Scott Miller Blog :: Good Stuff

CMA Awards

OK…I am not a big country music fan…but…I did watch a good portion of last night’s CMA awards…why you ask?  Good question…my top 5 reasons:

1. B/c it came on just as Hayden was slipping into her evening screaming time (yes, I love the little darling…but she still has her moments of emotion most every evening)…
2. The shots that were taken at Kanye West all through the night…why anyone would ever own any Kanye music is beyond me…
3. It brought back memories of my earlier years, when I did enjoy a little country. I remember in elementary school, after everyone else was in bed, mom and dad got me out of bed so I could watch my favorite Oak Ridge Boys sing their hit “Bobbie Sue” on the CMA award show.
4. The whole culture of country music intrigues me.  I don't understand how Kid Rock and George Strait can both be classified in the country genre. 
5. Did I mention the slams on Kanye?

Enjoy a little Bobbie Sue here...

Drunk Woman falls onto tracks

Did you see this?  This gals life was inches from being over!  Way to go bystanders!

Jobs in Middlebury

I've literally prayed for headlines like these…

Jayco Hires 200 to fill order backlog

Single Parenting

I ran across this article the other day on single parenting from Focus on the Family. Thought it might be helpful…

Say the color, not the word

Try it…

Mocking faith or Having Fun?

What do you make of the U of Minnesota mascot's actions a week ago...

New fangled swirly light bulbs/strobe light

So I recently bought a 3 pack of these funny looking light bulbs…the 9 year life length won me over...not to mention the thought of saving the earth, whales, and the Earth's outer crust. BUT…when we turn the thing on, it flickers much like a strobe light! Are these only good for certain applications? What's the deal…what am I missing here…I've got to save the whales…

Please comment below…

Want her to pray for you?

Have you seen this video floating around there in blog-land?  Would you like Hannah to pray for you the next time you have a need???

Visit from a snake

So I'm sitting in the main office, talking with Debbie, and I see something brown and skinny (about a foot long) slithering across the floor. Debbie screamed, I screamed, then Jason came in and we caught the creepy thing. That is honestly the last thing I ever expected to see in the office today. Jason is a bonified snake handler now.

4

4...the number of kids in Tate's Kindergarten class today...4 out of 19...unfotunately, Tate is part of the absent!...Ugh!

Barbies love Jesus too…

I caught this setup downstairs in Barbieland of our basement…apparently Prince Aladdin is also a gifted worship leader…why didn't we think of an old diaper box for the Elkhart Campus stage – could have saved money…

Ahhhh…the first snow…

I actually took this picture Thursday morning. Time to clean out the man half of the garage so I can park the ole' Jeep inside my friends.

Faith + Hope + Love by Hillsong

Ok…I know I've said something about this already…but seriously…you've got to get this album!

Hillsong Faith + Hope + Love

It's been played a lot around our house…encouraging!

Psalm 34:1 I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Fyi – I am still not getting paid in any way to say this…it's just a great album…

Snow in Chicago

How about that…they are calling for snow this weekend in Chicago! My kind of town, Chicago is…

Hillsong – Faith + Hope + Love

I really don't know how they do it (other than through the anointing of the Holy Spirit)! Every year, Hillsong Church, records another worship album. Every year, their worship album, turns into my favorite one yet!

If you have yet to pick up Faith + Hope + Love, I recommend you get it or download it ASAP! (or you could just call the church office and have Debbie put you on hold as it's currently playing as our 'hold' music…but that might jam the meager 2 lines we have at the office, so not a good idea)

Get in the habit of playing worship music in your house, your IPOD, your office, your car…it's faith building…

Fyi – I am not getting paid in any way to say this…it's just a great album…

Free Money

A few years ago, we received a letter from some lady in Indianapolis, informing us that the government owed us some money, and she would be glad to get it back for us (if we pay her a small fee of $50). Thinking it was a scam, I looked into it more in an attempt to turn the lady in to the Better Business Bureau. It turns out, it was for real!

Somehow, in connection with our previous FHA Mortgage on our old house in Middlebury, we had several hundred dollars coming to us! We bypassed our now dear friend from Indy, and filled out the forms for free. A few weeks later, there was a check in our mail box!

Now think about this…that money was ours, the government was just holding on to it. Whether they held on to it, or we received it, it was still our money.

Think about all God is holding for us. Blessing, healing, deliverance, freedom, joy, peace…it's all in his hands. AND IT'S OURS! The moment we surrendered our lives to Jesus was the moment that every promise He makes in the Bible was ours!

