In the Wake of Tragedy

Good Morning Everyone,

I wanted to take some time this week and really reflect on the tragedy in Boston and offer a prayer for the people affected and in the time of reflection the past couple of days, there was a fertilizer plant explosion just north of Waco TX.  Both of these tragedies swirling with the news reports of the 15 yr old girl that took her life in California just seven days after an assault on her at a party and then some cyber bullying that happened afterwards that drove her to feel that the only way out was to take her own life.  

So let me start with the 15 yr old Potts young lady, the Boston Marathon, and then the fertilizer plant.

Ms. Potts.  First I want to start off by saying that m heart goes out to any family that has lost a child.  The familiar saying is that "It is not supposed to happen this way...the parent is supposed to go before the child".  That expression and many others don't comfort in that time of need.  Actually many people will say many things to try an console a family over loss.  These things are not meant to be insensitive but many times we don't know what to say.  Things like...
"God needed her more..."
"God took her to save her from tragedy later..."
"God needed to teach us something..."
While we search for the words to say please remember that God does not take anyone...God receives them with open arms and unfortunately life and death happen in this world but we are given eternal life through Jesus Christ where there will be no more death, sickness, and hurting.  Which can lead into another discussion.  What happens when someone is successful in completing suicide attempt.

In the United Methodist Church we believe the following:

We believe that suicide is not the way a human life should end. Often suicide is the result of untreated depression, or untreated pain and suffering. The church has an obligation to see that all persons have access to needed pastoral and medical care and therapy in those circumstances that lead to loss of self-worth, suicidal despair, and/or the desire to seek physician-assisted suicide. We encourage the church to provide education to address the biblical, theological, social, and ethical issues related to death and dying, including suicide. United Methodist theological seminary courses should also focus on issues of death and dying, including suicide.

A Christian perspective on suicide begins with an affirmation of faith that nothing, including suicide, separates us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39). Therefore, we deplore the condemnation of people who complete suicide, and we consider unjust the stigma that so often falls on surviving family and friends.

We encourage pastors and faith communities to address this issue through preaching and teaching. We urge pastors and faith communities to provide pastoral care to those at risk, survivors, and their families, and to those families who have lost loved ones to suicide, seeking always to remove the oppressive stigma around suicide. The Church opposes assisted suicide and euthanasia.

From The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church - 

Please pray about this stance in the light of your own circumstances and challenges around suicide and the families that are left to deal with it and the pain that is left behind.

I want to address one more issue in light of the tragedy of this young 15 year old.  As parents we have a responsibility to our children.  A responsibility to protect them, guide them, and lead them in paths that have a good outcome.  We know that our kids will "detour" sometimes in life and we need to be there to help them back on the right road.  Proverbs 22:6-"Train a child in the way that they should go and when they are old they will not turn from it".  In my struggle with everything that happened with this young lady is the fact that the parents let their child at 15 years old, go to a friends house overnight without any adult supervision.  This does not excuse the horrible acts committed by the teenage boys, but I believe in my heart that if the parents made a more positive decision, a more authoritative decision, then it might have avoided this tragedy all together.  My heart goes out to the Potts family, the family of the boys, the friends that feel the loss of their friend, and the school officials that suffer the loss of a student.

Second, is the Boston Marathon tragedy.  I cannot begin to tell you the emotions that flooded in my heart the first time that I saw the videos of these calculated and heartless bombs that when off killing two but wounding almost two hundred physically but the wounds that transcend this tragedy are countless.  There are many feelings that we will feel in the wake of this event.  W will feel anger towards whomever did this, we will feel a sense of revenge to get the people back who did this, and we will also feel sorrow and loss for those who were there and are dealing with the aftermath.

Be careful not to lose the sense of who we are as Christ followers in the wake of this tragedy.  First and foremost a Christian is supposed to show love and not hate.  "Love those who persecute you", isn't that what Jesus said?  How about Jesus' words from the Cross towards the people that drove the nails in his hands..."Father, forgive them for they know not what they do".  I believe that the people who are responsible for this heinous act should be brought to justice and they are in fact punishable by the law of our land.  But remember it is easy to hate...it can be difficult to love, show mercy, and walk humbly with our God.

I also want to point out that in the culture and society that we live in, social media has taken front stage.  Pictures and stories that are surfacing from this tragedy are not always true.  There have been many pictures taken from other incidences and stories where names, places, and times are changed to fuel the fire of hate.  Don't believe everything you read and see on the internet and I urge you to go to trusted websites and not just click on anything that Google pops up.  Be responsible in the emails that you forward as well and check them with www.snopes.com.

Lastly, I would like you to be in prayer for the families who were impacted by the fertilizer plant explosion.  5-10 were killed and many will be affected as well.  I still don't know all of the details of this tragedy because there are so many false stories going around, but what I do know is that this is another tragic event and many families will feel loss.

So in closing I am going to leave you with a prayer that not only covers the three tragedies mentioned above but many of the tragedies that happen around the world everyday...Will you pray with me...

Loving and merciful God we come before you in the wake of tragedy
We come before you with questions and seeking answers
Lord, we want to know why?
How can a loving God allow these tragedies...people hurt...the loss of life....to happen
Help us to realize that it is not you O Lord that causes these tragedies
But you are God who heals and walks with us in the midst of the pain and suffering
That you are a God who puts our feet back on solid ground and helps us to stand.

Lord we pray for all families who suffer loss
We pray for families whose hearts are breaking around your world
We pray for families who are being torn apart by war, acts of terror, and by those who feel they have no other choice but to take their own life.
We pray for your healing among the nations and upon the oppressed as well as the oppressor
We pray for the victims and those who bully and act out of hate
Help us to always act in love

We ask O God that your hand cover those who deal with tragedy where there is no person who caused it as in the fertilizer plant explosion
Things that happen where there may have been nothing we can do to prevent it
But our action is to pray, and our re-action is to pray, and our instinct is to pray
Because in prayer we find peace, we feel your presence, and we find comfort
Help us to love, free us to care, open us to experience, and pour out your grace upon us so we can share it with others

As a people we pray all these things in the Name of Your Son, Jesus the Christ, who showed us the way...Amen

Esperanza!!
Pastor Scot
Proverbs 22:6

The Lorax

Greetings Everyone,

It has been 7 days shy of a month since I posted my last blog...did you miss me??  Well it has been an entirely busy Easter Season, Spring Semester at School, and trying to find time to do what it takes to be a Godly Father, Godly Husband, and a Godly Pastor.  So I think things are getting back to some normalcy and I look forward to posting weekly again on my blog.  You will also be able to find a link to my blog on Kenton UMC's improved website www.kentonumc.org

Since i mentioned the improved website, let me also add that one of the things that will be added within the next week or so is the ability to donate to Kenton online. You will be able to give directly to the church, to the youth ministries, or the building fund.  it will make things so much more convenient and will enable people around the world to be able to support the vision and mission of Kenton to introduce people to God through the person of Jesus Christ so that their hearts and minds may be transformed by the Word of God.

