Are we making the wrong people rich?

No doubt you have been watching to see what will happen on Capital Hill and on Wall Street. The thought that a bunch of Wall Street rich dudes will get bailed out is really ticking a lot of folks off - including me. But of course this got me thinking...

Who are we making rich? Who are you making rich? Who in my life am I making rich? And I'm not talking about money.

We each have something to offer. You could call it the currency of life. It might be money, it might be time, it might be talents. And every day we spend some of those commodities somewhere. So in a sense we are taking what is ours to invest and putting it somewhere... So where are we putting it. Who is getting our best and becoming richer for it? Who are we making rich?

Am I investing time with my kids or someone else?

Am I spending more on my wife than on me?

Am I using my talents to bring people to Jesus or just to make me look good?

Am I giving any time to God?

Am I faithful in being generous?

Am I using my God given talents for God's glory?

Who are you making rich?

And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 2 Cor 8:1-2 (NIV)

Weekend Update

What a great weekend!

Great weekend at church - three baptisms and a couple of folks made HCC their home church... It was awesome seeing folks come forward for prayer. And my neighbor visited - she just recently lost her husband and it was awesome seeing folks rally around her.

And what about Blaine - man he did an awesome job sharing the work being done in Uganda. I am so proud of our folks for the love they have for others.... Great job guys and Great job God!

Tim and Amy Schindler visited on Sat night - Tim is the youth minister at G-town baptist - keep them in prayer - they leave a week from Thursday for China. They are adoping a beautiful little girl.

Also Frank and Brenda Howell were with us at the 10:45. They are former members who moved away about 7 years ago. They live in Jeffersonville IN - it was great showing them the building and catching up.

Oh yea, another cool thing happened. A young man stopped by about 8:00 from Crossroads - it seems their drummer forgot his sticks and they needed to borrow some. Keep crossroads in your prayers - this is a great work and lives in G-town will be touched for eternity. Glad we could help.

On another front - Vols lose again! USC gets spanked! Cards tank again! And what about those Gators! Oh yea, UK goes 4-0 - still not in the top 25 but getting closer (both polls have them ranked at 28).

Let me say it again - GO SEE FIREPROOF!

Fireproof - AWESOME!

Wow! And that doesn't even touch it. My wife and I went to see Fireproof last night. This is an absolute must see for every couple. I mean a MUST SEE!

The story is about a fireman (Kirk Cameron) who is a hero at work - but losing his marriage. When his wife tells him she's through he finally get's it. He goes through a 40 day exercise to win her back. At the beginning he just goes through the motions, but eventually he realizes that he cannot do this alone. He needs to let God do it.

There are so many scenes I have seen played out. She is surrounded by friends who encourage her to bail. She is courted by a nice guy who "gets her". He let's his anger almost derail the process.

I cried. I cried a lot. Some of the tears were caused by the painful memories of seeing friends marriages crash and burn before my eyes. But most of them were tears of sadness for the times the story was about me. I was that guy at one time. I was the guy "saving the world" but neglecting my wife. I am in tears now as I think of how my wife stayed the course when I gave her every reason to bail.

The key line is "You never leave your partner behind, especially in a fire".

So many times I've seen it... and it's heart breaking.

See the movie, and don't see it alone. Take people with you. This will be the catalyst for saving marriages. Maybe yours.

Here's the link again to the movie.

Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is useless. Prov 127:1 (NLT)

As some of you know - Friday night is my "Date Night". Tonight Melody and I are going to see the movie Fireproof.

This movie is about a Fireman (Kirk Cameron) who is a hero at work but loosing his marriage at home.

I've been excited about this movie and how we can use it to help others find hope in troubled marriages. I'll post an update later.

You should really check out the movie at their web site.

Bail Out

So let me see if I have this right. If I don't pay my bills but take the cash to Keeneland trying to hit it big but loose it all instead - somebody will call a meeting of a bunch of elected officials and tell all my neighbors that they are going to take their money and bail me out. But of course when I go back to Keeneland trying to hit it big again and win all my money back I will give it to the same officials and they will in turn pay back my neighbors.

