Life Mulligan

On August 27, 1985, God gave me a Life Mulligan. Yep, I got a "do over." I was buried in the watery grave of baptism, and raised into a newness of life.

I've been thinking a lot about the Life Mulligan we get through Jesus as I prepare to preach a sermon on that subject on Dec. 28th. I sought some input from some preacher types that I respect, and even heard back from a few of them.

As 2008 comes to a close, I know that I need to utilize that Mulligan once again. To renew my dedication to Christ, and to His Word. To be a better husband, father, and minister of the Gospel of Christ. I am so glad that God is patient with me.

I pray that the new year ahead provides the opportunity for you to start fresh. Don't be afraid to make resolutions because God doesn't give us a spirit of fear, that is satan whispering in our ears. Don't be afraid to step out of the comfort zone and do something BIG for God. Nothing is impossible for God, and if we are following God, well, you get the point.

Besides, as Henry Ford put it: "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently."

As for me, I want to share the resolution Paul proclaimed to the Church at Corinth: "I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." (1 Cor. 2:2)

May this Holy Season of Christmas and the approaching New Year give us strength, comfort, and the resolve to do bigger things for the Kingdom of Christ than we did over the past year.

Be God's,
Scott

Family

Having labored in youth & family life ministries for the past 21 years, I think I may have a vested interest in the subject. Being a dad of three adult (yikes, I hate to have to write that) children...well four counting my newest daughter, Abi who married Elliott almost two years ago...I guess you can say that I have been there, done that. Funny thing about parenting: it never stops. Guess, I am gaining some of that wisdom that comes with age in that regard.

Another "funny" thing is that since satan hates us, he must try to do whatever he can to take us off task. In my situation, if satan can create havoc in my family life, wow, what a victory he would have. Well, he keeps trying. There are several situations going on these days that are not for public consumption, suffice it to say that the attacks are coming from all quarters. Not just from situations involving my kids, but my dad & sister as well. I have a brother who can't stay out of the hospital due to severe physical problems that have baffled the docs. Yeah, literally from every "front" I am under attack by the evil one. But, you know what? God is still in control. God will guide me one step at a time (I don't even think in terms of one day at a time any more).

The storms of family life are howling all around me, but I will hang on to the promise that God is with me. He will never leave, nor forsake me. I am not alone. I have Jesus, my Beautiful Bride, and the prayers of dear brothers & sisters in Christ. I have no need for anything else.

These storms will pass, and God will be glorified.

Redeaux

Or is that "Redo"? Yeah, that's it.

For some time now, I have limped along in the blogosphere not really blogging, but wishing that I did. This is my attempt to dive back into those murky waters. Yeah, the two folks who stumbled upon my blog in the past may wonder why the url has changed, but hey, they can still get here relatively easily and will now have an easier web address to remember.

2008 is proving to be the year of the Challenge. While in many respects, the year has been fantastic, there are other aspects of life that have risen up to bite me, big time.

An ongoing struggle with and for Ian constantly takes two steps forward and three steps back. Please jut keep him in your prayers. That's all I have to say publicly about that.

Over the past year, my sister succumbed to a serious drug addiction, and having control of my dad's finances, ruined him financially. I am now trying to help dig him out of a monster hole. My sister meanwhile has numerous legal troubles that do not involve dad or me. Keep them in your prayers. Pray for me as I try to help get dad back into something resuming financial stability. We are a LONG WAYS from there at the moment. That's all I have to say publicly about that.

Meanwhile, things are going well with the church. There is a spirit of enthusiasm, cooperation, and willingness that I haven't seen in a long time. We moved into a new building this year, culminating some 10 years worth of planning. The combination of being in the new location and the leadership exhibited by our preacher, Steve Jones, has us on an unprecedented growth track at VCC. As of this writing, we have had 31 baptisms, and 16 transfers of membership since April. To God be the glory!

My Bride battled pneumonia earlier this year, and a stress fracture in a foot this Fall,. so health-wise, this hasn't been a stellar year for Peggy. Her job situation has changed somewhat, although she is still primarily at Garden City Elementary school in Fort Pierce.

Emily is now a freshman (actually will officially be a sophomore in the Spring) at Florida Christian College. She seems to have adapted to "college life" quite well, and for that I am extremely grateful.

Elliott & Abi are doing well, and while we don't ge tto see them nearly as often as we would like, we are thankful for cell phones and the internet!

Now, with that brief "catch-up" let's see how often I get back on here to blog about something of "importance." Yeah, right.

Be God's,
Scott

Tis the Season...

...to remember Christ's birth!

Yeah, to the two of you who used to read this blog, I am back with an update. Life is coming at me full speed these days, and it is time to stop for a few minutes and reflect on my Lord and Savior Jesus!

I am so amazed that God loves me. I know what a wretch I am. Those aren't just words, that is the flat-out truth. What I deserve is the hottest flames of hell, but because of Jesus, I won't get what I deserve. I take great comfort in that thought as I struggle on every day with the challenges this life throws my way.