This Sunday we will be back to Dr. Seuss and we will be discussing The Lorax.  A lot of questions came to mind for this particular study.  We could talk about the environment, we could talk about responsibility, or we could talk about evangelism.  Well, I am trying to roll all three of those things into one 17 minute sermon.  So here is how you can respond to this week's blog...

Environment: What are some things that you are doing to help our environment?

Responsibility: How are we being responsible when it comes to injustices in our country and around our world?

Evangelism: How are we spreading the seeds of God's love to everyone we meet?

One other thing...take a look at  http://www.seussville.com/loraxproject/  
(or just google the lorax project)

This is a great way to help protect forests and endangered animals around the world.  It has some great activities and fun stuff for the kids as well.  Check it out and I will talk at ya next Monday!!!

Esperanza!
Pastor Scot

PS: Remember when you are commenting back, make sure you change the response type to HTML or Wordpress unless you have a google account.  Thanks.

Palm or Passion

Hi All,
I am just getting home after tonights CCAKE Bible Study.  PK did a wonderful job teaching tonight and I learned something new about Mary anointing Jesus' feet.  Thank you for teaching us about letting our hair down in complete worship.  (If you were there, you would be really laughing right about now)

I finished up mid-term stuff and the first half of the semester is behind me and I am looking forward to the second half.  Someone once asked Eric Liddell how he ran the 400 meters for the Olympics.  He said, "I run the first 200 as fast as I can and with God's help, I run the second 200 even faster".  I am running the race to win!!  After this semester I will have a summer full of classes and a hospital chaplaincy internship, a Fall and Spring semester and if all the classes are available, i could possibly graduate in May...but if they don't offer everything I need, I may have to take a couple of classes and finish in the fall 2014.  No Biggie, still cut almost a year off my Seminary time.  Gotta get done so I can concentrate more on my family and the ministry of Kenton Church in the world!!

Speaking of finishing a race, I am so glad that Jesus finished the race set before him.  That I serve a God who is very much alive and within the hearts of us all.  During that race there was the day where people cheered him on as he rode on a colt into the city of Jerusalem. That is what this coming Sunday's message will be about, Palm Sunday.  As a mostly lectionary preacher, I have the choice to preach on the Palms or the Passion and I usually go back and forth each year so for this Sunday it will be on the palms.

Our scripture lesson will be on Luke 19:28-40.  Read through the passage of scripture and maybe you would like to share a moment where you felt like you were in the presence of royalty or a time when you were so awestruck you couldn't even describe the event.

As an example, allow me to share one such moment.  One of my Pastor heroes is Rev Alistair Begg from Parkside Church outside of Cleveland Ohio.  I began listening to him shortly after I gave my life back to Christ.  He is solid, his teaching is sound, and I love the fact that after 20 years of being in the United States he still has a wonderful Scottish brogue.  While on vacation with the family we decided we would start at the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, head over to Sandusky Ohio to go to Cedar Point, and then to Cleveland for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  While leaving Cleveland I asked Dawn if it would be alright if we stopped by Parkside Church and see if Alistair was there.  I figured there was no chance of that but at least I would be able to get my picture in front of the church sign so I could tell everyone at least I had been there.  So it wasn't too far off the path, maybe 10 miles at most, and we got there and started walking around this huge church. (After Dawn got my picture in front of the church sign, lol).  We walked around the church until we found the bookstore/coffee shop which was open.  The lady at the counter asked if she could help me and I let her know that we were from Delaware and if there was a chance I would just like to introduce us to Alistair if he was there.  The lady said in fact that he was there earlier but thought he was gone for the day but she would check. So we waited for what seemed like an eternity and finally I heard the woman's voice from the bookstore in conversation with a voice that I recognized that had this Scottish brogue...AND THERE HE WAS!!!  I got to meet him and he shook my hand and met my family.  He informed me that he had just gotten back from Scotland and wasn't supposed to be there but he wanted to stop in for a couple of things...talk about a God-incidence.  He told us about the church, showed us their future building plans, and then asked about what was happening in Kenton Church.  He was really interested in what I had to say and he was overjoyed about the lives that were being touched by God through the ministry of Kenton.  He grabbed a couple of books and DVD's off of the bookstore shelf (that were written or about him) and he signed them to me!!  I could barely speak! and the ride home was even better.  For over 7 hours Dawn couldn't wipe the smile off of my face.  And now I go back each year to the Pastor's Conference that he puts on for three days in May to rejuvenate and revive.  When I went back my first year, he remembered me and my family which made me feel good.

So that''s my story...I hope you would share one as well.  See you on Sunday and if you don't come to my church, I hope you find a church near you, at a time that's convenient for you and your family, so you can hear the Word of God proclaimed this Sunday.  Church...there's nothing like it!

Esperanza!!
Pastor Scot

How Much Does it Cost

Hello and Good Monday Morning to you all...

I think Spring has finally sprung...We will be averaging 50 degree weather this week!!  As I get older I have found that I can take the cold a lot less.  I remember times when I used to play in the snow in shorts and a t-shirt.  If I did that now, I think I would end up in the hospital and I definitely don't want to think about the cost of a hospital stay today even when we have insurance.  The co-pays can be unreal.

According to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (www.kff.org) "The average premium for single coverage in 2012 is $468 per month or $5,615 per year.   The average premium for family coverage is $1,312 per month or $15,745 per year."  How much does it cost us to be sick?  Maybe a better question is how much does it cost us to be well?

