My Heroes Clock

So, a couple of weeks ago, just as the "Heroes, Season One" DVD was coming out, Peggy says she thinks she would like to watch that series, and it would be cool to have season 1 watched before the new season began. I was flabbergasted because Peggy is not a big SciFi fan like I am. I didn't watch the show last year for that (among other) reasons. Nevertheless, when she made the suggestion, I decided to take her up on it, and we purchased the season 1 DVD. We have been squeezing in the episodes in our overly busy lives, but are now ready for tonight's premiere of season 2!

Meanwhile, and totally unrelated...or so we thought...Peggy got a new clock for her classroom at Garden City Elementary. The school ordered clocks, and hers was one to be replaced. When she opened the box and put in the battery, she noticed that the clock ran BACKWARDS! She returned the clock to the person in charge of the order, and they were going to send it back. However, she told me about it, and I had her rescue the clock for me, saying I would pay whatever the cost for the clock was. How cool is it to have a clock that runs backwards? I'm not Hiro, but my clock does what he was trying to do in the first episode of the show "Heroes" and I don't even have to squint my eyes to make it run backwards!

Now, I have no desire to go back in time, but I do love having a clock that is a little different from the pack.

Rock My Weekend

Peggy and I took a few teens to the "Rock The Universe" Weekend at Universal Studios in Orlando, Sept. 7-9, 2007. The lineup included Jars of Clay, Hawk Nelson, Mercy Me and Casting Crowns on Friday night. All I can say about Friday is OH MY GOODNESS! I've been a big Jars of Clay fan for 15 years, and Hawk Nelson is one of my new favorites in Christian music. Mercy Me always does it up right musically and lyrically, but Casting Crowns knocked it out of the park Friday night! It was one of the best concerts and worship times I have been part of in years.

The Saturday lineup included Skillet, Jeremy Camp, Toby Mac and Relient K. Again, a great lineup with a mix of "oldie goldies" and the latest in today's Christian hits. We also got to ride some rides at Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. Of course, we also had one of those obligatory afternoon thunderstorms around 4 o'clock. After waiting out the rain for an hour and a half, I broke down and bought a golf umbrella. By the time I paid for it, and we walked out of the gift shop in which we had been holed up for 90 minutes, the skies had turned blue and the sun was shining. That's Florida for ya!

Peggy and I ate lunch Saturday at theBubba Gump Shrimp Company,a nd she is pictured above with her drink in hand. The other picture above features our little RTU monkeys (sans Turtle, who joined us for Saturday night, but wasn't with us for the whole weekend). Ian, Skanky Jay, Emily, Kevin and Kaley kept us in stitches all weekend long.

It is now 9:30 on Sunday night, and the weekend has taken it's toll on me physically. time to call it a GOOD night.

Surprise!

Surprise!
Originally uploaded by blountman

Lil Bro, Elliott and Abi were coming to Vero for a celebration of my birthday. We thought we would throw some babyback ribs on the grill and just enjoy a quiet evening...well, we enjoyed the evening, but the party grew to 12 of us, 11 of whom you can see in this picture I took as the ribs slow cooked on the grill.

It was, without a doubt, one of the best birthday celebrations of my life. I am NOT a fan of celebrating my birthday, as my family will readily tell you. I am, however a big fan of having family around, and that's what happened on this evening. Some were invited in advance, some just showed up, knowing that they are ALWAYS welcome in the "Fabulous Blount Mansion." The fact that ribs on the grill had somehow leaked out led to the invasion of folks some of whom who have had ribs with us before and they knew what was in store.

Like I say, I don't enjoy having a fuss made about my physical birthday, and I really do keep hoping that someday folks will make a bigger fuss out of my Spiritual Birthday (August 27th, by the way), because that is the one that is important to me. However, I have to say that having Ed, Elliott, Abi, Ian, Emily, Jonathan, Mike, Turtle, Jordan, and Melvin join my Bride Peggy and me for this occasion was wonderful beyond words. I just want to praise God for the blessing of the afternoon and evening. You can see several pictures from the celebration on my Flickr site including the beautiful "Southern Lights" display God put on for us as a birthday card from Him. I am so grateful for the blessing of family. I know that I am the most blessed man on the planet, and I want everyone to know that those blessings come from God in spite of fact that I am one of the biggest goobers to ever walk the planet. I don't deserve any of it, but I am thankful to my Lord Jesus for blessing my socks off anyway!