Yes, that's what the 700 billion dollar bail out sounded like to me - REALLY NICE PLAN.

But then I got to thinking about this from a spiritual perspective. Lets see how this same scenario works.

As a church and as believers God has entrusted us with "spiritual" treasures. But when we don't use them for His glory it's like going to Keeneland and wasting it. And for what purpose - we're trying to hit it big. We want to be successful on our terms. We want our pound of flesh when we've been hurt instead of being forgiving. We want someone else to risk telling our neighbors about Jesus.

And just like our US economy there is coming a pay day.

Maybe someone will come along and bail us out too... but I doubt it.

15 Million Dollars $$$$

I got to thinking - what could I do with 15 million dollars?

I could buy 3,750,500 ProV1 golf balls.

I could buy groceries for my family till the year 4314

I could buy a new Triton Bass Boat TR21 each day till the beginning of October 2009

I could sponsor 500,000 children for one month through feed the children or I could sponsor 41,666 for a whole year.

I could pay off Harmony's debt 4 times over.

I could pay for 4 years of college at Cincinnati Christian University for 178 students.

Or I could pay for the political commercials for Barack Obama and John McCain for ONE DAY!

Maybe it's just me - but with thousands of homes still uninhabitable in Louisiana and Alabama and now more in Texas wouldn't that be a little bit better use of 15 million A DAY!

With millions dying of AIDS in Africa wouldn't it be nice to maybe have a few less political adds and maybe come up with a cure?

And instead of putting America even farther in debt bailing out greedy investment companies - maybe some of the money could come from the campaign coffers.

Maybe it's just me.

Awesome Weekend!

Wow - what a great weekend.

The praise team rocked! Man are we blessed with some talented, hardworking musicians.

Two young people were baptized - PTL!

People liked the tie dye and the tricked out pants - thanks David Wegner (my new tailor).

And tonight I slipped in on "Girlfriends Unlimited" - it was a group of about 150 women getting together to launch some incredible Bible studies and build relationships. What an awesome program. Wanda Miller can BRING IT! And what can I say about my wonderful wife. She has worked so hard with a group of other dedicated ladies to make this an awesome thing. AND IT WAS! Great job baby!

I also got to see my two oldest helping lead the worship for the event... I'm so proud of them both! And babies - you look so cute with that little belly! You are daddy's girl!

Oh yea - the Vols got spanked again - way to go Gators!

Making phone calls

I'm sitting in my office with the Ryder Cup on the TV and I'm making phone calls. I make A LOT of phone calls and I get A LOT of phone calls.

The calls I'm making now are really great calls. I'm calling people that are interested in being members at Harmony. I love making these calls!

And I get to make these calls because some other great folks have already made phone calls. You see when new folks come to church we have a group of volunteers that contact them first. Many times before I touch base with someone they have gotten a number of contacts from others first. Great job!

But there is room for more - we are really having a lot of folks try out Harmony and we need even more folks willing to get on the phone and welcome them. If you'd like to try that let Dan know.

Like I said, "I've been making phone calls" - sure some of them were on me talking to someone's voice mail, one was a guy traveling in Eastern KY with a bad signal, but several were actual people exciting about finding Harmony. Folks chomping at the bit to get involved. People setting up times to be baptized or join the the church.

Have I mentioned lately that I love my job!

A day at the Ryder Cup

My friend Steve Settles and I went to Valhalla Golf Club today. It was the third practice day for the Ryder Cup. For those non-golf enthusiasts - IT'S A BIG HONKIN' DEAL! For those who know golf - you know how great this was. This was one of those "once in a lifetime" opportunities.

We only got to follow around the US team as both teams (US and European) only played nine holes today... but it was great. Man can these guys hit a golf ball!

The guy swinging the driver is JB Holmes - a Ky native - and the ball he hit went at least 375 yards - maybe more! These dudes make it look so easy.

The Ryder Cup is only played every other year and the US team is way behind in the win column - so everyone is hoping they can do well this year. They will sorely miss Tiger Woods though.