As I was reflecting on the scripture passage for this upcoming week I also began to think about how much it costs to die.  In the Gospel of John 12:1-8 a woman, most commonly we are told it was Mary, poured expensive perfume on the feet of Jesus.  The perfume was worth a year's wages.  Jesus did not have much time left physically on the earth so this act of surrender was in preparation.  It cost her a whole year's wages.

What does it cost us to follow Christ?  Has it cost us anything?

As you read and reflect on the scripture for this upcoming Sunday, I want you to think of the cost of following Christ.  Would you have been as willing as Mary, to "pour out" an entire years wages upon the Lord?  How much are you willing to give to be spiritually well and in a full relationship with God?

Share your struggles with this text and what it means for you in your life and walk with Jesus.

Esperanza!
Pastor Scot

Your Story

Hi everybody,
I hope all is well with your souls this day.

In this past Sunday's sermon I mentioned how important it is to listen to people's stories.  Listen with the intent to hear what they are saying and only after we have heard their stories and have understood them, then we share ours.

So this week I would love to hear from you.  Please share your story.  I want to hear all about you.  I want to hear where you came from, where you have been, and where you are going.  This is a time for you to put down in your own words...your story.  Maybe you have never shared your story with anyone.  Maybe you feel that you would be judged by your story.  Maybe you don't know where to begin.  So let me give you some insight/advice.  First off...I just want to know about you and I would love for you to get comfortable sharing your story.  Secondly, start at the beginning...where were you born, did your parents go to church, are you from this area or somewhere else in the country?  Just start at the beginning.  It can be as long or short as you want.  But I want to hear you.

The Bible scripture for this Sunday is on the Parable of the Lost Son or the Prodigal Son (it's known by several names).  We will be reading from Luke 15:1-3, 11-32.  Read this scripture after you have shared your story.  Then on this coming Sunday March 10th, I will be sharing my testimony (story) with all of you.  Invite your friends and family members or your neighbors.  This son was lost but is now found!!

DONT FORGET TO SPRING FORWARD THIS SATURDAY NIGHT

See ya Sunday!!

Esperanza!
Pastor Scot

Back to Dr. Seuss...

Greetings Everyone...

I cannot believe it is Monday already and we are coming to a close to yet another month in 2013.  It is only 10 months until Christmas!!  Sorry about that...I just get so ahead of myself.  I absolutely look forward to the time of Lent and Easter and I do not want to speed through it.  Christmas seems to fly by but the time leading up to Easter allows us to take some time and look inside of ourselves and prepare.  I hope you are preparing your hearts and minds each and everyday for God to pour out blessings upon you. Remember...you do not have to be in a church to Praise God!  Praise God in the morning, in the evening, and during the daytime as well.

The Heroes in Our Midst program went very well yesterday at Centennial UMC.  It was a privilege to be a part of that through playing music and having the Faith Seekers present on Cab Calloway.  Our Faith Seekers did not know it but Cab Calloway was one of my favorites!!

Our Monday Bible Studies are going well and it gives us another perspective of the text that we preach on for Sunday morning.  I have found this curriculum to be very insightful and user friendly and we have been using it at Kenton for all age groups.  I have been using it for my daily devotions as well and have found it to be wonderful.  It is called Ashes to Fire (if you have not heard of it) and it begins with Ash Wednesday and continues through to Pentecost.

Well this coming Sunday, March 3rd we will be back to the first Sunday of the month series on Dr. Seuss.  This Sunday we will be looking at the story of Green Eggs and Ham and relate it to the Sacrament of Communion.  So in your responses if you choose to comment on the blog, I would like for you to share about a communion experience that you had.  For instance, One for me would have been the first time I was able to preside over the table in August of 2005.  That was an awesome time. For others it may have been the time that you experienced Christ fully for the first time...just share whatever experience comes to mind.

Someone pointed out last week that they could not comment on the blog...i checked it out and what i had to do was type up my comment and then preview it first, then I posted it without difficulty.  So try that first, or feel free to post on my Facebook or Twitter.


AND DON'T FORGET THAT THE WEEKEND OF MARCH 10TH DAYLIGHT SAVINGS ENDS...TURN YOUR CLOCKS ONE HOUR FORWARD.  I WILL REMIND YOU ALL AGAIN NEXT WEEK. (sorry for shouting)

Esperanza!!
Pastor Scot

It has to be Monday somewhere

Hi everyone,
It has been a fairly busy week and before I knew it, Monday had passed me by.  Even after a couple reminders I thought I would be able to get this post completed but it never happened.  I apologize to all who read my blog.

Within the next two weeks it will be the middle of the semester here at Wesley which means that I have to prepare for mid-terms.  That's always a fun time, a hectic time, and a good time for a case of Monster Energy Drinks and a gallon of Starbucks.  Mmmmm.

I met with the academic advisor here at Wesley and as we went over my schedule we found that instead of finishing in the Fall of 2014, it is a good possibility that I could finish in the Spring of 2014 and cut out almost an entire year of classes which would save a bunch of money and allow me to spend some quality time with my family that I have been missing over the past 6 years that I have been in school.  It is also an honor that I have been approved to assist with leading the immersion in January 2016, in the same place that I went this past January to help share this life changing event with others.  I graciously accepted.  I have also been asked to return in the Fall of 2014 and Spring of 2015 to be a TA (teacher's assistant) for the Corporate Worship class.  It was an honor to be asked and I have graciously accepted this as well.  Doing these extra duties will allow me to stay attached to Wesley which has helped to shape me Pastorally and Theologically, and in that way, I will be able to give back.

So with all this being said...this weeks scripture is Luke 13:31-35.  Read this scripture and reflect on what it means to you that we serve a God who weeps.

Take care everyone and hope to see you soon!

Esperanza!
Pastor Scot

Monday 2/11

Hi Everyone,
Welcome to another lovely Monday.  I couldn't believe the temp this afternoon.  My truck said it was 58 degrees.  I picked up Anthony from school today and he had the window rolled down...I was like whoa!!  It ain't that warm.

So this week we begin our Lenten Journey.  We start with Ash Wednesday which will be at Asbury UMC in Smyrna at 7 pm.  Then each Monday at 6:30 pm we will be at Centennial UMC in Smyrna for Bible Study.  The Pastor's will be taking turns each week sharing the message.  During Holy Week, Maundy Thursday will be at Ewell's St Paul UMC and the Good Friday Service will be at Kenton UMC.  Hope to see you all at one, some, or all of these services.

