Amy Scott's Thoughts

Sharing the thoughts that bounce around in my brain!

The Resolution Ceremony February 11, 2012

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 5:11 pm

On Wednesday night our church did something a little different for our midweek programs. Instead of being split up all over the building according to our age, we joined together for a powerful evening. We recently showed the movie “Courageous” as a family movie night. Out of showing the movie, we felt compelled to do a resolution ceremony of our own. For those that haven’t seen the movie, 4 fathers make a resolution about being a man of God and what that means as a husband and a father. The resolution ceremony gives men an opportunity to stand in front of their families and commit to being the spiritual leaders of their households.

There were a couple reasons this night was so cool for me. The first would be that we got worship together as a whole church and that meant my hubby was by my side. I don’t often to get hear Jeremy singing next to me so I always enjoy the times were the two of us can praise the Lord together. It was also great to be there with all age ranges. I normally attending the earliest service at our church on Sunday mornings. As you can imagine, not a lot of youth are in that service because of the time and because they have a Sunday School class at that hour. The energy that comes from worshiping together as a whole church is very exciting and one I wish I would experience more often.

The pastoral staff were invited up to the stage first to lead by example. This would give the guys a chance to see what the ceremony would look like and have the men of our team going before our congregation. I’m not usually the type of person that likes to get up and hang out on stage. I’m much more in my element in a back classroom with kids. Lucky for me, I just had to stand there… and not laugh. That was tough!!! The men turned to face their wives and children (no children in our case). Jeremy took my hand and repeated after our regional presbyter, Myron Ness, the word of the resolution. Now here is the kicker – Jeremy has been ill all week with a high fever. Jeremy was cold medicine to get through the evening. Jeremy doesn’t do well repeating after others… add all these things together and you get a very funny moment. Jeremy tired his hardest to follow along, but couldn’t keep up. I’m standing in front of the entire congregation in what is supposed to be a hallowed moment and I’m trying not to lose it and totally bust up laughing. Jeremy was in the same boat as me. We held it together, but wow, it was hard! That is a memory I won’t soon forget!

After the pastors took their vows, we called over 50 guys up on to the stage. We have a big stage at our church and it was completely full of men committing to this resolution. It was quite the sight to see. My favorite part of this ceremony was the young men who are not married and do not have kids that came forward. These men are making a conscience decision while they are young that they want to be men of honor and are going hold themselves to this high standard. I was extremely impressed with them. One of the young guys up on stage used to be in Jeremy and I’s children’s ministry a long time ago. As a kid he had a lot of anger and was working through some big issues that life had dealt him. Now as a high school student, he helps us in children’s church each Sunday. It was great to see how God doesn’t leave us where we are at. I’m not sure 5 years ago, I could have pictured him on stage repeating those words, but there he was on Wednesday. It was awesome!

Now this wasn’t planned, but I think this ceremony was the perfect thing to do before Valentine’s Day. I would much after hear my husband commit to being a man of God and striving for God’s best in his life much more than I would like to receive flowers or candy(not that receiving flowers or candy are bad things). Flowers will wilt and candy was disappear, but the memory of those words will remain, especially for those who will hang the resolution vows on their wall as a reminder. It’s important to challenge men to lead in matters of faith. It’s important for the younger generations to see men fighting for their families. It’s important for kid’s to see their dad pray for them. Even though some moments of the evening involved humor, for the most part it was a serious evening as men agreed to a serious call. I’m so proud of all the guys who took part in the resolution ceremony. My prayer is now that their words are followed by solid actions and that families are forever changed for the better because of that night.

 

Weekend Away February 9, 2012

Filed under: Simply Me,Travels — Amy Scott @ 4:19 pm

My wonderful husband surprised me on my birthday by telling me that he had planned a weekend away at the beach for the two of us. He had already found a dog sitter and made the reservations. It was a great surprise and I was looking forward to our trip. This last weekend was the weekend away that he planned. It was neat to stay at a new place in Cannon Beach, OR. We stayed at the Surfsand Resort. The best part of this hotel is the beachfront rooms are super close the lovely Haystack Rock that Cannon Beach is known for. Also, the room had an amazing soaking bathtub and I was able to enjoy some amazing bubble baths. It was a very special treat.

