August 30, 2007

Slings & Arrows Is Officially Done

This is the last post on this blog. It just doesn't fit with where I am in life right now. So, adieu auriviere, ahdioes, umm, goodbye.

Posted by Bryon Scott at 05:46 PM

July 18, 2007

Religion Turned Ugly

Religious totalitarianism is open and active in the United States:

On a narrow, leafy street in Northwest Washington, where Prius hybrid cars and Volvos are the norm, one man bought a flashy gray Hummer that was too massive to fit in his garage.

So he parked the seven-foot-tall behemoth on the street in front of his house and smiled politely when his eco-friendly neighbors looked on in disapproval at his "dream car."

It lasted five days on the street before two masked men took a bat to every window, a knife to each 38-inch tire and scratched into the body: "FOR THE ENVIRON."

Life must be pretty good for you when the greatest injustice you can think of to get all worked up about is the kind of vehicle your neighbor drives.

Posted by Bryon Scott at 04:51 PM

July 14, 2007

Is Stupidity Genetic?

A case study in genetic stupidity.

Posted by Bryon Scott at 10:28 AM

Just...cant...help...it

From the BEEB:

British blamed for Basra badgers

British forces have denied rumours that they released a plague of ferocious badgers into the Iraqi city of Basra.

Word spread among the populace that UK troops had introduced strange man-eating, bear-like beasts into the area to sow panic.

But several of the creatures, caught and killed by local farmers, have been identified by experts as honey badgers.

The rumours spread because the animals had appeared near the British base at Basra airport.

UK military spokesman Major Mike Shearer said: "We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into the area.

Now here's how I would handle that press conference:

REPORTER: Mr. Scott, what is your response to charges by the local population that British forces have released badgers to keep the locals in line?

ME: Badgers? We don't need no stinkin' badgers!

Posted by Bryon Scott at 10:06 AM

July 08, 2007

New Seven Wonders Revealed

The Seven Wonders of the World have been revealed. I found it odd that one of them is less than one hundred years old (Christ the Redeemer, in Rio de Janeiro was built in 1931). Other than that one choice, I think it's a pretty impressive list.

HOMER NOD: Yesterday I said that a bunch of old Greek dudes figured out the original seven wonders. I stand corrected:

The traditional "seven wonders of the world" all existed more than 2,000 years ago and were all in the Mediterranean region. The originals were selected by one man, believed by many to be ancient Greek writer Antipater of Sidon.

Posted by Bryon Scott at 07:22 AM

July 07, 2007

Things to Do

Are you a list maker? My wife is. I'm not. Everything she does is on a list, I never make them. Needless to say, she's the organizer around the house.

I'd like to be a list maker. List makers get things done. They know what needs to be done and they know how far along they are. I sit around sometimes wondering, "what should I do next?" Usually that "next thing" ends up being sitting on my buttocks (aside: one must imagine Forrest Gump's voice whenever reading that last word) doing nothing particularly productive. Ya know...like blogging.

The great thing about list makers is that live life with an incredible sense of accomplishment. Every time they cross something off the list it tells them they're making progress. My wife even has a habit that has boggled me for years, but it works for her. If she does something significant during the day that wasn't on her list, she'll add it at the end of the day. Then she immediately crosses it off. Go figure.

Like I said, I'm not a list maker. But I recognize the value of lists, and there is a part of me that wishes I was better at making and maintaining lists. Oh, I've tried...multiple times. It's just not in my DNA. It used to frustrate me to no end until I figured out that's exactly why God gave me the wife He did. Isn't He smart that way?

Even though I'm not a list maker I happened upon a list of things to do yesterday that I'm going to adopt for my own. It won't be hard to maintain it either, because my wife is more than excited to help me stay on track.

Back around 200BC a bunch of Greek dudes got together and asked the question, "What's the most amazing thing you've ever seen?" They talked and talked and talked and finally came up with a list that has been historically known as the Seven Wonders of the World. Today that list is obsolete, because six of the original seven wonders no longer exist. They're gone, destroyed, kaput.

So a bunch of modern smart dudes got together recently and decided we need a new list. They came up with 21 candidates and people have been voting online for the sites of their preference. The winners of this list will be announced today. (You can check it out here.)

As I was reading about this list of candidates, it struck me: wouldn't it be great to visit each of these places before I move onto heaven? And BOOM, my to-do list was born. The Colosseum in Rome. The Statues of Easter Island. The Pyramids of Giza. The Great Wall of China. Now that's a list I can get excited about. It may take me the rest of my life to scratch each one off the list, but--WOW--it'll be worth it.

In a way I can say I've just become a list maker. That feels good.

I guess I can cross that one off my list.

Posted by Bryon Scott at 09:07 AM

July 06, 2007

Am I Blogging Again?

Perhaps I am. But one thing is for sure: the tone and nature of Slings and Arrows will be markedly different than it was two years ago. It will be different because I am different.

A lot has happened in the last couple of años. When I was blogging two years ago, I was paying the bills by manipulating little switches in little boxes called computers. It paid well but I had realized something many years previous: what I did didn't matter much in the cosmic scheme of things. Not that there is anything wrong with programming; it's a worthwhile and profitable profession. I just knew that God had called me to something else.

If you have read the two or three blog posts I managed to scrape out over the next twenty-four months, it is evident that I had lost my taste for political commentary. To tell you the truth, I believe this was a God-ordained thing. He knew I was going to need every bit of mental energy I had in the work that He was very soon going to call me.

And call me He did.

In August of 2005 I began pastoring a church in the San Diego suburb of Lakeside, California. When I started, I was the only paid staff. The church has been around for almost 70 years. It's had its ups and downs and I came in just shortly after one of its downs.

The previous pastor had served for only nineteen months or so. He'd done a great job bandaging up and unifying a very hurt and lost church. Unfortunately, he had to move to Washington to take care of his gravely ill mother. That's when I came in.

I had never been in full-time ministry, so taking over a church and flying solo as my first go has been quite the challenge. I've learned much in the last 100 weeks, made countless mistakes, goof-ups, and bad judgment calls. But with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, faithfulness to God's Word and unshakable love for the congregation and the community we've seen God move in remarkable ways. The church is strong, growing, and looking for God around every corner. We're biting off much more than we can chew, confident that God will fill in the gaps.

That's the kind of church I want to be a part of.

Here's the biggest lesson I have learned. When you make yourself available to God, you get a front row seat to watch what He is doing. Anyone can sit back in their study and grow in "the knowledge of the Lord." But that's not enough. You have to get in game to really experience God's power. You've got to stick your neck out, take risks, invest in other people and take action when you have absolutely no idea what you are doing.

When you do that, God shows up--and trust me, you want to be where God shows up.

It's cool.

Posted by Bryon Scott at 03:32 PM