This coming Sunday I will be preaching on the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness which is found in Luke's Gospel Chapter 4 Verses 1-13.  I would love for you to read that passage and share some things that you would need for survival in the wilderness.  If you were to go on a 40-day journey, what would you take?

For instance, If I were to go into the wilderness for 40 days, I would not bring my phone but I would bring a compass.  I would bring something that holds water and probably a journal to collect my thoughts.  Just a couple of ideas.

Thanks to everyone for reading and commenting.

Esperanza!
Pastor Scot

Monday 02/04/2013

Greetings everyone,

I have gotten some really good feedback from yesterdays sermon on The Sneetches.  It looks like the Dr. Seuss series on the first Sunday of each month will be a cool thing and relatable to all ages.

This Sunday we return back to the Lectionary readings and this week's primary text will be Luke 9:28-36.  Read it a few times in a couple of different translations and share some of your thoughts with me.  If you would not like your name mentioned in the sermon, please include that in your response.

I hope that we are all rested up at such an edge of your seat Super Bowl full of excitement and power outages.  Sorry to the 49'ers fans and congratulations to the Ravens fans.  The commercials were disappointing compared to previous years but there was a couple good ones.  Beyonce did a great job at halftime and it was cool to see Destiny's Child reunite.  But the coolest thing was that Dawn was feeling better and we got to spend some time with each other and with a few friends.  I also want to add that Buffalo Chicken Dip and Sweet Potato Pound Cake ARE THE BOMB!!!!

I delivered the "Jeans for Teens" to Clayton Intermediate School today and they were overwhelmed by the amount of jeans that I brought in.  Since I don't mention names without permission on the blog, I want to let everyone know that they were donated in honor of the young person that told me about this program.  THANK YOU!!

I look forward to posting another blog soon and not just doing this weekly but a few times a week and I look forward to your thoughts on the passage of scripture from Luke.

Esperanza!
Pastor Scot

Monday 4 Sunday

Hi All,
I woke up this morning to snow fall which turned to freezing rain and then finally to rain all in the matter of three hours or so.

I also got a text from my brother this morning that 2 of our former high school mates passed away.

On one hand I saw the beauty of God in the changing of a simple H2O molecule from a snowflake, to a frozen pellet, and lastly to a drop of water.  I related that to the grief process that the Tidwell and Baker families must be going through.  Sometimes death sting is so cold that it hits us right in the face and it hurts and its hard and frozen but somehow in that process God turns the coldness to tears.  Tears that stream from our eyes...tears that are for the grief over the loss of a loved one but also tears that we share over the conversations that we have in which we remember the good times.  God somehow begins the healing process through those tears and through those remembrances and before long we are laughing about the things we did together with those who are gone from our sight.  We begin the process of no longer grieving the death of that loved one, but we celebrate their life.

That is what God wants for each of us...to celebrate life and live it to its fullest.  Live life, Experience joy, Care for all people and walk with each other in times of need.  We are never alone.

My prayers are with the Baker and Tidwell families.  You are not alone.

For this week I will be preaching a sermon on the "isms".  Racism, ageism, sexism, etc.  We start our monthly Dr. Seuss sermons and this week the story is "The Sneetches and other stories".Primarily I will be using just the story of the Sneetches.  I encourage you to read the book and the Bible scriptures that I will be using are:
Isaiah 64:8
Psalm 139:14
John 3:16
  
So what are your thoughts in "isms" or someone thinking they are better than you?
Has anyone ever used power over you or have you been the victim of an "ism"?

Thanks in advance for your responses and your thoughts may end up in the sermon...so if you do not want your name given credit out loud, please note that in your response...

Have a great day and remember to pray always!!

Esperanza!
Pastor Scot

Back To School

My day started at 5 am this morning.  Just a couple days after my awesome immersion experience, I am back to the grind of another Spring Semester at Wesley Theological Seminary.  While I would have prefered another week to catch up and try and get this sickness out of me, he sooner I start means the sooner I will finish (at least that's what I tell myself).

I am excited to start another semester.  After this Spring I will be two full years at Seminary and only about a 1-1/2 left and then I will be done with school for a long, long time!  People frequently ask if I will just continue into my Doctorate and my answer is always the same...Not at this time.  In 2014 I will begin the Board of Ordained Ministry process which will take some time and I made a promise to Anthony that his Junior and Senior year I was going to be available to him and be done with school.  I also made a promise to Evan that if he was still playing football, that I would work with his team and be one of the coaches.  I need to spend some quality time with my boys before my boys are no longer boys but have become men.  Time just keeps speeding on by and there have been a lot of things that I have missed while in school.  This is another year that I will not be home on either of the boys birthdays.  I've missed two Halloweens and several chorus and other school related events.  So once I am done Seminary with my MDiv, I am going to be done for quite a while. (Tomoro is Anthony's Birthday btw)

So it was good reconnecting with everyone at school and hearing of others immersion experiences.  Got all my stuff moved into the dorm and I am rooming with Q again, which is awesome!!  I had the awesome privilege of presiding over communion tonight at worship.  What made it even more special was that it was the opening service and so many new students were there.

I am looking forward to the new experiences of this semester and what I can learn so I can bring it back and share it with my church family.

Have a great night everybody!!
Esperanza!
Pastor Scot

nrmlcy

Hi Everyone,
Sorry I haven't posted in the last couple of days but I have been trying to get back to a sense of normalcy since I have been home and realized that after what I have experienced on this immersion in Virginia, I do not think my life will ever be the same...and I am ok with that.  I do not want to get comfortable in my life with Christ.  I want each day to reflect the new creation that I have become.  I hope you will all see a new me.

So one of the reasons that I wanted to have a blog is so you could be involved in the preparation for my sermon for the upcoming Sunday.  So what I will do each Monday is create a blog with the scripture that I will be using on Sunday and then ask you to read it and share your insights with me, or an idea, or maybe even a story.

So this coming Sunday the scripture will be:

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10

Let me know your thoughts on this passage.  Especially on the importance of the Word of God to the People of God.

Thanks and I look forward to your response.