He is trying hard to get it to us…but sometimes, we just don't get the message, for whatever reason. We get too busy to really ask. We get to spiritually limp to have faith that he really will do what he says. We end up living far beneath the level of appropriation that God has for us…not b/c it's not there…but b/c we never connect with Him to receive. I realize God is sovereign, but we play a role in this as well! Think on this…

1 Corinthians 1:20 (NKJV) ²⁰For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

Why not join me tonight as we spend time connecting with God at our Middlebury campus…7pm…all His promises are Yes and Amen!

Gino's East Mishawaka is OPEN!

 

Marshall King with the etruth says Gino's is open!  Gino's East Mishawaka website...

GOOD STUFF!

9-26-09 Update - had a classic Gino's sausage deep dish pizza last night...absolutely delicious...

Not top 10 from SportsCenter

Caught these today...I love the tuba guy at #6...funny, very funny...

Dad catches ball, Daughter throws it back!

You've got to see this if you haven't already...This dad catches a foul ball at a Phillies game (the dream of most every man when they attend a baseball game), and then hands it to his toddler to see...what happens next caused the whole stadium full of dad's to groan audibly...

Hugs -Payment for Being a Dad

Today I picked up my 6yr old, Tate, from her half day of Kindergarten whilst on my lunch hour. Up until today, Megan had always picked her up, so I was a rookie at this. I signed in at the office, walked down to her class and peeked in. What followed was one of the most amazing things that could happen to a dad - she ran over to me, in front of her whole class, and gave me the biggest hug she's ever given me.

Whew...I needed that...I think your little girls hugs are a great payment for being a dad...

John’s Bagels - Elkhart

Spent most of today in Elkhart…working on some Elkhart Campus stuff with Jason Brooks. We ended up having staff mtng over coffee and cinnamon rolls at John's Bagels there in downtown Elkhart.

Interesting that John is no longer involved in the bagel shop, but his bro Joe is…and their other bro does the coffee stuff in the basement…and yet another bro is a doctor in Ohio I believe…and there is a sister that somehow fits into all of this...but interesting none the less that the John has been taken from the John's Bagels…(all of this was learned in the midst of a short conversation with Joe…nice guy, Joe…)

Coffee was great…cinnamon roll was not bad at all…should have had him warm mine up, but it was a couple of good calorie's spent there…

342 New Followers of Jesus…in one day!

Just read Mark Beeson's (Granger Community Church) blog post from this past Sunday…they had 342 people make commitments to follow Jesus this past Sunday! Amazing…I love it…

2 Words...GO IRISH!

2 Words...GO IRISH!

Update...Irish annihilate Nevada...35-0...Hello!

On the lighter side of things...

Funny church experiences...

To the parents of Madison from Osceola

We've got her full name and address, and will be sending a card through the mail…but I've just got to share this. A few weeks ago, Madison from Osceola, IN, was racing in the "Middlebury Mile" and the "3k" during the Middlebury Summer Festival. This 12 year old young lady placed 2^nd in both events, meaning a whopping grand prize of $25 for each race. (Hey, I was 12 once…$50 was a whopping amount back then…I could have at least afforded a half of a pair of Air Jordan's.)

This is where the story gets notable…Instead of keeping the money for herself, she noticed a group of green shirted people (from Pathway) leading a street full of kids and parents in games. Liking what she saw, she asked Nate Jones (who oversaw the races and filled us in on this story) to pass the winnings on to the church doing the games.

How about that…Obviously, it's not the amount, it's the heart behind it.

To the parents of Madison from Osceola ---- You are doing something right.

Good stuff…

Texting while Driving - Don't watch this

Don't watch this if you ever want to text while you're driving again...I'm being serious...

Message received....

Thanks to Tim Stevens for the post...

Thursday blabbing

There is nothing like getting to the end of a Thursday, which in some ways, is the end of my week (Friday is my day of rest, Saturday is further prep for Sunday day, and Sunday is my biggest work day of the week), and knowing I got most everything done that I needed to get done.

• Message from God to share with church – got it and it's down on paper.
• Order of Service planned and emailed out – yep.
• Significant prayer for Sunday service and needs of the church – check.
• Weekly to-do list for the Elkhart Campus all checked off – roger.
• Time spent encouraging and leading direct reports – accomplished.

Aaaaahhhh…nothing like going into a weekend feeling like you've done what you needed to do.

Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

On the Road Again…

Local RV factory, Dutchman, is looking to fill 50 new positions at its Goshen plant…

This followed by the August 10^th announcement that Energy-Inc. is looking to possibly bring 500 jobs to Middlebury…

Now that is blog worthy…I love it…

Wee Wee’d Up Over Wealth

I couldn't help myself…I had to borrow President Obama's "There is something about August going into September where everybody in Washington gets all wee weed up!" comments to make a title for this past week's message from James 5:1-6.

Not the most amazing message I've ever shared, but maybe the most creative title?

