New on this blog

Check out a link to recent sermons at our church. I am the speaker most of the time. Click on My other places link

8 Things I’ve seen this week that made me say that’s neat

1. Heath Mullikan has been posting video announcements on Youtube for his youth group.  I like this idea very much check it out.
2. Andy Stanley has a twitter account.  You can follow him here.  Favorite tweet by Andy Stanley, “Paul Stanley, Charles Stanley, Andy Stanley… All we need is a drummer.”
3. My favorite devotional is online for free reading.  My Utmost for His Highest and you can view it here.  This link is for September 30th and causes self-examination. 
4. North American Aerospace Defense Command has a website that will tell you about some events that may occur with that deal with national defense.  Check it out here.
5. Friend or Follow Application for Twitter.  If you are following someone and they are not following you, you can find out and drop them.  : )  Here is that link.
6. North Point TV.  Evidently North Point will be doing some of their announcements through here.  I am not sure.  But, if North Point is doing it, then I believe that it is something cool.  Follow this Twitter account here.
7. Here is a link to my hometown of Montezuma, IN.  This is where I live for 33 years. 
8. I don’t know if this is neat but my name is in an old obituary notice.  That is a little weird.  I thought I was the only Scott Uselman in the world.  Here it is the link.

Be back soon. . . .

Reflections about my country

• I remember watching Watergate with my grandmother.  She talked politics with me when I was 5 years old.  Go grandma!  What a ridiculous scandal that was. 
• I remember some of the skirmishes at the end of the Vietnam War.  I remember feeling vulnerable to foreign powers because we thought we lost the war.  We really didn’t.  As a child that was unsettling. 
• I remember the nightly scoreboard about how many nuclear weapons the US and the Soviets had that was reported.  It seemed that we were a thousand behind which made me think that we were losing.  Again, as a child, that was very alarming.  Plus, couple that with a religious nut babysitter, who preached the world was ready to end when my parents went bowling.    
• I remember when our embassy was taken hostage in Iran.  This was after Vietnam.  I thought that Iran was such a small country, can’t we even beat them?  I was so angry that they took our people as a child.  I was even angrier at our President because he didn’t do anything.  Then Carter tried a rescue.  It was a disaster. 
• I remember the hope that Ronald Reagen brought when he campaigned that he would get our people back if elected President of the US.  He gave me hope.  I didn’t have any preconceived political opinion.  I just wanted somebody to restore our nation’s confidence and protect us from the Soviet Union and countries like Iran. 
• I remember our Marine barracks being bombed.  We got Qaddafi’s attention later.
• I remember Grenada, we turned a corner toward national pride again.  I remember Panama, Iraq 1, and  Bosnia. 
• People, I remember September 11th.  I watched the second plane hit the other tower after the first plane had hit.  Then the buildings came down.  There were a lot of people in those towers.  I remember the beepers sounding off in the debris that firefighters wore.  I remember the Pentagon, and Flight 93. 

I just want to restate that I am proud to be an American.  I am thankful for the sacrifice of our military men and women.  I am behind our President too.  These are my personal reflections and not my church’s.

The next day reflections

Yes.  I have decided to be contrary and not call this article “Sunday night reflections.”  How creative is that?  Nevermind, don’t answer. 

Sunday, after our morning service, God encouraged me as a pastor because somebody shared that God was burdening this person for our church.

This is a possible major shift.  What I know is that someone has to stand up and say that “Smith Chapel is my church and I want to be used by God to serve here so that we can reach our community.” 

I am also getting encouraged from meeting with volunteers who are going to help me with the children’s ministry.  I think God is really going to work through this ministry. 

A Christian on Colbert??

I found this information on Ben Witherington’s web site.

Check out N.T. Wright’s video.

I think God revealed Himself on The Comedy Channel.  This will give those who are lost something to think about.  Praise the Lord! 

Funny, but painful

Sometimes surfing the blogs will turn up a gold nugget.  Check out the source that I got this from too. 

 

Contextualization

Tell me what is out of place in this set of words:

Pompano Beach, Florida
Brazilian
Haitian
Urban
City
Multicultural
Country-Western Themed Vacation Bible School

A good post from one of my favorite writers, James Watkins

With all the natural disasters that have occurred recently many may wonder how God could let such things happen.  Here is a post that gives insight which will help aid in understanding God’s role in these tragedies.

So close

While checking my blog out tell your friends to check it out too because I am so close to 500 hits.  I know, if I was writing about interesting things it would make a difference.  But, hey!  You can’t have it all.   Other guys, well, they are way out in front of me.  I guess I am developing a complex over this issue.   So help my self-esteem out. 

If you don’t have any friends, then you can still help.  Simply click to another web page and then come back to mine a couple of times.  This will double the hits for me. 

If you choose not to help me, then I will come up with something else to increase my traffic.  If I have to, I will place a link to Perry Noble’s blog in my blog roll.  I have not done this yet, because I am certain that he is already promoted well enough.  I am just kidding, I read his blog too. 

I will think of something eventually . . . stay tuned. 

Pray for the Chapman family

A great tragedy struck one of my favorite Christian singers last night; Steven Curtis Chapman.  They lost their 5 year old daughter Maria who was accidentally run over by their SUV.  Sadly, Chapman’s son was driving and did not see his sister.   This family will need God’s help through this time so that they can heal.

Please pray for this family for their loss and especially for their son.

Here is the link to Chapman’s web site in case you are not familiar with him as a performer.