Scott: Devotional
Scripture Passages
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Modern-Day Lesson: Paul’s Confrontation with Peter
Good morning, friends. This morning’s scripture reading comes from Galatians 2:11-14. (The Message Translation) “Later, when Peter came to Antioch, I had a face-to-face confrontation with him because he was clearly out of line. Here’s the situation: Earlier, before certain persons had come from James, Peter regularly ate with the non-Jews. But when that conservative… Continue reading
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Joshua’s Example
“When the people heard the sound of the rams’ horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it.” – Joshua 6:20 Sometimes God will intentionally put you in a situation that requires you to come face-to-face with your need… Continue reading
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When God Does Some of His Best Work
“Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy’s will, looks round upon a universe, from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.” – C.S. Lewis… Continue reading
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Look No Further
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.” – Matthew 13:44 “I have climbed highest mountains, I have run through the fields, only to be with you;… Continue reading
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Good Friday: It is Finished
“Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished.”… Continue reading
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Holy Week: Maundy Thursday
“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. – John 13:34 To love others was not a new commandment (Lev. 19-18), but to love others as much as Christ loved others was revolutionary. Now Jesus is telling us to “up… Continue reading
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Holy Wednesday: Not a Drop Was Wasted
“Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, ‘That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have… Continue reading
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Holy Tuesday: Faith that Produces Good Fruit
“The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it had withered from the roots up. Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree you cursed has withered and died!” – Mark 11:20-21 Fig trees were… Continue reading
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Holy Monday: “Not in My House!”
“Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices. He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” – Luke 19:45-46 As I read this passage, a childhood memory comes back to… Continue reading
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Had They Only Known
“At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.” – John 12:16 As Jesus made his way into Jerusalem, his disciples had yet to understand that this journey was ultimately… Continue reading
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Integrity Gives Birth to Security
“So Pharaoh asked them, ‘Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the Spirit of God?’” – Genesis 41:38 Joseph was given the task of overseeing Pharaoh’s administration of Egypt. It is a position of much responsibility, and also one that places Joseph in a position of tremendous influence. Joseph’s appointment to… Continue reading
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Winning with Grace
“How beloved and gracious were Saul and Jonathan! They were together in life and in death. They were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.” – 2 Samuel 1:23 Imagine giving the eulogy of someone who on numerous occasions in the past tried to have you killed. This is essentially what David did in 2 Samuel… Continue reading
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When Your Family Thinks You’re Crazy
“For even his own brothers did not believe in him.” – John 7:5 “I had an uncle who one time…” We all have that crazy uncle. But we often forget that the crazy uncle is the brother to either our mother or father. So before he became a crazy uncle, indeed he was a crazy… Continue reading
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Remaining Faithful in the Midst of Hostility
“The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.” – John 15:19 In John 15, Jesus reminds us that we are called to live in a world… Continue reading
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Fearless Living is a Choice
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.” – Philippians 4:6 A recent study revealed that 86 percent of those surveyed described themselves as worriers. The study then went on to conclude that the average person spends one hour and fifty minutes… Continue reading
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Nine out of Ten Lions Prefer Satrap Succotash Over Jewish Jambalaya
“At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.” – Daniel 6:4 King Darius liked Daniel. And for good reason.… Continue reading
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The Catch of a Lifetime
“When Jesus had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” – Luke 5:4-5 Peter’s livelihood… Continue reading
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Following and Sometimes Failing > Failing to Follow
“If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise.” – Proverbs 15:31 He was often impulsive, brash, and overly confident. Sometimes he spoke without thinking. And during three key moments in his life when his faith would be put to the strongest test, he was overcome with fear and stumbled… Continue reading
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A Case of Unmistaken Identity
“Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me.” – John 12:44-45 One was named Joe, the other was Mike. They often wore the same clothes, they had the same voice, displayed the same… Continue reading
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When God Stops Listening
“Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, for I will not listen to them when they cry out to me in distress.” – Jeremiah 11:14 No matter how rebellious and disobedient an adolescent becomes, the responsible parent never stops loving, caring, and praying for their child’s wellbeing. But… Continue reading
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Raised in Glory
“So it will be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there… Continue reading
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Plans, Schemes, and Godly Dreams
“To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue.” – Proverbs 16:1 Years ago I went shopping for a basic, inexpensive computer desk. So I went to K-mart and bought the cheapest model they sold, brought it home, and began assembling it. Things were going… Continue reading
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There May Be A Few Speed Bumps Along the Way…
… but in the end, it all works out the way it’s supposed to. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28 Joseph experienced a lot of bad things. He was rejected by his brothers,… Continue reading
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Defining Moments
“But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works. – Psalm 77: 11-12 My hands were shaking, and I instinctively backed away. “You can do this,” I said under my breath. “You’ve… Continue reading
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Good Readers Make Good Leaders
“Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” – Joshua 1:8 (NLT) With Moses’ death, God had chosen Joshua to become Israel’s leader and to finish the last leg… Continue reading
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Teacher, Who is My Neighbor?