May God's richest blessings be yours, and may all of your surprises in life be as wonderful as mine was on this very special day.
Be God's,
Scott

Seeing Clearly

I had my annual eye exam this morning. s I type this, the words are very blury on the computer screen because my pupils were dialted as part of the examination. It will take a good portion of the day for my eyesight to return to "normal" which for me, means the need for a slight correction for distance, and a little correction for reading. Yes, bifocals have been a way of life for me for the past several years. Not that I HAVE to wear my glasses all the time, or even when I am reading, but they help.

As I contemplate the words of the gal who did much of my exam this morning, I can't help but think about the notion that people think if they wear their glasses that their eyesight will actually deteriorate and they will be more dependent upon those glasses. She said that the rality of the matter is that your brain gets used to being able to see better, and recognizes the difference when you don't wear them.

When I spend time daily in God's Word, my life really is more closely aligned to God's plan for my life. Oh, I can "get by" when I don't spend time in the Word every day, but I am only fooling myself into thinking that it is okay. Just like "getting by" without wearing my glasses may be okay, I can "get by" with the reading I do for lesson prep, sermons, etc. But that is not what is best for me.

Just as wearing my glasses helps me see clearly, spending time daily in the Word helps me stay focused on my relationship with Christ. I don't need an annual exam to see how I am doing in this regard, I just need to be held accountable for my personal daily devotion time each day. I have a couple of accountability partners to help me in that regard. Do you?

Birthday Girl

Blowing Out The Candle
Originally uploaded by blountman

We celebrated my Bride's birthday on August 14th. Not only did she have the cake of her choosing, but a steak dinner and a fun evening at home with Ian, Emily and me. It was the kind of quiet family gathering we love, but don't often get with both Ian and Emily working these days. In light of the news of this week about Stacie Coomer, it makes me appreciate that much more the time God grants me with my Bride and my kids. Happy birthday, Peggy. I love you!

Slap Me Upside The Head

For the second time this summer, and unexpected calling Home of a brother or sister in Christ has me seriously contemplating the brevity of life on this planet. Last night, we got the call that Stacie Coomer had passed on. Stacie was in our first youth group at Westwood Christian Church some 20 years ago. She had stayed in touch over the years and the miles (she lived in Xenia, Ohio), and was one of the few who commented on my this blog. When Stacie didn't report for work at the library yesterday, and didn't respond to repeated phone calls from work and from her Mom, the building supervisor in the apartment building where Stacie lived was alerted and asked to go in the apartment to check on Stacie. She was found on the couch in her pajamas with no visible sign of foul play.

Barb and Tom Coomer are understandably devastated. I spoke with them both briefly last night. I know that Kristen (her older sister) is beside herself. I join them in their grief. I also know that God is in control, and that while we may never know while we are on this earth the purpose behind His calling Stacie Home now, someday it will all be made clear.

Earlier this summer, a brother in Christ and fellow minister of the Gospel, Mark Angel, died when caught up in a rip current in the Gulf of Mexico while on a Mission Trip. Heaven is rapidly filling with saints I have known personally on this planet. Sigh.

Welcome Home

One of the great features of our property here in Indian River County was the lot behind us. Filled with vegetation, it was a rarity in our general area. I had the chance to purchase the lot earlier this year, but couldn't swing the cost. Upon our return home from Alabama this morning, my greatest fear was realized: the lot has been cleared of all vegetation in preparation for building on it. I can see the parade of traffic on 27th Avenue (a major north-south thoroughfare in our community). Ah well. The end of an era, and the beginning of a new neighbor possibility.

All Good Things...

...must come to an end. Or so the saying goes. Today we pack up and gear up for the trip back home. We are trying to determine the time of our departure, and will consult with Lil Bro as well, since he has another two hours of driving to do after we get to Vero, and he has jury duty Monday morning. All I have to do is go to the office and tackle the mounds of work piling up and awaiting my return.

