5-6-13: Little Comments Make Big Impacts

Hi guys, girls, men and women!

This weekend has been a mix of feelings: happiness, sadness, pain (literally), and excitement.

I'll start out with the worst, pain. Friday I messed up my knee, NO idea how, but it seriously hurts and it's hard to walk without pain. The doctor's guess is that it dislocated and a nerve got caught in the joint, then it repositioned and the nerve is stuck. Just praying for that to stop, it hurts a ton!

Sadness is always a bad thing, but sometimes it has a good outcome or cause. In this case, at Student Impact and youth group, we had to say goodbye to the seniors this weekend. Their last OFFICIAL weekend was this week. I know many will still come, but it's just not the same. Plus there's only one more youth group before summer, and after that they'll be gone :(

A happy part of that, though, is related to that. It's because several of the seniors are going off to colleges, such as Hope, Moody, etc., to learn how to spread God's Word better and one of them, a good friend of mine, is thinking about joining a friend in South Africa serving with a group called YWAM (Youth With A Mission), which is a short-term missionary non-profit organization. I'm really proud of her. She's come a long way since I first met her, which was only last year. She's been a real inspiration to me, and yesterday when I told her that, I was so happy when she said I've helped her, too.

And finally, excited. A friend from college is getting out next week and I cannot WAIT for him to be home! He's made a major impact on my faith and helped me a ton. He was at Impact yesterday, so it was great to talk to him again. Plus, in about a month, I get out of school, so we'll be able to hang out more after that! It's been a hard year, and I'm certain that God has worked through him to help me. He has certainly helped me see God when it was hard for me to do it alone.

Though the highlights of my weekend are two texts I got, one this morning, one yesterday. The one from yesterday was from the girl I was talking about considering YWAM. She and I have been trying to meet up for lunch for the longest time, and she said that since we won't be having youth group after church over the summer that it's likely we could do something then! She also went on a mission trip and I'm thanking God for calling her to go on the trip, as I know that she would grow a ton from it, and I can't wait to finally hear about it.

The other text is from my college friend this morning, completely out-of-the-blue. I don't know why he texted me, but I'm so glad he did. "Just wanted to say that I am really thankful for your friendship Scott. Hope you have an awesome week at school." Wow...I don't know why he said it, but I'm so glad he did. As I said, he's been a major impact, and it makes me so happy to hear that from him. :)

Needless to say, this weekend was kind of a rollercoaster emotionally, but still filled with happiness.

Thank you! God bless you all, I pray you all have a great week!


Verse of the day: And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. ~Hebrews 10:24-25

Prayer request: Just please pray for my knee to heal quickly and that I can stay strong through this last month of school, as hard as it may get...especially with finals, as it's so easy to slack off at the end of the year.

6-11-13: Back To The DR

Hi all,

I know I haven't posted lately, and I apologize for that. I just have been having trouble focusing on God lately due to school ending and summer school beginning and being super tired from all-nighters. Though thankfully, He's showing me himself through my Dominican friends, whom lately I've been talking more with on Facebook. Their love for God is helping me to remember what God did for me in the DR and just how magnificent He is. Since that, I've been reading my Bible and reflecting when I can't sleep. I can thank God for using my friends to reach me, and if any of you ever feel distant from God, be silent and just listen. Maybe he's trying to talk to you in a way you don't expect.

Speaking of the Dominican Republic, I'm happy to announce that the June Dominican Republic team is leaving in about 4 days! I'm super hyped up because I know a few people on the team and I know that they're the right people to go. Several have background in serving, several speak Spanish, some both...and thanks to a Dominican staff member from our church, some of them already know a person the team will be working with.

Prayer request: Please pray that God will work in the hearts of everyone on the team and that the team will work in the hearts of those they are helping. Also pray that they stay safe and hopefully don't suffer as many dehydration-"casualties" as we did...nearly everyone...so they'd be able to serve to the best of their ability.

Thank you, and God bless you all!

5-23-13: God's Word Is Spreading...

Hey all!

I have some news that could only be done by God's will.

I've been getting more and more international views, recently being added to the list are Moldova (a smaller country neighboring Romania and Ukraine) and Brazil. Today, there were over 30 views by people in Brazil, pushing my blog view count to 1,001!!! That means that in the last 6 months, since 6 December, 2012, I've gained nearly as many views as my poetry blog, which I created 2 June, 2012.

There is no way but by God's work that I've been able to reach so many people so quickly, and I feel so blessed to be able to do this for all of you. I thank you all for helping to spread the word about my blog and about God's Word.

Today's prayer request: Please pray that the numbers continue to grow and that God would continue to use me to show His love.