Esperanza!
Pastor Scot

Day 13 and 14-Homeward Bound

Today I am going to have a short blog but share two days.  Today is Saturday which means I will be driving towards home at some point so I will not expect to post tonight and if you want to hear some more insight on my experience and what it means to the church, come out to Kenton UMC on Sunday at either the 8 am or 10 am service.  I will also be sharing some things in more detail about the Rising Hope Mission Church during our Sunday School time from 9:15-9:45 am.

To continue my post from Thursday night, Hypothermia Shelter was not too exciting but I did have to make two runs to a shelter about 3 miles south.  At 1:00 am, "Angel", showed up and we had no room so Jessica and I drove her down to Kennedy Shelter and got her checked in.  At 3 am, "James" showed up and we had to do the same thing but this was a little uncomfortable.  I believe he was high on heroin and although he was calm, you never know what can happen.  This time Shauna rode with me and we did get him a space at Kennedy as well.  No other real exciting events happened throughout the night and when the group got back to Wesley UMC to sleep we crashed!  I remember laying down on the air mattress and then waking up in time to get ready for noon time worship.

The last worship service at Rising Hope was fantastic and energy packed but it was also a time to say our good bye's to so many people that we made relationships with while there.  We came to minister to people and we ended up getting ministered to by the people of Rising Hope, people who we thought did not have much if anything, had more joy and inspiration to give than I could have ever imagined.  My heart grew so much over this experience.

Last night was an absolute awesome time of surrender to God and each other as we worshipped together as a group here at Wesley UMC.  It was so heartfelt and we shared where we saw God in each other.  Too much to put in the blog but it was about 3 hours long of just us sitting in a circle at the foot at the Cross in the sanctuary.  So cool!

This morning we began to pack up at 6 am today, Saturday, and I am so looking forward to getting home to see my family.  I am really going to miss the every day greetings, fun, farts, laughter, and love that I have been sharing with my new friends over the past two weeks.  But these will be friends that will last a life time.

I will post on Sunday because today will be a pretty big travel day and I don't expect to be home until late!  Until then, I hope I see you all soon!

Esperanza!
Pastor Scot

Day 12

Probably going to be a short post tonight but you never know what will happen when I start writing.

Was a typical day today, nothing out of the ordinary.  Feeling a little better after being on the medicine for a full day.  Throat still hurts, coughing a little less, but extremely exhausted emotionally and physically from the past, almost, two weeks.  I have learned and experienced a lot but I am ready to come home and be with my family.  Really missing them.

Tonight is my overnight at the Hypothermia Shelter and it has been interesting so far.  Twenty five people means we have a full shelter.  We provide them with a hot meal when they come in for the evening.  Each get a little 1/2" thick foam pad and a sleeping bag on the tiled concrete floor to sleep on for the night.  It isn't much but they are not outside in the cold.  We have a smoke break at 8, 9, 10, and 11 and then it is lights out until we wake them up at 6:20.  We will have coffee ready and a bag breakfast that they can take with them and they have to be out by 7:15 but most leave before then.  No problems to report but if there are I will talk about it in tomorrows blog.  There has been reports in the past of people leaving in the night or fights breaking out but hopefully it will be an uneventful sleepover.

Can't wait till Saturday!!!

Esperanza!
Pastor Scot

Day 11

Worship today at Rising Hope was great.  Jessica Fisher and I led the noon prayer service and she had awesome insight from God for exactly what was needed in worship today.  The worship service was all about creation.  We began by welcoming everyone and having praise and prayer to God that we woke up today and we were able to enjoy creation.  We sang Morning has Broken and Then Jess read the creation story from Genesis 1 in the CEB translation and had everyone close their eyes and listen for a word or focus on an image.  We had a time of silence and then I read the same passage in The Message paraphrase.  We reflected and then it was open to a time of sharing.  We closed with the chorus of Alleluia.  I sang the first verse the women sang the second the men sang the third and then all of us together sang the last to emphasize the point of creation building upon itself to the crescendo of all the earth praising and lifting up the name of God.

We usually have lunch after but I had to go to the nearest walk-in clinic because my cough and cold have gotten a bit worse.  I went to this thing called Patient First.  If you have never heard of it, we need one in Delaware.  It is a walk in primary care doctor facility that is set up like an emergency room.  It has like 25 rooms and a complete pharmacy.  I was in and out in an hour.

I led the devotions today for our group and I compared our immersion experience to the Hokey Pokey and the scripture when Peter walked on the water.  We sometimes experience God by putting just part of ourselves in his care but it is only when we jump in with our whole selves that we get fully immersed by God's Grace.  God doesn't want part of us, God wants our entire beings.  Strip everything else away and be immersed in the entire love of the Christ!

We had to help set up for the hypothermia shelter tonight and the woman I told you all about in a previous blog (the one we got the phone card for) was there and she is really sick and not doing well at all.  I started to think of what may happen to her and the tears just started to well up.  I found out that while one of her sons is in Texas, the other is in prison.  I don't know too much about her story but she really doesn't have anyone near.  So I was thinking does anyone really hear her cries?  Does anyone hear our cries?  Does the church hear the cries of the world?  Rising Hope does a great job caring for those in this area but what am I doing as an individual and how am I leading the church into true listening of the cries of the world.

Lord, more than anything else I want to listen...

Switching gears...Rick Majors mom passed away today...to all who read this blog please be in prayerful ministry for him and his family during this time.  Love you Rick!!

Well, I took my prescription Mucinex and took my first dose of some serious cough medicine...

Esperanza!
Pastor Scot

Day 10

Well, today was a kind of an information full day and I am continuing to feel under the weather.  The sinus pressure, stuffed up nose, and everything related to it, is at full blown status.

If you want to check out some of the preaching from todays noon prayer service, Google: Rev Maurice Maxwell Noon prayer service and about 5 minutes of his message should come up on video. Great Word from Rev. Maxwell today!!