I was super excited for our trip, but by the time it rolled around my hubby was super sick. Poor Jeremy had a fever between 100-103 the entire time we were away. This made our trip a little more on the quiet side than we expected. Jeremy didn’t want to head home to rest. I guess he figured resting at the beach would be just the same. It was beautiful weather the entire time we were there. It was sunny and 60 most days. That weather is a treat in June let alone in February! It was sort of a miracle in my book! Even if we weren’t out on the beach as much as usual there is still something refreshing about watching the waves crash into the shore on a lovely sunny day.

Now, there are things that must be done while one is at the beach… at least in Jeremy and I’s humble opinion. I thought I would share with some of the things we love to do each time we visit. First off would have to be lunch or dinner at Mo’s. Best clam chowder! In a sourdough bread bowl! Enough said! It’s perfect! Normally Mo’s is packed with seafood loving foodies, but we were amazed to find that including us there were only 6 customers in the entire place. That’s what you get for going on a Thursday night in February. It was crazy! The next must stop place would be breakfast or lunch at Pig’N’Pancake. I love breakfast for any meal of the day and this pancake chain is one of my favorites. There is always a stop in at the Cannon Beach Bakery. Jeremy gets a loaf of their apple cinnamon bread every time. I’m a fan of their donuts and many other sugary sweet goodies.  If we’re at the beach for more than one day, we love to take the drive down to Tillamook for a tour of the cheese factory. I have taken Jeremy to the cheese factory two times before and both times the plant was closed for maintenance. You can still get in and get samples and buy cheese, but there is nothing to observe. This time it was not only up and running, but we had the whole observation deck  to ourselves! It was great. We bough some squeaky cheese (cheese curds) and had a blast having the place to ourselves.

Normally we’re only at the beach one day so that means Mo’s, the bakery and P’N’P fill up our meal needs. Since were there a couple of days, Jeremy and I got to try some new places. The first would be Pizza A’Fetta. We went there because they sold pizza by the slice. I had a triple cheese pizza slice that was very tasty. I’m not really the type of person that rates pizza… to me it’s all good usually. I was informed though by the waiter that they are in the top 50 pizza places in the US. Pretty cool. The other place we went to for the first time was the Lumberyard. The food was good. I had fish & chips and Jeremy had a turkey pot pie. The highlight for me was their bumbleberry cobbler that I had for dessert! Very good!

The trip was still a lot of fun even though Jeremy moved at a slower pace than normal. We watched the sunset on Thursday and took walks each day. Jeremy went out at low tide and collected 31 sand dollars. I thought that was pretty impressive! It’s hard to beat a sunny, warm weekend at the beach. It was a great surprise and I’m so glad we went!

 

Shout out to my parents! February 8, 2012

Filed under: Family Time,Recollections — Amy Scott @ 5:31 pm

The inspiration for this blog came to me a few weekends ago. Jeremy and I were helping his brother and sister-in-law move into their first house. Jeremy had been down there the weekend before that as well helping them to paint before they moved their stuff in. I started to think about how great it was of my in-laws to help them paint two days in a row and then help them move the next weekend. I was reminded of the week we moved into our house and how much Jeremy and I were both blessed by the help of our parents that week. My parents helped pretty much paint our entire house. We moved Easter week so Jeremy was super busy at work, but I was able to take time off work and help my parents paint. One day I had to work and I remember my parents painted our house when we weren’t home. Now that’s love!

My mind started to wander and remember all the times and different ways my parents have been here for me since I officially graduated and move out. Now I get them being awesome parents while I was home and a kid, but I’ve been amazed by the relationship I’ve been able to have with my parents as an adult. I know there are families who are not as close as mine. I take the relationships I have with my family seriously. I know I am blessed. I am able to be real with my parents and they have been beyond helpful to me as I’ve grown into this adult role. They’ve been supportive but they’ve also let me go. I know that they respect me as an adult. I’m sure it’s a delicate balance to raise a child and then release them to be themselves once they are grown.  My parents have done this transition with grace and I will admit that I am impressed and hope I can be the same way when I have grown children.