Verse of the Day: But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.  ~1 Peter 3:14-15

God bless you all, and keep sharing about God!

5-19-13: Last House Group of the Year

Hi all,

Today marked another sad point, and a happy point, at Student Impact.

The sad part is because today was the last house group, our youth group, of the year until the school year returns in the fall. However, it was happy...and CRAZY, because the 8th graders, but freshmen by Impact standards, joined us today!!!

Of course we do have to be a bit mean to them...just a bit. What we like to call "freshmen initiation." For us, that's asking them random weird questions and throwing them in a pool. MUAHAHAHA!!!

Our ministry's worship leader joined us! ------>







Prayer request: Please pray that we all focus on God throughout the summer while we aren't together. Also pray that we keep in touch over the summer to keep encouraging each other to study God's word and pray.

And today's verse goes directly with the prayer request: "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." ~Proverbs 27:17 

5-9-13: God Is Always Visible

Hello brothers and sisters-in-Christ,

So I often hear about people who are weak, or having trouble strengthening their faith say that it's "because I don't see God in my life." Well have any of you ever thought of this: nature?

I love thunderstorms. They're a perfect example of what I'm talking about. The lightning strikes and flash floods and deafening thunder show His mighty power, and yet the bolts of lightning as they flash through the air, lighting up clouds, plants, and buildings alike...it's His amazing beauty.

But maybe it's not raining. Maybe it's early morning and there's fog everywhere, wildlife prancing and scurrying in the tall grass for an early breakfast. It's all meant to be admired.

You see, God is no longer a physical person here among us. He has no physical body here, but he shows us himself instead through His wonderful Creation: us, weather, nature, wildlife.

Prayer request: This one isn't so much for me alone, as for everyone wishing to know God better and please pray that we all see God in our everyday lives.

Verse of the day: He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ~Ecclesiastes 3:11

God bless you all!

4-29-13: Student Leadership Conference 2013

Hello everyone!

I've got to say, this past weekend was one of the best I've ever had!

So there was a Student Leadership Conference, "Emerging Kingdom Leaders" #TIU360, and it really impacted me. The purpose of the conference was to improve our leadership skills and different ways of viewing leadership. One way it impacted me was talking to the students on campus, as we were at Trinity International University, it was really cool to learn their stories and how God's worked in their lives as well. Another was just how powerful the sessions were. But the biggest God-moment will be at the end...

We got to choose three workshops out of 12 or so, and I chose "Academics - Thinking in Circles", "Centering Your Circle - Relying on God", and "Well-Rounded & Globally Minded", my favorite being the last one. It was about how poverty impacts so much injustice in modern culture worldwide, such as violence, terrorism, slavery/trafficking, etc. I learned that in fact the most impoverished nation is INDIA, not anywhere in Africa. I had NO clue that was the case, considering I always think that with Africa having so many starving, that the greatest poverty is in Asia. The reason, however, makes sense. It's the population percentage that makes the difference: India, 34-35%. Various countries in Africa: 2-5%. I mean, if you think about it, the reason is more because of how India has so many people that the percentage would be much higher as opposed to African countries where the population isn't as great in specific countries.

Then we had three main sessions, my favorite being the last one. It was titled Growth Spurt, and the speaker, Matt Trebbe, he was AWESOME! Funny, yet got his point across plain and clear.

One example he used when talking about how leaders should lead was comparing a leader to a Banyan tree and a banana tree. A banyan tree is a tree that takes hundreds of years to grow, but it can grow to cover several acres, with the largest being 4 acres wide. The reason he used the Banyan tree as an example is because that's what a leader should NOT be. A Banyan tree kills all life beneath it because no light can get through the leaves. In this way, leaders should not overpower others and take complete control.

"Nothing grows under a Banyan tree" - Matt Trebbe, Emerging Kingdom Leaders, Trinity International University


However, what a leader should be is a banana tree. A banana tree grows and dies in two years, but in that time, it spawns three generations, then dies to let the other banana trees flourish. One central tree grows, then the tree group expands more and more and just keeps growing in numbers. A leader should be like a banana tree because instead of killing all the life, like the Banyan tree, the banana tree helps grow leaders, helps to flourish and create leaders, then dies to let the others grow stronger and grow more leaders.

Then the three take-aways he left for us, all 400 (which meant that every slot had been filled! Praise God!) were:
1) Do you have a banana tree leader in your life? Find a leader who looks like Jesus

2) Do you have a support group that you're comfortable with? Find a community where the worst can be known about you, and you won't be loved less. Be fearless about failure.

