Scott McAlister

If you are a member or a regular attender of SpringWell Church then you do not want to miss this Sunday.  We are in a family series entitled “The Amazing Race”.  Last Sunday was a lot of fun as we talked primarily to singles about the “ulti-mate” destination.  This Sunday we are going to be talking to newlyweds about some cool tips for having a successful first year of marriage.  Even if you have been married for 50 years you don’t want to miss this Sunday because I/we will be sharing some sweet truths that I truly believe will keep your marriage exciting and fun regardless of how long you’ve been together.

Are you excited yet?  Well here is the deal: This Sunday I am going to be doing something that I have never done in all of my 24 years of ministry…I mean never…I have always wanted to do it but have never really had the opportunity.  Most of you have never heard me sing…I’m really good!  You know they say that I look like the “Rascal Flatts” dude, well I think that I sing like him too.  This Sunday we are doing the “Rascal Flatts” song “Life is a Highway”.  You never know it just may be me doing the lead!  Would that be sweet or what?

Of course it could be something else.  I really wouldn’t want to show up some of our less talented singers, and there is one more thing that I have always wanted to do but have never had the opportunity.  I have always thought about preaching naked…just kidding…I would never show this body in public.  I have actually given a little hint in this blog, think you can find it?  It’s kind of like the “Where’s Waldo” thing again.  Anyway, I guess you’ll just have to show up and see what the BIG deal is all about.  I’ll see you Sunday!

The truth of it is today I am too tired to think, but I feel a huge need to write.  Maybe I feel the need to write because I made a commitment to write at least three days a week and I do try very hard to keep my commitments.  I think I read in Ecclesiastes that it is better not to make a vow than to make one and not keep it. 

Maybe I feel the need to write because writing is actually kind of cathartic.  It’s good to put your thoughts down on paper and then reflect on the mess that you see yourself in.  Maybe it’s cathartic because it keeps you from exploding on everybody else…but then again you are reading what I write so I guess that won’t work well with you guys…sorry!

So why do I feel such a need to write today.  Maybe I just want you to know a little of my pain.  You see Sunday I buried a 21 month old baby boy.  His name was Winston.  He was a beautiful little boy with big blue eyes and cotton white hair.  His parents were unbelievable at the funeral.  I watched in amazement as they seemed to almost be doing more ministry than anyone else there.  They were kind and gentle as people like me said some really stupid things.  You know the kind of things we say, things like “how are you doing?”.  Of course they aren’t doing well…they just lost their son,  but they were so patient.  I know that none of us meant any harm.  We just didn’t know what else to say.  They understood our awkwardness and seemed to genuinely be thankful and appreciative of the fact that we were there to offer our love and support.

As I have written my thoughts it has occurred to me how incredibly selfish I must appear to be.  A family has lost their son and I’m whining about being tired.  I told you this blogging thing was cathartic!  Oh well, I guess it’s time to shut up, pray for this sweet family, and thank God that I have been blessed with another day to spend with my mine.  I hope that you will take the time to do the same!

I enjoy reading other people’s blogs.  Sometimes they encourage me, sometimes they just down right irritate me, and other times they make me go hum!  One of those that made me go hum was Tony Morgan’s April 8 blog entitled “Who is most likely to volunteer?”  He posted some fascinating facts as reported in the April issue of “Men’s Health”.  Here they are:

I found those stats extremely interesting since most church people use the excuse “I’m too busy to volunteer” to get out of giving their time to the work of God.  Does that sound too churchy?  Anyway, that statement made me stop and think: Is it that people really don’t want to volunteer their time, are people just generally selfish or does it require a deeper look? 

It seems to me that it is easy for us as “The Church” to point the finger of blame for the lack of motivation to the individual rather than taking a harder look at ourselves as leaders and motivators.  If we as leaders did a better job in communicating the joy of serving and the thrill of knowing that God can use ordinary people in extraordinary ways then perhaps we wouldn’t struggle as much with the lack of volunteers.

One of the reasons that I love my job is that every single week I am still amazed at how God takes someone like me, who is so less than perfect, and uses me to touch another person’s heart…it is sooo cool to be a part of what God is doing in the world, even if it is just a small part!

If you are a leader then let me challenge you with a couple of questions: Are you still thrilled with the fact that God chooses to use ordinary you?  Are you sharing that fact with those who volunteer with you? 

Ok, I guess I’m sounding a little preachy…what did you expect…I am a preacher for Pete’s sake.  But honestly I hope that you examine your motivation for serving and that you’ll make the most of every opportunity to volunteer.  God really will do extraordinary things through ordinary people just like you!     

Have you missed me?  I haven’t posted in a few days.  I have been really busy.  Of course most of last week and the weekend was filled with rehearsals and preparation for the BIG Easter weekend celebration.  And it was, even if I say so myself, one the most incredible weekends that we have ever had.  Our programming team knocked the ball out of the park with the planning, and our music,drama, and tech guys executed a service that certainly honored the resurrection of Jesus.  I also want to thank all the volunteers who served. From the parking lot to the greeters and ushers and in children’s ministry as well. We couldn’t do it without your hard work and commitment to serve.  THANKS!

