Wake Up!!

Sorry to Doggie Blog two days in a row, but I've got to tell you about my crazy dog, Bailey.

Two mornings (or nights) in a row at 4 a.m. Bailey has jumped up and barked like a crazed lunatic. Cheryl and I both jump out of our skin and try to get our hearts back to a normal rythym.

I cannot figure it out for the life of me. I get up and look outside to see if there is something that may have caused him to go crazy, but both times, nothing.

If you have heard Bailey do his protective, "Get off my property" bark, you know it will scare the "you know what" out of you. Aaron loves and hates it all at the same time. He routinely copies it in his own little Bailey voice. We laugh - - until it happens again.

The only thing I can think to do when I am awakened a 4 a.m. by "Barkin' Bailey" is pray. No, I don't pray for Bailey (although since I want to kill him when he does it, maybe he does need prayer), I just start praying. Talking with God in the still of the night.

I often have moments in the night when I am awakened for no reason whatsoever. Most times a person comes to mind, so I just start praying for them. Sometimes I don't even know what I am praying for and sometimes I don't even know who. For some reason or another, God wakes me up.

As I started writing this, I realized that God is awakening all of us...

I was talking with Mike Rice yesterday. He is a pastor at Life Church in Canton. They are in the midst of a series and Small Groups track through the book God is Closer Than You Think by John Ortberg. He was telling me about how sometimes it's easy to see God and other times, we either have a real hard time seeing Him or we just don't want to be seen by Him.

The key to all of this is that we have to be looking for Him. We have to be aware of His presence in our everyday lives. Whether He wakes us out of a deep sleep or starts to make summer leaves turn to beautiful fall colors, God is here.

He stands at the door and knocks... will we let Him in?

E.

When I was a kid, I had a picture in my room that had a little boy in bed and his puppy sleeping at his feet. I dreamed of that all the time. You see, I never had a dog when I was growing up. My mom and dad weren't pet people.

I tried fish, but they were so boring. My brother had a rabbit for a while, but it was locked up in a cage and didn't play fetch with me either. I found a stray kitten one day that I begged and begged to keep. Then I found out when my eyes swelled shut that I was allergic to them. No matter what pet I tried to get to fill the void, the truth was, I was a dog person. I needed "Man's Best Friend," not a stuck up snobby cat or a boring fish.

I eventually resigned myself to having a dog when I grew up and got married.

Somewhere along the line while Cheryl and I were dating, we began to talk about how we both always wanted a dog growing up. Cheryl had no pets growing up either. As luck would have it, Cheryl finally got her wish a little over a year before we got married. She got a puppy. An amazingly cute Dalmatian named Ellie.

She was really amazing. There were good times and bad times, but looking back it was a lot of fun. When you don't have kids, having a dog is as close as you can get sometimes. You have all these dog stories that you tell people and I am sure that they are totally bored with them (just like some people are with stories about your kids... yes I said it). They really become a huge part of your life. They become a companion.

I had no idea what to write about today. A year ago yesterday was when Ellie had to be put to sleep. It was really hard for me. The next day we got Bailey... so much for mourning.

I'm not planning on doing this every year, but it hit me today. It sounds funny, but I don't want to forget her. She was my first dog. She was the first puppy to lay at my feet. She was the first dog to dig up our backyard or pee on our carpet. There is something special about that first dog.

Now I know why some people don't like having pets, because it is hard to say goodbye. I wouldn't trade all those great times we had together eventhough losing her was so tough.

Time Keeps on Slippin'

It's hard to believe that it has been 15 days since my last post...

People keep asking me, "Scott, what's up with the Blog? We're waiting for a new one." Well, I have to be honest, sometimes even I have nothing to say. Even a guy like me can get busy with life, church and the pursuit of happiness.

One of my main problems has been inspiration. I haven't had any. Lately I have felt like God has been silent. We all go through that, but this one has been rough for me. As my friend Aaron says, "Satan is trying to kill me." That is where I have been. Satan is on a manhunt for me and he has inflicted some damage, nothing fatal, just somewhat painful.

God definitely had some things to say today though. I have to admit, I was not ready for it. It caught me off guard. I won't go into the details just yet, but God is literally shaking things up inside of me. Sometimes that is what we need, you know. It will blow your mind when it happens, but God knows when he needs to do something to get your attention, doesn't he?

Do not fear my fellow Bloggers and all 5 of you might read this, more Bloggin' is on the way.

Freaks

While I like to think of myself as kind of a "weird" person, really I want to be "normal." I want to be "normal" so bad, that I look down on others that don't fit the mold.

I really have a hard time with people that are different than I am. People who march to a different drummer. You see, I think that people that act differently than I do, just "don't get it" or they're oblivious to what everyone in the room is thinking.

Maybe the truth is, I really envy them a little. They are free to be themselves. I am not in that place very often. I worry about perceptions. I don't want to draw attention, because then, maybe you'll see my flaws.