I want to tell you a story that happened at Rising Hope yesterday that I think may touch your heart as it did mine.  There is a middle aged lady that comes to Rising Hope every day and she has her Redskins hat and jacket.  She was struggling to add minutes to her pre-paid cell phone so me and Maurice were trying to help her get it all loaded into her phone.  We stood outside with her trying to get this card to work and couldn't figure out why it wouldn't add minutes.  So we looked a bit more carefully at the card and found out the Rite Aid sold her a double your minutes card but not a card that actually adds minutes to your phone.  By this time we had already scratched off the silver stuff that covers up the code and succesfully added the card to the phone so there was no way that Rite Aid was going to take it back.  When we finally explained what had happened in a way that she could understand, she looked at us and said, "All I want to do is call my son".  The look on her face showed that she was telling us the truth and it was breaking our hearts.  So we went over to the Rite Aid to buy her a minutes card.  So we are not supposed to show any favoritism especially because news travels fast in the homeless community so we had to do it like we were ninjas on a mission and keep it on the DL.

So we walked over to the Rite Aid (Me and Maurice) and remember when I said in an earlier blog that people were confusing me with a homeless person?  The person working the register gave us an attitude as soon as we walked in the door, talked down to us, and stared at us the entire time we were in the store.  I felt for the first time, the stigma that must surround people who are homeless or are marginilized.  We purchased the phone card, went across the street and quickly added the minutes onto her phone.  When we did that for her, her face lit up as bright as the son and she lifted her hands up and said, "I can call my son tonight!"  She thanked us so much, gave us both a hug, and I think that God allowed us to be a blessing to a mom and her son.

I pray that story touched your heart as it did my heart and my life.  I will never forget that moment.  Keep Hope Alive in the lives of everyone you meet.  No one is ever hopeless because of Jesus Christ!

Esperanza!
Pastor Scot

Day 9-This may be a bit graphic (Warning)

There are so many emotions and feelings that are running through me today.  First off I am in the beginning stages of my sinuses being crazy so I'm sniffing, coughing, and gagging from the snot running down the back of my throat...ugh!

Today was a lighter day as far as tasks but it has been the most heart wrenching.  We went to the Fairfax County Police Department to attend a Domestic Violence class.  Fairfax county had 7000 domestic violence cases last year.  That averages out to 20 calls per day that they received for domestic violence.  They have had some of the most lenient laws until about 2-3 years ago when it came to domestic violence.  We started off the class by listening to a call from a 16 year old girl who called 911.  Her dad was drunk and was beating and kicking her mother.  She had two younger siblings that she could not get to and while the 16 year old was on the phone you could hear the mom moaning and screaming while the father continued to beat her.  Near the end of the call the father left the house and started driving away as the cops were pulling up and he was arrested.  The mother was beaten so bad that she sustained brain damage and some serious physical injuries and to this day she does not remember anything about it.

We heard the personal testimony of a woman who lived in a cycle of abuse.  While her dad was away in Vietnam, her mom became ill and they moved in with her grandparents.  When she was 5 and her sister 4, their grandfather had sexually assaulted both of them.  For years the 5 year old thought it was a dream or just something that she made up and the 4 year old never acknowledged that anything happened.  Years later she married a man who was great at first but was verbally abusive and controlling.  He would control what she did, what church she went to, even controlled the color and type of underwear she wore.  He used coercion and threats, intimidated her, emotionally abused her, isolated her, used the children against her, and treated her like a servant.  She finally had enough and left him but it wasn't long before she ended up in another abusive relationship and this one ended up being physically violent as well as emotionally.  It took several years for her to get out of this relationship but she continues to live with the emotional scars.  She said something very interesting to us, "A person never completely heals from abuse".  While she has made great strides and moved on and recognizes this cycle of abuse, the scars are still there and the pain is still real.  She has two daughters and just this past year her youngest tried to commit suicide and tyhe investigators said that it was the mostr violent suicide attempt where the victim did not die.  She used a drill.  It has a lot to do with her father and how he has treated her over the years.  Made her feel less then and even called her a loser.  She is getting the help she needs with counseling but noone knows what really drove her over the edge.

It was such an emotional day that I am not sure I fully know the impact that this has made in my heart and on my life.  But here is what I do know...if you are in a relationship that is physically and/or mentally abusive, that is NOT God's design for marriage and you need to leave.  A marriage is a partnership...your spouse is your helpmate...

I am not sure what I would do without the support that I get from Dawn.  Aside from God, Dawn is the one that I love the most.  I would not be who I am without her in my life....Dawn is my best friend and my best editor.  I would not be complete without her and although I may not say it as often as I should, I am absolutely crazy in love with her and I am so glad that God allowed me to have her in my life!

Esperanza!
Pastor Scot

Day 8

I am posting this one a little early today because I am exhausted!!  No late night for me tonight!

My day started off at 6 am and out the door by 6:45 to head to 1st Baptist of Vienna Church where I was blessed to hear Rev. Maurice Maxwell bring an awesome Word from The Lord that challenged us all to live with Faith in the midst of our circumstances.  The scripture was about Shadrach, Mishack, and Abednego (or Shad, Rack, and Benny as I like to call them) and how they praised God and wouldn't bow down to false gods even with the threat of the fiery furnace.  Maurice shared that we still have these false gods in our midst today with the music we listen to, the TV we watch, and the people that we try to imitate.  We as Christians need to be the example of Christ in all we do.  Everything in the worship service was awesome.  There was also a three year old little boy who gave a prayer after the offering that was absolutely amazing.  At three years old, this little boy had an anointing that could be felt by everyone in the congregation.  By the way, Maurice is on the immersion with me and has become an awesome brother in Christ.  I cannot wait to see how God will continue to shape and prosper his ministry and that God continue to pour out blessings upon his family.

We then went to worship at Rising Hope where the worship was amazing once again.  They played some of my favorite songs.  I was introduced to a new song today that was awesome...Jesus is the Rock that rolls my blues away.  Totally loved it.  Then they ended with Days of Elijah and it made me feel like I was being lifted up into heaven.

We had a United Methodist Men meeting and the women had a United Methodist Women meeting to attend.  Then we had a meet and greet ice cream social and by 6 pm we were back at Wesley.  Several members/attendees of the church stayed for the ice cream social and shared their testimonies and stories and what brought them to Rising Hope.  Some of the pain that people experience is heart wrenching but somehow God's grace led them to Rising Hope where they could feel and be filled with Christ's love.  Everyone has a place there and I believe everyone has a place at Kenton United Methodist Church.  We truly are a church that defines open hearts, open doors, and open minds.

Definitely was a long but great day!  I am being poured out as an offering to God!! (And God is continually filling my cup to overflowing)

Only 6 more days left!  Cant wait to share these experiences with my family, my church family, and the community.  I pray that I will be an instrument of positive change in our community concerning the poor and homeless.

