A little back-story. In September 1988 my mother had a massive heart attack that destroyed 2/3 of her heart. I was a 1st semester freshman in college at that time. After her condition stabilized we sought out the opportunity for her to go on a transplant list through OSU. The following September she received the page from OSU that they had a heart for her. The heart was from a 17-year-old boy. His parents made the decision to make him a complete donor. In this boy’s unfortunate death many other people were given the opportunity for a new life.

After several years our family had the opportunity to meet the family members of the donor. While I missed that opportunity since I no longer lived in Ohio that first encounter brought much peace and fulfillment to our family as well as the donor’s. A close relationship, even a friendship grew out of this. It would be accurate to say that our lives were transformed.

The opportunity to have an extended life for my mom cost the life of a son who we did not know. After which my mom and our family were now given the opportunity to do something with this new life and to make a difference in the lives of others.

Over the next 10 years countless lives were touched and changed in this life and the next as a result of that heart transplant. If I were starting to make a list I would be well into next year before I would be able to stop typing. That time was certainly a God given second chance. End of back-story.

At some point after my mom died and was buried I made a commitment to myself that I was going to draw a line and make an effort to live the rest of my life without any more regrets. Part of that goal was to take the time to open myself up to the Holy Spirit and allow conviction of any unrepentant sin to happen. I new that it was also time to stop paying lip service to that I said were my top priorities and to begin to make a daily decision to do something each and every day to make sure my top priorities were and stayed my top priorities.

My top priorities are:
1. My relationship with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2. My wife.
3. My marriage. Reason this is #3 and not second is without my wife there is no marriage.
4. My 2 children.
5. My entire family unit.
6. My extended family. My dad, my 2 brothers and their family units, my wife’s grandmother, her mom and dad and here brother and his family unit.

While I may have strong economic, political views and love for The United States of America these things as well as my self must take a backseat to the top priorities I have placed in for my life. Last Monday I purposefully took myself out of my normal routine just to spend time praying in the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to communicate with me. I also did the same today. Today I spent more time being open to what the Holy Spirit would have me to have ears to hear on.

A clear message was that I am to spend the next year doing my part to reach out to my 2 brothers and forgive anything that I might have that is holding me back from being the type of brother I should be. So out of death of our mother I believe will come the healing and even new life in the relationships that her three sons that she lived and sacrificed her life for. I look forward to a year from now on this very day that when I take time to reflect on the life and impact of my mother, Midge Meyer, that I can say that God has changed me again and that I have become the type of person that my 2 brothers and others can look to and say that it was by the grace of Jesus Christ that health and healing were restored to this family.

Scott Meyer

So what was the word of knowledge that came to me today, and how is it moving me to action/work? I am glad I asked.

I ask forgiveness from anyone who reads this besides me. I am writing this in the first person so that every time I read this posting I can be encouraged and can stand firm in what God has called me to do.

My wedding anniversary is quickly approaching. On August 06 it will be 15 years for us. I have been reflecting on the passage “From everyone who has been given much, much is required.” This is only part of a verse out of Luke 12:48. Still I find it personally applicable. If this were a stand-alone verse it would be convicting in and of itself. It is part of a passage that is focused on faithfulness. The entire 12th chapter of Luke speaks to me about not relying on man or myself but to be seeking God’s Kingdom first in all things, and He will add to me in this life all that I need.

At this point I want to focus on Luke 12:35 to 48, as these verses are very timely in my life.

“Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.”

“But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”

“Peter said, ‘Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?’”

“And the Lord said, ‘Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all of his possessions.’”

“But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.”

“And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but a few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, they will ask all the more.” NASB

In this passage we see the outcome of a master’s servant who knew his will as well as the servant who did not know the master’s will and both were found unfaithful. These servants were punished. The unfaithful servant who knew the will and did not get ready or act in the master’s will was punished much. The one who did not know the will and committed deeds worthy of punishment received only a little.

To me the last part of verse 48 “and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more” speaks of the outcome of the master’s servant who knows his will, is ready, and is found faithful in doing the master’s will, like the servant at the beginning of this passage.