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” Jesus asked. – Luke 10:36 The parable of the Good Samaritan that Jesus tells (Luke 10:25-37) is one that seems foreign to some Christ followers in today’s culture. Few things hinder the spreading of the… Continue reading
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Discovering God’s Purpose: Identify and Use Your Gifts
“In His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is… Continue reading
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Discovering God’s Purpose: Be a Humble Servant!
“Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.” – Romans 12:3 (NLT) Paul recognized the importance of a healthy self-esteem, and… Continue reading
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Discovering God’s Purpose: Be Different!
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers…” – Psalm 1:1 He was faced with only two options: abandon his ministry and take an oath of allegiance to Hitler, or surely be thrown into prison.… Continue reading
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Discovering God’s Purpose: Making Ourselves Available
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Romans 12:1 (NLT) When sacrificing an animal according… Continue reading
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Living in Yesterday’s Light
I got up early this morning and watched the sun rising over the mountains. This is much too early, I thought to myself. I yawned and asked myself why I decided to get up so soon. Surely daylight would appear without my presence, like it has all the other times before? But it had been… Continue reading
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Counting the Days
“When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf….” ~ Genesis 8:11 After Noah gathered the animals and his family inside the ark that the Lord commanded him to build, the sky turned into a torrential waterfall for the next 40 days. Moses records that… Continue reading
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When All Human Hope is Exhausted
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” A life-changing moment met a team of professional athletes during Monday Night Football last night. In the crux of the moment, a player reacted the way he has… Continue reading
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Consolation Has Come
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” ~ Isaiah 9:6 The Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he wouldn’t die before physically… Continue reading
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Having Had a Spiritual Awakening…
“… as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs”. ~ Step 12, AA “Don’t leave before the miracle happens.” I heard this early on in recovery and pondered the meaning. What was this miracle that some people kept talking about?… Continue reading
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Avoid Dabbling
“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” ~ Mark 8:36 Ahab was considered the worst king ever in Israel’s history. 1st Kings 16:30 reminds us, “Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him.” He repeatedly disobeyed… Continue reading
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The Parable of The Rich Young Lady
” A rich young woman sat beside a poor elderly man on a plane. She abruptly alerted the flight attendant upon taking her seat, “Please, find me another seat immediately.” The flight attendant answered warmly, “I’m sorry Ma’am, but the economy cabin is fully booked.” The rich woman replied, “But I’m not going to travel… Continue reading
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There’s Value in Not Knowing Everything
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ~ Jeremiah 29:11 Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most beloved passages of Scripture in all of the Old Testament. And for good reason! Don’t we take… Continue reading
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Rooted for Endurance
“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” ~ James 1:12 One day a Chinese farmer was planting a bamboo tree in his backyard. Each day thereafter for several months, he would… Continue reading
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Keep Moving Forward
“I, Daniel, was worn out. I lay exhausted for several days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding. ~ Daniel 8:27 Are you tired and weary from the busyness of life? Have you been besieged, day after day, by problems and bad… Continue reading
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An Unoccupied Moment
You just might miss the pointTrying to win the raceLife’s not the breathes you takeBut the moments that take your breath away. ~ George Strait Jesus was on his way to a village with his disciples, and as they arrived a woman named Martha invited him into her home. Martha apparently shared her home with… Continue reading
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Pain Management
As a sober, recovering alcoholic, I have found incredible value in going back in my life and recalling the day that my life hit bottom. I was all but dead. I had just lost my father; I had lost all but a remnant of my sanity; and I was on the verge of losing every… Continue reading
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Better Than I Deserve
“How blessed is the man who made the Lord his trust.” ~ Psalm 40:4 One fall afternoon I was parked on the shoulder of a rural highway about 50 miles southwest of Ashland, Kentucky. As I sat there completely hopeless and numb, I considered what few options remained. Roughly 9 hours earlier I had been… Continue reading
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Do I Truly Hate My Sin?
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ~ Romans 12:9 There are few things more frustrating to me than watching a highly competitive sporting event between two teams that ultimately ends in a tie. Perhaps this is why I’ve found it impossible to develop more than a mere casual… Continue reading
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Clean Hands Won’t Help an Unclean Tongue.
“Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” ~ Matthew 15:10-11 The Pharisees confronted Jesus one afternoon to complain about his disciples. v2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the… Continue reading
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There Is None Like It
David asked Ahimelek, “Don’t you have a spear or a sword here? I haven’t brought my sword or any other weapon, because the king’s mission was urgent.” The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Blah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod.… Continue reading
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What’s In It For Me?
“Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” ~ Matthew 19:27 Earlier this week while reading my morning devotionals, I came across the parable of the Vineyard Workers in Matthew, chapter 20. Of course, there’s a reason why Jesus tells this story, a vital reason. But… Continue reading
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Don’t Get Ahead of God
“There are known knowns; things we know that we know. There are known unknowns; things we know that we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns – things we do not know that we don’t know.” ~ Donald Rumsfeld It didn’t happen overnight. But slowly and gradually, God’s freedom poured over me. It went… Continue reading
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What Does God See?
“God sees us as we are, loves us as we are, and accepts us as we are. But by His grace, He doesn’t leave us as we are.” ~ Tim Keller I had suspected something was going on for a while. I kept trying to convince myself that maybe I was just imagining things; that… Continue reading
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Love Doesn’t Keep Score
“I, yes I alone, will blot our your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.“ ~ Isaiah 43:25 NLT I reached for my wallet to pay for dinner. “Put that away,” he said. “You paid the last time. Today it’s on me.” For many, paying for someone’s dinner may seem… Continue reading
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Don’t Click Send
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Colossians 3:13 I was upset. A friend I’d known for many years said something incredibly hurtful. Immediately we became involved in a heated discussion and the both of us began making a… Continue reading
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Encouraging Words in Difficult Times
“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” ~ Isaiah 41:13 My life was in shambles. Every single day for the past several years, I sat alone in my house and sought my escape through a bottle that… Continue reading
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God Lets us Fail Sometimes
When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the Lord bring defeat on us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh, so that he may go with us and save us from the hands of our enemies.” ~ 1 Samuel 4:3 “Whose… Continue reading
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The Writing on the Wall
“Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lamp stand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking.” ~ Daniel 5:5-6 Different… Continue reading
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Name Your Price
“Buy the truth and do not sell it – wisdom, instruction and insight as well.” ~ Proverbs 23:23 “Where did you hear that?” I was asked this question the other day as I was discussing something I saw on the news with another person. After I told them, they replied, “Oh. Well that makes sense… Continue reading
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When Enough Isn’t Enough
“Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. ~ Ecclesiastes 5:10 Ever wondered what your life might be like if you ever won the lottery? Perhaps it’s not the Happily Ever After story you might otherwise assume it to be. True Story. He had… Continue reading
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A Limitless Attitude
“Then Daniel (Belteshazzar) was greatly perplexed for a time, and his thoughts terrified him. So the king said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its meaning alarm you.” Daniel answered, “My lord, if only the dream applied to your adversaries!” ~ Daniel 4:19 As I read this passage in the book of Daniel, I… Continue reading
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No Escape
“The Lord Himself will go before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you or forget you.” ~ Deuteronomy 31:8 I remember a time in my childhood when I became so upset with my mother that I began making plans to run away. So one morning I grabbed a few toys, a… Continue reading
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The Battle Within
“Whether you turn to the right or the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” ~ Isaiah 30:21 When the Israelites strayed from God’s righteous path, He would correct them. Perhaps it would take years, maybe even decades, for this correction to finally occur, but… Continue reading
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Unwanted
“Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.” ~Psalm 27:10 Fear can be a powerfully destructive emotion. It can drive us to think things, say things, and do things that create irrational responses to otherwise normal situations. But one of the most destructive fears we all experience in life… Continue reading
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Faith Comes Before the Solution
“He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. At this, Daniel went in to see the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.” ~Daniel 2:15-16 The temperature of the atmosphere was well over 200 degrees,… Continue reading
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The Candle in a Cave
“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? ~ Psalm 13:1-2 Have you ever experienced a season in your life when… Continue reading
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The Thing About Sin…
“And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left – and also many animals?” ~ Jonah 4:11 Have you ever felt God urging you to do something that you were so… Continue reading
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God Approves!
“So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that is was good.” ~ Genesis 1:21 Some of us attempt to develop a mental image… Continue reading
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“I Don’t See Your Name.”
The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book.” ~ Exodus 32:33 “Everything’s set! Friday evening, 7pm,” I told her. It had been a long while since my wife and I last had an evening to ourselves. And this evening was going to be special! A new… Continue reading
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What is your Miss?