Until then...Esperanza!
Pastor Scot

Day 7

Well everyone, I am halfway there and I always look at my cup as oversized with room for more of God's Blessings.

Today was very interesting.  We started out with working with a Community Organizing group named VOICE.  We went into the neighborhoods knocking on doors telling them that VOICE has worked things out with GE Mortgage so people could either refinance their mortgages or possibly reform their current mortgage.  (Not sure if the wording is correct but you get the idea).  VOICE organized the people in this area (which was one of the hardest hit) and were able to bring reform.  The work is not done...their are still 300 residents who still need help.

In the afternoon, we visited a local laundromat to do our wash...it was quite interesting doing wash and playing spades on one of the folding tables in the laundromat.

At 8 pm I got to go on my Police ride-along and it was super exciting.  The first call was for an alarm going off at a business and I got to watch as they pushed open the back door with their guns drawn asking if anyone was in there to show themselves.  Nothing like that adrenaline rush...or so I thought. We went to a vacant house that was being used by a group of 25 kids for a party.  The kids ranged in age from 10 to 16 and there was a lot of smoking going on.  Our final call around 11:30 pm was a trespassing call from an armed guarded apartment complex.  That was pretty dynamic as well...really loud!

Sorry so short but wanted to give everyone an update...and since it is 12:32 am and I have to get up at 6 am, I think I will be signing off...

Esperanza!
Pastor Scot

Day 6 in Fairfax

I have to begin this blog with a little bit of interesting observation.  I have been here since Sunday and just about each day that I have been at Rising Hope someone has asked me to sign in, or asked what they could help me with...whether I needed the clothing closet, the food pantry, or a meal.  So this has brought me to two realizations:
1. The way I look and the way I dress means I look fairly normal, although, my beard is starting to get long.
2. That the homeless community that I am here to serve is not at all different than I am.

So while the first may hit me in my ego because I think I look cool and hip...The second reminds me that the culture here is really no different than I am.  We are all God's children and we all look awesome to God.  God created us and fashioned us in His image and I love the fact that wherever I go, we are all part of God's Body in this world.

I sat down at lunch today next to a really big guy who looks to be about 21 years old and he said to me, "You don't look much like a pastor, you look more like a tattoo artist."  This guy opened up to me about some struggles that he had and that he had to leave his parents.  His dad made him laser tattoos off his body and his mom always put him down saying that he was too fat and that he would never amount to anything.  I had the chance to tell him that he was fearfully and wonderfully made and that no matter what we have done or what we have become that God will love us and want to have a relationship with us.  I shared a little of my testimony with him and told him about my friend, Jesus.  He said he had a hole in his heart that he has been trying to fill for a long time but he has a hard time wrapping his heart and mind around faith.  He said, "You see, living out in the streets, you know what's coming.  You either get all messed up or you die.  There is an outcome that you can see. But with God, it's all about trust, faith, and a promise...and I don't know if I can live without the possibility of knowing exactly where I am heading."

What I realized was that the way his parents treated him and the years on the streets and short times in jail have sucked the hope right out of his life and his heart.  What becomes of a life when you literally cannot dream?  No Hope...But he comes to Rising Hope Church and one day the Hope may rise up within his heart.  I hope some things I said today may have stuck with him.  Thank you God for the ability to be your instrument of hope and peace!

That conversation continues to weigh on my heart...so I think I am going to stop there for the night and share with y'all tomorrow night (but I am going on my Police ride-along from 8 pm - midnight on Saturday so it may be a late post...

Esperanza!!
Pastor Scot

Day 5

I had another eventful day today.  I think from the time that I woke up I did not stop moving until about 9:30 this evening.

So first let me explain the showers.  The church that we are staying at is awesome, the Pastor and people are welcoming and inviting, and we are staying in there fellowship hall building which is actually a building that is seperate from the main church building.  We are sleeping in air mattresses in side rooms and we have a guys room (man cave!!) and a ladies room.  Each have 5 of us in the room.  Very accomodating kitchen facilities so we can keep and prepare our food and snacks and of course a coffee maker!!!  A Christian cannot go anywhere without coffee, lol.  But here is the thing...the showers are not on site.  We actually have to venture out to George Washington REC Center.  The showers are hot and there is even a sauna that helps us to dry out a little bit (not bad).  But the showers themselves are more of a community type shower.  There are seven shower heads on the walls in an open room.  So I will not give any more details but when you are not used to taking showers with several other men, it can be a tad uncomfortable.  'nuff said...

So the day was yet another Spirit filled day and I must say that the prayer service that two of the women on the immersion led was one that I am still pondering within my heart and my soul.  I cannot describe the feeling in words.  There was something that touched and gripped my heart.  It touched on the effects of mental illness in ones life and how through God's Amazing Grace we can be made whole.  Following the service we had lunch and I sat next to a Muslim young lady, 19, from Sierra Leone, who had a baby two months ago.  She is really shy and there is a slight language barrier (the people speak a type of French/Creole) but she speaks English fairly well.  It broke my heart to hear her story. (Once again I will share more on the 20th...hint, hint, come to one of the Sunday services at Kenton...)

Almost the entire afternoon we watched a video called, The Line, and discussed its impact on us.  I am ordering the video and I will be showing it at a later date...stay tuned for the time and day...but a quick synopsis is that they interviewed homeless people around our country and talked about the different types of poverty that effect people.  A banker making six figures whom cannot find a job to a shrimper in Louisiana who is barely making ends meet.  These were amazing stories of people like you and me who in the blink of an eye, lost everything.

Then for my final service for the night I assisted in setting up for the Hypothermia Center.  This center, which is at Rising Hope Church, can house up to 25 people at a time.  They have to come in by dinner time, 7:15 pm and plan on staying for the night.  Once they are in, they cannot leave unless they want to lose their place.  These are not extremely comfortable accomodations.  Basically it is a foam mat on a tiled concrete floor and you get a sleeping bag.  You can have four supervised cigarrette breaks at 8, 9, 10, and 11.  You get a hot meal when you come in for dinner, breakfast in the morning, and we give a bag "lunch" for the day but you have to be out by 7:15 am.  When I left there were 17 people there which means that up to 8 more people could come in throughout the night and we would have to give them a place to stay to get out of the cold.

