3 Frogs on A Log, An Aha Moment for Me!

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Scott Ranck

3 Frogs were sitting on a log one day talking. Two of them made a decision to jump in the pond. How many were left on the log?

The answer is three. They made a decision to jump they didn’t actually jump! We regularly celebrate at church when someone makes a decision to accept Jesus as their Savior.

2,000 people were seated in a church service listening to the message. Five of them made a decision to receive Jesus as their Savior. How many people’s lives were changed?

Zero, they made a decision but other than theoretically nothing has happened yet! Maybe we are asking the wrong question. Jesus said, Follow me and you will become fishers of men. The Bible says, put off the old man, have your mind renewed and put on the new man.

For the last forty years, I’ve been part of churches that have no plan for us once we make the decision to receive Jesus. For nearly 20 of them I was the pastor!  No wonder so many “Christians,” are still sitting on the log.

I asked a group of church men last night what plan of action they were given in whatever church they were part of when they made their decision. The plan was, read your Bible, go to church, give, serve get in a small group or join the church. I asked how many of you have ever been discipled by another Christian and only two hands went up. Most all of us were told what we should do as a Christian but few of us have had someone show us.

The single largest group in most all churches is the group of frogs sitting on the log who made a decision. They are waiting on someone to take them by the hand and show them what comes next.

Sorry but little deep life transformation, healings of soul and mind, or a path to real life freedom happens from attending, serving or giving until internal renewing takes place. It becomes busyness around a void.

Why not as ministries, when someone makes a decision to receive Jesus, walk them through the twelve steps over the next year. There they will be led to surrender, clean house, right wrongs, learn to do all that daily once the big cleaning is done, learn how to have conscious contact with God and to carry the message to others who still need to hear.

We would have way more frogs swimming in the pond than sitting on the log.

Blessings,

Scott

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4th of July Kind of Day

Posted on April 19, 2015 by Scott Ranck

When I think of the absolute best I ever felt in my life, it would have been the 4th of July as a very little boy. I have a distinct memory of getting up on the 4th of July, when I was very young, being filled with expectation and excitement.

Back in those days, we prepared for the 4th weeks in advance. A family down the street had a 4th of July Stand where they sold caps, and legal fireworks. My sister, brother and I started buying stuff well in advance for the big day.

We also had in those days grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends and a slew of cousins and other kids who would all come to our home for a huge picnic. The kids were pretty much on our own that day to enjoy all the cold soft drinks, shoot off our fireworks and have the buzz of excitement of all those people being together. The day was capped off by the local firework display.

Yesterday, I was reminded of those boyhood memories and feelings. Pretty much all day, I was visited by those same absolutely wonderful feelings. No, we weren’t having a family picnic or shooting off fireworks. In fact, it really wasn’t based on anything I was doing that was outside of me, though I did some pretty fun stuff. I really believe it was a gift as a result of the work I’ve done the last 75 days on getting my insides right.

I look forward to more days like yesterday.

And I’ve been waiting such a long time
For Saturday
Saturday in the park
You’d think it was the Fourth of July!

blessings,

Scott

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Peace

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Scott Ranck

Through some of my recent readings and growth, I had an experience yesterday morning in church of all places. Having been a pastor, it has always been somewhat difficult going to church. My mind is always in critique mode. But, hopefully that is changing with two new gifts I’ve been given, tools in my toolbox for living.

First, I will share the gifts and then the experience. The first gift is the ability to surrender my entire self, what I know about me and what I don’t know yet about me. I’ve been given the gift of surrender. To pray not my will but Your will be done. Previously, there has always been a sliver of the pie I have not been willing to surrender completely; a sliver of the pie of my life I thought I could manage better than God.

The other gift is acceptance. I have read and embraced “Acceptance is the answer to ALL MY problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing or situation, some fact of my life – unacceptable to me. I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens in God’s world by mistake.” When I can accept that God is God and I am not, that I don’t have to have an opinion on everything and that the world doesn’t run to my order, acceptance may finally become part of my life.

The experience I had yesterday and actually again this morning in my quiet contemplative time was the deepest sense of PEACE I have ever experienced in my entire life. That inner state is hard to explain. I have no real words for it. It was a peace that passes all human understanding. All I know is I want to live in that oasis.

Blessings,

Scott

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Identify or Compare?

