Service
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Do I See Jesus?
Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. – Matthew 25:40 Reading Jesus’ words above, we can easily sense how He ties Himself so closely to the hurting, the overlooked, and the struggling that He takes it personally. “You did… Continue reading
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Delightful Obedience
[Saul said] “Tell David that all I want for the bride price is 100 Philistine foreskins! Vengeance on my enemies is all I really want.” But what Saul had in mind was that David would be killed in the fight. David was delighted to accept the offer. – 1 Samuel 18:25-26a (NLT) This account in… Continue reading
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A Nation at a Crossroads, Then, and Now
“Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” – John F. Kennedy When John Fitzgerald Kennedy said these words, he had just been sworn into office as the 35th President of the United States, the youngest to ever have been elected. They were words that rose into… Continue reading
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The One-Talent Servant
Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. “Master,” he said, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs… Continue reading
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The Danger of Having a Commercial Spirit
Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” – Matthew 19:27 Rees Howells (1879-1950) was a Welsh coal miner for many years before becoming a prominent revival preacher in Wales in the early 1900’s. Every night for three years, Rees would finish his 12-hour shift in… Continue reading
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Don’t Be a Glory Thief
I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols. – Isaiah 42:8 God is very clear in this verse – He will not share His glory with anyone or anything. He alone is the Lord. He alone is worthy of praise. And He… Continue reading
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Obedience to God is a Duty, Not a Favor
So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.” – Luke 17:10 In the modern church, a dangerous notion has crept in: the idea that our obedience to God is some sort of grand gesture, a favor we bestow… Continue reading
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The Parable of the Late Night Mechanic
Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or destroy it?” – Luke 6:9 There once was a small-town mechanic named Sam who ran a little garage on the edge of town. Now some mechanics have less than stellar… Continue reading
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The Greatest in the Kingdom
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of… Continue reading
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Seeing Our Work as Worship
Do you sometimes feel like nobody cares about all the work you do? Ever feel unnoticed and unappreciated? It’s tough, isn’t it? You work hard, whether it’s at your job, in your family, or even in serving others, and sometimes it feels like no one even notices. Maybe you’ve thought, “Why am I putting in… Continue reading
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Faithful Stewardship: Living to Please God
Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful. As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is… Continue reading
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The Joyful, Humble Heart of a True Servant
When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, “Come in and eat with me?” No, he says, “Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.” And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was… Continue reading
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What Matters Most
“You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” – John 5: 39-40 Imagine someone who reads a cookbook every day, memorizes the recipes, and understands all of the culinary… Continue reading
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Beyond Any Earthly Price
When Simon saw that the Spirit was given when the apostles laid their hands on people, he offered them money to buy this power. “Let me have this power, too,” he exclaimed, “so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!” But Peter replied, “May your money be destroyed… Continue reading
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Do They See God’s Love to You?
“Is it true that God is love to me as a Christian? And does the love of God mean all that has been said? If so, certain questions arise. Why do I ever grumble and show discontent and resentment at the circumstances in which God has placed me? Why am I ever distrustful, fearful, or… Continue reading
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If Jesus Had Been a Football Star…
Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. – Mark 6:4-6 (NIV) When… Continue reading
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Enormous Grief to Enormous Compassion
“As soon as he heard the news….” – Matt. 13:14 NLT I was sober for a number of years and had been through a lot of ups and downs during that time. But nothing would prepare me for what I would be forced to do on the afternoon of June 28th of last year. As… Continue reading
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The Fruit of Self-Control
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” – Galatians 5:22-23 Over the past few weeks we’ve reflected on the fruit that Paul says the Holy Spirit can produce inside of us as we grow and mature as followers… Continue reading
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The Problem With Ambition
“They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” But they… Continue reading
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The Replacement
Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” So they nominated… Continue reading
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A Proud Mother’s Awkward Request
Being a good parent isn’t easy. Sometimes our children do and say things that frustrate us and cause us to question our parental abilities. But sometimes they make us proud, too. And when they do, there’s a natural feeling of pride and joy that overcomes us. The day that Jesus was baptized by John the… Continue reading
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How Clean Are Your Dishes?
When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal. Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and… Continue reading
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Making Good Use of Our Gifts
“There was a believer in Joppa named Tabitha (which in Greek is Dorcas). She was always doing kind things for others and helping the poor. About this time she became ill and died. Her body was washed for burial and laid in an upstairs room. But the believers had heard that Peter was nearby in… Continue reading
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Something Worth Remembering: God Created You
“Remember these things, Jacob, for you, Israel, are my servant. I have made you, you are my servant; Israel, I will not forget you. I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.” – Isaiah 44:21-22 (NIV) I read a recent… Continue reading
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We Are Tools in the Hand of God
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:10 Samuel Brengle, who was an early Salvation Army official, was once introduced as the, “Great Dr. Brengle.” He later wrote in his diary, “If I appear great in their eyes,… Continue reading
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The Only Things Beneath Us Are Graves
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” – Philippians 2:5-7 (ESV) A large group… 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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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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But For the Grace of God
“Our very lives, as ex-problem drinkers, depend upon our constant thought of others and how we may help meet their needs.” ~ Alcoholics Anonymous p.20 It was getting late in the evening and all I wanted was a few minutes of personal time to enjoy my favorite tv program. The day had been busy, but… 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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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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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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A Selfless Program for Selfish People
The very first step in Alcoholics Anonymous is the only step I can work perfectly, without blemish. Each morning that I wake up and go through my daily reading, prayer and meditation, I’m making the greatest investment possible toward my sobriety. This time affords me the ability to get honest with myself and God, and… Continue reading
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Thank You
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” ~ John 15:13 I remember the first day I reported for duty. I was only 18 years old, and had no idea what awaited me. Although the upcoming 4 months would be the most challenging in my young adult life,… 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 