Now I will admit that growing up, I had moments just like any other kid. I wondered if my parents really got it… You know, back when I knew everything and thought I had all the answers. It wasn’t perfect. There were disagreements and hard moments. However, I remember other moments more than I remember those. I can remember vivid conversations with my parents where I was completely honest about what God was calling to me to do. I can remember talking over my options and my future with them. I can remember them truly listening to me and not projecting their own desires on me. They always encouraged me to be my best and hold high standards for myself. The ability to be honest with them from the beginning has given me a great foundation to the relationship we now have.

This might seem weird for a lot of people, but I love hanging out with my parents. I really value their friendship and the wisdom they can share from their experiences. Jeremy and I truly enjoy having both our families live so close to us. They are active parts of our lives and we love that. Yes, it sometimes makes Thanksgiving and Christmas complicated, but the year around relationship is worth the holiday juggling. We have been forever shaped for the better by being raised in good solid Christian homes. We knew our parents loved each and loved the Lord. I am so thankful for all they offered to me growing up and I am so glad that still have them as influence in my life. My parents rock! Just thought you should know!

 

It jumps out! February 7, 2012

Filed under: Bible — Amy Scott @ 4:39 pm

There are so many times that even though I have read a verse before it jumps out at me in a new way.  I have the pleasure of this experience happening quite a bit as I read through the Bible using The Message this year instead of my usual New International Version. The Message has such a fresh way of wording things and it makes the verses jump off the page. This happened to me just the other day with Romans 8:15.

This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are.

I read that and instantly thought, that is it! That’s what I want! As a believer I have the resurrection life within me. I know that I am saved by God’s grace through the blood of His Son. However, I think it’s possible to have the adventure and expectancy turned off in my everyday, routine life. Each new day I need God’s Spirit to touch mine and confirm who I really am! When I’m listening to God tell me who I am than I am excited and ready for whatever is next! So often God’s voice isn’t the one I tune into. Not listening to God is how life goes from an exciting adventure to grave-tending. I’m reminded that He is the one who defines and that definition and acceptance fuels the fire of my passion and desire to serve Him. I can’t muster up that drive on my own. It only comes from relationship with God. A daily relationship of letting Him define me and bring me to life.

Just some food for thought! Are you ready for what’s next? Are you excited for this adventure?

 

Pain Management February 6, 2012

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 4:43 pm

At the moment, there are so many ways this blog could go. I haven’t been able to blog due to my schedule for the last bit so I’ve been storing up ideas and just waiting for this moment when I’m sitting with my keyboard in front of me and a blank page ready to be filled.  As a writer, I’m sometimes overwhelmed at the amount of thoughts I feel I need commit to a page. I write a lot… That is an understatement. If I don’t write it down in my blog more than likely I’ve given those thoughts pages in my prayer journal. There is a strong call within me to write. In my life, writing things down makes them real. It takes them from my head and into the world. This is a process that helps me release and also cope with all the thoughts that are bouncing around in my head.

Normally, I would pick a cheery topic. I have a couple in the stock pile of ideas to write on (and I will get to them, I promise). However, I’ve had one of those afternoons. You know the ones… nothing is going particularly wrong and then something happens that causes you to snap. Today it was the Costco Pharmacy. Now I won’t go into the details, but it took my somewhat okay mood and let’s just say… it crashed and burned into a sea of irritation. Not ideal.  I had a long car ride home and then a walk once I got home to think about things. Now the pharmacy incident really did bug me, but it also opened me up. I’m not sure if anyone else is like this, but once I start thinking something negative, it’s really easy for me to take a trip down negative thought lane.  My starting point might have been the pharmacy, but the road I traveled led me to a very different place.