Update: Gino’s East in Mishawaka

South Bend Tribune says that Gino's will be opening in late August…how about that…

9/21/09 Update:  Marshall King with the etruth says Gino's is open!  Gino's East Mishawaka website...

10 Things I’ll bet you didn’t know about me (and probably don’t even really care to know)

1. My current snack of choice is the original Chex Mix.
2. My current shows of choice are The Great American Road Trip (the girls and I are watching this together…DiSalvatore's all the way baby!) and Ice Road Truckers (still don't know why I like this show).
3. The TV show I'm most likely to puke over after watching – any of the recent Jon and Kate Plus 8's.
4. If I wanted to, I could get a free dessert at Logan's Roadhouse, a free something at Famous Dave's, and a free burger at Red Robin (for my birthday on August 29^th).
5. The last movie I watched all the way through was Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief starring Cary Grant (I love the TCM channel).
6. I don't like most any food that is not cooked (especially salads).
7. The other day I saw one of my neighbor's kids running down our street in their underwear…I won't mention names, as this family happens to attend Pathway…hah!
8. I wear a size 10 ½ shoe.
9. Our baby, Hayden, has more hair on her head than I do.
10. I am seriously thinking about purchasing a used John Deere lawn tractor in the next year (know of any deals?????).

John Wesley on Wealth

"Gain all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can." I like it…

(John Wesley – The Use of Money)

How do they make those RV's?

MSNBC posted this video recently on the Elkhart Project page...filmed at Middlebury's own Jayco...

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Bethel A/G and Calvary A/G

Caught these online this week…Bethel A/G and Calvary A/G, both in Elkhart, did back to school stuff for those who needed it…good stuff…

Bethel – see video and read story here…

Calvary – see video and read story here…or watch the following video...

God’s Will – Act on What I Already Know to Do

Discerning/finding God's will is a strange animal at times. I don't think it has to be as hard as what we make it out to be! But at the same time, there are moments when you feel like hearing from God on something is about as easy as catching a greased pig (something I have tried by the way).

One of the easiest steps in the right direction for me recently was this thought – act on what I already know to do. Meaning, maybe one of the reasons I'm struggling with His will in an area is b/c He's waiting for me to do what I already know to do, but won't!

Ugh…what is it in me right now that I know I ought to be doing, b/c it's been made very clear, but I'm not doing?

Maybe for you it's water baptism? Or throwing away the old magazines instead of hiding them in the garage? Or taking the time to love on your spouse and kids like you know you should (and want to)?

Whatever it is, act on it. Just see if that doesn't open the door for the next step to become clear.

Beliefs Vs. Believe

Concerning thought…could there be people that sit in churches all over America who have a Christian belief system, but they don't really believe in Jesus Christ? Meaning, they keep most of the 10 commandments faithfully, or other main tenants of the Christian faith, but their faith has never transferred from following the list of Christian do's and don'ts, to genuinely believing in Jesus – that he died, rose again, and was who the Bible (and history) says he was?

After all, doesn't John 3:16 say that "whoever believes in him" shall not parish? John 3:18 says, ¹⁸Whoever believes in him is not condemned…"

What if we have belief's built around him that we keep religiously, but we've never really come to grips with believing in him?

That will bother me enough to cause me to lose sleep at times…(along with a screaming new born)

Banner-Man

One of the first verses from the Bible that we memorized as kids…the Scripture typically displayed by the Banner-Man at sporting events…but I'm not sure I've ever shared a message directly from it...that is, until this Sunday.

Looking forward to baptizing a group of new/young believers tomorrow!

New every morning…

Stop for a minute and think…what are you carrying today that you really ought to give to Jesus? No really…did you do it? Don't read on until you take 15-20 seconds to think.

Monday night, my head hit the pillow with a heavy heart. All kinds of things rolling around in my brain...people's marriages on the rocks, Elkhart Campus stuff, the angst of "am I pulling my weight with the crying baby" as I see Megan's lack of sleep, regular parenting stuff with Ashton and Tate, a rough financial month of July for Pathway…all of this stuff, piling on. I felt like I didn't even have the physical strength to get my hind out of bed to pray…my brain seemed numb…I didn't have a lot of words to pray…I prayed a couple sentence prayer (expecting God to do something about it, b/c I knew I couldn't!) and drifted off to sleep.

I woke up Tuesday morning with a freshness that I haven't felt for a long time (it might have helped that I got 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep for the first time in a few days!). Spiritually and emotionally, the peace I felt as I took on the day. There was a newness about it…no other words to express it but a peace from God.

By Tuesday afternoon, I started to feel the pressure again. But this time, I went right to prayer and refused to live under the weight of this stuff.

It's a daily battle. We daily have to take our load, our burdens, our desires, and lay them out before the Lord. He asks us to! Why is this so hard? Why do we insist on carrying the load, negating one of the very benefits of following Jesus???