No matter what, I continue to struggle with loving the "unlovable," the people that just don't fit in. The unlovable were the tax collectors and prostitutes in Jesus' time. For me they are the awkward, oblivious and draining people. Even putting a label like that on them is horrible, but it is truly how I feel.

God keeps bringing these "unlovables" into my life. It's kind of funny and sad all at the same time. It's funny because he is trying to teach me something I continue to try not to learn. It's sad for the same reason. I almost want to learn to love them so I no longer have to be around them... but that would mean I never really learned the lesson now wouldn't it?

1 John chapter 4 keeps coming to mind...

7 My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. 8 The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love - so you can't know him if you don't love.

Like a dagger to my heart every time!

I know that I need to love the "unlovable" especially my brothers and sisters in Christ, but it is so hard. Whenever I struggle with this, a somewhat cheesy song pops into my head from the album Petra Praise 2: We Need Jesus, it's from the song "We Need Jesus." The lyrics ask:

When will the world see that we need Jesus?
When we share the love of Jesus,
See each other as He sees us.
Then His love will see us through.

That kills me... tears come to my eyes every time I hear it. God sees me as beautiful, someone He wants and loves to spend time with. He doesn't see a broken person. He doesn't see my failures. He doesn't see me as awkward, oblivious or draining. He loves me.

So here I am again, trying to learn that lesson. Trying to see others the way my Father sees them. He delights in them. He loves their "different-ness" and their quirks. My prayer is that His ways will truly become my ways.

Need vs. Needed

I got a chance to head out to Kensington Community Church in Troy today to hear Alex McManus speak on church planting. I will also be attending a conference tomorrow that Alex will be teaching at in Royal Oak. Alex may be known by some as the brother of Erwin McManus, pastor of Mosaic Church in California.

It was great to spend some time with him this afternoon. He is excited about Christ... I love listening to people that are excited about their walk with Christ. It inspires me. It reminds me of what I have in Him.

I am not going to say much tonight, I'm sure more will follow tomorrow, but one thing Alex said really stuck with me. It drives deep into many of the problems with the church today. This is not word for word, but the basic idea, as I understood it, was this:

When we lose ourselves in Christ and look to Him rather than tradition or what has worked in the past, we become people that are needed by the Church rather than someone who needs the church to survive. When we realize that we were meant to "announce the Kingdom, not just to build it," we are needed by the Church rather than needing it and it alone.

Before all my Fundamental Brethren jump down my throat, hear me out first. I am not saying that we don't need each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. But let's be honest here, we have become so dependent on "church" to do the work of Christ for us that we have become incredibly dependent on it. "Bring your friends to church this week." No harm in that, but aren't your friends really going to see Christ lived out in you?

We have become so conditioned to rely on fancy programs and outreach events at our churches that living out our lives authentically comes in second. Where is the excitement? He is alive! He is coming back someday! God is setting up His Kingdom!! We should be shouting it in the streets, but we don't want to offend.

Paul didn't decide that Ephesus would be a great place to start a church, the Church started without him. No special programs or events needed. He came to them to encourage and disciple them. The Ephesians were proud to announce that God's Kingdom was coming. That is why people were drawn to them.

My hope is that my mindset will change. That my heart will align with Christ. It is time to let people know that God is here and He has plans to build His Kingdom... get on board and enjoy the ride!

With the First Pick...

I am finally back.

So where was I? Let me just tell you that these past two weeks have been a frenzy. What could possibly have stopped me from Blogging all my hopes and dreams for everyone to enjoy?

Fantasy Football.

Yes, Fantasy Football. I am a Fantasy Football Geek. I have five teams this year! So this week I had five drafts and had to prepare... even I think this sounds crazy.

If you have never played Fantasy Football before, let me try and explain it. The basic idea is that you pick players from NFL teams to form your very own "fantasy" team. Usually you have a Quarterback, two Running Backs, three Wide Receivers, a Tight End, a Team Defense and a Kicker. Each Sunday and Monday Night your players (hopefully) score points for your fantasy team. You play against another fantasy team in your league and whoever scores the most points wins that week.

When you think about it, whoever created it had to be a marketing genius. When you have a fantasy team, not only are you following your home team (the sad, sad Lions) but you are now watching other teams that have your players on them.

Many people have strong opinions about Fantasy Football. You love it and totally get it or you think it is a stupid waste of time. Let me explain why I enjoy it. First off, football is fun to watch. I love the NFL. There is nothing better than sitting down on a beautiful fall afternoon and watching grown men pummel one another.

The thing about Fantasy Football is that it brings you together with other people that love football just like you. On top of that, it keeps me in touch with people that I would not normally see on a regular basis.

Yesterday, I had a draft with a group of guys that I only see maybe two or three times a year. They are a lot of fun and this is one of the times that I know I will always get a chance to see them. I have a church league and a league that keeps me in contact with one of my oldest friends in South Carolina. To me, there is just a camaraderie that comes from it. It gives you an opportunity to meet and be in the lives of people that you might not ordinarily come in contact with.

For me, that makes it all worth it.