I am not only blessed to have my salvation through Jesus, Whose birth we celebrate at Christmas, but to be married to Peggy. She is my "Jesus-in-the-flesh." Peggy is not just the wife of my dreams, the mother of our children, she is my soul-mate in the Christian sense of the word! Thank you, Peggy, for being my Plum Woman!

May God's richest blessings be upon those who stumble across this blog. Merry Christmas to you, and know that this blog entry will not be the last one to express that sentiment.

Habitat Forming

Every Saturday morning since July 12th, Vero Christian Church has had volunteers working at Grace Woods. That is the Habitat for Humanity subdivision going up close to Thompson Elementary school in the southern part of Indian River County. See, we as a congregation are sponsoring one of the homes being constructed in that subdivision as the labor sponsor. The home will be occupied by members of our congregation. Since July 12th, I have learned much about construction. I am the least skilled of the laborers you would find on a construction site. I teasingly have told the construction supervisors that my skill level ends at "carrying heavy things." Nevertheless, I have not only carried heavy things (helping to fly trusses on five different homes), I have done roofing work, soffit work, set pre-hung doors inside a home, and various other odds and ends as needed. Members of our congregation have been out sometimes in force, sometimes in pairs, but we have been out every Saturday watching, participating, and marveling at the ministry of Habitat for Humanity. Homes are dedicated and people move in every couple of weeks. The sense of satisfaction from a hard morning's work easily outweighs the sore muscles and physical exhaustion of working in the Florida summer heat.

Our work with Habitat is a habit forming endeavor. I pray that more from our congregation will catch the fever, and that after the home we are sponsoring is finished, we can still have a crew out for Habitat on a regular basis.

Last week's VCC crew, pictured with this post included: Katie, Becky, Bob, Tim, Turtle and me (I took the picture, so I am not in it).

Sappy Birthday To Me

I turn 50 tomorrow. There, I’ve said it and we can get that out of the way. Anyone who has known me for very long at all, knows that I am not big into my own birthday scene. It’s just another number, and I really don’t care. I get much more excited about my spiritual birthday (I turned 23 on August 27th) than I do about my physical birthday. However, I know that others like to celebrate, so I am trying to do better about being gracious in all of that hoopla.

I must tell you though, that my beautiful Bride Peggy outdid herself this year. Yes, we have already celebrated my birthday. Peggy arranged for all our our children (Ian, Emily, Elliott, and Abi) to be at the house Monday evening for a Surprise party. Oh, I mean a “Suprise” party...at least that is what the cake called it. We love Publix cakes, but love their hearts, they spell worse than I could ever hope to spell. The cake tastes delicious, and that is all that matters.

Having my family around me to celebrate my birthday is all I could ever wish for. I don’t need any gifts (although Emily’s purchase of some Turkish Delight did indeed get me singing the David Crowder Band song of the same name). I don’t want any gifts. I just want to be surrounded by the people I love the most. That is what Peggy provided for me this year. She is the best!

Of course Elliott had to photoshop a little “suprise” picture that wound up as the desktop photo on my iBook. Very funny. Very funny indeed.

Emily had to take off for school Monday night, and Ian had to work all day yesterday (as did Peggy), but Elliott, Abi, Jayla and I got to hang out, and it was one of the more relaxing days I have had in a long time.

I am truly blessed to be surrounded by a loving family. Yes, my birthday hasn’t officially taken place yet, but it has already been the best one ever!

23rd Spiritual Birthday

In the midst of the presidential election madness that grips our nation (although I doubt that most folks are terribly gripped at the moment), we hear a lot of talk about "change." Of course the change of which most politicians speak is nothing more than a lame attempt to get them elected to the office they seek. True change just doesn't happen in the political world. I once was naive enough to believe that change could occur through the political process. Then I grew up.

I placed my vote for true change 23 years ago, when I was buried in the watery grave of baptism, and raised up into a new life in Christ. Yes, I am celebrating my 23rd birthday today. The change in my life is real, and Jesus is the reason for that change. Before I surrendered my thoughts, my will, and my very life to Christ, I was a hot-tempered, angry, ego-driven, self-centered narcissist. While I still struggle with many of those traits from time-to-time, people who know me now would be surprised to hear my description of Scott Blount in the preceding sentence. The change in my life is 100 percent attributable to Jesus.

If we want true change in our personal lives, we need to look to Jesus. If we want true change in this nation, we need to do the same.

Back on the Planet

Wow. Last post was on Elliott's birthday. Guess I fell off the blog planet for a while. Life is certainly busy, especially when you are "getting rid" of your baby girl. Yeah, Emily has now graduated from high school and is a freshman at Florida Christian College.

I am also stating up and will soon merge DaBlounts.com as my primary source of blogging. Not that I have kept that site up to date, either, but eventually it will happen.