Easter has a way of putting things into the proper perspective for me.  It is so easy to get caught up in the daily grind of ministry that you can somehow loose sight of the real power of God.  You see the truth of it is, it takes a huge amount of resources to make church happen…ministry ain’t cheap!  Ministry ain’t cheap and it takes a tremendous amount of selfless volunteers to make it all happen.  We depend on people who are willing to serve without the benefit of seeing, at least sometimes, any earthly reward.  And too much of the time we lack both the financial and physical resources to do this thing that we call ministry.  And it can be a little depressing at times…not last weekend, but sometimes.  And if we are not careful we slip into the trap of becoming people of the crucifixion rather than people of the resurrection.  So Easter kind of puts things back into the proper perspective for me and reminds me of the awesome power of God…it reminds me of what really matters.

I have been by the side of two incredibly wonderful parents this week as they have struggled through the suffering of a sick child.  The father is a giant of a man…no kidding he stands 6′5″.  He is brilliant…has a PHD and is a professor at North Greenville University.  BUT his greatest asset is not his physical stature or intellectual accolades.  His greatest asset is his heart…it is his love for his family.

The mother is a very petite little lady.  At first glance they look like the odd couple, but a closer observation will reveal that they are a perfect match.  She is as strong and brilliant as he and they work together to paint a picture of beauty and strength.  

Their 21 month old son underwent surgery this week for a brain tumor.  It has been a stressful week with a roller coaster of emotions.  The surgery seemed to go well, but several hours later things took a turn for the worse.  Even as I sit here and write this blog we just aren’t sure how things are going to turn out…we can only pray for a miracle…we need to see the power of our resurrected Lord.

One thing is for sure, times like this will surely make you think about what really matters in this life.  It will make you hold your child a little longer and value the sweet time that you have together.  It will make you treasure the beauty of  a great marriage and thank God that you have someone to share your life with.  It will make you thank the good Lord for a community of believers that genuinely love and care for each other.  It will make you thankful for the power of an awesome God who holds the gift of life in His very hands.

Please pray for the Cook family this week.  Pray that God will give strength to the parents Jeff and Laura.  And pray that God will be merciful and heal Winston Adam Cook.       

I love to read Ken Newton’s blog.  I so wish I had his mastery of the english language.  Sometimes I’m not even sure that I speak english…mine is more like a twisted version…some-kind of blend of southern hick with a touch of southern class. (at least I would like to think that there is, at times, a touch of class). 

I love it when scripture and life merge together in such a way that we are able to see that doing the God thing really improves the quality of relationships.  I love it when relationships move from partnership to friendship to community.

Community…now there’s an overused and often abused word.  I think that I’ve heard it used to describe how people relate to each other in close proximity…no that was “commune” or was it “shacking up”?

So what is community?  I don’t think that I am expert enough to say, but I do have an opinion.  I have read definitions, but none seem to get at the heart of real community.  So let me just list a few characteristics of what I think true community is.

1. True community reflects the characteristics of the fruit of the spirit as listed in Galatians 5.

2. True community is birthed in the heart. 

3. True community is more than an outward manifestation of a list of do’s and don’t’s.

4. True community is a lifestyle.

 5. True community is a lifestyle to be pursued with passion and conviction.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that community has to be intentional and it has to come out of the overflow of my relationship with God.  It’s where scripture and real life merge together.  It’s what brings two very different people, who come from very different places together…people like Ken Newton and Scott McAlister.  One who has mastered the Canadian version of the english langauge and one who is more southern hick blended with a touch of southern class.  It looks like this Jesus stuff really works!  Who would have ever thunk it!

Hey did anyone catch the mis-spelled word from my last post?  If not then I’m not going to tell you which word it was.  Maybe you should go back and look and see if there are any more missed spelled words.  It can be kind of like a little game every week…you know kind of like the game “Where’s Waldo”.  There will be no prize for the winners but it should make you feel better about helping out a poor defenseless speller in a time of need.  What do you think?

It occurred to me as I was thinking through the whole spelling thing, and of course feeling a little stupid as I was processing, how we so often look for the little imperfections in people rather than seeking the greater content of their heart.  How often do we judge the perceived imperfections of appearance and miss the more obvious brokenness of a person’s life.  

I can only speak for myself.  Over the years I have become much less judgemental…maybe a little more cynical, but certainly less judgemental.  I have found that it is easy to judge behavior and deem it inappropriate..and as we love to put it in church…”sinful” until you look deep within a person’s heart and soul.  I have learned over the years that hurting people tend to hurt other people, not so much out of meanness but out of their own pain.  And I have learned that when we dare to love the unlovely that often their response is truly amazing.  Their hard exterior melts under the warmth of true love and forgiveness and their inner brokenness finds healing.  Sounds like a God thing to me.

Thanks for not being so hard on my little imperfections…thanks for looking at the intent of my heart and for not judging me for the imperfections of my flawed spelling!