So I left there and came back to Wesley in plenty of time to talk to Dawn and the boys.  Only 8 more days until i get to see them face to face.  I have been missing them very much and I have been praying for those who are gone for more than two weeks.  Families that are seperated by military deployments, job transfers, or even imprisoned.  Families that will be seperated for months or even years.  It makes this two weeks not seem so long especially compared to those who have lost loved ones and will not see them again until they meet in Glory surrounded by the light and love of the Christ.  I pray for all of those who are seperated from a loved one.  I pray for my grandfather, Leon. who has been seperated from my grandmother Mildred for over a decade.  I pray for Dawn's grandmother, Polly, who has been seperated from her grandfather, Chuck.  For all...I pray for peace and comfort but mostly for an excitedness in their hearts that they will see each other again.

Esperanza!
Pastor Scot

 

Immersion-Day 4

I thought I would take a moment to begin todays blog with sharing briefly what this two week immersion is and why I am here.

At Wesley Theological Seminary, where I go to school, part of the ministry requirement for an MDiv degree is that you take an Intercultural Immersion.  It is definitely more of an experience than a class setting and you get to choose from a variety of different locations.  Some chose India, South Dakota, South Africa (next year) or Israel (this past summer) among others.  I chose to immerse myself in a homeless culture.  This particular immersion is "Hidden Culture in Suburbia".  So I will be learning about the homeless culture in the route 1 corridor in Alexandria which is close to Mount Vernon and DC.  I will be actively involved in serving the homeless in many ways.  We will worship together, have fellowship and share meals.  I will also be learning about government programs that are working in the area but most importantly what the churches are doing in the area to be in ministry with the homeless.  I picked this immersion because of the rapidly growing homeless community in my area so I can learn and hopefully bring back some tools to help assist us (the church) be in ministry with them in the Smyrna, Clayton, Kenton communities.

With that being said, allow me to share a little about our day...

We started with breakfast at "Elsie's Magic Skillet", which reminded me a little of "The Railroad Cafe" in Delmar DE outside of Salisbury where I grew up.  We met with the local pastors in the area who provide a rotating shelter for some of the homeless population.  There were 3 Episcopal Priests, 1 Prebyterian Minister, and 1 Methodist minister in attendance with us.  (sounds like it could be a joke, huh?)  It was really great to see different denominations working together for people.

We went back to Rising Hope Church for prayer service and it was an absolutely powerful time of worship together.  There was about 25 people and the message that was shared by two people in our group was one of forgiveness.  A homeless gentleman in the congregation shared about how it took him many years to forgive his dad for the way he treated his mom.  Everyone was in tears at the overwhelming passion and truth of this man's story.  We went to lunch with this added blessings in our hearts and had fellowship arounhd the table as we ate our lunch together.  We continued at Rising Hope helping in the clothing closet which is open each Wednesday.  People can come in and have up to 20 articles of clothing.  On the other side of the basement is the food pantry.  People have to make an appointment in advance, but they can come in each week and gather a can of food off of each shelf (there are about twenty shelves) and a cold food item of their choice.  One of my brothers' that I am here with shared about a family with little kids coming into the food pantry and it broke his heart.  It was the little boy's birthday so they let him pick out a cake mix so his mom could make it later. (not everyone who is homeless does not have access to a kitchen...some live in hotels or efficiencies).

Not only do my boys get a birthday cake on their birthday but they get a present or two (too much from grandparents mmhhmm) and this little boy got a cake mix?  I am fighting back the tears just thinking and thanking God for how blessed we are.  Sometimes I just forget or take so many things for granted.  We are not allowed to give a gift or in any way show favortitism to anyone because news travels way too fast in the homeless community and it may cause severe problems so there was nothing we could do extra but that little boy thought it was awesome just to get the cake mix.

We came back to Wesley UMC just a block away and sat around the table and shared with one another how our day went and a lot of emotion was shared.  It was a very moving day!

Wesley UMC had a meet and greet for us tonight in which we were able to meet with several members of the congregation.  I had the pleasure of meeting a mother and daughter who are actively involved in the life of the church and it was fantastic to hear about their passion for the church, the community, and their family.  I am also asking prayers for their family because her husband will be deployed soon.

We unpacked some more of our day as we wound down and I am looking forward for what God has in store for us during our busy day tomorrow.  I will talk to you all then...

Esperanza!!
Pastor Scot

Immersion...first three days

What an incredible journey so far.  On Sunday I started my journey at 5:00 am after only 4 hours of sleep from the Youth Rally.  I started to listen to the Bible on my way but I am in the middle of 1 Chronicles and I started to feel my eyes getting a bit heavy...lol.

I met up with my immersion team at Wesley by 9 am and we headed out to Rising Hope United Methodist Mission Church off of the route 1 corridor in Arlington VA.  We got there in plenty of time to worship and it was a wonderful experience!  The music was incredible, the preaching was sound, and we were welcomed from the time our feet hit the floor.  One of the things that I loved about the service was that every time someone sneezed almost the entire congregation said, "God Bless You!" and no one missed a beat.  After the service we were invited to stay for lunch and their church council meeting.  For lunch we had pigs feet, black eyed peas, sweet potato casserole, etc.  I must say it was good!  Council meeting went well and I look forward to formatting our meetings a bit more like they have them.

On Monday we met with New Hope Housing, took a tour of the area, and did a lot of work at the Kennedy Shelter.  Too much to write about for my first blog...(you'll have to hear about these experiences in my sermon on the 20th).

Today Andrew Ware and I led the worship at Rising Hope Church and it was incredible.  We ate lunch (not pigs feet) and then we went to the Mondloch House.  This is a house where people who are chronically homeless and have documented mental illness can stay for a period of time while independent housing is found for longer term.  We served at the Kennedy Shelter and we were supposed to work with some children tonight but an emergency arose in which the van that is used to pick up the children was being used for food distribution so we had to reschedule for next Tuesday.

All in all it has been a very eventful, eye opening, and heart wrenching/warming three days.  I miss my family immensely but my experiences that I am having here have been priceless thus far...

For my first blog, i don't think i did too bad, lol...until next time...i hope i have time to write these reflections each day so I don't have to rush through three at a time...

Esperanza!!
Pastor Scot