So, in the months since I last posted, here's what has been happening:
**The aforementioned situation with Emily.
**The increasing number of locally produced videos for our church (check out our YouTube account.
**Learning and teaching lots of "new" worship songs to our praise team.
**An amazing two weeks in Sunset Beach, NC. Lots of pics on my flickr site.
**An expensive lesson on the Florida legal definition of "Scooter."
**I got to spend lots of time with my Bride, which while listed last in this "extensive" list, is the most important and most favorite part of my life! yes, I saved the best for last!

Okay, as I am sitting in the S-U-B at FCC awaiting Emily to finish up a class before we head for lunch, and as I am attempting to download my dablounts.com files to this iBook, I will sign off for now, and promise to post again before another seven months pass us by!

Be God's,
Scott

Crabby Birthday

So, today is actually Elliott's birthday, but last night, we had the opportunity to get together with Terri, Alvin, Amber & Bradley because they are in Orlando for the week; with Nanny & Papaw, because they went up to Orlando to hang with the Parkers; and with the birthday boy and his bride. Elliott suggested that we go to Joe's Crab Shack in Celebration. None of us had ever eaten at Joe's before, but it was an experience we all enjoyed immensely and will absolutely have again in the future. The food was fantastic, the service impeccable, the floor shows hilarious, and when they made Elliott ride a broom around the room because it was his birthday...well, the pictures tell the story. What a great evening with the people we love so dearly!

All Clear

The power of prayer was on display for all to see at our doctor's office last week. Peggy had viral contagious pneumonia diagnosed on a Monday afternoon. She received the first of what would be four daily IV antibiotic treatments that afternoon. We were blessed that she could be treated outpatient by going to the doctor's office each day last week instead of having to be hospitalized. On Friday morning, a chest x-ray revealed that Peggy's lungs were all clear. No sign of the massive pneumonia that had wracked her lungs earlier in the week. The nurses were all in amazement. The doctor was pleased beyond words. No one could believe that there was no sign of the pneumonia after only four days of treatments.

We told the nurses and the doctor that we had lots of folks praying for Peggy. When Peggy asked our doctor about going to church on Sunday, he said that would be no problem and ask her to say a prayer for him. Peggy assured him that she would, and we both did. Not just on Sunday, but every day.

We believe in the power of prayer. We are grateful to all those who prayed for Peggy last week, and we appreciate those who pray for us on a regular basis.

YEAH, BABY!

(AP Photo/Ed Reinke)
I am a Kentucky basketball fan, and that has been a tough thing this year. With a new coach (after the shameful way we ran off Tubby Smith), plenty of injuries, and a team that has underachieved for the most part this year, it was amazing to watch them come back from a 10 point deficit not once, but twice last night and then pour it on at the end of the game against the "hated" Tennessee Volunteers. 72-66 is a sweet score, and we will gladly take the win over Tennessee. The fact that they were ranked 5th in the nation makes it nice, the fact that we gave them their first conference loss (and are only one conference loss behind them in the standings now) is sweet, and the fact that we BEAT Tennessee is the best!

Okay, I'm through gloating (not). In my next post, I'll update the two of you who read this blog on Peggy's health (all-clear), and other family-type happenings.

Knock Me Over, Feather!

Contagious viral pneumonia. You could’ve knocked us down with a feather. That was, however the diagnosis from the doctor when Peggy finally broke down and went to see him. She had been sick for several days, but being the “trooper” that she is, she taught Sunday School, we hosted a family for lunch after church on Sunday, we hosted youth groups Sunday night…you know, the typical Sunday for us. Now, as she undergoes her third IV antibiotic treatment in the doc’s office today, we await results of her chest x-ray to see if the pneumonia is clearing up. Fortunately, we didn’t have to hospitalize her. Fortunately, I can take her to the doc for her treatments, and work in the waiting room because of my iBook (have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE my iBook?). Fortunately, she seems to be improving each day.

Peggy is “really excited” about having to miss a week of work. She is “really excited” to learn that her pneumonia shot covers only bacterial pneumonia, not viral pneumonia. We are “really excited” at the thought that we inadvertently exposed lots of folks to a viral pneumonia. But mostly we praise God that it was diagnosed when it was, and that we are getting things taken care of. Praise God for the knowledge of medicine He has given those caring for Peggy’s needs. Praise God for the ability to take care of her at home. Praise God for being surrounded by people who love us, lift us up in their prayers, and who are willing to do anything we ask of them. Praise God we haven’t had to ask, yet!

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Indian River County

Frog Away!
Originally uploaded by blountman

My apologies to Samuel Langhorne Clemens. I got my frog in my stocking which was opened on New Year's Eve. Ian and Emily were both off of work and at home with us. Elliott, Abi and Jayla came over to help us celebrate. It was a perfect evening. I had my Bride, my children, and my granddog around me to ring in the New Year. We even had Turlte and Jordan with us

For more pictures from the event, check out my flickr site.