8-14-13: Becoming too big

Hello everyone,

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while, and am super late with the news about Sandblast that I promised about a month ago now.

The reason for this is that I've felt that I've been focusing on myself more than I have on God in these posts. I know that the purpose of this blog is to talk about what God is doing in my life, but I've noticed that it's becoming more about what I'm doing in God's presence instead. I will continue to do more posts in the future, but I need to do a self-evaluation about how I am approaching this blog.

Am I really trying to talk about what God is doing with me and how He affects me, or am I just talking about myself in Christian context?

Sorry I've been so scarce, everyone. God bless you all.


Prayer request: Please pray that I can learn to focus on what God is doing and not just be self-centered as much as I've been becoming. That I'd put him first.

Verse of the Day: He must become greater; I must become less.” ~John 3:30

7-8-13: #Sandblast13 Coming Up!

Hello everyone!

Sorry I've been gone for a while, summer school is killer!

Well there's only about 4 days left until Sandblast, the summer retreat for Student Impact.

Last year, one of my friends was greatly affected by one of the services and really changed his way of life, and another of my friends became a Christian at Sandblast two years ago. My small group is not that open, but at Sandblast last year, everyone was far more open than I'd ever experienced them being, so I'm really excited to see how Sandblast this year affects me, my small group, and my friends.

I'll let you all know what Sandblast was like and how God showed himself after Sandblast, which would be next Tuesday (July 16).


Prayer request: Please pray that everyone going to Sandblast sees God and He works in us. Also, please pray that my small group opens up and we get closer as a whole.

Verse of the day: "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." ~Matthew 18:22

God bless you all!!!

If anyone wants to know how long it is until #Sandblast13, here's a countdown timer I made earlier: http://www.timeanddate.com/counters/fullscreen.html?mode=a&iso=20130712T17&year=2013&month=7&day=12&hour=17&min=0&sec=0&p0=821&msg=%23Sandblast13

5-15-13: Keep Studying God's Word

Hello everyone!

I'm not sure about all of you, but at least for me, the school year is almost over...well, regular school year. I'm taking summer school.

At Uprising, the Christian club at my school for anyone who doesn't know that, we were talking about how each of us students could keep our lives focused on God and how we can remember to pray, worship, etc, as there will be less of a schedule for most of us.

That got me thinking...how can I read my Bible and pray more? I listen to a ton of Christian music of almost any genre, and while that keeps me thinking about God throughout my day, it isn't like reading my Bible and LEARNING about God or praying and TALKING with God as much.

My first thoughts were perhaps have my morning alarm on my iPod have a message of a verse each day, or I discovered a month or so ago that one of the students at Uprising actually lives in my neighborhood (COOL!) so maybe the two of us could meet up now and then, maybe start up a Bible study, just brainstorming ideas.

My next thought was what gets me hyped up for God most? Is it church? Talking with friends about God? Learning about God? It's actually none of those. In fact, one of the biggest causes for me to get even more excited about God is knowing how many people I'm impacting...which I guess can get linked to talking with friends, kinda. For example, my view count: USA - 706; Russia - 45; Germany - 42; Canada - 7; Thailand - 6 (no idea how Thailand got in the top 5!); United Kingdom - 5; Dominican Republic, Philippines, Taiwan - 3; China (well known for their anti-Christian culture, 4%), New Zealand - 2; India (Christianity is a VERY minimal part of the population, only 2.3%), Sweden - 1; for a grand total of 865 views internationally.

Discovering how widespread one blog that started only 6 months, and seeing more of my friends at church when they didn't even think about being a Christian a few months ago...I love it. Seeing people grow in their faith...that's what gets me motivated.

God bless you all!


My prayer request: please pray for me and everyone else having difficulty consistently communicating with God and for those who do now, pray that when summer comes when they don't have so much of a schedule, that they'll find a way to modify their schedule to still be able to study His Word. I pray this for all of you as well.

Verse of the day: Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ~Galatians 6:9

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