Thanks Steve for a great day! Makes me want to play golf - but then on the other hand seeing how well those guys play makes eBay look good too.... LOL

Saying goodbye is tough

In the 11 last years HCC has said goodbye to a lot of folks. In the first 2 years alone over 100 people decided they needed to worship somewhere else. And while this is not a scientific count I would guess that we have seen over 1000 people leave Harmony since we began in 1997.

Some left because they moved away, some left because they simply became inactive, some went home to be with the Lord. But many have left for other reasons. Some of the comments I have heard over the years include.

"We feel like we can't know anyone here - it's so big".

"I'm used to a smaller church"

"Things aren't the way they used to be"

"We want a choir"

"I don't like the Music"

Now being a people person you need to know that every one of these comments stung. There's a part of me that wants to run after them and say, "Give us another chance - we'll do church in a way that makes you happy". I've lost hours and hours and hours of sleep over such comments.

But I had to dissect these comments and have over time - here are my thoughts (and really there's nothing personal about any of this).

If the concern is not knowing anyone - that can be a problem in any church - no one is going to know everyone here - Hey I'm the pastor and I don't know everyone here. But everyone can know someone. Get in a ministry team, join a Life Team, here's a novel idea - INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO SOMEONE!

If someone leaves because we're getting too big - they are leaving because they have a problem with God's purpose for His church. The church is supposed to be reaching people - if they do they will grow. If a church is not growing there's a problem.

If someone is looking for a "smaller church" they really don't need to look elsewhere - they need to get connected in a Life Team hear - that's our version of the "smaller church".

Things are not the way they used to be - we have changed. Praise the Lord! Now we all know change is hard - but let's be consistent here. How many of you still have a party line on your phone (or even know that is)? How many of you drive a car with only an AM radio? How many of you have a PC? We live in a changing world and while we have a timeless message - there must be changes in the way we communicate it.

About the whole "music" issue - that is going to be an issue in every church. Because music is about preference and in our case it's about our "target". Yes, I said target. While we are not uninterested in older "church folks" - we are seeking young families with children. And the style of music we use has them in mind.

So I guess what it all boils down to is this. Harmony has a vision - we want to help people find Jesus and grow in Him. We are not perfect - but we are not apologetic about it either. So if people really can't get excited about where we are going or how we are going about it - maybe it is best for them to find a place where they "fit in".

Sure - I would rather they "fit in" here. I'd rather for them to see Georgetown as a sea of lost people in desperate need of Jesus. I'd rather folks understand that what we are doing is making an eternal difference. I'd rather not see them leave. I'd rather they shared the vision and worked their tails off with us to see it accomplished. But if that's just not going to happen - then let me say, as I often have - Goodbye - and God bless you.

Saying goodbye is tough - but Sometimes saying goodbye is a good thing.

What's up with this!

Somebody is going to have to explain to me this whole college poll system. Here's what I mean.

Pre-season - Tennessee is ranked 18 (AP/USA)- they get killed at UCLA and fall to 31/28 (AP/USA) - week 2 they win (30/31) - week three they win and drop even more (34/32).

Pre-Season - Kentucky is (un-ranked/40) - they beat UofL and see a slight rise (37/34) - week 2 they win (34/29) - week 3 they win and they drop in the polls again (38/30).

Ohio State - pre-season (2/3) - week 1 they win (3/3) - week 2 they win (5/5) - week 3 they are killed at USC - 13/14.

So I guess the powers that be want to see an overrated OSU wind up in the national championship for yet another year and get killed there too!

Go Cats!

Weekend Update

This is my version of "Weekend Update" - Remember Dennis Miller on SNL?

The opening song - "Help" rocked! John Painter's new song was awesome. By Sunday the rest of the set was better. We had a number of "issues" this weekend... I MEAN A NUMBER OF THEM.

Is it a sin to cuss in church when the microphone freaks out?

Kudos to all the folks who work so hard to pull this off week after week. You guys are the bomb!

I felt good about the message - check it out here. I think we all need to be challenged to make sure our priorities are matched by our commitments and we all struggle with the disconnect.

Several people made HCC their home church and a number of others came for prayer.

It was a great weekend.

Please remember to keep the folks in Texas in your prayers - man did they get hammered!

