nov09

revival services

September already?!?!?!

august; ups and downs

Have you ever noticed that different times remind you of different things? The month of August is one of those times. August has great significance in my life for many reasons. Here are just a few.

August 15, 1989. I turned 15½ and my dad took me to the Skiatook tag office and I got my driver’s permit. This meant freedom on the road ...... (as long as I had a licensed driver of 18 years or older with me). Great day!

August 28, 1990. This was the MOST IMPORTANT day of my life. This was the day I accepted Christ into my life to be my Lord and Savior. Sitting in a baseball stadium in Bartlesville, OK, at a Jay Strack Crusade I realized that I had never placed my faith in Christ. I gave my life to Christ that night and I praise Him for His wonderful salvation.

August 10, 1997. It was on this day that I became the Minister of Youth at Calvary Baptist Church in Tulsa, OK. I was 23 years old and elated to be serving the Lord in this wonderful church. It was in this church that I met my wonderful wife Shelly. We were married in this church on September 18, 1999 (almost 10 years of marriage). Our first two children were born while we served at Calvary, and I fell in love with overseas missions at Calvary, leading teams into Eastern Europe and twice into Peru. God blessed me allowing me to serve there for almost 8 years.

August 29, 2007. This was a day that at first glance is not a blessing. I was asked to step down from a ministry position and find employment somewhere else. It was a devastating blow, but one I can look back on and praise God for what He has done. My family was hurt but God has healed us and made us stronger for it. I praise God for what He allowed to happen on August 29, 2007, now over two years ago.


Our lives are filled with ups and downs. Anyone who knows anything will testify to this. But how you respond to the downs is what builds your character. Yes, great things happened to me and my family in August, but quite possibly the most difficult situation I have ever had to face happened in August as well. But because of what happened God is being glorified because no matter what problem or obstacle I face, God is there and will always give the strength we need to praise Him. Always remember John 16:33 which reads, “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You WILL have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

In Christ,
Scott

august

FREE PICTURE

oldies

I can remember the summer after my 4th grade year and our RA class (Royal Ambassadors for those of you unfamiliar with Southern Baptist stuff) went to the All-State football game at Tulsa. It was the same night Mary Lou Retton won the gold medal at the LA Olympics for the vault. They announced it over the loud speakers.

As time went on and I went to college, I had come home for a visit and my mom yelled at me to clean out my closet. Of course being the good son I did what she said and I did it with a smile. As I was going through my things I came across the program for that game. You can see the cover here.

I began to look through the pages and remember that night back in 1984. But something struck me when I turned to the page for Henryetta. There was a picture of a Senior in High School named Troy Aikman. WOW. I had no idea what I had in my closet all these years.

I am not a big Cowboys fan. As a matter of fact I don’t like them at all. Call me un-American if you like. Whatever! But as I think about that book I wonder how many times we forget about the treasure we have in the Bible. We place it on a shelf and pull it out once a week for church.

That 1984 program is probably not worth anything unless there is some big Aikman fan out there willing to buy it (opening bids begin at $1,000). But never forget the power of the word of God. Over the years people have tried to destroy it but God’s Word will always be here to lead us and guide us.

Scott

Acts 4:13

VBS!!!

Cook Out

time

I have found time to blog today so here goes......................................................

Man, I am having a hard time trying to find something to say. Here we go....

My dad, the infamous Ron Watkins (and no I don't mean "in" famous as in the Amigos) put together a Hominy High School Alumni VS. Varsity tennis match yesterday. I played doubles with Bryant Brown, a 1997 HHS graduate. I am a 1992 grad so we are a bit older than the 18 year olds we played. We had a great time. Bryant and I won 6-2, 6-2 and actually did pretty good in the process.

We had some BAD shots but also some really good ones. My shoulder is giving me problems but that comes with age. My ankle that I sprained last year about this time is still a bit tender but I am getting used to it. All in all it was a good day for the old boy.

But the older I get the more I realize I can't do as much as I would like. My joints are stiff and my legs just don't have the same zeal they used to have. I wonder how many of us are like this spiritually? When we first get saved we could, as the old saying goes, "Attack hell with a water pistol." Then we start to slow down and there is not that excitement anymore. What do we have to do to get that excitement back? I think we have to do like the Alumni did yesterday. Get back out there and do it again.

I want to encourage you, regardless where you are in your spiritual journey, to get out there. You might be a bit tired and wore out but so many times the best remedy is getting out there and doing what you love best and that is living for and loving Jesus and telling others about Him. When we do this we will find that our energy level for Him and our passion for His will grows and gives us strength. Plus when you get back in it for Christ you don't feel near as sore as you do when you take a 10 year break from tennis. Ugh!

