Yellin' into a phone at Benny's

Church

The past few weeks have been stressful. There have been all sorts of attacks by the enemy and I am physically and mentally drained. All the pain and stress came to a close on Sunday...

Yesterday, my church shut it's doors... at least for a time.

Change comes often in this life. Sometimes it is hard to figure out why it happens, but we know that God has a plan. God never sets something in motion that does not further His Kingdom. How can a church closing down further His Kingdom? The answers to that are plentiful. There are churches that abuse and hurt their memebers all the time, those are the churches that should be shut down.

But then there are churches like mine. We were a small gathering of people that loved one another as far as I could see. We enjoyed one anothers company. There were problems and short comings, but there is no perfect church.

As we reflected and said good bye to Sunday mornings as we knew them yesterday, the one thing that God kept speaking to me was that this was His time. God used the people of our church to minister to one another. Life change happened. All of us could look back and see the times when God spoke or set in motion changes in us at our church.

Now, He's moving again. Where? I don't know yet. That's half the fun though, isn't it?

God's timing is so perfect. Even when it seems inconvenient, it always works out to be just what we needed. Look back at the tough times in your life. He is there. He is perfecting us. He is molding us. He is loving us.

His time is always the right time.

Audio Excitement!

Next iPod?

What will they think of next?

It looks like Apple will be unveiling some type of new and improved Video iPod soon. The iPod to the right has a 4 inch screen. The entire screen is touchpad with the controls to operate your iPod and when you watch your favorite movie or video, you just turn in sideways and watch it on the widescreen...

You gotta' love technology!

Don't Give Up!

So, God has an incredible sense of humor... Let me explain.

Just a little background here: Cheryl and I are always trying to figure out what to have for dinner. It's one of the toughest decisions we make on a daily basis. Everything is complicated by the fact that having dinner these days is cheaper than making in most cases. We can pick up a Little Ceasars Pizza for $5 and the Taco Bell or Wendy's $1 menu is always cheaper and easier than cooking. Plus, we are on the go at least 3 out of 5 weekdays, so something quick is always the way to go.

All that to say, tonight was another, "What should we eat tonight?" quandry and I had to decide all on my own. As I was headed to Taco Bell, something told me to go elsewhere.

So I decided to order some Curbside service from one of our local eateries. As I was driving through "rush hour" traffic, I was dialing through all the presets on my radio. I hit that horrible time when all the stations were playing commercials.

From my past experience in radio, I have no idea why all these stations decide to play there commercial breaks at the same time. Why not be the only station not doing that so that you attract more listeners? Anyway, I was really reaching to find some music. I was so desparate in fact that I even tuned into WMUZ.

Just a little background here - I used to work for WMUZ during my 6 year radio career. I don't want to ruin anything for you, but working for WMUZ was not what I expected when I applied to work there. Don't get me wrong, I am thankful that we live in a country where we can have freedom to have Christian Radio. But... my time there was eye opening to say the least.

So as I tuned into WMUZ, I heard talking (as usual) and started to change the station, but something stopped me. As I listened to Robin talk she mentioned something about how some people were unable to have children after years of trying. O.K. you have my attention. I was expecting it to be a commercial for a fertility clinic or a chiropractor that could make you fertile, but that was not it at all. God was about to speak to me through WMUZ... this is no small feat since I think of the station as quite a joke.

Robin had someone call in and talk about how he and his wife were unable to have children and had gone to doctors and done various things to get pregnant, to no avail. Then he just gave it to God and trusted that He knew what was right. The caller said that even though conventional methods said he and his wife were not able to have children that God had a different plan. He told Robin that he and his wife just had their 5th child this year.

Robin wrapped it all up by saying, "Don't Give Up." She repeated it over and over. God was speaking to me. In fact the day before I received a card in the mail from my mother in which she wrote, "Don't Give Up."

That phrase spoke to me on many different levels. It was not only a reassurance of a promise that I know He is going to fulfill, but it was a reminder that I must not lose hope, never give up. I have to trust in Him... "lean not on my own understanding..." just trust that He has my best interests in mind.

So all this to say, look and listen for His voice. Sometimes God even speaks through strange places like WMUZ... you never know when He has something to say.

Walking the Identity Line...

Wow!

How did I miss out on, "the Man in Black," all these years?

Thankfully, A@ron exposed me to his music on our Road Trip across America. Honestly, I wasn't sure what I thought about it at the time, but just like a lot of music I was exposed to on that trip, it grew on me.

Cheryl and I watched the movie, Walk the Line, from Netflix on Saturday. There was something about the movie that just resonated with me from the opening scene to the end of the film.

One of my realizations about why I loved, Walk the Line, so much comes down to my love for the beginnings of Rock n' Roll music. There's a purity to it. It really was new and exciting. Passion flowed through it. It may seem simple to some people, but there is just something amazing that draws you in.

After the movie, Cheryl and I started chatting about what we thought. I was emotional through the entire movie. Why is that? What is about movies like this that just move me so deeply that tears well in my eyes for 2 hours straight? Now this is going to get really deep into who I am, so if you are not up for it, stop now...

I love the underdog. I identify with them on so many levels. Johnny Cash grew up with people telling him he would never make it, that he was not worth it, a nobody. While I never heard that sort of thing from my parents as Johnny did from his father (and first wife to some extent), I did hear it from many other adults in my early years.