Finish well

The other day I was playing golf and I was on fire. On the front nine I had a birdie and an eagle - my first eagle in about 10 years. I'm not that good of a golfer - lol. Anyway I finished the front nine with a 38 - (one over par for that course) - Very good for me.

Then it happened and I don't know why. Was it the hot dog I ate at the turn? Was it just taking too much time before I teed up again? Maybe it was just bad karma. But it happened - between the front and the back nine I forgot how to play golf. As good as the front was (+1) the back was horrible (+10). Ten over par on the back! UGGGHHHH!

They say in many things in life it's good to finish strong. In music you can sometimes get away with a poor beginning if you finish strong. I know this is true in sermons. And I think it's true in life. It's even good in golf - at least it's good for your attitude. I've said many times, "A good last couple of holes has kept my clubs off eBay".

So how are we doing in the spiritual world? Most of us know we didn't begin well. We're sinners on our way to hell and then we meet Jesus. That's a step in the right direction BIG TIME! But how are we doing now? Are we getting better at following the master or are we slipping? Are we in position to "finish well"?

Golf is about two things. Golf is about "distance and direction". Our life with God is about the same two things. When we focus on Him he sets the direction for us. And when we trust him to empower us he helps us with the distance. And only then will we finish well.

My baby's a teenager!

I was planning on buying a new boat, I was thinking in just 10 more years our last child would be grown, I was getting used to the idea that we would only have two kids... then it happened. The little lines in the EPT test did what they do. I was shocked, maybe even in denial. It was not a mistake - but it was a surprise. I really don't think I accepted the fact that Melody was pregnant again until she was dilated about 6 centimeters!

That was then - 13 years ago - and it seems like yesterday. But now my baby is 13 years old! A teenager! We've been through this before - twice! Ready or not here we go again. But when you really think about it - it really is an awesome time. Of course there's the whole hormonal stuff, there can be the occasional "attitude", and the non-stop ringing of the phone. But really it's all good.

Nina is growing into a fine young woman - did I really just say that? Wow - but it's true - she's a woman! She can be lippy, she can be head strong, but she is awesome. Mom and Dad are both so proud of her. She loves the Lord and she loves people. I think she will one day change the world - at least the part she comes in contact with.

So baby - Dad loves you... And while you may have been a surprise - YOU WERE NEVER A MISTAKE!

A picture is worth a 1,000 words!

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words - well this one says that many and more.

This is one of the first pics of our newest grand baby. Not sure if it's a boy or girl yet... but either way Grandma and Grandpa are stoked! Beth is due March 2 and we can't wait. Abigail is ready to be "the big sister" and she still claims there's two of them! The Doctor is not sharing that view and mom and dad are siding with the Doctor!

Anyway - I wanted you all to get your first look too.

Maybe it's just me, but I think the baby has grandpa's good looks! What do you think?

Odd facts

This was inspired by Perry Noble's blog - he posted some little known facts about himself - so I thought why not do the same? So here goes. Did you know?

I have two brothers - one is 48 one is 40.

I graduated from Boone County HS in 1977.

I won a kissing contest in High School - really I did!

I am somewhat double jointed.

I played football not soccer in school and I'm not built for basketball - although I love it.

I prefer fishing to most other sports - but it's easier to find the time to hunt or golf.

While growing up I lived some time in government housing and some time in a farm house with an outhouse. (We did have a shower and such - but no toilet)... I learned to "go when I had to go". You don't linger when it's 10 degrees outside!

I have been a lifelong Wildcat fan.

I once bet my brother a dollar he wouldn't eat a worm - he did and I did not have a dollar so I had to eat one too.

I once drank some bleach (I was very young) - I wonder if my "innards" are tie dyed?

I caught a 10 lb largemouth bass on artificial bait.

My hair color is natural and I even had a few strands of gray in high school.

Whew!

Wow - What a weekend!

In this weekend's sermon I talked about the importance of prior planning.... Well, brother practice what you preach! Of course the prior planning leading up to this weekend needed to be done a while ago - A LONG WHILE AGO!

We had two birthday parties at the Scott house this weekend. One for my son who turned 21, and one for our youngest who turned 13. Add to that the Princess (our grand daughter) spent the night Saturday.

