one! It’s tough because we have a culture that pushes us to be self-focused people who are so busy with our noses stuck in our BlackBerrys and iphones that we have no time for other people. We have become electronically proficient and relationally challenged.

I really think one of the chronic problems on this little ball of dirt we call “earth” is self-focus! I’m not against “me time”, but come on, seriously, just how much “me time” do we really need? Now I understand that we all need to take a break every once in a while and rest. (Jesus did…He broke away from the heard just to spend quality time with the Father while recharging His batteries.) But I suspect some need to take a break from “me time.” Selfishness abounds in our society, and we shouldn’t contribute to this epidemic of narcissism. Over and over in the gospels I read about a Jesus who was fully human and yet fully giving His time and energy to others, and we must follow His lead.

This same “me” focus must have been going on in the church when the great Apostle Paul was around because he wrote in a letter to the Christ-followers in Philippi,

Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. (2:4)

Do you see the balance presented in this verse? Yes, we do have personal interests that need attention, but our attention also needs to be given over to the interests of others. Time is probably the key ingredient in this formula for balance. People need our time; people need to know we genuinely care. One sure way of showing people we care is our willingness to give them some of our time. Indeed, it is a difficult balance to strike, but let’s not be guilty of stealing time away from others when they really need it.

I believe the world is filled with everyday, struggling, working, fearful human beings, who, on any given morning are even afraid to get out of bed because of what might happen. Your time could make all the difference in the world to somebody. Open yourself up for opportunities to look out for the interests of others this week.

Grace & Peace,
Scott

We have affections, and what’s really important is to know that God created those affections. The problem comes when those affections are misplaced…when we fall in love with the wrong things. John is very clear in his instruction to the church regarding this matter,

Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. (1 John 2:15)

When our love is focused on the wrong things it shows that our heart is not in the right place. One of the major flaws of falling in love with the wrong things is that it is disappointing and temporary. Once the “love” has run its course we are left with feelings of betrayal and emptiness. (And sometimes a huge debt!)

Betrayal comes because of unfulfilled promises. What the world promises and then eventually delivers are different. The world promises us a beautiful portrait, but then it gives us an ugly picture. Now we are left holding that which we would never want to display in our lives.

Emptiness comes because of unmet expectations. It is very disappointing when something is built up as supremely wonderful; the bar of our expectations is raised; and then when what we experience just doesn’t meet that level of expectation. We now have a huge void in our lives.

John sums it up well for us,

The world is passing away…but the one who does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:17)

I believe God’s will is that we need to love what God loves, and He tells us to love at least four things: 1) love God, 2) love God’s Church, 3) love God’s Word, and 4) love God’s children. If we spend our time loving what God loves then we will not have time to love what we shouldn’t, and God will never leave us feeling betrayed and empty.

Grace & Peace,
Scott

We lose all kinds of things…keys, checkbook, pocketbook, glasses, the remote, etc. What do we do when we lose something? For me it depends on the item. If it’s not important to me at the moment then I put the lost item on the back burner and hope to run across it before I really need it. If it is something really important then you will find me frantically looking everywhere. I have pressed the panic button and you better not get in my way! Desperation is probably the key word for the day when I lose something that I really need right now.

What about when we lose someone we love from the very depths of our hearts? That is something altogether different. The Galloway (Bayliff) family has suffered great loss this week. In the span of 32 hours they lost both Cecil and Mary. We talk about the family’s great loss, but have they really? Yes! In a very real sense there is a significant feeling of loss. However, in another sense the Galloways (Bayliffs) have placed what they hold most dear to them in the safest place they could find…in the Heavenly Father’s Hands. There is no panic or desperation for them because they know for sure where Cecil and Mary are right now. There is comfort and hope written all over their faces. Comfort because the suffering has ended. Comfort because family and friends have surrounded them with love and kindness beyond measure. And hope because of the promise of the resurrection. Hope because they know one day they will see Cecil and Mary again.

I want to ask you if you have the same comfort and hope they have. Cecil Galloway and Mary Snyder are with Jesus in heaven today because their faith rested completely in what Jesus did on the cross for them. The cross made a difference in their lives, and you could certainly see it. They made a decision one day in their lives to trust in Christ’s death to get them to heaven. They knew their salvation rested in God’s grace through repentant faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). Do you know that too? If not, give me a call…I would love to talk to you about it.

Linda and family, we love you. Thank you for showing us how to make it through one day at a time. We continue to pray for your comfort and hope. Remember, you have made a deposit in heaven and one day your withdrawal will be amazing!

