Scott McAlister

Did any of you watch Rick Warren’s Civil Forum last Saturday night on CNN?  Rick interviewed each of the presidential candidates, Obama and McCain, in succession.  I have to admit that I was very impressed.  I was impressed and thankful for a man like Rick Warren.  I thought that his questions were right on target.  He ask questions that dealt with abortion, poverty, and leadership.  I loved his question on leadership.  He simply asked, “How do you make decisions?”.  Then Warren got personal…he asked each candidate what he believed to have been his greatest moral failure?  I thought both candidates answered well.

I was also impressed with the candidates.  I was impressed that both were willing to be interviewed in a church setting by a pastor.  I think that says a lot about how strong the Christian influence is in America.  We sell our ability to impact leadership way too short.  I certainly think that it is time for us to wake up and make our vote count.  So get informed about where these candidates stand on the issues.  And then pray for God to give you/us the wisdom to know which candidate to vote for.  Then VOTE for Pete’s sake!

Thanks pastor Rick!

I was sitting on the beach today and I had several random thoughts.  Since everyone enjoyed my grass cutting thoughts I thought I would share these as well.  So here we go:

• Why is that little boy peeing in that yard?
• I wonder if that is his yard?
• It looks like it might be his neighbor’s yard!
• I wish I could teach my dog to pee in my neighbor’s yard.
• I wonder who told that woman that she looks good in that swim suit?
• How did she get in that swim suit?
• Whoever that person was is not her friend!
• God makes all shapes and sizes of people.
• Nope that’s not God’s fault!

I had a few more thoughts but I have learned not to share every thought that crosses my mind!

I woke up this morning with August 24th on my mind.  It’s a Sunday.  We are going to be sharing one of the most incredible stories that you have ever heard.  It is a real life story of one of SpringWell’s very on and it will definitely touch your heart.  I’m not going to tell you who just yet.  You’ll have to wait until next week and I’ll tell you then.

I shared with you a couple of weeks ago a song that I heard that really blessed my heart.  Well we are also going to be using that song on the 24th as well.  I’m just saying that you do not want to miss August 24th.  In fact it is going to be such a special day I want to ask you to help me by doing two things: One, pray!  Help me pray between now and then that God will protect us in our preparation.  There is a lot going into preparing for this special day and I know that Satan will do his best to stop us, so help me pray for protection.  And pray for this very brave person who is going to be opening up their heart…pray that God will give them peace.  Second, invite a friend.  I believe that we could see a huge number of people come to know Jesus, but you will have to bring them.

I guess I got a little ahead of myself talking about the 24th.  Of course you don’t want to miss this Sunday either.  We’ll be dealing with a subject we all struggle with to one degree or another.  So don’t miss it!

Wow today was fantastic…sweet…unbelievable!  Thank you so much for sharing with me how much the message meant to you.  We try so hard to deliver the message that we believe that God wants you to hear.  And today was one of those days when so many people were touched by God’s Word…it just rocks my world to think that God would use somebody like me.  All I can say is “Yea God!” 

I finished my day off with a 265 mile ride on my Harley with my oldest daughter,Emily.  We left after church and headed out for Surfside Beach to meet Karen and Katie.  It was a picture perfect day.  It was cool with a few high clouds  The coolest part of the whole ride was that I was with my daughter.  Riding down the highway on your Harley with your daughter on back…it just doesn’t get any better than that.  I am totally worn out….but it in a good way!  I love you guys.

I just got an updated financial report for our GAIHN project.  Are you ready for this?  We are now over $34,000!  And if you read the SpringWell e-news then you already know that we have over 200 volunteers committed to making this dream come true for a family in need.  Can you believe it?  I think that it just goes to prove that there is nothing that we can’t accomplish when God is in it..  And we already know the first family who will staying in the house when we’re finished.  I hope that you are as grateful as I am and ready for the next challenge!

I heard a song yesterday that totally blew me away.  I mean it reached down into the depth of my soul…it was awesome.  I even went to I Tunes last night and downloaded it.  I actually saw a couple of videos on You Tube that used the song as well.  It’s more than just a song…it’s…I really don’t know how to describe it…it moved me spiritually.