So here's the schedule:

Friday evening the "Girls" arrive - Yes, five girls to help celebrate our daughters inauguration into the world of the female teen... There was a lot of giggling, some squealing, and some texting, I'm sure there was some drama (but thankfully I was spared that)... And finally at 2:30 AM the noise subsided from the room next to ours.... Not without some serious threats I might add.

Saturday Beth and Dale drop off the Princess - she immediately sets up court - Man this grandpa gig is is fun - but exhausting! Now I have to go to church for the 5:30 service with sleep deprivation from the previous night.

Sunday - Wow what a great weekend. The new series is going to be good and we broke a regular weekend attendance record - We had 1210 in attendance (1st time over 1200 w/out it being a special weekend). Went home and snagged a 40 minute nap (Not nearly enough at my age).

And then "THEY" arrived - Some of Jon's buddies came over to help him eat our food and some Birthday cake and generally aggravate me. Not sure how many there - somewhere between 7 and 200. I base that count on the way the 25 hamburgers and 20 brats disappeared! Of course like any gathering that included Rusty Summay and Seth Quinton, there were physical threats of violence - FROM ME TO THEM! LOL

Finally after watching the Colts get beat by the Bears with my son-in-law (pray for him - he's now depressed over the loss) I went to bed. And of course I went to bed mad at my wife.

What was she thinking 13 years ago when she decided to have our third child! Not that I don't love here - but what kind of poor planning went into having two kids birthdays that close!

Especially when two really big one's 13 & 21 would fall in the same week!

She really should listen to my sermons. Especially the ones about prior planning!

A decorated veteran

He was a decorated veteran (for bravery) who came onto the scene promising change and change was needed. Born to a father who himself was illegitimate. He knew well the scorn of many growing up. He was popular because he promised to deal with issues and people that others felt put their lives in jeopardy. His country was in terrible shape financially with high unemployment. He was the clear choice.

And he was tenacious - he had incredible singleness of mind - he promised "hope" to those who had little. He would have been considered a "Maverick". His oratory skills were incredible. His party followed him blindly.

No I'm not talking about John McCain or Barack Obama - I'm talking about Adolph Hitler.

In 1933 Adolph Hitler ascended to the highest office in Germany. He was the people's choice. We know how that turned out.

So - what's the point? We don't need a great speaker. We don't need a war hero. We need a leader who will understand our values and lead accordingly. So what values should we consider?

The economy - yes that's important.

The environment - yes, we have to live here.

The security of our citizens - yes, that would be nice too.

What about illegal aliens - yes, that's an issue we need to address.

What about our dependency on foreign oil - It sure would be nice to get past that!

What about the unborn or the aged - at some point in life we were one and will likely be the other. So I guess we ought to throw that in the mix.

What about what other moral issues? Yes - Don't forget Germany neglected this little tidbit.

So here's my take - As Believers I think we have to prayerfully consider all the above and we have to be honest. Will either candidate have all the answers - Sadly no. But I think we can open God's word and find some direction. And I'm sure the direction we find there will be much better than Fox news or CNN.

Let's all pray together for God's direction and his blessing on whoever becomes our next commander and chief. And pray that God brings this nation of people back to Himself. If that doesn't happen - it really won't matter who we elect. And in the end we could wind up with something worse than the guy in the picture!

A sight I'll miss.

So I wake up this morning and I go out in the living room and I see this (pic). That is Tom Coker, a friend of my son's, asleep on the couch - good thing Melody didn't come out in her skivvies!

Anyway - this is not an unusual site - we really never know who might be spending the night at our house. We always wanted our place to be "the place" where our kids and their friends want to hang out. The upside is that we have a good handle on what they are doing and who they are doing it with. The down side - the fridge is usually hit pretty hard. And of course there are the times I have to remind them it's 1:30 AM and some of us are not nocturnal creatures who can sleep in till early afternoon. But I wouldn't trade it for a minute.

When I saw "sleeping beauty" on the couch a sadness hit me. My son, Jon, turned 21 yesterday. And while we had hoped he would be in college this semester, the fact he's still here is really quite OK with us. We are very proud of Jon. He's turning into a very fine young man.