It's very interesting, because I was part of a conversation on Friday night where this came up as we talked about my time at my amazingly judgmental Christian school. Someone asked me, "When did you graduate?" I responded, "1990." Then the statement that killed me, "Yet, you're still talking about it."

Whoa. I mean, listen, I understand that I graduated 16 years ago and I should get over it. That is true, but my identity was formed (unfortunately) by a lot of those things that were spoken over me. I was beaten down emotionally/mentally from 2nd grade until graduation with a lot of not so nice identity traits put on me by some people who probably had no idea how it would affect me all these years later (still no excuse). But I am dealing with it right now. This is where God has taken me... maybe I missed the bus many times. Maybe God wanted to heal me of those wounds millions of times over the years, but I can't change that now. This is the time and the place where I am saying, "God, show me how YOU see me."

This "identity crisis" has been brewing for as long as I can remember and I know that God has a purpose in all this. It's amazing to me that my Friday conversation and watching Walk the Line all came together at just the right time... God's time.

God keeps speaking to me about my identity. He keeps bringing it into all aspects of my life. After watching the movie I had a long conversation with A@ron and God again brought "my identity" to the forefront. I am reminded again, "And we know that all things work together for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)" Uncomfortable conversations, movies and conversations with great friends... all of it, the good, bad and the ugly are part of His love for me.

I know that I am on my way to finding my indentity in Him... in His time.

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By the way, congratulations to Reese Witherspoon on her Oscar for her work in Walk the Line! Her portrayal of June Carter-Cash was great...

I was bummed the Paul Giamatti didn't win, but Phillip Seymour Hoffman was my second choice.

The "What the ?!?" moment had to be the Oscar for best original song, "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp," from the movie Hustle and Flow. At least the boys from Three 6 Mafia were excited to win... some of the recipients were not as thrilled as you would think they would be.

The Dog Whisperer

If you have not seen the man known as, "The Dog Whisperer," you are missing something amazing. My Mom told me about Cesar Millan just about the time that we got Bailey and from the way she described him, I thought he sounded like a kook.

After I watched his show on the National Geographic Channel, I was amazed. I started trying his techniques and they actually worked!

Now, if you have met Bailey, I know what you are thinking... First of all, shut up, I love that dog. Secondly, the only reason he may not be the best dog in the world yet is because of my own inconsistent behavior. He will only follow my lead.

So all you puppy people out there who find yourselves frustrated with annoying dog behaviors... give Cesar Millan a shot and watch his techniques work on your favorite furry friend.

Microsoft iPod...

I couldn't resist posting this one... enjoy your new Bill Gates designed iPod.

CLICK HERE

You're welcome...

And We're Back!

As I read thru the Blogs of my friends, I realized it was time. Time to update the world on what is up with Scotty. As readied myself to type, I heard on of the few funny things Jimmy Fallon ever said... "And we're back!"

Fallon screamed out this little ditty in his best, "Morning Radio Show," voice and it really made me chuckle. Mostly I enjoyed it from my time in the Radio Biz, but like most SNL Sketches, it lasted way too long... as most SNL Sketches do. The other amazing thing about this sketch is that Fallon didn't laugh his way through the entire thing.

So all that said, "Aaaaaaannnnnnndddd, I'm Baaaaaack!"

What's been going on? Well, I just turned 34 years old. No big thing. I still consider myself young, so as long as I keep thinking that way in my mind, I AM young.

February has been filled with church stuff. Tons of planning, tons of stress. Lots going on there. Don't know how I feel about everything in that regard, but I am ready for a break. I actually had an amazing recharge weekend in Marysville, Ohio. Yes, Ohio. Thanks a lot A@ron! Anyway, I will definitely be going again. Cheryl and I felt like family among all the Buckeyes. Dave and Kelly let us stay with them and we loved it. We had the best time. I get excited just thinking about heading down there again... Needless to say, this was one of the best Birthday weekends I have ever had.

While we were gone, Mom and Dad watched Bailey Boy. He was no trouble for the most part... except when he went out on the ice of the pool cover and fell in!!! Thank goodness my Dad saved his little pupy life. Speaking of Mom and Dad, they have joined the ranks of the one and only Mac families that I work to convert one at a time. Dad was reluctant, but I think he is enjoying the beauty of his Mac more and more everyday.

I want to take some time now to talk a little about a good friend of mine, Todd Bolton. I have new found respect for this guy. This year during the Winter Olympics, I have been recording Cross Country Skiing events for Todd. He has done quite a few Cross Country events himself this season. Let me just put it this way, it is no wonder that Todd is in such great shape... CC Skiing takes a lot of hard work. Not sure Todd will get me to record cycling events this summer (his other passion) but I really admire his dedication to his sports.

The other thing that has been taking up a lot of my time lately is Guitar. Yes, I am learning. I love it. Last night in fact I got a crash course in Theory from Bryan. He, Josh and myself had a two hour jam and learn session at Josh's place. A@ron has also played a big part in teaching me as well. Who knows, in a few months I may be good enough to play while leading worship at church!

So there's the update. Hope it was all you were waiting for.

More to come.