I guess by now you want to know what song I’m talking about?  Sorry I can’t tell you.  I’m thinking about using it in a couple of weeks in a Sunday morning service and I want you to see and hear it for the first time at SpringWell.  I have a really close friend that showed it to me yesterday.  He is going to be ticked if I use it before he does, but he’ll have to accept the fact that this could be a God thing.  He is a great friend…I’m sure that he’ll understand…I hope that he’ll understand…he’ll just have to understand.  I have learned over the years that music is so powerful .  Pray for us that we use it wisely!

I cut grass today and every time I do I think…sometimes I think way too much.   Here are some of my grass cutting thoughts:

• Why do I always wait until the hottest part of the day to cut my grass?
• Does anyone read my blog?
• Why is my grass green in some spots and dead in other spots?
• I hope the church is packed Sunday?
• I hope the offering is up!
• I’m praying that the offering is up!
• I’m begging God to please help the offering to be up!
• I can’t wait until Sunday because I am really, really, stoked about the message for Sunday!
• My friends Connie Burton and Ken and Lynda Newton will be back after being gone for several weeks… or was I the one gone for several weeks?
• If Danny Green keeps working on the GAIHN project will there be anything left for the rest of us to do?
• The response has been so incredible for the GAIHN project I wonder if we can do two houses?
• Do I need to reconcile with anyone? (Dan Elmore has reading a book that is messing me up)
• Is Bill Simmons a man or a machine?
• Why is it taking me so long to cut the grass today?
• If I die out here in my yard how long would it take for someone to find me?
• I wish my dog would learn to poop in my neighbors yard.
• I hope my neighbors don’t read my blog!

I thought about some other stuff too but I couldn’t share everything…I may have already shared too much…at least more than you may have wanted to know.  See you Sunday with your offering!

Hey guys you won’t believe who commented on my blog this week?  It was Nelson Searcy!  I thought “Oh no…he’s going to kick some spiritual rear end”, but he didn’t.  Nelson seems to be the kind of man that I thought that he was…one with a great sense of humor and doesn’t take himself too seriously.  The comment that I made in my blog was that Nelson on occasion, in his blog, will have a typo.  The heart of my comment was to simply say how relieved I was to find that even some of the greatest of leaders aren’t perfect.  It just gives hope to those of us who, feel at times, we are at the more shallow end of the leadership pool.  It forces us to flesh out our theology.  It pushes us to make the choice whether we believe what we say we believe…that God can use anyone who will simply make themselves available.  We have to answer the questions, “Do we actually believe what we preach?  Do we believe it on a personal level or is it just good Sunday morning material?  Do we believe what we preach or is it simply a gimmick to fill the seats on Sunday morning?  Do we believe that the message we share every week will change the lives of those who hear because it has changed our lives?”  OK I got a little carried away! 

I think it is so cool when an unbelieving world looks at changed lives and says, “Who would have ever believed that God could use someone like that?” and then think “Then maybe there’s hope for me”.  Now that’s what I’m talking about!  Thanks again Nelson for leading the way!

OK I’m going to step out on a BIG limb and share some stuff that I would like for you to help me pray about.  I want to know what God is up to and I want to know how to respond to His leading.  It seems to me that God is speaking volumes to me about missions and how He wants SpringWell to be involved. 

For example: Ken and Lynda Newton have resigned SpringWell to go to Panama to be involved in mission work.  I know of two other SpringWell members right now that are praying about God’s call on their lives to do foreign missions.  I was approached several weeks ago by a member of another church about financial support as they too have accepted the call to foreign missions.

A few weeks ago another young man approached me about SpringWell being a part of a church plant in the Greenville area…dude that’s local missions.  The heart of SpringWell leadership from the very first day we met was to one day be a part of a church plant.  And of course we are full steam ahead with the GAIHN project which of course is missions.

Maybe I shouldn’t be sharing all of this in this forum.  But I desperately need your prayers.  I do not want to miss what God is doing!  How about you?