Enjoying the Journey
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Don’t Stop Using the Altar!
It was a joy again yesterday to see people on their knees, seeking the Lord. There is something wonderfully refreshing about definite, united prayer among God’s people. In these strange days in our world churches have had to make a number of adjustment to their meetings. Most of these are logistical – issues such as seating arrangements and service times. However, if we are not careful, subtle changes can be made that have spiritual implications. I am very aware that people do not have to be kneeling to pray and that they do not have to be in an “altar” to respond to God. Yet there is something wonderful about calling people to gather in a place of prayer for…
Read MoreA Word To Our Praying Friends
It is just after 4:30 a.m. as I write these words. No, I have not become one of those ridiculously early risers! My body clock is still on Australia time and the adjustment period is real. In spite of all of this I have known the Lord’s strength and help since returning. We had a wonderful camp in Louisiana and I am currently in a revival meeting in Bristol, VA. It is yet another reminder to me that God is always fresh and always faithful. During my college years there was a sweet elderly man, a veteran missionary back from the field, who used to constantly refer to a missionary’s “praying friends.” His expression has taken on new meaning for…
Read MoreThe Greatest Giver
As a boy my dad taught me that there are two types of people in the world: takers and givers. Our world is full of takers, but givers are the ones who make a real difference. These are the ones who live Christ’s way, “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). What is the greatest gift you have ever been given? More importantly, who is the greatest giver you have every known? Perhaps most important, would anyone think of you?!? Every true giver on earth simply reflects something of the first Giver. Our great God is the greatest giver in every way… The length of His giving Christmas is known around the world as a time…
Read More“God’s Gentlemen”
Sometimes as you read a book God will cause a couple of words to capture you. That happened to me recently. Two words seemed to take up the whole page. They invaded my thinking and seemed to become the Lord’s message to me that day. Permit me to share the whole paragraph so that you can get the context. The section comes from Henry Varley’s Life Story. Varley is most famously known as the minister who said to D.L. Moody, “The world has yet to see what God will do with a man fully consecrated to him.” Moody went on to repeat this truth throughout his life with the added words, “By God’s help, I aim to be that man.” The…
Read MoreExciting News!
We are thrilled at the number of preachers and their wives who have made plans to join us next week in Hickory, NC. This gathering has been designed to encourage and strengthen God’s servants. Please help us pray for the good hand of God on every person who is coming and each meeting that will be conducted. Attached you will find a full schedule of sessions. For more information or to register visit thepreachersrest.com. To make a tax-deductible gift in support of the meeting go to scottpauley.org/invest. I look forward to sharing news from the meeting in just a few days. Thank you for your support and prayers!
Read More“When the Cameras Were Off”
In recent years we have seen an epidemic of high profile people committing terrible acts. Preachers, politicians, prominent entertainers, powerful business people. It seems the news is always new and yet always the same: leaders whose lives do not match their labor. This is nothing new. It is as old as sin. But our age of technology and medium of social media has brought it to the forefront. God has always known about the wickedness of man’s heart; now everyone else knows too. What is the lesson for us? There are many truths to be realized…Be sure your sin will find you out. A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches. Great men are not always wise.…
Read More3 Christmas Traditions
We all have them. At times they must be adjusted, but always they live in our memory. Traditions held with family and friends. Fixed reference points in a world that is constantly changing. Christmas is especially a time for tradition. There is a danger in allowing traditions to take the place only truth should hold in our hearts and homes. The strongest traditions are those that are rooted in truth. These stand the test of both time and eternity. In the Pauley home we have traditions just like everyone else. Mom and dad have always loved Christmas and set so many traditions in motion. In addition to many of these, Tammy and I have started some of our own. This…
Read MoreMy Advice to Church Staff Members
Over the last few weeks I have had the privilege of spending time with a number of church staff members in the places where I have been preaching. This is always a great joy for me. More than eighteen years of my life and ministry were spent as a staff member. Every day I thank God for the lessons I learned working under a faithful pastor and for his patience and investment in my life. Now I find myself repeating so many truths and drawing from the experiences I had through those years. One day many years ago I sat across the table from one of the men that had come to preach in our church and college. He shared…
Read MoreOur Greatest Need
Over the last several weeks I have had the privilege of meeting so many praying people. I have been honored and humbled to meet people who I do not know and hear them say, “I pray for you every day.” Never in my life have I felt more the need for intercessory prayer! D.L. Moody wrote, “I have noticed, in traveling up and down the country, and after mingling with a great many ministers, that it is not the man who can preach the best that is the most successful, but the man who knows how to get his people together to pray. If the man who is your minister preaches the gospel, you stand by him; pray for him.…
Read MoreMy New Favorite Airport
This week I have been in multiple airports. Some are better than others. All are the same after awhile! In a few minutes I am landing at my new favorite airport. No, it is not the largest or most modern, but it speaks to me every time I am here. Perhaps a story will help you understand why… Dr. Lee Roberson was a spiritual father to one of my spiritual fathers. He was an example of faith and faithfulness in the work of the Lord. In my study I have one of his most popular books, The Faith that Moves Mountains. Anyone who heard Dr. Roberson speak would testify that faith in God was one of his hallmark themes. One of…
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