Thanksgiving!!!

November is the month of Thanksgiving and you may see that many people are posting what they are thankful for on Facebook. However, I think it needs to go a little further then that. I have heard so many say at funerals that they wish they could have told the person how much they meant to them, how much they influenced them, the many reason's that they admired them. So many people have so many regrets of things they never said and for many, it's to late. I believe November should be a time where we take the time to personally write letters to those we love and those we admire and those who have impacted our lives and tell them what they mean to us, or how their lives made a difference in our own life!!! We should never have regrets for things that were never said when we have today to say them. It's time to get your pens and pencils out and start writing some letters to people you care about, or people you want to know how thankful you are for their life and the influence it's had on yours. Depression runs rampant in the next few months, as people sit at home and feel the loss of loved ones, or the loneliness of an empty house. A letter from you, could change their whole outlook for the holiday months and could bring a joy to their hearts that they needed at this time!!! So what are your waiting for: "Make the Change"

Fear our common enemy to Making the Change

We had a few crimes in our area that have brought a lot of fear and trembling to our community and the surrounding communities and I began to read the blog's and comment sections of the newspapers that covered the crimes and a very common theme ran through them all. That's why I don't help anyone!!! The crime that shocked our community was the shooting death of a woman who after thinking that she was helping a young lady who approached her, was shot and killed when a group of people Carjacked her. The running theme through out several newspapers was that this is why you just can't help people you don't know anymore. Which leads into the second crime which to me was worse then the first only because of what happened afterwards. A man was attacked at a Gas Station and shot. After being shot, he dragged himself across the parking lot and with many people watching and ignoring him, he pushed opened the door to the store and begged for help. A video shows everyone in the store ignoring and even stepping over him to get to the counter. It broke my heart to think that a man shot, could be so near help and have so many people at hand to help, but yet not one person moved to help the poor old man. It got me thinking of a story that my Mom and Dad told me years ago when I was a child and one that I memorized in order to never let this happen to my heart. It's the story of the "Good Samaritan". In this story, the question is asked of Jesus "who is my neighbor"? Jesus than tells the story of a man who is beaten and left for dead on the side of the road, a Priest and a Levite both see the man, but for fear of an attack on themselves, they ignore the man. However, when a Samaritan comes by the man, he attends to the mans wounds, carries the man to safety and then pays to have the man cared for. Jesus then asked who was the neighbor? The man who had asked the question said "The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Fear is an easy out for those who don't want to "Make the Change", it sounds "right", it is accepted by most, but the truth is, if change is to come, then we must be the "neighbor" and we must show mercy, in spite of our fear. Yes, it could cost us our lives, but it also may save it one day, when we need a "neighbor" and they remember our mercy and give it back to us in our time of need. So what are you waiting for: "Make the Change"

I can't do that!!!

I can't do that!!!