To summarize verse 48 as it applies to me: Since I have been given much, much is required of me. As long as I am ready and am found faithful in doing God’s will I will be entrusted with much more and I will experience an even deeper requirement. I will also be found on that day reclined at my master’s table.

So what has been prepared for me and what are the actions that I am charged with?

Here is a partial list of what God has put in my life.
1. I was born male.
2. I have been “called” to be a Christian. Matthew 20:16 KJV “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
3. I choose to accept the wife God prepared for me.
4. I chose to have children.
5. I was born a citizen of the USA
6. I was born into a time that has more communication means than any other time in the history of the world.
7. The list can go on and on and on. At this point I am going to focus on these top six.

Perhaps after I have been found faithful in these six the Master will entrust much more of me.

Numbers 1 thru 4 are the foundation for numbers 5 and 6, as well as all additional responsibilities that have already been entrusted to me as well as those yet to be made manifest.

It is plainly stated all through out the scripture the responsibilities that a Christian husband and father should be prepared for and actively doing.

It is in this that I am convicted. The USA was once a shinning light for the world to see how a Christian, a man and father should be. The Bible shows many similar responsibilities in men and women. It’s not just these similarities I have with my wife that I will be judged on it is also the differences. The Bible clearly defines the roles of men and women, a father and a mother.

It appears to me that the world, this country and in the church body there is an absence of men. The most active adult members of churches today are women. My friend from church today noted that while watching a video of a concert of a group that he likes it was 100 women to 1 man in the audience.

Today in church we were witness to a mother and 3 pre-teen to teenage kids, 2 girls and 1 boy. The 2 girls were the oldest. One girl had notebook paper to apparently take notes. How could she, since both girls spent the entire service wondering around, to and from their seats. During the message time they may have been at their seats 25% of the time. The boy during the praise and worship time spent much of the time bouncing off his mom’s shoulder and side. During the sermon he spent much of the time he was being disrespectful to her and not listening to her. She kept trying to the best of her ability to correct all three kids.

After the service my friend and I were talking about how when we see this type of activity, it is our responsibility as Christian men to intervene. While I know that I have not been charged with the authority of discipline of other people’s children I must not be the person who does nothing. For if I do nothing then I will be just as guilty of allowing the adversary to prosper, as is the person who is actually doing what is wrong.

Okay, my friend and I each know what we are to do when we see or hear about this type of wrong, but how as a citizen of the USA have I been charged to use more effectively the communication tools available? No longer am I bound by having to rely on having a conversation with my neighbor over the picket fence, using a large black box mounted to a wall and attached to a three and a half foot cord to make a call or to send a message at distance by using a typewriter or notepad and sending it via snail mail. I now live in a time to name a few: cell phones, text messages, emails, blogs, and social networking sites like, Facebok, Myspace and Twitter. (In fact the entire rough draft of this post was done using the “qwerty” keypad on my phone while my home computer was turned off or in use by another family member.) Other than paying for my monthly cell phone bill with text messages and unlimited data streaming everything else is FREE! Even if something were to happen to my phone and if the broadband internet connection I have at home were to not work, I could still go to a public library and use these free media platforms.

The three media platforms that I am going to go over are: 1. Blogs, 2. Facebook and 3. Twitter. I am going to briefly list what each of these platforms is like to me and how I am using them.

1. Blog:
I have a free blog from WordPress.com. To me a blog is like speaking to a large crowd. It is an opportunity to send out a thought to a large or diverse group of people simultaneously. This is a great way to communicate when one or more applies, a group of 100 or more people are present, a wide range of peoples knowledge on the subject is there, immediate feedback or dialog is not needed or expected. As a result I find that it is more effective for me to communicate in generalities and using testimonials. Think of it like a 45 second teaser trailer for a 2-hour movie. This opportunity also allows my audience to come and go as they please without making any personal commitments or convictions. I think of it like taking a car for a test drive. If my audience members find value in my blog they will feel more comfortable in moving into a stage where there is some level of commitment. This is where dialog can begin.

