Faith
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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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“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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As We Understood Him
“Not being able to fully understand God is frustrating, but it is ridiculous for us to think we have the right to limit God to something we are capable of comprehending.” ~ Francis Chan Most of us enter into the rooms of recovery in our weakest, most desperate moment. It is there where we begin… 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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Prayer Becomes Our Lifeline
“Those of us who have come to make regular use of prayer would no more do without it than we would refuse air, food, or sunshine. And for the same reason. When we refuse air, light, or food, the body suffers. And when we turn away from meditation and prayer, we deprive our minds, our… 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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From something to Someone
There is only one key, and it is called Willingness. Once unlocked by willingness, the door opens almost of itself, and looking through it, we shall see a pathway beside which is an inscription. It reads: “This is the way to a faith that works.” ~ AA, 12 Steps and 12 Traditions p.34 Step Three… 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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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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One Man’s Apple is Another Man’s Grape
“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” ~ Genesis 3: 8-9 Nothing… 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 