Yesterday, we got to see two of the newest members of the extended family: Addison and Ellen. It is wild to see the grandchildren of my cousins. It was cool to watch Aunt Phyllis beam with her great grandchildren around. It was a hoot watching Yolanda and Terri each hovering over a granddaughter. Meeting Sam was a blast, he is one hilarious dude. It still boggles my mind to see Candice as a mom, and to see Autum blooming out there for the expected September delivery of her first child. Woof! I must be getting old. Naaahhhhh!

Anyway, our visit here at Anthelion is coming to an end. Back to reality. With an elders' meeting Monday night, the college group Wednesday night, and youth group Thursday night, a full week awaits. I am glad to have had this time of refreshing so I can gear up for the days ahead!

Morning Devos

The view from the back veranda of Yolanda and Robby's house is the perfect setting for early morning devotional time.

I must admit that I have fallen behind in my daily devos thanks to a crazy travel schedule, but I am in the process of getting "caught up" while sitting out here enjoying the view of Smith Lake. I wanted to take a break to post this. Now, it is back to my quiet time with the Creator of heaven and earth!

Cabos San Lucas

Who would have ever thought that we would come across a GREAT Mexican restaurant in Jasper, Alabama? Cabos San Lucas is just that, my friends. We are staying with cousins in Arley, Alabama this week on the shores of beautiful Smith Lake. On Wednesday, we drove over to Anniston to visit Dad, and on our way, we noticed a Mexican place in Jasper, and the seed was planted that perhaps we would indulge in some Mexican cuisine for supper. Upon our return trip from Anniston, we talked with Robby and Yolanda about our desire for Mexican Food, and we were immediately steered away from the restaurant we had seen, and told to check out Cabos San Lucas. Best advice we have had all week, my friends! The atmosphere was wonderful, as you can see from the statues lining the walk into the establishment. That one looks vaguely familiar, doesn't it?

Anyway, the food was even better than the atmosphere! I must admit that I likely blew all my daily Weight Watcher points and many of my Flex Points on this one meal. It was well worth it! BTW, I am down 21 pounds since we started Weight Watchers.

My chicken enchiladas and the chicken burrito were delectable. The hot salsa had just enough heat to be nice, and the flavor was fantastic. It was a most enjoyable experience to top off an interesting day in the middle of a beautiful vacation week here in Sweet Home Alabama!

Hangin' Wit My Crew

Tuesday and I am feeling like an old man in a young man's game. *grin* I got to "blob" a few people at the waterfront today including Taylor and Katie (yeah, Katie, the red mark on your back from where you landed in the water the wrong way will eventually go away).

Austin is the "blob" king, that dude can get some air! I am sore from climbing the ladder and from the ultimate Frisbee game earlier in the afternoon, but I will survive (Tylenol works wonders). With a game winding down and worship about the gear up, time to get off for now.

Church Camp, Baby!

It's Monday evening of the week of church camp at Lake Aurora, and I have already been captured in the "Faculty Hunt" meaning I have to sit in the staff lounge in the A/C while others are out sweating in the heat of a July night in central Florida. Ha!

I'm working as a counselor during a 7th, 8th, and 9th grade week. I have six dudes I am hanging with this week: Austin, Gabe, James, Nathan, Robby, and Tyler. They are hoots. Here is a picture of us at the archery range earlier today. They are a high energy bunch of guys, and I am an old man. Pretty sweet combo.

I LOVE church camp. I am so glad that I was asked to serve in this ministry. I have such a heart for church camp, and such a love for Lake Aurora that this absolutely will be the highlight of my summer.

We are helping the students realize that God wants to Unveil Himself to us. There is such great Kingdom Potential in this bunch of middle school students.

Back In The Saddle

Sitting here at my desk in the office, reflecting on the blessings God showers upon me reminds me that I shouldn't keep those blessings to myself. I am back in the office for the one week out of five in this summer stretch run. C-I-Y and the Sunset Beach vacation weeks are behind me, camp and the Alabama vacation weeks are ahead of me. This week Ian, Emily and I are alone at the house, since Peggy is still with her family in North Carolina. Of course, the kids are working a lot, too, so...yeah. Last night Emily and I went out for supper (Ian was at work) following a funeral service for a Dad/Grandad of some folks at our church. It was a touching tribute to a man who obviously loved his kids and grandkids very much. It reminded me of how God has blessed me with three (now four) children who love the Lord, and a wife who is (to quote Nacho Libré): The BASTE.