As, I drove home, I started to pray aloud in the car (something I do when I’m really wrestling with my thoughts). A mix of questions and truthful statements started to pour out of my mouth as I let God know how I felt about things. In ministry I’m always trying to balance doing more with not doing too much. I’m trying to judge where the best place to put my energy is. I’m also on the eve of a major event that I’m 99.9% responsible for. Plus, I’ve some other personal challenges on the front burners of my mind. All this mental multi-tasking has left my noggin a little bit fried. I’m not on top of my game as much as I feel I should be.

So yes, I’m processing all of this when my brain takes another turn. I start to ponder all the hurt I witness in the lives of those I love and those I minister to. There are a lot of people going through some difficult times. There are situations that I can’t believe they’ve been placed in and it just isn’t fair. Now, I learned a long time ago that life isn’t fair. I’ve also learned that the church is made up of messed up people and that means we struggle with just as many issues as the outside of world. We’re not exempt from the problems that seem to be plaguing the rest of the planet. I started to contemplate how much my heart hurts for people. I’m constantly hurting over some issue that someone is struggling with. I know that God has made my heart soft to these cries. I know that I have compassion because He has given me the passion to serve people. It’s only natural to respond with empathy to those in need and those that struggle. After pondering and praying for faces that came to my mind, I had another question pop into my head. How much hurt can I feel for others before I hurt myself? I’m not sure if that makes sense to you, but I was left wondering how much pain can I feel for others before the pain becomes my own pain. I really struggled with this question for the rest of the ride home. I have to admit that I don’t have the answer. So my question of the day remains how much pain can I witness and feel for others before I hurt myself? Has anyone else worked through this? Does anyone have an answer or something that has helped them? I know that I don’t want to harden my heart and go numb, but at the same time, I’m not sure just how far is too far. Is there such a place? I concluded my time of prayer by telling the Lord that I trust Him and I really do believe that He works all things for good. A lot of the time (honestly, most of the time), I don’t know how that is going to happen. I don’t see the good coming out the bad. But I know without a shadow of a doubt that my God is trustworthy and faithful. Even in my pondering and questioning, there is one thing that I will never question and that is the goodness of my God. I know His character. Now I need to reconcile my own emotions, feelings, and facts in the light of who He is. Anyone who has walked this road and would like to share their experience is more than welcome to comment! I need some insight into this!

 

Back to baking January 30, 2012

Filed under: Cooking Experiments — Amy Scott @ 4:37 pm

At the end of December, I took some time off from my weekly baking projects. Because of the holidays, most of my classes in December were canceled, so I had no kiddos to bake for. I also came down with a head cold that inspired me to buy goodies for family gatherings instead of poison my loved ones with my cold germs. Christmas rolled around and I was overwhelmed with many baking themed gifts from my in-laws. I got recipe books, special baking sheets, spatulas, oven mitts… With so many gifts focused on my passion for baking, I felt that I would start 2012 off in a yummy way. The sad thing is… I didn’t… My first baking project in 2012 was a total flop. I had a box of gingerbread mix left from the holidays and I set forth to make my class of girls some ginger snaps. I was still on cold medicine at the time, so I’m going to blame for the drugs for my mistake. I added too much water to the mix. As I poured the water into my kitchen aid, it didn’t look right. I picked up the box to see that I had added 1.25 cups of water instead of the needed .25. What do I with an extra cup of water in there? At first, I started to scoop at the water since it wasn’t mixed in yet, but it was starting to dissolve into the mix and I wasn’t sure if I was taking out mix with the water. I then decided to add flour to thicken the mix and try to get the batter to the consistency I thought it should be. Well, when these gingersnaps baked up they were funny shaped and had a funny texture. Sadly, the batch of cookies went into the trash. Since I had to come up with something to feed my girls and I was too tired to brainstorm and complete another baking project, I decided to bring fruit snacks and granola bars from my pantry to class that night. What an epic failure to start of the new year with!!! I had all these hopes and vision of 2012 being the year of baking where I really provided my class and loved with new goodies and where I mastered more skills in the kitchen. This baking project kind of took some of the wind from my sails. However, I am happy to report that the next two weeks of baking where much more successful. I made some molasses cookies for my girls two weeks ago and last week I made an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie using white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips and coconut. Very tasty!!! I’ve already started to ponder what I’ll be making my girls this week… After two better baking experiences, I feel like I’m back in the saddle again and I’m ready for a year of baked goodies!