“My grace is sufficient for you,” says the Lord. “For my power is made perfect in weakness.” ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9 The slice: It is the bane of most every recreational golfer, his Achilles heel. If he is truly bitten by the golf bug, he will desire to learn how to hit the ball straighter.… Continue reading
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Putting Down the Shovel
“He brought me up out of the pit of destruction… and He set my feet upon a rock.” ~ Psalm 40:2 The holes we dig ourselves into in life can be incredibly deep. And some of them can become so deep that we need help climbing out of them. Within a couple of years of… Continue reading
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A Woman with a Jar
One of the organizations I’m actively involved with recently held a business meeting to go over our annual budget. As we looked over the numbers, it became quite evident that we were well below the expected revenue that we generally rely on to pay the operational expenses and still be able to serve the community… Continue reading
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Gracefully Unforgettable
“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” ~ Isaiah 43:25 I was at a recovery meeting years ago, and the guest speaker that evening wasn’t aware that he only had 30 minutes to narrate his personal story of recovery from alcoholism. I… Continue reading
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Cultivating a Servant’s Heart
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”… Continue reading
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I Was There.
“Then one of the Twelve – the one called Judas Iscariot – went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him (Jesus) over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him… Continue reading
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I Can’t See Straight Sometimes
The guy standing at the busy intersection, holding a sign that reads: “Homeless and Need Help.” The aggressive driver behind me tailgating. The grouchy lady working the counter at the coffee shop. The neighbor across the street who seldom waves back at me. He had to see me waving at him! The truck driver who… Continue reading
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Don’t Take it Personally!
“Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you – for you know in your heart that many times you have cursed others.” ~ Ecclesiastes, 7:21-22 By now, most have either seen the video on social media or read about it in the news. Back on Sunday… Continue reading
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Who is ‘That’ Friend?
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” ~ Proverbs 17:17 Friends will come and go, but somewhere in our inner circle is that one person who we trust more than all the rest… our go-to, that person who God has put in our lives to share… Continue reading
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Christmas with a Stranger
“From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli. There we found some brothers and sisters who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. The brothers and sisters there had heard that… Continue reading
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Inescapable Love
“No power in the sky above or in the earth below – indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ~ Romans 8:39 I had done something bad. Consumed with guilt, It stayed on my mind for several… Continue reading
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Backyards and Ruby Slippers
“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” ~ 1 Timothy, 6: 6-7 The search for happiness is endless. The problem with finding happiness, however, is that we look for it in all the wrong places. And even when we do… Continue reading
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Faithfully Focused
“When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’” ~ Matthew 11: 2-3 Last year as the pandemic raged across the globe, many of us questioned whether life would ever… Continue reading
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A Promise that Only God Can Keep
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by… Continue reading
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Learning to Love the Unlovable
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.” ~ 1 Peter 4:8 I have a few people in life who can be incredibly difficult to be around sometimes. Their attitudes make it challenging to want to spend any time with them, and invariably I find myself going out of my… Continue reading
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A Quiet Place
“Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” ~ Luke 5: 15-16 A day before leaving for the men’s ministry weekend retreat, I received the following message in an… Continue reading
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Hate is the Enemy
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” ~ Matthew 5: 43-44 The world can often be a cruel and bitter place. It has always been this way, but in the past we didn’t have… Continue reading
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Not Paroled, but Pardoned!
“Neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” ~ John 8:11 She had been caught in the act. The Pharisees apprehended her and brought her before Jesus, exclaiming, “Teacher, we caught her red-handed! This woman is guilty of adultery! The Law says that she is to be stoned… Continue reading
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Would Jesus get in the car with you?
“Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.” ~ Titus 2: 6-8… Continue reading
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The Best Advice
“Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.” ~ Proverbs 13:10 I wouldn’t do that if I were you. As children, most of us probably heard that sentence hundreds of times growing up. And again, as children, most of us probably disregarded that suggestion more times than… Continue reading
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The Cure for Sore Toes is Forgiveness
“Do not repay evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to… Continue reading
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The Power of God’s Light
“You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” ~ 2 Corinthians 9:11 As summer is now asleep for the season, the nights are becoming crisp and cool again. In a few weeks time, the leaves of… Continue reading
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Our Whole Attitude and Outlook Upon Life Will Change.
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every other form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” ~ Ephesians 4: 31-32 As I was in the depths of my active alcoholism, my entire perspective was both selfish… Continue reading
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Avoidance is not a Long-Term Solution
I was at an AA meeting recently and a lady with a few years of sobriety shared about an unsettling experience she had at a wedding over the previous weekend. Without going into a long story, she said she felt incredibly uncomfortable being at an event where some people were drinking alcohol. Thankfully she didn’t… Continue reading
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No Matter What
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ.” 1 Thessalonians, 5:16 I knew a guy who seemed to know all the right words that needed to be said, and knew precisely when to say them. He was eager to encourage others who were going through… Continue reading
About Me
Welcome! I’m Scott (aka Former Blackout Artist), and I’m so happy you decided to drop in! I hope you find the content here spiritually enlightening and uplifting. Most of all, I hope that my love of Christ is revealed through my writing and that it encourages you in some way today. Thanks for stopping by!
Former Blackout Artist 