Scott
Acts 4:13

fireproof

seat

Are you involved in Sunday School? If not we'd love to help you connect. Don't let your seat be empty. Join us for Sunday School each Sunday at 9:45.

Rally

May 2nd, our church is hosting an Area-Wide Student Rally. If you are thinking or contemplating, or just pondering if you should attend, let me settle it this way. You need to come. It will be the biggest thing to hit Pawnee County since Kim Tilley won the Rodeo Queen pageant. You will not want to miss.

You may ask, “Why is this going to be such a big deal?” Well, numero uno, the Brian Meister Band will be leading us in worship. This band is so hot you can fry an egg on them. You will be loving their killer sound, dude. Second, Shane Hall will be speaking. He was John McCain’s second choice as a Vice-Presidential candidate after Sarah Palin. John thought Sarah had better legs. He should have looked a little closer. Third, a Nintendo Wii will be given away at this event. The Wii is one of the most popular attractions at the local retirement centers. And even if you have one, win it and sell it. BAM! Instant $200. How can you say no to that?

Finally, this could potentially be the best night in the history of your friends’ lives. Christ will be shared and people will have the opportunity to come to Him in salvation. How does it get any better than this? So if you are thinking about coming, do it. If you want a flyer to take to your friends, click on the picture and print it off. Hope to see you at Terlton’s First Baptist Church at 7:00 on Saturday, May 2nd! It will be SLAMMIN’!

Also, if you have a Facebook account, click on http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=151186515191&ref=ts to join this event. See you on May 2nd.

april 2009

Here is the monthly calendar for Terlton's First Baptist Church.

dig deeper

Last week during Spring Break I had the pleasure of being the speaker at a Youth Retreat/DiscipleNow in Disney, OK, at an event called Dig Deeper. There were about 6 churches there and about 140 people (students and sponsors) in attendance. God did some really cool stuff while we were there.

I challenged each student to have me ask them two questions. It is something we have done before that way we can get with them individually and get to know them plus ask them about their salvation. Most of the students did this and I got to know them pretty well.

By the end of the week we had 5 students come to salvation in Christ and another 8 or so made recommitments. Most of the students took a challenge we gave them to reach one person for Christ this year. Be in prayer for these students. They listened very intently and responded to God's call. I am confident they will be used if they will just allow God to do so.

All for Him,
Scott
Acts 4:13

video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQtJlizc6j4

Click on the link above and see the picture video I made of my Malawi mission trip. Thanks.

Scott
Acts 4:13

wow

Wow is about the best word I can think of to help you understand what God did. We are currently in Nairobi, Kenya, and about to get on a flight to London. Wednesday we went out to a village that we almost didn't get to. As a matter of fact, only half of our team made it because the road was so bad. The vehicle I was in called the other that was leaving about 34 minutes later and told them not to come because the road was so bad and if it rained we would all be stranded.

We got to the village and I taught the adults again through the life of Joseph. Jamie taught the baptism class and Abe taught the youth. Then we went down to the baptism time and that is where it got crazy. Jamie and I baptized 147 people. Yes, 147. It was amazing as the people were everywhere. 18 churches were represented.

Then we went back and I preached and had another 15 come to Christ. It was cool. That night we went to another village and showed the Jesus Film. That night I got to preach again and 75 responded to the Gospel. There are so many times I put limitations on God. How dare I?

We went to Lake Malawi yesterday and to a market for our fun day. But before we got there we visited the Baptist Clinic and Oprhanage. It was breath taking. The orphanage is still in the process of being built and it being built on land owned by a Muslim village. The Chief gave it to the Baptists to build. God works even when we think He won't. The lady running the clinic and orphanage needs our prayers. She is amazing. She sold her house to make sure the orphanage can be built. How much to we hord to ourselves when others need to hear the word.

Please keep us in your prayers as well. We fly from here to London to Detroit to OKC. Hopefully it will go by fast. I will post again when we are safe and sound in Terlton. Thanks so much and God bless.

Scott
Acts 4:13

amazing

Our God is amazing. We have had a great time. Yesterday we went out to a village about an hour from Lilongwe and in the morning went out with an interpreter each. Mine was Godfrey, or Bishop. We came to three men standing along side the road. One of them was a police officer. We began to share with them about Christ and all three men said they wanted to accept Christ as Savior, even the police officer. Godfrey, who is a pastor, told me that he has never seen a police officer come to Christ. It was pretty awesome.

