EASY TIGERS...

Hey Guys. Just had an article published as part of the 'Soul Purpose' E-Zine. Soul Purpose are a wicked organisation who are building a fantastic influence on New Zealand youth culture. Enter, article...


I have a confession. I, like many young Christians throughout New Zealand, am “on the prowl.” Over the last few months I've watched many of my friends get engaged and married. They all seem to be racing ahead in this game of life while I woefully lament my somewhat endless status as on the shelf.
After waiting six lonely years for little-miss-right to come along I must shamefully admit that I've only just begun to seek God on why things are the way they are.

And as always, whenever I go looking for a little of Jesus’ character, he often reveals a lot – and often a lot of things about myself I would've rather ignored. It's like attempting to empty half a can of spaghetti into a pot, the rest always seems to slide out anyway. A similar situation happened recently on my quest to find meaning within my prowl.

"..a husband should love his wife as much as he loves himself. A husband who loves his wife shows that he loves himself." - Ephesians 5:28 (CEV)

Talk about a curve-ball. This sucker hit me straight between the eyes.
You see, the hardest part of this scripture for me wasn't regarding loving a girl the way she deserves, it was about learning to see myself the way God sees me. It was about learning to look past my faint lisp, my awkward running style and my complete lack of co-ordination. But beyond this, it was about learning to love the state of my heart. To see the beauty behind my cynicism, my judgmental mind, my uncontrollable tongue, and my very kiwi desire to cut down anyone who starts to invade my oh-so-precious limelight.

With the help of a friend, I came to the conclusion that it is impossible to love a quality in someone else you can't love in yourself. It is a matter of identity. It is crucial to our ability to love and reach those around us, and it is essential to accepting the grace Christ gave so freely on the cross.

I issue a challenge to myself and others like me. Take a break from your search for the girl/guy of your dreams, and be honest with yourself about your shortcomings and insecurities. God wants to minister to your brokenness and bring healing. As David writes in Psalm 147:3 (NIV), “He (God) heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
The more I search for the future Mrs Scottie, the more I discover that my self-worth and security cannot lie in the arms of anyone but my Creator. So easy tigers! Relax, be patient, and allow God to repair and prepare you. Learn to love the person God has created you to be.

UNDER THE KNIFE

Yesterday I went into surgery for the repair of an 'inguinal hernia'.

A hernia essentially involves a gap in the gut lining. As this grows an intestinal loop (or a bit of your intestines) falls through the hole and begins to expand in part of your gut. In this case, my balls. This can get quite painful - luckily mine was not. The operation was very successful and I am presently reclining at the parentals in sunny Tawa.

More news to follow, as well as a 180 degree turn around on my earlier post on 'Cutting Down Other Ministries'.

Ciao!
Scottie

MY 21ST: THE RECAP

Time for the long overdue 21st recap. I have no photos to show you yet as my parents are stuck in the dark ages still using 8mm film or something archaic. Hopefully they'll get these onto discs soon or I can scan them and get them up here. Watch this space.

It's an odd time to reflect on my 21st. As I write this I'm in a pretty weird place. Never before have I found such a desire to know God and hand my life over to him, but much of what I'm handing to him is deeply entrenched in who I am. Everything is extremes. The most beautiful moments I've ever experienced scattered amongst this most bizarre and unbearable pain. Imagine your lover was taken away and the ransom for her/his life was your left hand. It's the pain of cutting off a limb with a rusty saw, but knowing it will be worth it to see them again. Like I'm loving every moment of seeing more of who Jesus is, but dreading the cost to continue that journey. Dramatic huh? probably too much so... but then I do spend my days working with emo kids.

BACK TO MY 21st: What an amazing night! It's an incredible feeling to look around a room and see so many people you LOVE. More amazing than that is the memories that all these faces bring. Every one of them a testament to the amazing things God has done in our lives and the grace he has shown us. For me there was a real sense that Jesus was just loving this. When I look through the bible there are so many times when Heaven is referred to as this big party with the finest wines and choicest of meats. For me this was exactly what my 21st party was like, a little bit of Heaven happening right in the heart of Tawa ;)

After a couple of hours of beers and nibbles it was onto the speeches. I was a little nervous about this one. The worst stories I could think of from my past would probably be grounds for being stood down from ministry. Luckily for me...none of these came out. Everything kept relatively tame, and many of the kind words people shared have really carried me through the last week or two. It's a weird thing to be at the centre of this huge occasion, but I really felt like God was glorified on the night. The light pouring out from everyone who came had a huge effect on some of my friends and family who don't know Jesus. Honestly, what more could you ask for?!

I'm not sure if there's much else to say but thanks to everyone who came. I'm pretty gushy at the moment so I apologise for the over-emotive cheese in the past four paragraphs. I think most of you will see where I'm coming from.

Pulling Apart Other Ministries...

For anyone expecting a round-up of my 21st birthday, that’s currently sitting in my drafts folder. My plans to post that puppy were put-aside by my fury after reading a post this afternoon.

In other words, time for a big old rant on this whole denominations/different communities thing that seems to be going round at the moment. As you may have seen from my earlier ‘pro-chute’ post, I’ve had a real change of heart on this whole matter of how we work with, and talk about, other ministries and ‘Christian’ organisations.

I find it hilarious when I read a post about a disagreement over the values of a Christian organisation, that then goes on to address the current buzz-topic of social justice. I sit here and wonder what God cares about more: The way Parachute conducts their worship time, or the fact that millions are working in sweat-shops in China right now. In general, I hear more complaints about our brethren than the astronomical injustices taking place around the world. Is this where God has called us to champion the cause of the poor and marginalised? In the comfort of our own church walls?!

Here’s what I’m asking myself: Does my attitude resemble a humble person desperate for God’s grace like the woman caught in adultery, or the squabbling and pointless bickering of the Pharisees in the gospels? When I look at the way Jesus reacts to these two different factions, it is easy to see what he requires of me.

In an earlier discussion on this topic, a friend reminded me that the majority of the epistles involve Paul criticising and evaluating the problems within the churches. I agree this is important, I would die without the opportunity to flesh out topics like these to others with mouths as big as my own. That being said, It pisses me off when I see influential leaders making comments on ministries behind closed-doors (maybe the internet?), when they lack the courage and integrity to take these issues to the leaders at the top of the organisation they are criticising. (I'm ashamed to admit I've been a big culprit on this one too) Remember, The Epistles were written about the churches they were sent to. I personally can’t remember an instance where Paul throws out a passing comment to the Corinthians about theological inconsistencies with the church in Phillipi.

In Matthew 18:15-22, we are instructed to take disagreements with our brethren firstly to the person who has hurt us, secondly to them and a leader, and thirdly to the church. Unfortunately most of Christian culture at the moment seems to involve taking it to the church first in order to rally a crew around us who will support our lynch mob. I know most people reading this will have seen this passage a hundred times, but perhaps a few need reminding. This is the word – no disagreement on this, it’s clear what it says, don’t try to justify gossip.

My final rant on this topic involves the danger of talking about these issues in the open where our Sinicism can rub-off on young people who go to events to genuinely find Jesus. There are few things I regret more than sharing my issues with Parachute with youth. Whether you agree with the way things are done or not, we are framing this incredible opportunity for them to meet God through a sinical and self-righteous perspective. Our attempts to right what we see wrong with other ministries often end up limiting their power for any good at all.

Rant end...