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.

3-18-13: Modern Day Miracles

Hello everyone!

I have some good news and some bad news, and I'm sure this will affect some of you as well.

Friday at around 6PM, a 5th grade student (Dominic), a good friend of mine, at my old elementary school was hit by a train. He IS alive, stable, and somehow still his cheery self, as he was reported to be "in good spirits." He really hasn't changed! Few people can survive this kind of accident, much less a child! Dominic is a modern day miracle for anyone who has doubts that they still exist.

However, on the down side, he has suffered severe injuries, the worst being that he lost one foot, with severe damage to his other foot.

He's one amazingly strong kid, but no one in the world can be prepared to go through this kind of trauma alone.

Thank you all and may the LORD watch over you.


Prayer request: Please pray for him, his family, and his friends (including myself) as this sinks in and give us all strength through this. He's been in the chess club I helped coach for 3 years and this is hitting me pretty hard.

Verse of the day: And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. ~1 Thessalonians 5:14

3-17-13: Day Of Jesus' Works

Hello everyone!

I've gotta say, today has been AWESOME! Today at Willow, we had baptism, and with about 100 planned to be baptized at the 11:15 service, there was an estimated 200+ baptized! The stage where the people were being baptized in the pool, the line just never stopped getting bigger!!! The service went a good 45 minutes longer than planned! The band ran out of songs and restarted! It was truly incredible!

Also, last night, my dad told me my grandma agreed MONTHS ago that she would fully fund was left for my Dominican Republic mission trip, no matter how much is cost! God is AWESOME! Out of $1,600, I had raised $840...she paid a full $760 for me to go on my trip this spring break (next week). I'm amazed!

For anyone wanting to know how long until I leave, just check out my Dominican Republic Countdown.

Verse of the day: Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the [spiritual] gift of the Holy Spirit. -Acts 2:38

For more information on your spiritual gift, or to discover what yours is, check out my previous post on spiritual gifts.

God bless you all, and I hope you have a Christ-filled week!

3-13-13: Sharing God's Movement

Hey guys and girls!

I'm proud to say that this blog has now been viewed in SIX different countries: USA (naturally), Germany, Italy, the UK, Canada, and France! I honestly have no idea how this reached anywhere besides the US, Germany, and Canada, considering I have family and friends in those countries, but hey, the farther His Kingdom reaches, the better!

Of course I can't take all the credit. God has naturally done most of the work. He's the one I want to tell everyone about. He's the one who has changed my life and is leading my life. He is the one I want to worship and praise all my life, and I don't care who knows, for I am unashamed of Him.


Verse of the day:  "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile." -Romans 1:16

Prayer request: Could you all please pray that the audience of this blog continues to grow, that my story and walk with God inspires others to take steps in their faith.

Don't forget to share this blog with your friends and family! God bless you all!

3-11-13: Spiritual Gifts

Hey everyone!

I hope you've all been well, I know I have...of course it could just be because I'm forgetting everything before yesterday!

I had an AWESOME day with one of my college friends; their Spring break began on Friday for the next 2 weeks, so I hope I'll be able to spend plenty of time with my college friends. Man, I miss them a ton! He and I played 10 rounds of pool (he won 9 of them...minor detail. We still had fun) and I won 2/3 rounds of Fussball! I played probably one of the most intense games ever! The final game finished 11-13 with me with the win! And yes, this will tie around to God again...just wait.

The past 3 weeks at church have been covering spiritual gifts and how we can use them in our everyday lives. My top two, for example, are mercy and shepherding. The definition of a mercy gift is "the capacity to feel and express unusual compassion and sympathy for those in difficult or crisis situations and provide them with the necessary help and support to see them through tough times." I find myself able to use this every day, especially with these couple friends I've been talking to consistently on Facebook about relationship or family problems, and while it helps them feel better and more comfortable with what's going on in their life, it also helps me in my own troubles. It's really cool how this stuff works!

The same goes for shepherding: "the divine enablement to nurture, care for, and guide people toward on-going spiritual maturity and becoming like Christ." I often incorporate the two gifts by using scripture to help my friends through their problems. It's actually a ton of fun and it brings me tons of joy to know that my friends feel better with my help.

If anyone else would like to discover their spiritual gift, here's a link to the test I took given by my church: http://studentimpact.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Full-Spiritual-Gifts-Test-Chart-and-Descriptions.pdf. I'd love to hear what your gifts are! Feel free to comment or email me at spikesscott@gmail.com

And here's a link to a website with more information about what your gift is, how it can be used, and how it's shown in the Bible: http://theresurgence.com/series/spiritual-gifts

I hope everyone has a great week and I'll try to start posting more consistently. As I said, helping friends has been a ton of work, and while it is tons of fun, it does cut out time to post. However, of course friends' needs must come first! Thank everyone for your understanding!

My prayer request is a pretty major one in my case. I'm going, as I've said, on a mission trip in two weeks, and I'm $800 short! Please pray I get the funding needed, because as a high school student, I have ZERO money for myself to pay!

2-26-13: Past Weekend = CHRIST-FILLED AWESOMENESS

Hey there!

Ok, I know the title isn't a real word, but I don't know any other description.

It started out on Friday with a Dominican rapper at Willow Creek, and that was awesome because as I'm going to the DR (Dominican Republic) in 26 days, and it was cool to experience their love of music! I didn't understand most of the lyrics, as they were in Spanish and I take German and know, obviously, English, but just how into the music the rapper and other fans were...overwhelming. I cannot WAIT to go to the DR!

Then Saturday, I went to Winter Jam 2013, which was just...I don't even know how to describe it. It's essentially a Christian concert with about 8 artists and a guest speaker. The main (well-known) artists there were Matthew West, Sidewalk Prophets, and TOBYMAC!!! Though I'm super disappointed that they had my favorite band as the pre-show act, and didn't have them as part of the main concert, even though they were part of the lineup: Capital Kings! Their debut album came out on January 8th, so they're fairly new, but they've gotten amazing reviews, and I LOVE them! They're AWESOME! They use a mix of dubstep, rock, electronic, and hip-hop, and just the whole mix is insane! They've also been featured in some songs with TobyMac. I did, however, get to talk to one of the artists, so that was SOOO cool!

Sunday, we had the rapper at Student Impact as a "surprise". That's in quotations because he told me on Friday that he'd be there, but told me to keep it a secret as that was meant to be a surprise. It was SOOO hard not to say it to my DR team, but I SOMEHOW managed not to. Then in youth (house) group, we did the Harlem Shake...it was SCARY. It's part of a competition throughout Impact that was started by Streamwood when they made one and are now challenging everyone else to make one. Here's ours: Barrington West Harlem Shake. Wish us luck!