Posted on March 21, 2015 by Scott Ranck

I have been doing much reading of late. One of my favorite writers Lance Dodes, MD has written a couple new works I’ve been reading. Along with some other reading it all came together to gift me with an insight that will bear more fruit as time passes. Dr. Dodes discusses the feeling of being trapped and powerless to change your situation.

That could be illustrated by a child who is in an abusive situation but within themselves can see absolutely no way out. They feel trapped and powerless to change their situation. There may be things an outside person can see to help them but in their own limited thinking and feeling they see no way out. Many humans, if you ponder deeply, may be able to remember a time you had those feelings of being trapped and powerless.

In another reading, I was slapped in the face with the concept of identifying with others rather than comparing myself to others, where almost always I come out the winner! When I identify with others, I put myself in their situation and do my best to identify the commonalities of our life’s experience. When I compare, I look at my strengths and usually compare them to your weaknesses or struggles to make me feel like I am somehow different from you and better than you!

I’m sad to say, most my life I’ve been a comparer (if that is a word) rather than an identifier. This morning my eyes were opened and I desire to learn a new and better way. The way of the identifier.

Blessings,

Scott

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Surrender

Posted on March 6, 2015 by Scott Ranck

I’ve been imagining a pie chart that pictures my surrender lately. For most my adult life, surrender to the Lord was about 95-97%. I always had a sliver of the pie that I felt I could manage. More times than not it was an area of my life I was not willing to surrender.

In early years it may have been taking a peek at some pictures that were outside the boundaries. I could manage that sliver of the pie. After all it was private, didn’t hurt anybody and I liked it, at least it seemed that way.

Later it was, no one can tell me I can’t be friends with a woman! I’m a social person, I’m not out looking for trouble, I can handle it.

Later yet, it became my feeling I have the freedom to drink some alcohol if I choose to. I studied the Bible on it, saw even pastors are allowed as long as they don’t sit too long at the wine. I’ve got this, I will manage this sliver of the pie and by the way, mind your own business.

Needless to say, my experience has been, God does just fine managing the 95-97% percent of the pie I surrender to him. All my life’s problems have come in the 5% that I thought I should manage.

I can hear the Father say, “Son, when you are willing to let me, I’m willing to manage the whole pie!” Unfortunately, I’ve always been a slow learner; I usually learn the hard way. But come to think about it, Moses, David, and Paul seemed to have the same issue. When my best thinking brings me to trouble, trouble often becomes an excellent teacher on becoming willing to surrender!

Today, I’m very contented with the Lord managing the entire pie of my life!

blessings,

Scott

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Problem Drinking

Posted on February 21, 2015 by Scott Ranck

Some of my earliest childhood memories included drinking alcohol. I remember my dad asking me to bring him a beer when I was quite small, only a few years old. I remember asking for a sip and sometimes he would let me have a sip. We had big picnics with kegs on tap either at our backyard or at a variety of clubs where my parents belonged. I remember distinctly at about 8-9 years old going to my grandmother’s home Christmas Eve. There was a large group of relatives, all the adults were in the living room and the kids were in the kitchen. I kept seeing dad and others getting something out from under the cabinet. Always the risk taker, I went to see what they were drinking and added some to my soft drink.  By the time we went home, when I went to bed the room began to spin and I threw up. Dad asked me what I had to drink and I said, whatever you guys had under the cabinet.

Later in high school more of the same. By Junior High School we learned to steal our parents liquor and fill the bottles with water. By High School we were hard at it. We didn’t drink socially, we did it only for the buzz. There were many nights I stayed at a friend’s house so not to go home drunk. I always loved the buzz, always enjoyed mind altering substances.

At 21, married two years and a marriage that was sinking, I came to know the Lord. Gayle and I began attending an ultra conservative church. I stopped drinking totally. No alcohol crossed my lips from ages 21-47. Gayle and I decided on occasion if we wanted to have a glass of wine with a meal it was no big deal.

At age 50 we moved to Florida and a year later I began my career in the natural gas world. The corporate world is full of opportunities to drink. Happy hours, conferences, etc. My drinking began to increase. I went from an occasional drink with my wife to several a day. I allowed myself to cross the line more times than I care to admit here. I was always concerned about what others thought of me so many times my drinking would be in private. What we do in private ultimately leaks out into the public. I’ve had some events where I publicly drank way too much even though my intentions were only to have two drinks. The problem grew enough so, I decided it was time to do something about it. I went and talked with some of our church staff, but then also went to speak with a counseling service our company provides.