We began to walk up a street and they stopped us and told us to go back down the street and we would see a market with a lot of people and we could tell them about Christ. When we got there I asked Godfrey if I could preach there and ask people if they wanted to receive Christ. He went in to ask the people inside if we could because everyone was outside trying to get in to the market. They said it was OK so I began to preach. I then led them in a sinner's prayer and asked them by a show of hands who sincerely prayed to receive Christ. Gedfrey said there was about 100 people there and about 60 raised their hands. We encouraged them to go to the church we were working at that day. It was fantastic.

Then we walked down the road and began to speak to two women who were selling peanuts. Godfrey asked them if we could talk with them for a minute. They said that is fine and we began to share with them. They told me that it took good works to get into heaven so we showed them Ephesians 2:8-9 where Paul tells us it is our faith in God and His grace for us and not by our works. They understood and wanted to receive Christ. We prayed with them and instantly their faces changed. What a day, actually morning it was, because the day was NOT over.

After this we had a baptism service and baptized 12 people. Then in the afternoon we went to "the projects" of Lilongwe and went door to door. Godfrey and I were able to lead 14 people to the Lord in the afternoon. God truly is moving in this nation.

Today three of us (myself, Richard "Tank", and Abe) went to Godfrey's church and ministered to them. There were three churches together to be in Bible study, Baptism, and a sermon. I taught the adults and led them quickly through the life of Joseph (Old Testament) in an hour. Then we went outside and had the baptism service. Tank and I baptised 52 people (26 each). It was great.

Then Godfrey had us come in and after we had them sing, which is utterly amazing, I preached a sermon from Romans 5:8 (God demonstrates His own love for us in while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us). It was the same as I preached in the market. Of the 100 or so people, 40 prayed to receive Christ. It was an amazing day.

Thank you so much for your prayers. We visited the Seminary here and there is much prayer asked for from the leadership. Keep the Baptist Theological Seminary of Malawi in your prayers. Their heart is to train pastors and their wives in how to pastor the church.

I love you and thank you for prayers. God is sooooooo good and it is my pleasure to serve Him.

Scott
Acts 4:13

Lilongwe

We are safe and sound in Lilongwe, Malawi. We got here around noon yesterday and went immediately to the churches. Our two groups baptized 15 yesterday and are going to have more services today hopefully baptizing around 60 or so. These people really love the Lord and you can see it in their faces as they sing and listen to the word.

My time is limited because we are leaving this morning in about 10 minutes. Thank you so much for your prayers and thoughts. God is truly moving in this area and we look forward to what He is going to do the rest of the time we are here. Thanks so much and God bless.

Scott
Acts 4:13

nairobi

Today we are in Nairobi, Kenya. Our flight got delayed 5 hours last night because there was a problem with the plane. They had to fly the part in from Paris to repair it. I thought London was a big enough place that they could have just fixed it with British parts. I guess not.

So with that we missed our connecting flight to Malawi to Kenya Airlines put us up in a hotel in Nairobi and it is fantastic. They are feeding us and we just ate an amazing lunch. The room is great. They are going to pick us up in the morning at 6:00 for an 8:30 flight. BUT, we have to go through Zimbabwe first before we get to Malawi and we will get there at 12:30 and hit the ground running. It is going to be great.

I was very concerned about coming into Kenya because I was not able to get my yellow fever shot. But the customs people did not look at my shot records and I was OK. We are definitely being spoiled in this hotel. Tomorrow all that changes but we are ready for God to use us in Malawi.

Continue to pray for us as we believe God has us HERE in Kenya for a reason, beside just pampering us. We have become friends with a lady from UK traveling to Malawi. We are not sure she is a believer but invited her to eat lunch with us and such since she is by herself. Her name is Sue.

God is good all the time and all the time God is good. Thanks for your prayers and I hope to blog more during the week. As I have said before I don't know what my internet access will be like so I will update when I can. Thanks so much and God bless.

Scott
Acts 4:13

London

Our group is in London now and about to leave for Kenya and then Malawi. Keep us in your prayers as we have another 9 hour flight. Thanks for all the prayers and we will report more when we can. God bless.

Scott
Acts 4:13


ABOUT AN HOUR LATER:

We are sitting in the London Airport about to leave for Kenya and then London. Really fighting jet lag right now. I could not sleep on the plane last night because we had a bunch of teenagers from England who had been skiing in Colorado talking and laughing loudly all the way to London sitting right in front of me. Then an hour before we land they are asleep. JERK KIDS.