If you have worked in leadership or with leadership at all, those words are probably very familiar to you, I hear those words all the time and in fact, those words have been on my tongue a time or two over the years. Since 2003, I have had 11 surgeries, my doctor had three maybe four more planned that I have so far said no to having. I have been totally disabled and unable to work full time since 2009, so those words, have been a temptation for me for years now. Since 2003, I have lost a lot of who I am and what I was, due to the pain and limitations of my disabilities. Saying I can't do that, almost became an everyday occurrence for me, when dealing with friends, family and the church. However, those four words became a prison for me, only allowing me to see the limitations and the walls, but not seeing the opportunities to become something new, something different, something that allowed me to say yeah, I can do that!!! It took time, for me to realize that even with my limitations and my weakness; I was still able to help. It's sometimes embarrassing to not be able to do the "manly" things anymore, but to tell you the truth, I have found more than not, I am one of only a few that help anyway and my help even in its limited form, is very welcomed and appreciated by those who receive it!!! It was a hard road to travel, to get to this place, to see myself, my limitations, my disabilities, my weakness, as something of value, to see myself as someone of value!!! There is a road, its dark and lonely, its filled with anger and self-pity, it finds no good in pain, no good in suffering, it says only “I can’t do that”, it’s a road that I want to travel every day!!! I want to tell my wife “I can’t do that”, I want to tell my kids’ “I can’t do that”, I want to tell my friends “I can’t do that”, I want to tell my Church “I can’t do that”, I want to tell God “I can’t do this anymore!!!”, but I am afraid of the dark, maybe you didn’t know that about me!!! Yes, I admit it, I am afraid of the dark and have been all my life and that’s why I just can’t follow that road, the road that is dark and lonely!!! I hate the dark, but even more, I hate to be a lone!!! So why tell you all this, why open up to all of you like this, well, I figure that if I am always wanting to say “I can’t do that”, then maybe a few of you are wanting to say it as well. Maybe hearing me say “I can do that”, even if it’s just helping pass nails along, or hold a board, or run to the car or the tool box, hearing “I can do that”, might spark that light inside you, that burns inside of me, that yearns to help in any way I can, that yearns to be with friends and family, if only to work together!!! Maybe, you are finding yourself saying “I can’t do that” and needed someone to tell you that you can do it, or at the very least something else that’s just as important. I will end with this: A great friend gave me more encouragement then he could have ever known this weekend, he came to me and said “Scott, I know you think that you didn’t do much today, but you really did and I really appreciate it”. I was feeling exactly that way and those words didn’t have to be said, but they came from his heart and they touched mine more then he will ever know. So what do you say, let’s go out there this week and “Make the Change”!!!

Day 7

Day 7: Today is my last post of what I do everyday to try and "Make the Change". I hope that these past seven days have shown you that anyone can find things to do everyday, to change your little part of the world!!! Many of the things I find to do, can involve strangers or people in our neighborhood or on our street. However, many times you don't have to look past your family and friends to find ways to "Make the Change" and often your family is a great place to start. "But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God" This is from 1 Timothy 5:4 and this is where I will leave you on this seven day journey. Today I went to my parents house and caulked their tub and helped them order some items from Amazon and get some free 2 day shipping in order to get those items in time for a party that is very important to them!!! So what are you waiting for, go ahead "Make the Change"!!!

Day 6

Day 6: Today I got to Make the Change by helping get involved with a local group, became of member of the group about a month and an a half ago and offered my services to help them with their website. Got the opportunity today to update their website for them, which really helped them out and gave the webmaster help as well!!! Good start to the new week, how about you, did you get your chance to Make the Change, I hope so, have a great week!!!

Day 5

Day 5: Making the Change today by doing what I've done for 20 years of marriage, getting up early, waking everyone up, getting them dressed and getting them to church!!! Sometimes making the change is just about taking care of the one's you love and passing on your faith and giving your family every opportunity to succeed!!! Giving you a bonus today, I will also be Making the Change by taking the family to Formar Nature Preserve after lunch and spending some much needed quality time with them!!! :-) Have a great day all!!!

Day 3

Day 3: Got my chance to "Make the Change" today, found out that there were a lot of kid's in my child's class that are struggling in their reading and site word understanding, so starting next week, I will spend an hour and a half every morning tutoring several kid's in reading and learning their site words!!! Awesome opportunity!!!

Day 2

Day 2: Got my chance to "Make the Change" today while taking my daughter Sydney to school today. Ran into one of her Girl Scout friends and Mother, she was talking to me about how hard it is trying to get the girl's to Girl Scouts now that she's working on Thursday's, she is paying a babysitter 15 to 20 dollars to take them each week. So I offered to take them with us until she is done working on Thursday's, which is in about 6 weeks she said. She was so happy for the offer and the thought of saving 20 bucks a week!!! Have you been given an opportunity to "Make the Change" lets hear about it!!! :-)

Day 4

Day 4: Got to "Make the Change" today, met a person that was Terminally Ill and was considering suicide, the person was tired and didn't want to wonder anymore, just wanted to end it. Very sad and very lonely!!! I was able to share my story of the past 10 years and then the past three, gave the person my promise of being just a phone call away, if they wanted to talk, our to have my family come over. It made the difference, it gave hope, it gave a spark of life and it blessed me to be a part of it!!! Not sure why God gives me these incredible opportunities, maybe He gives us all these opportunities we just have to look for them, but it truly has changed my life to witness what some kindness and compassion, acts, deeds and words can do to "Make the Change", so how about you, any opportunities you want to share??? Amazing week so far!!!