The counselor had a fancy title like, I am an episodic misuser of alcohol? Basically, he said, that used to be called a binge drinker. Once I become aware of the problem then I became responsible to correct it.

I’ve read those who abuse alcohol have two common traits, a mental obsession and a physical craving. For me, that looks like this, Gayle and me going out to eat and she looks at the food menu and asks me what I’m going to eat, but I haven’t looked at the food menu, I’m looking at the drink menu! We go on a big vacation and Gayle is organizing the food, clothes etc. but I am saying, I will run to the ABC Fine Wine and Liquor store and make sure I have everyone’s favorite beverage. That is the mental obsession. The physical craving is what happens after you have one or two drinks. Gayle can drink part of a glass of wine and be satisfied. Once I begin to drink my middle name could be “Scott One More Ranck.” As long as I can remember even if I only had one drink, I wanted more! Much like a person who intends to have a bite or two of ice cream and eats the entire half-gallon and wonders how it happened.

I promised the Lord a long time ago I would share whatever He is teaching me no matter how humbling. I have to believe He will use this not only to help  me but to help others as well! The journey continues.

Blessings,

Scott

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Never Done

Posted on February 8, 2015 by Scott Ranck

I’ve recently been reminded the journey of spiritual growth is never done in this life. I remembered back to early days in church and what was called “Testimony Meetings.” It appeared to me as a young man, the old timers only had one story. “I thank God He saved me back in 1949!” I remember wondering, so what have you learned since? What are you learning now?

The Bible teaches the goal of the Christian life is to be like Jesus. Several passages teach that God has already determined this will be accomplished. The scriptures also teach this will not be accomplished until we see Him. So, for me, between now and the time I go to be with Him, I will be in the growth mode. There are always new things to learn, more things to surrender and more character to be developed.

I’ve been seeing lately, I’m far from done! I’ve had many changes over the last forty years of being a Christian, but I cannot stop being honest, open and willing now or my growth is stunted. If all there was to know could be put on a pie chart, I may know a small sliver. Then there is another small sliver of things, I know I don’t know. The rest of the pie is what I don’t know, I don’t know. This is where growth occurs. When I humble myself before God and allow Him to reveal to me what is next. This will be my journey the remainder of my life.

Show me who you are God and show me myself so I can be more like you and less like me for the benefit of others.

Blessings,

Scott

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How To Enjoy Marriage; Perspective On Our 42nd Anniversary

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Scott Ranck

Scott&GayleRehearsal42 years ago, I had been nineteen for twenty days, when Gayle walked down the aisle to become my wife. We met early in Jr. High School. One day in 9th grade, I walked her home from school and on the railroad tracks behind her house, I asked her the question. So, if I asked you to marry me what would you say? She said yes. We never really went out together until 11th grade. Our first date was magical, fairy tale like. We walked to meet each other our homes were about two miles apart. It was November 1, a light snow was falling and when we met halfway on Southern Avenue in front of Shoalt’s Sheet Metal Shop, neither of us could believe we were finally together.

We were engaged September 17, 1971 just a few months after graduating from high school. We were married January 20, 1973. Both of us barely nineteen and within one year we bought our first home and January 7, 1974 had our first daughter.

WeddingPartyAs one writer said, anyone who has been married more than a couple of weeks has grounds for divorce, and we were not exempt. We always had a strong physical attraction for each other, but what we didn’t know is we were also drawn together by many unmet needs. Nor did we know that no other human is capable of meeting all those needs.

We were two kids growing up together. Two very imperfect kids with absolutely no training on marriage or parenting or resolving conflict or living with natural differences. Gayle had no training on how to live with a self-centered, clueless husband who wanted everything to appear better than it was. I had no clue how to be domesticated, to be a husband and dad.

Two years into our marriage it was almost over. I didn’t know what to do or how to be the man Gayle needed and I think though she tried harder than I did, Gayle didn’t know what to do with me either. So two years in and our marriage was hanging on by a thread.

During this time I came to know the Lord and Gayle became more fully committed. I’d like to say this fixed everything but it really didn’t. We got busy with church life, and like in most everything I ever did, I went to extremes. Church became everything but I will say looking back, not in a healthy way. We had little life apart from church. We endured seven years of Bible College and then 18 years of pastoral ministry.

As I sit here now 42 years, three kids, and four grandchildren later and ponder it all, it is a miracle we are still IN LOVE and are still together. In this writing, I pondered only giving you the good stuff but that isn’t fair to other marriages or true.