I did get to spend Sunday with Elliott and Abi, and to attend church with them at First Christian Clearwater. I must say my ego was stroked quite heavily when at least three different folks told me that I couldn't be Elliott's dad...his brother perhaps, but not his dad. Ah yes, I look so young. Right. It was nice, anyway, and I am sure those folks are all making their eye appointments soon.

Ian, Emily and I are planning a cookout and hangout time tomorrow as we celebrate July 4th, and while I wish Peggy was with us (it is our 30th Anniversary of "going steady"), I am glad that she is getting to spend extra time with her parents, sister and cousins. Being surrounded by family...now THAT is heaven on earth. I treasure those times, and I praise God for them. I praise God for my freedom in Christ, and I pray for those who have been blinded by the devices of satan to keep them away from God's Word and His clear plan of salvation as taught in the Scriptures. I have much work ahead of me in spreading the Gospel. The family times of rest help prepare me for the spiritual battles ahead. Praise God!

Beach Musings

As our family vacations this week at Sunset Beach, NC, I have had plenty of time to rest, relax and read. Those are my favorite vacation activities. Oh eating is nice, but on Weight Watchers, eating is not the primary focus any longer.

Getting to hang out with Peggy's parents, her sister's family, an aunt, and our very own Turtle this week has been a great source of comfort, much laughter, and a little orneriness of the family variety.

I finished up Shawn McMullen's "Unlesashing the Potential of the Smaller Church" yesterday, and started reading Reggie McNeal's "The Present Future: Six Tough Questions For The Church " as recommended by my bud Robin Sigars. Challenging reading to say the least, but both books have reinforced thoughts of mine. Cool how God places these books in my path at just the right time.

Anyway, the vacation timing was wonderful. It is nice to rest following a major ministry week like C-I-Y Summer Conference. One more full day here, means I have much reading to do if I am going to finish McNeal's book, and then on Friday, we pack up and head south to Vero Beach so Emily can be at work Saturday. I'll be in the office for one week, then it's off to church camp for a week, and following that, a week's vacation with my side of the family in Alabama! Can anyone say mansion on the lake? Yay!

Now that Peggy has decided to stay up here with her family next week, that means I won't see her until after I come home from camp. It took some fancy foot work to get everything worked out, but we did. It will be lonesome without her, but she will enjoy the family time with some cousins who will be here next week.

Oh yeah, I have posted pictures from C-I-Y and from our beach vacation in North Carolina on my flickr site. Leave me some comments, eh?

Wise Youth Worker

As promised earlier, here it is. I think the video speaks for itself!

Final Day at Summer Conference

Friday, June 22, 2007

Influence. We all have it, the question is will we influence for Jesus or against Him? This was the main wrestle-with question for the day. What a fantastic end to a fantastic week at C-I-Y Summer Conference (soon to be known as "Move").

Doug Aldridge's morning devotional was once again right on target, and I survived the adult elective again in the afternoon. It is such an honor to get to lead an elective and to teach materials written by Zus!

Peggy, Tyler and I took the vans to gas them up, and apparently everyone in Elizabeton, TN, decided to gas up their vehicles at the Wal-Mart as well. Tyler commented that he hadn't seen gas lines like this since the hurricanes. Of course, since it took so long, we were going to miss supper on campus, so we sacrificed and headed to Taco John's, for some Taco Bravos. Yay!

Celebration tonight was amazing. Greg Frazee does an excellent job in leading folks to the throne of mercy and grace. He is quite frankly, my favorite C-I-Y worship leader. His presence on stage is totally designed to take the attention off of him and place it squarely on Jesus. Robin Sigars knocked it out of the park with the closing message of the week on Identity. I so appreciate Robin and his heart for students. Since Robin loves me more than he loves Dave VanBuskirk, it makes it even more special to get to hang out with my brother. I am excited for Robin about the new direction he is heading in ministry, although I will miss hanging with him at Conference.

Youth Group Time was intense. One student expressed fear about heading back home and falling into the "same ole, same ole" pattern. This open expression of what many were feeling led to one of the more intense discussions we've had in Youth Group Time ever! It was fantastic, and it certainly gives us plenty to think about and work on as we head back from the Mountain Top experience that is Summer Conference.