Day 1

Day 1, built a computer for a 90 year old lady that I met 12 years ago. She called me a few weeks ago in need of some work, she had kept my number through all these years and through that conversation, found that she needed a few things and God helped to bring us together to bless each-other and Make the Change in each-others life!!!

When do we tell or Share???

Matthew 6:5-7

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

One of my love languages is words of affirmation, I found long ago that I really like it when people especially my loved ones but friends as well as strangers, give me encouragement and tell me that what I am doing is "good" or "right". It gives me strength to keep going and keep doing my "good" works. However, it can also change my reasoning for doing the "good" work as well. If I do "good" works in order to get words of affirmation, then my motives are wrong and my "rewards" are therefore received in full with the words of affirmation that I get. This is what the scripture above speaks to. Many of the religious people of that time, had began to do their duty in prayer out in the public where all could see how devoted they were and how godly they were, because they were "seen" doing the "right" things. However, their hearts were all in the wrong place and therefore, all of their correctness and godliness was rewarded by the praise they received by the people who saw what they did. So they missed out on the eternal reward and the eternal extra's that come along with a truly Godly act!!! So we see in Matthew, that we are told to no longer seek glory in the eyes of man, but to seek only God's glory and when we do this, He will reward us with things that are more then just passing praise that only lasts for the moment!!! However, take a look at this:
Matthew 5:15-17

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Now, I know one is about prayer and one is about good deeds, but where is the balance??? You might ask why this matters in this group and why I am even bringing this up??? Well, I was asked and told by a member of this group, that I never give examples of how I follow my own posts and how I live my every day life "Making the Change", my automatic response was, I don't think it's a good idea to post all the things I "do", because then I may lose my reward and also my hearts motive may change as well. However, as a leader, even if it's a group page on facebook, those who read my posts deserve to know, that I am living my convictions and that will, I hope, give them or you the inspiration to make the change in your part of the world and influence your community in a positive way!!! So, I will be posting everyday for the next seven days, one thing I do to make the change in my little corner of the world. I hope that it will inspire you to do the same and let us see what your doing, so that all of us can be inspired to make the world a better place, because we chose to make a difference!!! :-)

The Cost of Kindness

Many of us "do" acts of kindness all the time. We open the door for strangers, we help out a friend when he/she calls and needs our help. We come to the rescue when our wife has a flat tire or our neighbor's car battery dies. Most of us are not going to turn down a friend or a neighbor or even a stranger, if what they ask won't interrupt our life's to much, or if we have the skills needed to help. However, how many of us would be willing to give up say our vacation to help a person prepare for an interview for a job. How about our car for a week, to a family that had their engine die on them and won't have a car until it's fixed. How about a bedroom, for a teenager that needs some time away from an abusive parent. How about everything, adopt a child and spend the next 18 years giving up your pleasures and conveniences to help out a person that needed you and you could help? Most of us will do acts of Kindness if the "cost" isn't to high, but how many of us, are willing to do acts of Kindness and "Make the Change" in our part of the world, if the cost is "very" high, or may cost us years of effort and inconvenience? I have made a commitment to do what it takes to "Make the Change", to affect my world in a positive and impactful way. Sometimes, the cost is little, but sometimes, the cost is something that I'm still paying for today!!! How about you, are you willing to "Make the Change", no matter the cost, or only if the cost is minor and the inconvenience to your daily routine light? Sometimes doing right costs more then not doing anything, but, the outcome from that act, can change a heart, a life, a family, a neighboorhood, a community, a state, a country, a world!!! The thing is, none of us knows which act will make the biggest impact, that is why, every act of Kindness, every choice we make to change our world, could be the one that changes everything!!! Have a great week, see you around as I "Make the Change"!!!