Grace & Peace,
Scott

I love to pass along a great story, especially if it touches our lives in some way. So, let me share with you something that happened last week that blew my mind.

On Wednesday night, after prayer and Bible study one of the visiting young ladies was getting ready to leave when she discovered that she had a flat tire. The first cool thing happened when Matthew Bayliff and David Brunson changed her tire and saw it as a privilege! You guys are truly awesome!! Everything is fine and good right? No, not everything is “hunky-dory.” She needed a new tire. Really she needed at least two new tires, but didn’t have the money at this time to get them. Now there is only one place I take my cars to get tires—Boiling Springs Tire. I trust the guys, they are honest, and they are fair. So I told Martha Seals to take this young lady down there on Thursday and we could work out a deal. I didn’t really know what that meant, but I figured the Lord could handle a couple of tires in twelve hours. Here’s what happened next…

They pull into Boiling Springs Tire on Thursday morning and share the story. They just happened to have two good tires with a lot of life left in them. They balance, rotate and put on the two tires. Now just wait, the story gets better. I stop by later in the day to pay up and you know what they told me, “Don’t worry about it; we’ve got it covered. Chuck didn’t want to charge you guys for the tires.” Wow!

I want to personally thank everyone involved…David, Matthew, Martha, Chuck, Todd, and all the guys down at Boiling Springs Tire. You showed Christ to someone who really needed to see Him. God used you to open a heart and pave the way for a truly meaningful encounter with the gospel. I taught something a long time ago: It is not enough to believe the gospel, you must live it!

On more than one occasion I’ve seen the people at Calvary jump at the chance to show Christ by helping others in need. I could not imagine a better people to pastor. (I also could not imagine a better place to have my tires taken care of than Boiling Springs Tire.) You all challenge my life and warm my heart.

Scott

I’m sitting here thinking about my brother, Jack’s, baptism. I am also reflecting back on David Brunson’s as well. It was such an honor to be the one to baptize these men. I have been in the tank many times and God still humbles and amazes me every time someone is baptized. This brings me to a question I want to try and answer this week: “Why do people get baptized?”

For one, baptism is something the Lord expects of all His genuine followers. The Bible declares,

But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. (Acts 8:12)

Being baptized is just synonymous with being a disciple of Jesus Christ. God never imagined that His children would balk at being baptized.

Secondly, Jesus Himself was baptized and we should want to follow His example. Jesus’ life is not just something to write about and admire; His life is one that we should emulate. In fact that is part of what spiritual growth is about…becoming more like Jesus.

Finally, baptism is a public testimony. It is public because everybody should know that we mean business about fully following Jesus. We are not a secret society that does things behind closed doors; we are open about what we do. The church needs to see believers who are not ashamed of being identified with the One who gave His life publicly!

If you have not been baptized what are you waiting for? Give me a call so we can talk about it. I would love to be the one who baptizes you for the honor of God and the encouragement of others.

Calvary Is Awesome!

Scott

Relationships trump rules! Now I like things in their place and everybody operating on a “let’s cooperate” basis, but in real life it doesn’t happen that way. You see, “let’s cooperate” is code for “do it my way…or else!” I wish this was a lesson I learned a long time ago, but I admit that I am slow. Let me translate…

I like my schedules, my online calendar rules my day, my routine helps my day to run smoothly, my MapQuest on my phone gets me to my destinations in the shortest amount of time, etc. Do you see the common denominator? It’s all about me when it should be all about HIM and YOU. What I have allowed in my life (that is so very dangerous) is for rules to rule, while relationships have fallen on tough times. Yes, I am the proverbial guy who keeps running his bumper car into the corner thinking I’ll get turned around pretty soon. Well, pretty soon is now!

The life of Jesus is a great example of how relationships trump rules. John writes about an account in John 9:1,

And as he passed by, He saw a man blind from birth.

Do you see it? What astounds me about this verse is that in the middle of a busy day going here and doing that Jesus noticed someone’s hurt. Too many times I have passed by someone hurting and not even noticed. I justify this by saying that I am a busy man or that somebody else will take care of that. What God is saying to me is, “Scott, I want you to stop and insert my grace and love.”

This digs deep into the core of my being…how about you? I know I’m not the only one out here suffering from relationship atrophy. No matter what gets stacked on your plate or how busy your day is make sure you notice people around you. Don’t ignore their hurts. Do something about it. Just walk across the room and insert grace and love into their lives. Our lives are meant to impact people right now for eternity!

I Love You,

Scott