3) Begin to lead yourself like Jesus. Don't tell anyone "you should have done this..." when they're upset or struggling, but comfort them instead. For example, Matt's son, Deacan, ran away from his friend's house when Deacan got uncomfortable, ran to his house and started crying. Matt was about to tell Deacan he should have been tougher and stood up to the kids, but his wife caught him first and told Matt that instead he should tell Deacan that Matt's proud of him because he had the dignity and courage to leave instead of just deal with it.

Now, the final piece I want to leave you all with is the #1 biggest God-moment for me in this entire process. This was actually before the conference even started. When I was signing up, I found that the cost was $55, which I didn't, and still don't have. I have a friend who goes to Trinity, and she was super excited to hear that I wanted to go and felt God wanted me to be there. Then I told her that I didn't have the money...and she said something that I will never forget and always be thankful to God and her for: "Give me the information for registration and I'll pay for you." That was...I was so shocked by that. She then said, "consider it a gift from God." She really is amazing. And even better, she was one of the organizers for the conference, so I could talk to her all the time about how the conference was affecting me and how thankful I am for her doing that.

I pray this has left you inspired to help others in need and to be a banana tree, not a Banyan tree in your community.

Verse of the day: Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. ~Luke 22:25-26

4-14-13: One Day Without Shoes

Recently, I was followed by an account on Twitter called @ChristTeensUK, and what’s cool is that they have the same goal as I do on here: to share what God is doing in teens’ lives, like my own. And for that reason, I’m super excited to write this for all of you and I hope you like it!

So for those of you who know of the company TOMS and what they’re about, you may’ve already heard about One Day Without Shoes (ODWS), but for those of you who don’t know about TOMS or have and haven’t heard of ODWS, here’s the general gist of it. TOMS is a company that makes shoes and the mission is simple: for each pair of TOMS shoes bought, a pair goes to a child in need of some. It helps to provide them with shoes as well as funding to go to school.

Now what’s cool about this event they’re doing, ODWS, is that it’s this world-wide event on Tuesday, April 16^th, when people are going shoeless to promote global awareness to children's health and education by going without shoes. Now I know of many of my friends who are doing this, and there are many group-events planned, such as Deloitte is having a group of 834 people participating, Coastal Carolina University has 688, etc. This thing is going to be MASSIVE and I’d like to let you all know that it’s going on so you can be a part of the action. For every person more who goes without shoes that day, there will be an even greater impact made!

As many of you know, I was in the Dominican Republic recently, and what I saw there wrecked me in so many ways. One thing among many was that many of the impoverished people were either wearing worn-out shoes, sandals, or no shoes at all. Experiencing that makes this an even more personal thing for me, and I hope that all of you will take this opportunity to share the word of God and to help those less fortunate than ourselves. There’s no limit to what we can do if we work together and trust in God to do the rest.

I pray that we all will help make a difference by participating on April 16^th. God bless you all!

Verse of the day: And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. ~Hebrews 13:16

4-8-13: Poetry speaks

Hey all,

I know I normally go on with some story-style post and leave it at that, maybe a reference to my other blog with all my poems, but I wrote one today I feel needs to be shared with everyone. A poem that says that we are not our own, but we are God's.


I Am God's Servant

A trip to a country with poverty,

So many houses are riddled with holes,

I do not know how God plans to change me,

How does God want to alter our frail souls?

Just one day later, I am on my knees,

I am transformed by what I have just seen,

I pray that He won’t let me change back, PLEASE!

Don’t let this trip become another dream.

The last night comes, I don’t know what to think,

While there, I’ve made several amazing friends,

I sit in the dark; my heart starts to sink,

I’m just wishing that this night never ends.

But my last day in the Dominican,

I hear God telling me my work’s not done.

I pray you all remember, we are made to serve Him, not ourselves. The LORD has blessed us with what we have, and we are meant to share what we have. Whether material goods or labor services, we all have something we can help one another with. God always wants to work in us, wants to guide us to Him, but sometimes we are too focused on ourselves and our own stuff that we don't remember that God has given all of what we have in life. From the people you are friends with, to the house you live in, the the clothing you wear, to the food and water you eat and drink. No matter what it is, God has provided it all for us.

4-6-13: Lessons Learned in the Dominican Republic

Hi there!

I know this isn't much, but that's kind of the idea. I found this picture on Facebook that really summarizes everything that I learned last week. Straight and simple.

That is all. I know it isn't much, but I pray that all of you ponder this. Consider the fact that living by 14 certain words could make your life much easier, much simpler, and much more Christ-focused. There are many verses that we can refer back to, but this wraps it all up into 14 words.