Make the Change,
Scott

Will You Be Missed?

There is a study that our church is going through called "Out Live Your Life" it's based on the fact that a person can live in such a way that when they are gone, their principles and values, the core belief's of that person can live on, in the people and the communities in which they have a sphere of influence and in fact can even span the globe depending on the people who are changed by their influence and their relationships.



This came to life for me this past week when a neighbor who comes by our house everyday several times walking her four dogs and she stops and gives my dog a treat and in fact gives all of the dogs in our neighborhood a treat but my kid's and my wife have befriended her and in fact my kid's have walked with her several times and she is just a really nice lady. This week however, I hadn't seen her in a few day and when I drove by her house her lawn hadn't been mowed and I got a little worried and found out that she had just been really busy this week and her schedule had changed for the first time in months and now shes back on her routine and she came back by the house. It got me thinking though, what if I was gone, would anyone outside my family miss me, would my neighbors notice that I was gone, would people who were not related to me notice that I wasn't there anymore?



Make the Change came about for me because I knew that I needed to make sure that I was making a difference in the life's that I have an influence in and make new connections and influence those life's as well, not because I believe they need me to change their life's, but because I believe all of us need each-other and all of us can help each-other make life easier by giving our talents and time to those who are in our sphere of influence. I saw people who complained about never having enough time to do this and that, or needing help with this or that and people wishing they knew someone who could do this or that. I found that in many cases, I could do those things but I wasn't, I was to busy, I was to involved in living my life to make time to help out those who weren't "close" to me. We need to remember that there are no accidents in this world when it comes to relationships, relationships are made on purpose and require time and effort. We all have that time if we are honest, but are we willing to sacrifice our favorite show or our Facebook time to "Make the Change" and make sure that if we suddenly left this world, not only would we be missed, but maybe, just maybe, our lives would have made such a difference, that what we did, would live on in the lives and relationships in which we poured our time and efforts. "Make the Change"



Scott

What are you doing to prepare?

Have you helped out lately?

     My son is a Boy Scout and as such we receive a magazine called Boys' Life. It is filled with lots of really cool stuff about Boy Scouts and Merit Badges, jokes and projects. It also has in it, a really cool section, called Scouts in Action, where they feature Scouts who have accomplished something life changing by simply being prepared and acting when needed. One boy helped save a family friend who was fishing with them and slipped and fell on some rocks and hit his head in fast rapids, he thought quick reached out with his wading pole and the man grabbed it, but pulled him in as well, but he didn't panic and his Dad was there and together, they pulled their family friend out of the water got him to a hospital and saved his life. Another boy heard his mother screaming in the kitchen of their house, he ran in and found the kitchen on fire, knowing that the fire would quickly spread, he ran and picked up his twin brothers and took them safely out of the house and then ran back in for his mother who was sick and weak from cancer, he got her out of the house, then he ran back in, found the fire extinguisher and put out most of the fire.

     I wonder if we are enough like Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts? Are we prepared to help our friends, family and neighbors when they need us? Do we prepare ourselves for the eventuality that one day we will be needed? Do we seek opportunities to help, or do we wait until an emergency arises? I think we can learn a lot from Scouts and make a choice to not only be prepared by training ourselves to know how to help when it's needed, but also to find opportunities to help, simply because it's the right thing to do. I make sure that I do something every week to help someone no matter how big or small that something is and I also make sure that once a month my family does something as well for others. It is said that our lives are but a vapor that appears for a short time and then is gone. What will you do with your time while your here? What are you waiting for "Make the Change"!!!

