7 more pages

I am nearly finsihed with my reading of Dan Gilliam's God Touches and have started reading Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People as part of a leadership series we are starting at VCC. I also have several other books in my stack of "must reads" but today, there won't be a lot of reading. I had an eye exam and got my pupils dilated, so everything is blury as I type this.

I find that my vision gets blury when I stay away from the Word of God for too long. I have been doing the One Year Bible as a dialy devotional reading plan for about a decade now, but lately, I have found myself having to "play catch up" because I have gotten away from that daily discipline. Making the adjustment to the end of summer, the start of a new school year, one in college and one as a senior in high school, blah, blah, blah. See? The excuses can roll off the tongue (or the keyboard in this case), but they are nothing more than excuses. Even with blurred vision from the pupil diation at St. Lucie Eyes Associates this morning, I can see that the excuses are nothing more than a futile attempt at rationalization.

It is my prayer that i stop with the excuses, and get focused back on my daily journey with Jesus! It is my prayer that because of my personal daily walk, I will be better able to bring others along on the journey of living for Jesus every day.

On my family blog I wrote the following for today, I'll let it speak for itself, and get down to the serious business of growing closer to Jesus today:
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?

Linked Up!

Okay, I did something today that I am still not sure about. I submitted this blog to the Christian Church Today website and have been added to the list of folks with a lot deeper thoughts than me who are publishing blogs within the Restoration Movement. If you have stumbled across my site because of that listing, welcome. I encourage comments, and encouragement is always welcome. We will always speak "Blountly" on this site. No sugar coating is ever necessary. I will always try to speak the truth in love, and pray that you will do the same.

I am wrestling with a sermon this week on the brevity of life. The text is James 4:13-17, and I am trying to make sure that I don't get in the way of what God has to say about the need to be more intentional in living for Jesus every day. It is one of those messages that has me all torn up inside as I wrestle through it. Those usually turn out to be the most beneficial for me. Hopefully they are beneficial for those who hear them.

Anyway, welcome to the rambling musings of a Christ-follower who is just trying to wrestle through the notion of living for Jesus to the best of my limited abilities every day. I pray that you will join me in this daily journey with Jesus.
Be God's,
Scott

The Mission Field

The old church cliche´sign as you leave a building or the church property reads, "entering the mission field." We say that we are either a missionary or part of the mission field, but do we who claim to follow Christ REALLY mean that? In his book, The Present Future: Six Tough Questions For The Church, Reggie McNeal states (on page 51) that, "North America is the largest English-speaking mission field in the world. It is the fifth or sixth largest mission field of any stripe."

It is also true that Christian Missionaries are coming to the United States from the continent of Africa! Yet, we "churched people" sit back contently in the safety of our "Christian Cliques" and try to convince ourselves that we are "doing God's Will." When we do venture into any activity that remotely resembles evangelism, it is usually (as McNeal describes it) a "telemarketer approach of trying to shove something down someone's throat when they really aren't interested in what we have to say of "sell." Community involvement is key. I have to admit that I am not nearly as involved in my community as I used to be. I say that to my shame. When our kids were younger, I was involved in Little League, coaching both of my sons. I was at most practices and all performances when our "little ballerina" was dancing. Now, I still serve in some capacities with the high school chorus parental group, as well as making sure I try to get by youth group kids' games and performances, but seriously, I am not involved in the community like I should be. Selling Christmas trees for the High School Chorus and the Exchange Club isn't enough. I am spending way too much time doing churchianity, and not Christianity. Getting involved in the Youth For Christ stuff at a local school isn't enough. Volunteering at Habitat For Humanity on a monthly basis isn't enough.

Sitting at my desk studying for lessons or messages, updating the church website and uploading the latest sermon podcast are all fine and dandy. In fact, those are all part of my job with Vero Christian Church. However, part of my job as a Christ follower is to get involved with the people in my mission field and extend to them the love of Christ as I walk along side them day by day. Now, to determine the most effective use of my time, talents, energy, money, and personality to connect Christ with community. Vero Beach is the mission field where God has planted me. Not just Vero Christian Church, but the community of Vero Beach. Time to be faithful to that call and move out of my comfort zone.

People are desperate for the love of Jesus. People cry out daily for Something to fill the void they feel in their empty lives. How can I dare keep Jesus to myself and those in my "little club" known as Vero Christian Church any longer? God, please forgive me, and strengthen me in my resolve to be a better servant and a better ambassador for You in Vero Beach, Florida.