I want to pray for you…God – would you give new mercies this morning to your church. Even as they read this, would you give them the grace to give it up to you…submit to your will…draw near to you, knowing that as they do, you will draw near to them…I love you Lord…Amen…

Lamentations 3:22 Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!"

Submitting your strengths

It's one thing to submit your weaknesses to God…but what about your strengths? I've tried to make a point of nailing my weaknesses and being aware of them. I feel so inadequate at times in all kinds of areas, and it's easy to lay those out before the Lord…to submit them to the Lord…asking for his will to be done...b/c I'm desperate for His HELP!

But this past week, I was really challenged with the thought of submitting my STRENGTHS to the Lord. Sometimes, I can have this tendency to just glide by in an area of strength. To not be so intent on asking for God's hand in my strength areas…Why? BECAUSE THEY ARE A STRENGTHS…GOD GIVEN STRENGTHS! I'm not as desperate in my prayers concerning these areas b/c, in a sense, even if God doesn't 'show up' in those areas, it's not as noticeable, b/c it's a strength. This attitude stinketh! But the honest truth is, at times, I may fall in to this mode.

Working on it this week…submitting everything to God…weaknesses and strengths…any thoughts?

Festival Tonight

We've got a group of about 45-50 people from Pathway, ready to lead the Middlebury Summer Festival kids into a night of fun tonight...Downtown...7pm..come out!

Recent Events – in Photo

A few weeks ago, I took the Sunday off. I ended up having our own church service with the girls…and Pooh Bear, Bah Bah Bah Bah Bah (the Lamb), the green care bear, Princess Aurora, and Ariel. These characters came in handy during the girls' re-enactment of Moses as a baby.

Touching moment with the girls:

Ashton – "Daddy, Look at the sun!"

Me – "That's not the sun, that's the moon."

Tate – "Someone's butt cheeks? Isn't that what the moon is?" (uh…she gets that from her mom)

What's that you ask? Is there a new born in the house?

14 Years of Bliss

14 years of bliss my friends…sure, there's been a few hairy moments (like the M&M incident I spoke of in a recent message)…but a majority of fantastically fun moments!

Happy anniversary to Megan and I!  I think I may have outdone ole' Nat in my rendition of Unforgettable 14 years ago...

A/G General Council

If you are interested…the fellowship we are a part of, The Assemblies of God, will be having their bi-annual gathering this week in Orlando. You can follow along and/or watch live services in the evenings here.

Scott’s Cash For Clunkers Headlines

Today: 'Govt Bails Out Auto-Industry - Cash For Clunkers'

1 Year From Now: 'Govt Bails Out America – Can't Afford Car Payment'

Barnes and Noble – FREE WiFi

And here's a piece of useless information for some, but very relevant to many of us who seem to be tethered to our laptops…Barnes and Noble now offers free WiFi!

Update on Megan & Hayden

All is well with both.

Really strange how much one pound makes a difference in babies. Both Ashton & Tate were 7lbs 4 ounces or something like that at birth, and Hayden is around 6lbs 4 ounces right now (at 2 weeks old!). She seems so tiny!

This was Megan's 3^rd C-section, so healing has been slow going due to scar tissue they had to deal with.

I've really enjoyed my vacation time around Hayden's birth…I've done everything but feed the baby over the past few weeks (that job is all mommy's).

View Over Middlebury

Middlebury had an odd rain shower/sun spot hit it simultaneously tonight (Saturday).  It caused there to be one of the most amazing rainbows I've ever seen.  One of my neighbors suggested it ended in my back yard...nope...not unless the pot of gold has been replaced with a swing-set and dog do-do. 

Dancing Wedding Party

Ok...the holiness tradition in me says this is sacriligious (we only dance if it's 'in the spirit')...

The lighter side of me thinks there's just something right about the joy exhibited through this dance...(and makes me wish I had further mad skills)

Your thoughts?

Thanks to Jeff Leake for the video...

What were we thinking…

You've all been there…stop being so high and mighty…last night, we had one of those "what were we thinking" moments.

Don't get me wrong, having a baby was a God thing, really. I cannot tell you how excited I am about now being a dad to 3 beautiful girls…but…when the youngest (Hayden – 1 week old) decided to scream all night last night…you can't help but to think to yourself, as you are walking the floor, singing every childhood song you can think of, hoping to somehow silence the squeal of a newborn…if not just for a moment…WHAT WERE WE THINKING!

Sisters

I can't believe I didn't snap a picture from tonight's visit of all 3 of my older sisters (I am the baby). I was able to grab the picture below off of some video I took.

I love my sisters (Jacquie to the left holding Hayden, Julie in middle, and Shayne on the right talking to Ashton)…yep…I'm blessed. I guess you could say these three prepared me to live with my own three (plus wife)!