I'm Different "What Now"

Recently I found out that I am much different from what I thought I was. As I sat in what is normally a very safe place for me, I began to hear those who spoke, make jokes about men who do the things I do and for the first time, I became embarrassed about who I am and what I do. I am sure that many of you out there have felt the same at one time or another, or maybe you feel that way all the time. So what do we do? If you have been a follower of my blog or facebook page for long, you know that I don't quote scripture to often, but I believe that this is a time where we need to see how God views us and what He thinks about those who are "different". This comes from a sermon that our Pastor recently delivered here is the scripture:

Romans 12:

³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your^[a] faith; ⁷ if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸ if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,^[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. 

Wow, how awesome is that, I'm different and God made me that way. Our Pastor showed us a picture of a neighborhood filled with houses that all looked the same and to tell you the truth, it felt good to see the picture, it was safe, it was unified, it was "normal". Then he showed a picture of a neighborhood filled with house's of every kind, large, small, beautiful, different, the picture did not bring the peace of mind that the other picture did, but the truth behind the pictures was the question that our Pastor asked "which of these pictures should the church be represented by?" My first thought was the first, it felt good, it looked unified, it was "normal", but in light of the verse above, it was the second picture. The second picture was still a neighborhood, it was still filled with people, but the difference was, that everyone was allowed to express themselves as they saw fit within the rules of the neighborhood.

God made each of us different and the reason for this, was so that we weren't all doing the same thing, but instead, each of us have a roll to play and therefore, all of us are needed. The sermon went on to show Scripture saying, "The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!", the truth is that all of us need each-other and if one part of our body is missing we are handicap.

So the title asked the question, I'm Different, "What Now", I say, find a place that needs your unique and wonderful qualities, plug yourself in and be the best "you" you can be. Don't be embarrassed about being different, it is those differences that God uses to make the body whole. More than that, remember that many will not accept or enjoy your differences, but know that without you, they are crippled. It's not easy being different, but anyone who has lost a toe or a finger, knows how much harder life is. However, before losing that part, that person probably didn't even give that finger or toe any notice at all, but it certainly made life a whole lot better. You matter!!! You are needed!!! So your different, good, get out there and "Make the Change"!!!

What Can I Do???

Happy New Year!!! Everyone who has a family or loved one's has probably felt the sting of the holidays on their checkbooks. For many going into debt is just part of the holiday tradition. This can cause serious problems for many people and it may be affecting those you know right now. The high interest rate on credit cards can make paying back all those great and awesome gifts you gave this year pretty hard. So you might ask yourself the question, what can I do about it???

Well, I have found a number of ways to help my friends, family and even neighbors out of a few financial struggles by giving them my talents for free or at a very generous rate. Just before the end of the year, I was able to use some spare parts I had in my basement, to help fix a computer of a couple who were looking at buying a new one because theirs wouldn't work anymore. My extra parts and talents saved them an extra 3 or 4 hundred dollars, since now they don't have to buy a new computer. I have also done many other things with my gift's, talents and skills to help over a dozen people or more this past year. I didn't do all of it for free, but I saved all of them a ton of money by giving them a parts only price. I am not saying this to get a pat on the back, but showing you that a poor guy like me, that is very limited on money, can give hundreds of dollars to people, without spending a dime. Another thing that we did this year, was make blankets, scarf's and hat's for all of our relatives for Christmas. Now you might think that cost a lot of money, but in fact, we barely had 40 dollars into all of the materials, because we found a company that was throwing away brand new fabric, two huge boxes full and we got the yarn for the hats and scarfs for barely a dollar a roll. This helped in two ways, it saved some of our relatives money on hats and scarf's this year, but it also allowed us to stay in the black this year and not go into debt at all during the holiday.

So when you consider helping someone, you don't always have to think, well how much money do I have to spare this month, but instead, find people who need your talents, gifts and skills and bless them with a monetary gift that didn't brake your bank, but helped save them from having to burn a hole in their pocket, due to a repair bill or winter gear they needed to buy. Remember, now is a great time to "Make the Change" in your little part of the world. Go ahead, what are you waiting for???!!!