God Touches, Part 2

Starting at the bottom of page 74, Dan Gilliam writes:
Having grown up in the home of a preacher and later becoming a minister myself, I can safely say that I have spent half my life in a church building. It was there that I was taught, or caught, that the principal place where God worship took place was in the sanctuary services where singing, praying, preaching, the sacramental observances of baptism and communion, and the collection of tithes and offerings formally ushered us into the presence of the Almighty. I was told that we dressed up on Sundays to present our best to God, which led me to believe that God was very concerned with outward appearances. It was often said that we should be quiet and reverent in the house of the Lord, which taught me that God was not much fun and lived in a stuffy building that was empty most of the time. The God I was taught about must have been very lonely. Only a few people were ever allowed to speak publicly in church - mostly men in suits with tight collars and red faces, leaving me with the impression that God wasn't all that interested in what kids or women had to say. From these experiences with worship, I concluded that Heaven, the place where saints and angels would worship around the throne of God for eternity, was going to be a very dull place.

That, my friends, is profound. I couldn't agree more with what Gilliam says in this passage. We have become so fixated on outward appearances, and stifling creativity in many churches in North America that is no wonder why people are fleeing the church. It is time to move past the "Country Club" mode of operation and time to get back to the basics for which the church was intended: Evangelism, Fellowship, Worship, Discipleship, and Service.

I long for the day when you share your thoughts on these matters.

Be God's,
Scott

Smack 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 family blog (DaBlounts). 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.

I know that I had promised to post concerning God Touches today. While there is no promise of tomorrow, if that day comes for me, I will post my comments on a passage from that book then.
Be God's,
Scott

A New Birth

Yesterday (Sunday, August 12, 2007), I had the privilege of assisting in the new birth of Michael Powell. Mike is 19 years old physically, and yesterday he was born from above by surrendering his will to God's, and by being immersed into Jesus for the forgiveness of his sins and the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).

Mike did not come to this decision lightly. He and I spent hours talking about this decision and what it means to have Jesus as the Lord of his life. See, lots of folks want Jesus to be their Savior, but few truly want Him to be their Lord. That means that we have to submit our wills, our desires, our wants, and our very lives to Jesus. Mike understands that while he will still struggle with some sins that he admitted he struggles with, he wants to turn them over to Jesus and ask for the supernatural help that comes from submitting to the Lordship of Jesus.

The 29 members of Mike's family in Christ (including his mom, brother, and grandmother) who gathered at our house yesterday for the baptism serve as a great testimony for the love of Jesus and the love of Mike that runs through the folks of Vero Christian Church. It was cool to see every available member of the college age Bible study group there (a couple are out of town and another was at work, otherwise the entire rest of the group was there for the baptism). It was cool to see "old family friends" there to support Mike's Mom, Grandmother, Brother and of course, Mike. It was cool to see Elders and Deacons as well as jut "plain ole" members of the VCC congregation gathered for this celebration.

It is a celebration that has been a fairly regular occurrence at VCC over the past several months, and one that we intend to make at least a weekly occurrence as we reach out to those who are seeking something deeper in their lives.

Mike is a baby in Christ. He will stumble, and he will fall. He will be frustrated, and he will fail. He will also be forgiven and restored. He will be loved beyond measure. He will grow in his walk with the Lord Jesus. It is a life worth living. In fact, it is the ONLY life worth living.

I praise God for the privilege of being a small part in the big story known as the life of Michael Powell. May God encourage and strengthen Mike daily, and may He use me as one means of encouragement.

I promise to post my second observation from Dan Gilliam's book, God Touches, within the next 24 hours. It is a doozy, and may well find its way into a sermon I am to preach on August 26th. As such, I would love to get some feedback from some of you once it is posted.
Be God's,
Scott

God Touches, part 1

My friend, Dan Gilliam has a new book out called "God Touches." It is the perfect follow-up read to "The Present Future." Let me share something from Dan's book, pages 65-66:
From the letter of James, the true religion that God considers pure and faultless is, "to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself form being polluted by the world." From what I have seen the former helps make the latter possible. There is nothing like service with a smile and a sacrificial spirit to help relieve one from the bondage of self and the merciless obsession for more of everything. Nothing takes my mind off of me like serving those who have nothing to give in return or loving those who can give me nothing but reasons not to love them. Christ's mandate for the church to love, pray, give, forgive, comfort, encourage, share faith, and make disciples are as much for our own health and well-being as for the expansion of the kingdom.

That is profound and that is the notion I will concentrate on over the next few days. Oh, and don't worry, there are more Gilliam-isms to come in the next few days, I already have my next chunk of this book to share on this blog, and it will knock some socks off (unless you don't wear sock, in which case, hang onto your shoes!).

Random "Woahs!"

Yesterday was a day of "woahs!" I continue to marvel at how God has reshaped my brother Ed's entire life. Not that it should surprise me, because God is in the business of changing lives, conforming them to the image of His Son Jesus, and Ed is no exception to that plan. Ed is an exception in that he believes God's plan for conforming lives to that of Christ and is willing to do whatever it takes to obey God's leading. Let me just say that a phone call from Ed that let the wind out of my sails, didn't let the wind out of Ed's sails by any stretch. I pray that Ed will indeed be open to God's leading in what I will only describe here as a time of transition. I know God will continue to be glorified by the way Ed lives his life, and for that I am eternally grateful!
Last night the steering committee for VCC's Capital Campaign met for our initial pow-wow. I have been given two daunting tasks to oversee for our campaign: the audio-visual directorship and the children's directorship. I will recruit a couple of folks to help produce some video promotional materials. That will be the fun part. Not necessarily easy, and certainly time consuming, but fun. The children's director position will be more challenging to me right now, and will require the recruiting of many more people to handle the various tasks involved.