 

Simply be you! January 23, 2012

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 3:27 pm

For 2012, I have mixed up my Bible reading routine. Crazy, I know! Everyone has a favored translation of the Bible and for me I’m a solid fan of the NIV. Going to Bible college, I heard many a debate on which translation was the best. Translations fall all along the scale from extremely literal to more modern day language. At Multnomah, it was accepted that the NIV fell in the middle between literal and modern. I was used to the NLT being the top choice at my church and I was surprised to find that it wasn’t a favorite at my school. My first Bible that I used for personal use the NIV so it felt a bit like going home when I settled back into using my NIV as my Bible for both study and devotions. Ever since then I’ve been hooked on the NIV. However, this year I’m changing the translation… in fact, I’m not even using a translation. I’m using The Message which is technically a paraphrase. Bible college peeps really don’t like you calling The Message a translation… oh, those were the good ol’ days! So many details mattered back then!

I’ve been reading from The Message as a way to get a new perspective. Sometimes reading the same thing over and over can cause my heart to become numb. I’m no longer absorbing, I’m just reading what I always read just like I’ve always done. I find that things really jump out at me when I can switch to a new version of the Bible for a while.  I was reading in Matthew 23 and a verse that I highlighted many years ago, jumped out at my yet again. I thought I would share it with you.

Matthew 23:11-12 “Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you’ll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you’re content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty.”

I may be 26, but I still feel like a newbie to adult life and to ministry. A lot of times, I feel inexperienced and I feel the need to make myself appear more confident then I really am. When I put on this confident mask, I’m hiding the fact that I really don’t know what I’m doing… I don’t want to puff myself and make myself appear like something I’m not. I’m reminded by this verse that if I’m truly okay with just being me then my life will make a difference. More than anything, I want my life to count for something. I want to give my all to be an influence for good in this world. I’m not some deep scholars, I’m not some gifted speaker, I’m not really that impressive in anything… not trying to be self-deprecating, but really I’m not much. I can see how inadequate I really am in light of all I feel I need to be. I’m still searching for the balance of contentment in myself while striving to keep growing and changing into a better person. I am constantly reminded by my loving, heavenly Father that it’s not about who I think I should be. It’s all about who He made me to be.

 

Ice Storms and Power Outages! January 20, 2012

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 12:48 pm

I have to admit, I’m pretty happy that I have the ability to be writing this blog! Yesterday around noon we lost our power due to an ice storm that decided to move in right after the snow storm. The combination of lots of snow and ice made for many downed trees and branches all around the area.

Remember how I said in my last blog that things could be rescheduled? Well, that is exactly what had to happen! I made some calls yesterday and learned that most places were closed and want everyone else to stay home. Since Jeremy and I were still trapped in our house, now covered in ice, we knew that it was another snow day for us… I mean, ice day! Jeremy got the house all warm with our wood stove and then sat by the window with it open. Why would he do this? To listen to all the trees cracking, of course!!! It was like the 4th of July around our house. You could hear trees and branching going down all around us.

The power being out wasn’t too big of a deal. We had filled the bath tub with water so we could use our toilets. We had charged our laptops so we watched a couple of Smallville episodes. Jeremy’s parents were super sweet and offered to pick us up so on the main road so we could go to dinner with them. It was nice to get out of the house for a bit since I’d been home since Monday afternoon (I didn’t mind being home all that much). When we got home it was dark, no more natural light for our house. I pulled out a bunch of tea-lights and candles that I had stashed away for such a time as this. It’s crazy when you have no lights on how late it feels. We got home around 6:00pm, but with the darkness I seriously felt it was 8:00-9:00pm. After a few more Smallville episodes, Jeremy and I called it a night. It was amazing how dark things were with no house lights.