I believe marriage is one of God’s best methods to raise us as His kids. Nothing will show you how selfish you are like marriage. Nothing can humble you like thinking you are doing well only to find out your spouse isn’t happy with you. There is no better place to learn to tell the truth in love. There is no better place to mature and work on yourself. When push comes to shove, and both of you are at the end of your resources, you can learn to humble yourself before God together and seek his help. You can seek outside help, which is extremely humbling and hard to listen to when you are part of the problem.

Gayle is such a blessing to me. I am fortunate to have her love all these years. We aren’t kids anymore but we are still playful, she still makes my heart beat fast and I’m so glad we’ve made it this far on the journey together.  We have both intentionally worked on our selves and have experienced some serious growth. I’m learning when we are both surrendered to Christ and working on pleasing Him, life is at its best. When my natural self jumps in, it can be a mess.

So, ching, ching Misiz! Happy 42nd  Anniversary and I love you very much! I look forward to the next 25 years or so of growth, life and the journey together!

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Harmony of the Senses in Decision Making!

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Scott Ranck

At the end of 2014, I began in Genesis 1 reading the Bible with a two-pronged prayer. Lord, I want to know you better and I want you to show me things I need to learn. He has been taking me up on that challenge and I’ve had several “Aha moments” so far.

In Genesis 27 the scene is Isaac is an old man, the text says he is nearly blind, and he wants to impart the patriarchal blessing on his favorite son, and first-born Esau. But Isaac’s wife Rebekah overheard the conversation and told her favorite son Jacob, the second born twin. Esau was to go hunting, bag some game and prepare his father’s favorite meal and then receive the blessing. Jacob, went and killed a goat, his mom prepared the food and Jacob took it in to his dad before Esau could. If you read the story, Esau was a burly, hairy man and Jacob was smooth skinned and more of a Mamma’s boy.

Here is where my lesson came into play. Isaac was nearly blind, but he detected Jacob’s voice. So, he then felt Jacob’s hands, which he had covered with the goat’s skin and fur to make him feel hairy! Isaac’s senses were confused. He said, you sound like Jacob but you feel like Esau. The clincher for Isaac was he smelled Jacob when he leaned in for some affection. Isaac said, Ah, the smell of my son is the smell of the outdoors  and he blessed Jacob. I know, ultimately that was God’s plan but there still is a lesson here for us on decision-making.

To make wise decisions, all the senses need to line up. I need to see clearly, listen discerningly, touch, smell and taste cautiously! Anytime my senses are not in agreement, I need to bring a trusted advisor or group of advisors into the decision for wisdom. Something may look right but feels wrong; something may taste good but is killing me; something may smell right but I have some blind spots, all those times require another person’s senses to help me make a better choice.

Isaac couldn’t have been tricked into a decision he didn’t want to make if he had just called for one other person to help him make his decision. This is some food for thought. Ponder this concept for a while.

Blessings,

Scott

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The Seasons of Life

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Scott Ranck

I don’t know how already, but it is my Birthday again! The years roll by rather quickly. I am 61 years old today. We just finished celebrating Christmas in Florida with two of our adult children and then traveled to Virginia to enjoy some of the Holidays with our son and his family. While in VA we watched a movie one evening titled, “Still Mine.” I recommend seeing it. It was about an elderly couple in the last season of their lives.

All this together has me pondering the seasons of life. There are sections to our lives and while in the midst of them, it seems life will always be the same. For example, if you have a couple of kids, it seems the preschool years will never end. But then, just like that they do. During the active years of elementary and middle school it seems activities will never end and you will be a taxi driver for the remainder of your days, but just like that, they are over.

Having your kids in high school and learning to drive often means a season of less taxi driving and more wondering where they are, if they are okay and when they will be home. If college is in the cards, your prayer is they will finish without too much debt and be able to find a career path they enjoy and start their own family. But then, just like that you look at your spouse and wonder what happened. Where did your babies go?

Now, with years of experience the reality settles in, another couple blinks and another decade or two will pass and I will go the way of all people. Someone will eulogize my life and I will be a fading memory. Very few people will ever know I existed on the planet.

Remember your Creator now while you are young, soon you will not be young! Knowing God is the only thing that will last forever. Knowing Him, will give you never-ending seasons! May your seasons be eternal!

blessings,

Scott

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