But he is a man, a man that will eventually be on his own. A man who will one day have a family to take care of. A man who I pray God will use mightily. A man that will not be bringing his friends by the house any more. A man who won't be raiding my fridge at 2:00 AM. A man I will miss deeply.

Jon - I love you! Happy Birthday!

I'm a little ticked.

Most of you recognize the picture right off the bat. It's the NBC logo - the "peacock". And right now I'm ready to pluck that bird!

So why am I ticked? Well like I mentioned in a previous post I was watching the Democratic National Convention and looking forward to watching the Republican Convention as well. And I did watch it last night and that's when it happened. That's when I was tempted to throw a shoe into the TV!

All during Fred Thompson's speech the NBC anchors and analysts felt it was their duty to help me understand what Thompson was telling me... like I'm some sort of idiot! Now I can appreciate political commentators whether I agree or not - that's their job. But when the network anchors make it so clear what side they are on it get's ridiculous. I like NBC. I like Brian Williams (maybe I'll invite him to dinner some time). But when they decided to do a play by play of Thompson's speech it just didn't sit well.

Sure - after it's over say all you want. Help the lame among us understand what was said - but don't do it instead of actually letting me hear it for myself!

I have to admit I was ready to watch Fox tonight just in case - thankfully they let Ruddy and Sarah have their full say tonight... just like they did all the main line speakers last week. Wake up media - I can't afford a new TV!

Move over Whoopi!

It's Tuesday night - I'm watching Joe Lieberman (Democrat turned Independent turned Republican) and catching up on some news from around the world... Then I find this.... A beauty contest for Nuns... Yes for Nuns... Read the article.... Not sure whether the church of Rome will let this happen - but it's funny.... at least I thought it was....

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,409766,00.html

Maybe it's time to move!

I'm sure like me, you have seen some coverage of hurricane Gustav - maybe a lot of coverage. And the big focus of course is on New Orleans. Thankfully they learned a lot in the last three years since Katrina. The fast majority of people heeded the warnings and evacuated. The police and National Guard were prepared to handle looters, and such. They spent tons of money to shore up the levies. And from early reports it's gone pretty well.

But why is this happening? What if Gustav had come on land a few miles to the East? What if Gustav had the teeth that Katrina had? It may have been a lot different. They say, "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature" - but isn't that what New Orleans does every day? Having a significant part of your city below sea level is just dumb. And at what cost? Thousands have died, Billions have been spent to rebuild homes and shore up an inadequate system of levies and pumps.

But what about me? What about you? How many times do we try to live our lives below sea level when it comes to spiritual things? How many times do we live to close to the world and not as close to Jesus as we should? And what "levies" do we have in place? We say things like, "I'm not as bad as so-and-so. I give my tithe. I'm a regular attender. I'm the pastor.

Folks we have some storms coming - God is not mocked, whatever we sow we will reap. If we continue to live in the wrong place, all the levies in the world will not save us. Life has a way of bringing storms and when we are not in a safe place we may suffer some significant loss. I see it all the time. Marriages built on, "what I want", not what God wants. Parents trying to be their kids buddies when what they need are parents. Youth believing the lie that the most important thing in life is to fit in. Christ followers who know more about American Idol than the book of John. All indications of people living below sea level.

So maybe for New Orleans, maybe for you and me - Maybe it's time to move!

UK 27 - the "Ville" 2

‘Twas a red hot day in the “Ville”

Though some were left with a chill.

Sure the fans in blue were amazed.

But the folks in Red were just dazed.

For on this red hot Sunday in August

It was the cards that suffered the loss

While the offense of both is a question

The defense of the cats was opressin’

Will Kargthorpe endure who knows?

But Brooks and his boys stole the show.

And at the end of the day to everyone’s dismay

In Lexington the Governor's cup will stay.

So Andrew my friend I’m sorry for your loss.

But such is life after the coin is tossed.

Yet still I remember in a very recent post.

A simple wager we made right here on this host.

So I just want to remind you and I’m sure this will do.

To the winner goes the spoils and in this case it’s a “DEW”