This morning, Jeremy discovered water coming out our freezer. It was starting to defrost from the lack of power. We called Jeremy’s dad, who had offered to let us borrow their generator the night before. Jeremy and I went outside to shovel the driveway so his dad could pull in. However, according to Bill we would still need chains to get into or out of our driveway. Jeremy and Bill got the generator all set up and our fridge all plugged in. Of course just a few moments later the power came on! That’s how it works!

So we are a still house bound. We have chains, but we don’t need to use them so we won’t. We’ll let the rain melt the snow a little more. Maybe tomorrow we can venture out without the help of others! It seems that wind is moving into the area tonight. The trees are still a bit icy and already slightly damaged from the ice storm. I’m still in power-outage preparedness mode. We’ll be ready if lose it again tonight. Along with wind, the snow melt poses a threat for flooding. Crazy times in Lewis County, folks!!!!

 

More Snow Creatures January 18, 2012

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 8:21 pm

Okay, I thought 9 inches of snow was cool yesterday. Today, I woke up to 22 inches of snow! It was a pretty amazing sight! This morning my hubby, puppy and I set out to explore our extremely wintery wonderland. It was crazy to have the snow come up over my boots. Since I don’t own snow pants, it was sort of a chilly walk, but totally worth it. Toby, our dog, was bounding through the snow or following behind our paths we created. We called them snow tunnels and our yard is now a maze of them. When we walked on the road, we could find ruts that would make it easier for Toby to walk. It was fun to see the snow piled up higher than Toby.

We went back out again tonight since we weren’t sure what tomorrow holds. Jeremy kept brainstorming the next snow creation we could make. The snow creature took on many different possible shapes. It started out as snow horse…. it sort of looked like snow seal. It then become snow sphinx… then snow lion, snow tiger, snow…. dinosaur? We’re not really sure that he is! But I think he is cute no matter what he is!

It seems the local schools are already decided to cancel for tomorrow. Even though snow plows are clearing up roads, most people just like us, still can’t get to them. Our driveway is still buried in over a foot of snow! I’m not sure what tomorrow morning holds… I feel like tomorrow is the day I have to go back to being an adult. The kid in me wants another snow day, but somethings can not be avoided. I guess it really all depends on if we can drive out of the our driveway. Part of me knows I need to go back to the real world, but part of me hopes we can’t make it. Things can always be rescheduled, right???

 

Snow Day! January 17, 2012

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 12:08 pm

It’s been snowing all weekend and yesterday into today it really started to come down! At this point, we have about nine inches on the ground! Right now the snow if falling thick right outside my window. It’s recovering from the mess my husband and I made this morning. Our snow is no longer pristine and untouched. Jeremy and I headed out this morning with a plan to make a snow creation. Last year Jeremy made a snow bear. It was really cute and made it’s way on to the news. It was Jeremy’s claim to fame! This year, I joined the force and we created what would be a snow grizzly that makes last year’s snow bear look like a snow cub! Our new and improved snow bear is about 8ft. tall! It’s always crazy to stand next to a snow creation that is taller than me! Earlier this weekend Jeremy went out and made himself a snow deer. Now that we’ve gotten many inches more, snow deer looks like snow buffalo. I’m sad to say that in the time that I took the shot and now, snow deer/buffalo has lost his head. Poor guy! Snow days are so much fun! I love getting to sleep in and play in the snow! I love the bright light that comes from the reflections on the snow! I love getting lost in the moment as I look out the window to many snowflakes pouring down. These are some of my favorite days! Now it’s not the back to routine lifestyle that I was thinking of this week, but I’m okay with it! Snow days are rare on this side of Washington. I have to enjoy these moments while I can. It seems like we still might have another foot or more in the forecast for tomorrow. We’ve already lost power for about a half hour, but lucky for us we have plenty of wood for our wood stove.  It’s time to snuggle in and joy a snow day!