We Blounts will depart from the rest of the traveling party on the way back tomorrow, heading to Sunset Beach, NC, for a week's vacation with Peggy's family. I am looking forward to some time with my stack of books, with the laughter and good times with family that awaits. It will be a time of physical renewal and refreshing to follow this time of spiritual renewal and refreshing at Summer Conference.

Thanks Robin and all the C-I-Y folks from Tennessee 2. You RAWK!

Day Five of the C-I-Y Trip

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Isolation. Sometimes...okay often, it is self-inflicted. Many other times it is not, and the pain of isolation is deep. We were not meant to be alone, and God desires us to be in community with Him and with others. So was the theme of the day at C-I-Y Summer Conference today.

Doug Aldridge's treatment of the relationship between David and Jonathan during Morning Encounter was right on the money. We all need a Jonathan in our lives, but just as importantly, we need to be a Jonathan in the lives of others. I have spent a good part of the day reflecting on my "real relationships." There aren't as many as I would like. Peggy is my best friend and confidant. Jeff Sagstetter is my brother, and we still communicate fairly regularly even though he is in Kansas (where every "good Jew" knows to avoid when traveling from Oklahoma to Nebraska since Kansas is the Samaria of that region of the world...hey...you had to hear Jim's message the other night to get that one, so don't worry about it). I have isolated myself from folks locally for fear of truly being crushed. I have plenty of professional relationships, and I do consider Greg and Anne (our high school youth sponsors) good friends, but I don't have a Jonathan relationship even with them. Something to work on. Yeah.

Our trip to Roan Mountain was a blast. Okay, so we started the trip off by having lunch at Taco John's in Elizabeton. Oh yeah, baby! My lunch was 23.5 points in the Weight Watchers' system. Can you say "Flex Points"? Anyway, having been alerted to a particular sign on one trail at Roan Mountain, I wanted to make sure I got this picture:

Since I was the only one in the party at the time of this picture with a "handy cap" I could take this particular trail.

The beauty of God's creation is so abundant in the mountains, and I always love taking the Florida flatlanders for exscursions such as this when we are at Conference. Breathtaking views and lots of "ooohhhs" and "aaahhhs" were commonplace this afternoon.

Doug Aldridge spoke at Celebration tonight. If I forget anything else from the week, I want to be sure to remember "call the whole world" and the need to be intentional and desperate in reaching others to pull them from their isolation. During Youth Group Time, we discussed several students who could have been here with us this year but aren't. Two have been in the past. Others are new to the group and need to be included in a better way. There are so many others who have been on the fringe, visiting from time-to-time, but not really getting involved. The question of the year for us in the VCC youth group is: "what are WE going to do about that?"

Our prayer circle continues to be my favorite time of the day. We are praying for the person on our right and the person on our left each night, and they have to be different people each night. Our prayer circle is filled with laughter and tears as we love on each other, building community and reinforcing the idea that we were not meant to be alone.

Watch for a special post detailing our "Wise Youth Worker" Anne. As soon as I get the video clip uploaded to You Tube, you will know it!

Day 4 of the C-I-Y Trip

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Injury. The theme for the "heavy day" at Summer Conference. Doug Aldridge got the theme started with his look at David's life and specifically his sin with Bathsheba. We're not just talking about physical injury, but emotional injury and spiritual injury as well. The D-Group lesson provided an excellent opportunity for students to open up about their injuries. One of our students did so in a major way. It was so beautiful to see this student become so vulnerable before the rest of the group. It was so beautiful to watch the rest of the group shower the love of Jesus on this person.

Jim Johnson continued the theme with a powerful message during Celebration. I appreciate Jim's ability to mix humor with a very serious subject. I'll never forget his mad parenting skills (can you say broken femur bone and busted heads?) I so much appreciate the story that he is Number Three on Andrea's list of best kissers...makes me feel not-quite-so-bad that Peggy told her parents I was "gross" when they tried to encourage her to date me way back in the 70's. But Jim nailed it when he reminded us that support groups are a good place to start the healing process for our emotional and spiritual injuries. They are not the finish line. Jesus is. In our Youth Group Time, we reminded our students that sometimes the most loving thing we can say to someone who is injured is that, "you need to repent of your sins." Sometimes, what is needed is a hug and a shoulder to cry on. Always, what is needed is someone to point the inured to Jesus.