• Dream more - Jeremiah 23:28
• Complain less - James 5:9, Ephesians 4:29
• Listen more - James 1:19, Romans 10:17
• Talk less - James 1:19
• Love more - 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, Ephesians 4:2, John 13:34-35
• Argue less - 2 Timothy 2:23-25
• Hope more - Romans 12:12, Jeremiah 29:11
• Fear less - 1 John 4:18, Psalm 23:4
• Relax more - Philippians 4:6-7
• Worry less - 1 Peter 5:7, Proverbs 12:25, Ecclesiastes 11:10
• Believe more - Matthew 21:22, Romans 15:13
• Doubt less - Proverbs 3:5-8, James 1:6, Mark 11:22-23
• Play more - Psalm 150:4, Job 21:11
• Work less - Luke 10:38-42

I pray that you all are strengthened in your faith through my blog, and I thank those of you whom have messaged me on Facebook of how I can make my posts better.

God bless!

4-3-13: Almost indescribable

Hello all,

So as many of you know, I was on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic this past week. I wish I could tell you how it was and what I experienced, but to be 100% honest, it is beyond words. What I can say is my world was rocked and I am wrecked by what I saw, did, and felt. I didn't expect to be changed as much as I was, and that in itself kind of scared me, but also made me feel great...it's complicated.

So part of what we were doing was laying cement floors for homes with only dirt floors.
That way, when it rains, the floors aren't wiped out and turned to mud. What is obviously God's work is that, after the first 4 houses were done our first day of work, the next morning it had rained pretty hard for a bit. A short period of time, but enough rain to do some damage had the floors not dried.


The other part of what we did was help our partner church with preparing their new location. Their church community has grown so much that they need a new place to gather.

The new site is a former warehouse, and we spent the last 1.5 days working on putting up barbed wire (which SERIOUSLY hurts when pricked) and cleaning out what can and can't be used of whatever was left behind by the previous owners.



While it was a lot of work and the dust led to plenty of coughing and sneezing, it was a TON of fun.


Of course, maybe it was the burning of the scraps that made it more fun for me, as I've been a pyro for years.





However, I'd say the best part of the trip for me was the relationships built with the Dominicans. I had been talking with this one girl on Facebook for a couple months before the trip, so it was awesome to finally meet

her, and I made several other friends as well, with whom I was chatting with even earlier today. It's really nice being able to keep in contact with them, even if we are an 8 hour flight and several thousand miles apart.






But God really rocked me when I saw just how poor the living conditions are for far too many people, and the fact that not that many people take notice of it. There were wires hanging all over the place with nothing to keep them out of reach of small children, as I said, several places don't have solid floors, and in a few houses, the gap we filled could've been described as a trench from no support under that part of the house! I was nearly brought to tears when I saw that.

We went to the beach on the Tuesday of that week, and on the way we passed several nice hotels. That got me thinking, tourists only see the fancy, luxurious part of the island when, just a 45 minute drive away, people don't have clean water, don't have many clothes, some don't even have decent shelter.

The other thing God did was show me how, even when the Dominicans have every reason to be angry at God about their situation, they praise him more than many of us in the States, including myself. Like one young man, Bobby, he has one AMAZING singing voice. When one of the girls on our team complimented him on it, he didn't thank her for the compliment. Instead, he raised his hands and said it's all God's gift. I've been talking with him on Facebook, and every time I ask him how he's doing, he says, "I'm good, thanks God." I never thought about it that way.

Yet another thing that changed who I want to be and do is what I saw among the community; they don't message each other all the time online, they meet in person. I saw people talking from two to 10 people at a time having a conversation at a park or even on the side of the road. One time, there were two people on separate motorcycles not just talking, but having a conversation while riding down the road! I mean, in the States it's all "I have to get to ___ fast, no stops," or "I don't have time to talk, I'm too busy," or something of the sort. That also seems to be the case when it comes to praising God, but some of the people helping build these floors, they were skipping classes of college just to help and serve. They found time to meet, even if they have very busy lives. I don't think we're too busy to talk in person, I think it's that we don't want to be social because that's become our culture: to do everything electronically and not talk, like sit down and talk together.


I'm sorry this has been such a long entry, I just felt that as this blog is dedicated to what God is doing in a teen's life, I figured I'd share just how much He worked in me in just one week, and how I see him working in me.

Verse of the day: “Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. ~Habakkuk 1:5

Prayer request: That I continue to look for God in my life, that I don't just experience Him for one week, then forget about it. Please pray that this trip leaves a lasting impact that changes me and changes my habits, both in being more humble, thanking God for what he's given me, and remembering He will always provide.

Thank you all! Please leave comments on what you think and if you want, how I can make my posts better.