Hopefully we will get sleep on this flight. It is nine hours and then we have about two hours and fly into Malawi. Looking at our itenerary it will be a busy time, which is good because we are only here about 6 days. Be in prayer for the churches we are working with. From my understanding they are excited about what the Lord is doing and wanting to see even more.

Also be praying for Shelly and the girls. I don't like being away from them so long, especially out of the country.

Lastly pray for my heart. I know it is jet lag but I am really weary and not wanting to do anything right now, even blog. I know God is going to do marvelous things and I don't want selfishness on my part to get in the way.

I hope to update this while in Malawi but I am not sure about internet access. Check back and we will have to wait and see. Thanks for your prayers and support and I will hopefully talk to you via blogspot soon.

Scott
Acts 4:13

leaving

I leave tomorrow for Malawi (SE Africa). I will be gone until Saturday, February 28. Please be in prayer for my wife and girls as I am gone. The last time I was out of the country for a trip like this for this length we only had one child. It was also on that trip that I found out that Shelly was pregnant with Sydney (found out via email).

I am really excited about what God is going to do. There are six of us going and I believe only 4 are ordained so I may end up doing more than I originally anticipated. If you are unfamiliar about what our trip entails, click on http://watkinsscott.blogspot.com/2008/10/malawi.html to read about it.

I recently found out that the average life span in Malawi is only 36 and the average person is under 16. AIDS has ravaged this nation so much. Pray for the Malawians that they will be able to truly comprehend the love of Christ. They are the 3rd poorest nation in the world but really don’t know that. They truly need Jesus.

I am going to try to blog while I am there but obviously my internet access will be limited. Have a wonderful day and I will tell you all about my trip when I get home.

Scott
Acts 4:13

random

This is something I found on Facebook. Feel free to read it, if you have time to kill. This is 25 random things about moi.


1. My name is Scott David Watkins and I was born on February 15, 1974, at Grady County Hospital in Chickasha, OK.

2. I have a wife named Shelly that I have been married to since September 18, 1999, and we have three girls. Taylor is 6 going on 17, Sydney is 3 and will be 4 in March, and Emiley turned 2 in December.

3. I played tennis all through out middle school, high school and played in college at OBU.

4. In high school I was a four time conference champion at #1 singles. I think I am the only person who has done that in the conference we played in.

5. I played on the Varsity tennis team at Oklahoma Baptist University. My senior year I was #3 on the team and Team Co-Captain.

6. I was the starting quarterback on my high school football team my senior year. My junior year I started at wide receiver. But I only started the first half of the season at QB my senior year and lost my position. I went back to WR. I was upset about it but I was still getting to play. I have the distinction of throwing a touchdown, running for a touchdown, and catching a touchdown all in the same season, in two different seasons (11th & 12th grades).

7. I was 8th grade spelling champion but I still need spell check.

8. My dad was my Middle School principal, my 10th grade U.S. history teacher, and my 12th grade government teacher. Oh, and my HS tennis coach. I got a lot of crap from people over that.

9. My sister, Stefani, is 4 ½ years older than me and used to beat me up all the time until I was about nine. Then I discovered WWF and learned the moves. I made her cry. She didn’t touch me after that.

10. I was a trombone major my freshman year in college. YES, TROMBONE. But I gave that up because I realized that I stunk at it. So I changed my major to Youth Ministry. Now I realize that I stunk at that too because I ended up with a degree in Pastoral Ministry which I am doing now. God has a funny sense of humor.

11. I was in Youth Ministry for 15 years. Now I am doing the one thing I DID NOT want to do. Pastor a church.

12. I Pastor the greatest church in the known universe, and the unknown universe, but how can I prove that if I don’t know what else is out there?

13. I was my oldest daughter’s t-ball coach when she was 3 and 4. I got volunteered to do that one. It was a hoot!

14. I have “retired” from pick up basketball because back in May of 2008, I sprained my ankle playing with college aged guys. The doctor said, and I quote, “You sprained the crap out of it.” Thanks for being clinical.

15. I met my wife Shelly at OBU, even though she denies it. She was with Walker Moore and Awe Star Ministries http://www.awestar.org/ and they were recruiting students for overseas missions. I know I met her and my college address is in their computers. But we “officially” met at a lock-in at Calvary Baptist Church in Tulsa on October 23, 1998. I spilled Coke on her. It was love at first spill.

16. I knew within two weeks of meeting her that she was going to be my wife. Seriously. I bought a ring 3 weeks after our lock-in experience.