2. Facebook: Where dialog begins.
Here is where my audience can begin having a conversation with me. To me this is like talking with a small group of 5 to 50 or so people. It’s similar to meeting new people at social gatherings like a birthday party, weeding or church event, most people are comfortable in an exchange of free and non-private information. Things like name, gender, age martial status, kids/no kids, occupation or hobbies. As a general rule this information is non-confrontational and allows each person to find out if they have enough in common to continue beyond just being acquainted. We have now gone from the teaser trailer to various 90 second trailers that lead up to the movie release, or to continue the auto analogy: I have started to negotiate on the terms for buying that car. I am looking to see if they are willing to sell based on those terms and vise versa. On Facebook or Myspace it’s whom I know that counts.

3. Twitter:
I have multiple Twitter accounts. One is my personal and the other is my business account. For a while I tried to only have one account and I failed miserably at it. Why miserably, because I was miserable trying to decide how to post a message to one group that the other would also find relevant. So after much frustration on my end I now have multiple accounts. Even my 8 year old and 7 year old sons have their own accounts. They are not on Facebook because they are not old enough yet.

When it comes to social media, Twitter is as close to having a 1 on 1 conversation as I know how to do. In fact using the DM feature this is possible to do at any time of day/night with anyone in the world. I cannot even do this making a call on my cell. After international charges may apply and still no guarantee they will be able to get my call at that time. I am now in the theater and the show has begun. For one more auto analogy I have reached the terms and conditions with the seller and I am issuing payment in exchange for the keys and title/ownership.

Unlike my blog, which is mostly a monolog and communicates in generalities Twitter forces me to limit my post to a thought at a time and to be specific. With a limit of only 140 characters at a time for my post it is hard to ramble on.

While it is true that people can come and go as they please and I have no idea if and when my messages are received, with a little work on my part I can determine who in my audience is at least tuned in relatively frequently or those who only tune in the dial once in a while.

This microblogging platform allows me to give a quick bio of myself and website so anyone in the world can find me and decide for themselves if they want to follow. I chose to point the website to my blog. This way I can develop my thought more for those who want to get more information.

Here I have much greater control over who will hear my message firsthand. As I look over my follower list I can block any profile that I might find objectionable, such as those promoting porn or some other type of spam. To quote Monty Python “I don’t like SPAM!”

Unlike my Facebook profile, which is who I know, Twitter is what I know and who I am. So if I am going to influence my generation and others I must be continually growing myself and what I know.

Therefore, if I am going to be effective at communicating at all three platforms, I must be accountable to someone at all three levels.

Having my own business has helped to put me in a position for all three platform types. I have had multiple opportunities to speak on a literal platform and in a diverse group of people often of more than 100 in attendance. It is at this time that I know if I want to expand my influence I must have more testimonies that will build up peoples belief on what it is that I have been asked to communicate on.

I have had countless times been asked to share about who I know or what I have done to get the results of the topic at hand to small groups of 5 to 50 or so.

But the most of the time I get to share on what I know and who I am. It is at this platform that the opportunity to have the most significant impact into a person’s life is present. Here is the greatest reward and the greatest responsibility. I have people in business and in my personal life that I am accountable to at all three levels.

I am more effective in my oral communications when I have the same people listening to me at more than one level of platform. It is my prayer that I have the same results while using my blog, Facebook and Twitter.

This is the direction I feel lead at this time to pursue. I am planning on using these platforms not for my personal gain but for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Thank you for listening,

Scott Meyer
07.26.09 @ 2327 from a “qwerty” keyboard on a cell phone.

Motivators are not born-they are made. And they are almost always self-made. By Alan Loy McGinnis in Bringing Out the Best in People.

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight in in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but they are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Psalm 1 (NASB)

“The past doesn’t equal the future. Experience has a purpose: it’s not to gauge future results, it’s to minimize future mistakes.”

“There are many people walking like Clark Kent because they don’t know they can fly like Superman.”

Matt Grotewold

My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

PROVERBS 3:7-10

Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. Honor the LORD from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.

PROVERBS 3:11-12

My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD or loathe His reproof, for whom the LORD loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.

Once the bread and the wine have been prepared and broken or poured out they are of little or no value until they are taken by its members and digested. Then it is up to the recipient to make use of the nutrition from the bread and the wine in their own way.

The value of the communion is determined both by the quality of the bread and the wine but also by the one who takes the communion. It all starts with preparation and putting in quality ingredients into the communion elements but also for all of its members.