Your Own Jesus

I just finished reading Mark Hall's forthcoming book, "Your Own Jesus." Yeah, Professor Jeff Sagstetter calls me a Hobb because I got an advance copy of the book to read and review online (which I have done in a couple of places...Facebook and Amazon). While I will never match the good Professor in Hobbness, it was a pleasure to read this book.

Mark Hall is not only a singer/songwriter and frontman for the contemporary Christian Group Casting Crowns, but he is still involved in student ministry at his local church. He writes "Your Own Jesus" from that perspective. Intertwined with lots of personal illustrations, solid biblical truth and thoughts from various songs from the CC project "The Altar And The Door," this book cuts to the heart of the matter: we need to passionately pursue Jesus every day of our lives. For years, I have tried to communicate to students the need to passionately pursue Jesus. Not just because it is something you ought to do, but because it is who you are: someone who is passionately in love with Jesus.

At our Senior Roast last month, I told the six high school graduates that statistically, 5 of them would turn their backs on Jesus and the church within the first couple of months of being away to school or out on their own. Honestly, I can think of three of them who are already on that path. It scares me for their sakes. It frustrates me that I cannot seem to communicate this TRUTH more effectively. I know, even God can't/won't force people to love Him, but it hurts nonetheless.

As I blogged about last week, my physical hurt from missing Peggy while she was gone to KY needs to translate into how I feel when I miss my time with God. More and more, it does. How to get others to that point is a whole other matter. I will do my best to model the lifestyle. I need to pray MORE for the people with whom I have contact who need to be passionate in their love for Jesus. I need to explore these issues with students in teaching sessions, with worship team folks in rehearsal and on Sunday mornings, and with everyone on a daily basis. I need to do a better job of helping others realize that they need their own Jesus, not the one I have, or their parents have, or their friends have, but everyone needs to have a personal, passionate relationship with Jesus.

I've spent time in the Word today loving on my Jesus, how about you?

Be God's,
Scott

Counting Them Down

Not that I am getting excited about the return of my Bride or anything! I've had this countdown widget going on my Mac Pro desktop for way too many days now, but the time is drawing near! My Bride is schedule to be on the ground in Orlando by 6:30 this evening.

On another, quite serious note, please remember my brother-in-law Alvin Parker in your prayers, as he is ready to undergo a heart catheterization procedure as I type this note this morning. The prayers of the righteous can easily handle this situation, and I ask that you pray not only for Alvin but for Peggy's sister, Terri, and their kids Brad and Amber so that all will have peace throughout the procedure and the recovery. I thank you in advance for your prayers!

One More Day!

Yes, as I type this I have jut over 26 hours until I am reunited with my Bride! I have missed her so badly, it physically hurts. I am glad that she had this time with her family in KY, but three weeks...well, that's way too long for me.

As I think about how much I love Peggy and how it hurts to be apart from her, I cannot help but stop and think about how much God hurts when the people He loves so deeply, choose to be apart from Him. I cannot help but wonder why many of us who claim to love God don't feel that physical pain of separation when we fail to spend time with Him on a regular basis. Hmmm...maybe we are just too quick to give God lip service instead of life service.

May the pain of separation from my Bride serve as a reminder of the pain God feels when I separate myself from Him, and may I never do so again! May the joy of the pending reunion I will have tomorrow evening in Orlando be just a glimpse of the joy awaiting me when I am united with my Lord and Savior on that first day on the other side of eternity.

I can't wait to wrap my arms around Peggy in the airport tomorrow. I can't wait to spend more time with my Lord in prayer and Bible study. I wish everyone were as anxious to spend time with God as I am to spend time with my Bride.

Sad Face

I picture messaged this sad face to my Bride yesterday along with a countdown to the time her plane is schedule to land in Orlando. As I type this there are seven days, seven hours and 43 minutes until that happens. I miss my Bride terribly, but I am so glad that she has been able to spend some time in KY with her family. I praise God that the original reason she rushed back up there was only a false alarm, and Mom is doing just fine!

I have enjoyed some extra time with my "chilluns" and the shopping time spent with Chicky last Saturday, but I do miss my bfffff, and long for her return.

Yeah, that's all I have to say today. I love Peggy with all my heart, and when we are physically apart for long periods of time like this, it physically hurts. I praise God for my Bride every day, as I am the most blessed man on the planet.

Peggy, BEEG KEESES await you in the Orlando International Airport, and a trip to Joe's Crab Shack will start off our date next Tuesday evening! I love you!!!

July 4th without my Bride

We had the Jones family in for our July 4th Feast of Baby Back Ribs and fixins. Actually, Tami Jones provided some delicious potato salad, banana pudding, and cupcakes, while we provided Ian's famous slow grilled ribs and grillin' beans. It was quite the feast and quite the celebration except for one very important person who was missing from our gala: my Bride!

Peggy is in Kentucky, having been called up there due to a medical emergency that is not really a medical emergency. See, we got this call from Peggy's sister Terri on Monday, June 28th, saying that Peggy's Mom had a blood clot in her heart, and the doc said for Peggy to get up there as soon as possible. We got her out on one of the first flights possible (yay, AirTran, which now has service from Orlando to Charleston, WV), and after arriving in Kentucky, seeing her Mom, and a couple of tests on Mom's heart later...no problem, it was a shadow from her hiatal hernia! Of course, Peggy's return flight to Florida isn't until July 21st. Sad face.

So, we celebrated Peggy's and my 32nd anniversary of her agreeing to be my steady girlfriend with her in Kentucky and me in Florida. Not my favorite way to spend that special day in my history with my Bride!

However, having Steve, Tami, and Katie Liz Jones along with Chris Stephenson (Katie's fiancee) over for dinner was a blast! We enjoyed our meal and then spent some time watching some Tim Hawkins songs and comedy bits on You Tube. No I haven't linked it here, go find it yo9urself! It is well worth the effort!!!

Then, Emily, Ian, Turtle, Melvin, Ashley and I joined the Cina and the Bellis families over at Riverside Park for some fireworks. The grand finale looked like this through the lens of my enV2 phone's video recorder:




Now that I have updated my blog at least once this month, I can go back to the tons of video and audio work I am doing for the church. I love my life, but I miss my wife and am counting down the days until I hold her in my arms again!!!