Our students loved Robin's story about the farmer and the lamb that he had to injure to teach that lamb to let the farmer take care of him. See, the lamb kept running away, so the farmer had to injure the lamb and keep him in a special pen in his barn while nursing the lamb back to health, and while teaching the lamb to be okay with being dependent on the farmer. How often do we run away from Jesus, especially when we are hurting? I know that during my times of great emotional or spiritual injury, my natural tendency is to distance myself from Jesus. How foolish!

Of course the day wasn't all heavy. Bucket O Fun was a hoot with the tennis match. I love the short clips of "Juans." And Thor Ramsey had us all belly laughing for 45 minutes in the afternoon session. Good times for sure!

As we closed in our group circle prayer, I had everyone pray for the people on their right and their left. that meant you got to pray for someone who had just prayed for you. Once again our prayer circle was filled with emotion. Tears and laughter abounded in those prayers, and I know that God was right there with us, laughing and crying. When the student who had really opened up earlier in the day asked to pray after our prayer circle had ended, we were all in tears. They expressed heartfelt gratitude for having a place to belong, and having a family who accepted them just as they were. We do, but we love this person (and all of them) enough to not leave them like they are right now. We want to help them grow to be more like Jesus.

After our crew headed to their rooms, a fellow youth minister who also happens to be a young man we have seen grow up in youth group at another church came to me with tears in his eyes and a heart burdened for his students. He said that he felt so inadequate, and that he didn't know how to "fix" the kinds of injuries the students in his group had expressed today. I told him welcome to Youth Ministry. We are not called to "fix" those injuries. We are called to love those students in the Name of Jesus and to point them to Him. Many of those problems may never be "fixed," but our students need to know that they were never meant to be alone. Not only is God with them, but we are with them through this journey called life.

Thanks again, Christ In Youth, for a fantastic day at Summer Conference, and for plenty to think and pray about. The tears I have shed for my students today remind me to keep my heart pure and my eyes focused on the love of Jesus and the need to stay in step with His Plan for my life every day!

Role With It

Role With It
Originally uploaded by blountman

Here are "Clueless Hot Chick," "Ladies Man,", "That Guy," and "Weird Girl" striking a pose at C-I-Y 2007 at Milligan College! For individual pictures of these characters, please visit my FLICKR site.

Day 3 of the C-I-Y Trip

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

"Ladies Man," "That Guy," "Clueless Hot Chick," and "Weird Girl" all made their debut this morning. Pictures will follow. Sorry, I didn't upload them yet.

The theme for the day is Identity, and I pray that our students (and our adults) got the message that our identities are not complete until we know Jesus. In fact, our identities don't truly exist outside of Jesus!

Doug Aldridge led the Morning Encounter Devotion with an excellent look at David's life. Peggy led our D-Group and did her usual excellent job in tackling a tough subject: the masks we put up to be our "identity." We are to bring the masks with us at Celebration tonight. Oh yeah, and "Bucket O' Fun" in the AM Session was a hoot! Good times to start the day, fer sure!

Today we also had the first of two electives times. I am leading an adult elective this year titled, "Youth Ministry From The Inside Out." It is excellent material written by Zus, and preparing to lead this session has had me re-examining once again my priorities as a Christian and as a youth minister to make sure I am lined up with God's priorities!

The Alternative was an absolute scream! Amber got up in an impromptu display of courage and sang a Spanish lullaby. She rocked! However, you must ask anyone who was there about Joe's rendition of "Old MacDonald."

I spent much of our free time researching Roan Mountain for our Thursday excursion, and am looking forward to that trip on Thursday!

Meal time has been a much more pleasant experience than some of us expected. Eating in the Cafatentia is not bad at all, and I am able to easily stay within my daily point boundaries for Weight Watchers.

Celebration was once again phenomenal. Jim Johnson nailed it in so many ways with his sermon on Identity. Ask me sometime about the illustrations dealing with Julie and with Daniel. Sweet stuff fer sure!

Our students are really enjoying the chance to pray for one another in very specific terms this year, and I also got to sneak in on South Haven's prayer time at the end of the day. A FANTASTIC DAY in every sense of the word. Can't wait for tomorrow!