I am excited about the upcoming campaign. I am excited that concrete is poured and the building will start taking shape very soon. I am more excited to hear the building being placed in the proper context. This building is a tool to be used to reach others for Christ. For far too long, I have feared that some folks thought of the building as the ends, not the means to an end. Connecting Christ with Community - that is our theme for the capital campaign. That is our theme for local ministry at VCC. That needs to be the focus of all we do as we enter a capital campaign and as we prepare to establish our presence in the fastest growing area of Indian River County. May we stay focused on the mission of connecting people to Christ and to one another, and may we never make the mistake of focusing on a building to be the "savior."

May we at VCC, like my Lil Bro Ed, remember that God's desire is to conform us to the image of Christ, and may we behave that way every day of our lives.

YESSSSSS!

Okay, I am still playing "catch up" from having been on the road so long this summer, but I did find the VHS recording of The Present Future. I have since dubbed it to DVD format. Now, I just have to get it to Steve and others at VCC for their viewing. I even have the seminar outline that goes with the recording, and while it obviously won't be as detailed as the book was, it will be a good start to a revolution.

It is so easy to get caught up in the daily routine of busyness. It is a battle I must do better in winning, for sure. In the next couple of weeks we will say "audios" to several of our college students as they return to their respective campuses in Tennessee and Texas, while trying to keep our local college students engaged in living for Jesus here in Vero Beach. I have a major planning session for our children's ministry (with virtually no money to help fund this ministry) and for our student ministry (ditto), and sign-up deadlines for three major student ministry events all come this month. While I do have the September pre-school children's church materials ready for the volunteers who will lead this ministry, I am still looking over low or no-cost options for October and beyond.

I am still wrestling with ideas to get us more outward focused in our ministry to families at VCC. See, even the structure of that sentence bothers me, now. We should have our families at VCC more outward focused in their ministry. Oh, Reggie McNeal, see what you are doing to me?

Mistaken

After a long search in the boxes in my garage, I found the CCN DVDs only to find that I have the library starting in October of 2004, thus I do not have The Present Future DVD. I may have it on VHS though, so I will continue my search tomorrow in the office.

The Present Future

"The appropriate response to the emerging world is a rebooting of the mission, a radical obedience to an ancient command, a loss of self rather than self preoccupation, concern about service and sacrifice rather than concern about style."

Reggie McNeal's words resound within my very being. Now, as I have finished reading the book by McNeal titled The Present Future: Six Tough Questions For The Church, I am finding out that the Church Communication Network broadcast a workshop on that subject back in 2004. I should have the DVD of that broadcast, but I will have to search in my boxes of stuff stored in my garage. I think I will because it is well worth finding.

As I think about my "church experience" over the past 20 years, I find that it has been way too inwardly focused. After reading McNeal's book, I know that I cannot continue to do "church" the same ole way. Over the next several posts, I will wrestle with thoughts and ideas spurred on by McNeal's book.

To reboot the mission and to have a radical obedience to the ancient command means getting way out of my church comfort zone. Just as I have challenged students over the past couple of decades to leave their comfort zones for the sake of the Gospel of Christ, I must reassess where I am in ministry methods. Yes, it is my job to equip people for ministry. No, I cannot effectively do that while tied down to my office. Peggy has long worried that I am too tied down in the office, and (of course) she is right.

So, what will it mean to be more missional in my position as Family Life Minister? How can I better equip families to live out their Christian faith and to share the Gospel message with friends and family? How can I help people move out of the "way we have always done it" when it comes to doing church? These are the questions with which I am wrestling today.

Why Another Blog?

I have no expectations that anyone out in cyberspace will ever have a desire to read my musings, but as I continue on my journey with Christ, I feel it necessary for me to post some thoughts based on that journey. The title of this blog is a play off of the varying pronunciations of my last name. See, I pronounce it in such a way as to rhyme with mount, count, or fount. There are, however, folks in my family tree who would pronounce it as "Blunt." William Blount for example, the first and only Governor of the Tennessee Territory pronounced it that way. Blount counties in Tennessee and Alabama are pronounced that way, too. Silly folks don't know how to pronounce the "ou" vowel combination. However, it does give me the opportunity to do a word play for the title of this blog.

So, with that explanation, I welcome you to share some thoughts in this life journey with Christ. I promise to draw on my daily devotional readings from the One Year Bible Online as well as a host of books I find myself reading at any given time. I invite anyone who so desires to leave comments so we can wrestle life's questions together as we seek the answers found in the Person of Jesus the Christ.

Be God's,
Scott