17. I believe I have some sort of a speech problem. There are certain words and phrases I have a hard time saying without the words getting jumbled and such. But God has called me to communicate the Gospel and He uses what I think is an inability for His glory.

18. I was in a rap group in College called PNEUMA, meaning God-breathed.

19. My best friend is my wife. My best dude friend is Brandon McCombs. He has been there for me in difficult times and fun times. Even though he is a jerk when he beats me a NCAA football on XBOX and playstation.

20. I am going to Malawi on a mission trip February 19–28. I am extremely pumped about it. To get more information about it go to http://watkinsscott.blogspot.com/2008/10/malawi.html.

21. I have led mission teams all over the U.S. as well as into Eastern Europe and Peru. I love Peru and the Peruvians and hope to go back soon.

22. I believe the best way to watch a TV series is on DVD. That way you can skip commercials and watch the next episode immediately after the one you just watched. No better way. My wife and I watched the first four seasons of Alias in 5 weeks. Still waiting on the 5th and final season but I know it will be here soon. Thanks Jeremy.

23. My favorite movie of all time is The Three Amigos with Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Chevy Chase. “One for each other and all for one, the three brave Amigos are we!” “They called us scum sucking pigs, us!”

24. My favorite TV show of all time is Seinfeld. I want to get the Seinfeld SceneIt game. They have it at Wal-Mart for $19 but my wife thought that would be a waste of $19. But my birthday is coming up (hint, hint)!

25. I gave my life to Christ at the age of 16, on August 28, 1990, at a Jay Strack Crusade in Bartlesville, OK. I surrendered my life to serve Him in the ministry about a year later. I wouldn’t change it for the world!

february

shots!!!

In a little over a month I will be traveling to the nation of Malawi on a mission trip with other pastors. I am very excited about this trip. If any of you have not read about what we will be doing click on http://watkinsscott.blogspot.com/2008/10/malawi.html and you can get the information.

The one thing I am NOT excited about is the shots. I have an appointment scheduled at the Tulsa City/County Health Department next Thursday the 22nd at 10 am. They are going to give me about 5 shots ranging from Hepatitis A & B, Typhoid, MMR, Tetanus, and Yellow Fever. I have a strong feeling I am going to be sore. But I guess it is all to keep my young strapping body from getting sick. The price you pay for looking this good (I am not seriously this conceited).

The dates for the trip at February 19–28 (Thursday–Saturday). My funds have come in very well and I am so grateful. I will ask you to pray for me as I prepare spiritually and physically. I know this will be a physically demanding trip as I will be baptizing around 500 people in 7 days. But also I want to have the right frame of mind spiritually. I want to be used by God in whatever way He desires.

Pray for my family as I will be gone. Shelly is already nervous about having the psychos by herself so please remember her. Lastly I ask you to pray for the people of Malawi. This is a nation where the Muslims are trying to infiltrate and we need to reach them for Christ. God is more powerful than our words and deeply desires for the people in Malawi to know Him.

While in Malawi I will try to update you about what we are doing on this blog. I am not sure what internet options I will have but I will do my best to keep you all informed. Thanks for taking time to read this and I hope you have a blessed day.

Scott Watkins
Acts 4:13

anniversary

My first Sunday as Pastor of Terlton’s First Baptist Church was January 6, 2008. Time really does fly when you are having fun. What a blessing it has been to be the Pastor of such a loving, caring group of believers.

But 2008 was not necessarily a banner year for me. On Thursday, May 16, 2008, I severely sprained my ankle playing basketball at the Christian Church in Cleveland. Of course being 34 I thought I could still play with 20 year olds but I was mistaken. It swelled up like a beach ball and even to this day it hurts to do TOO much on it. I cannot run at 100% yet.

Then as most of you know, my family was involved in a major automobile accident on Tuesday, October 28, 2008. I am not going to go into the details about the accident but you can click on http://watkinsscott.blogspot.com/2008/10/sore.html to read more about it. It was such a scary time as my wife and children are hurt and crying and unsure of what was happening. When they take us away in an ambulance and my children are strapped to gurneys, you feel a lot of emotions.

But I would not trade 2008 for anything. Even in the midst of horrifying circumstances God has shown just how good He is. He allowed me to love my family even more and His church as well. He was there with us in the ambulance and the hospital as tests were run. And He will be there with us no matter where we are. I don’t know what your resolutions are for 2008, but always remember that whether it is 2009 or 2109, God is good and He is there.

Scott
Acts 4:13