:::ScottEngland…BLOG:::

It’s 10:25am. I am sitting in my AIR CONDITIONED house, in my office with my somewhat comfy fake leather rolling chair, listening to Brinkley bark at the neighbors walking down the street. This is the first time my fingers have hit the keyboard of my good old trusty Dell in over 10 days. It feels SO good to be HOME. This time four weeks seemed like eight! I slept until shortly after nine this morning. It was a much needed recovery after being in travel for 14 and a half hours yesterday. I finally crawled into bed around 2am and tried desperately to keep my mind from racing-and my mouth-as I was so excited to tell Riann EVERYTHING about the trip. Of course I suppressed my selfish desires knowing she had to get up around 7. Tonight will be a special night of catching up and laughing over pictures and stories. Some day we will be in a position to share these first hand-together.

Well, the Dunn’s River Falls were really fun.  It was such a relief to get off of the compound for a day.  The ride up was inspiring as we drove through miles of Caribbean greenery.  Mountains, trees, falls, and occasional buildings lined the streets with vivid color.  We stopped at the market in Ocho Rios for about an hour.  It was pretty crazy.  Even the food vendors were trying to sell us weed!  NO thank you MON!  Lunch was great.  We stopped at a local place called Scotchie’s.  The fish was amazing.  There were spices on that thing I had never tasted before.  We arrived at the falls and beach shortly after.  The water was a bright, clear blue.  We welcomed the slight chill after the HOT walk down to the main entrance.  Climbing the falls was a blast!  I almost busted it pretty bad once.  Some of the rocks were pretty slippery.  Okay, so I DID fall once, but the only thing hurt was my pride. :)  We finally reached the top after several stops to wade in the natural pools.  Now THAT water was chilly, yet even more refreshing.  We swam with the kids on the beach.  After playing the human kid launcher for another 3o minutes or so, we took one final climb up the falls and headed back to the buses.

It’s funny how I usually have a hard time making myself sit down and write a post, but when I do there are so many details I find myself fighting to leave out so that the post doesn’t get too long!  Just thought I’d throw that in.  So the rest of the week at the Salvation Army compound went just as incredible as the first part of the week.  That is until Monday at 2:30am.  The previous night we said our goodbyes to all the students that have grown on our hearts.  Everyone was up late packing and sharing final stories with each other before calling it.  The North Carolina group was leaving at 4am so most of them were already sleeping.  I woke up and looked at my watch at 3am.  I was excited that I still had about 30 minutes of sleep left.  I could hear people talking and moving around.  Of course they were.  They were heading home soon.  A couple minutes later one of my new friends, Shawn, came into the room where my friend Rob, the project leader and I were sleeping.  Quietly yet with intensity he said something along the lines of, “guys wake up, we are being robbed.  There are three guys with guns taking every-one’s stuff.”  We jumped up thinking they were pulling another prank on us, but doing the “leader thing.”  We heard the three men running out the front door and around the back of the house.  People were crying all around the dorm.  This was no prank.  It was as real as it gets.  We quickly went into recovery mode taking care of everyone at once, calling the captain, the police, and trying to put pieces together.  The leaders and youth pastors did a great job keeping their groups calm.  They quickly realized the men were not out to harm anyone (even though they were speaking sternly to everyone with guns waving in their faces) and just wanted things of value.  However, one of the men attempted to get one of the younger adults to have sex with him.  He asked her a series if uncomfortable questions.  She remained a pillar of fortitude as she continually and sternly told him no.  She was never touched.  They left her alone.  If anyone was not already fired up and ready to go to war, that alone would halve sent us all over the edge.  How could Rob and I have slept through the majority of all this!?  We later learned that the girls were praying that we would stay asleep.  They feared that if we were to wake, we might make things worse.  Maybe they were right.  I believe God was protecting us all.  The thieves knew what they were doing.  Two nights before a house behind the compound was robbed by three men.  We woke to a single gunshot.  They got away.  It had to be the same guys.  The police interviewed everyone individually and took a running list of the things stolen.  Although everyone was saddened by their losses, we were all d no one got hurt.

I  gathered everyone outside just before the North Carolina group caught the bus.  We prayed and thanked God for his hand of protection.  We declared victory over the enemy.  There was no way this incident was going to steal our joy of all that God did in and through us throughout the week.  We stood strong in the victory.  We stood boldly in the VICTOR!  As everyone continued to unload their side of the story and experience, one of the teenagers yelled for me.  When I got over there, she asked if we could sing “that song.”  The one we closed with the night before.  The one that became one of our most celebrated songs as salvation truly showed in several occasions.  I quickly grabbed my guitar and brought it to the front porch.  Looking over the buildings across the way to the beautiful mountains and the sun gently peaking it’s way through the clouds we began to sing,
God above all the world in motion
God above all my hopes and fears
I don’t care what the world throws at me now
It’s gonna be alright
Cause I know my God saved the day, and I know his word NEVER fails
And I know my God made a way for me.  SALVATION IS HERE.
With tears welling up in most of our eyes, the song had a new meaning.  We would never sing it the same again.  We celebrate being a child of The Most High God.  We rest in the protection of His mighty hand.  We trust that where he sends us, he will guide and protect.  We WILL go.  We will continue to carry His name to the ends of the Earth.

We just finished most of the projects that we started this week.  Six days of SWEAT, sweat, sweat, SSWWEEEAATTTT!!!! :)  We have cleaned mounds and piles of debris from the last hurricane that come through, painted some boys dorms, scrubbed and painted the main kitchen in the great hall including cabinets, repainted the outdoor playground, hopscotch, and foursquare, organized the library where piles of books were once on the floor, lead worship and devotionals daily with the kids, organized and held birthday parties with the elderly, cleaned and painted the curbs around the 15+ acre entrance, played countless games of soccer and misc. ball, read scripture with students in the park after lunch (which they continually asked for), gave swimming lessons each day, and hung out with students when we were not catching up rest sleeping through the night.  Wow, good thing I wasn’t saying all of that with one breath! 

Tomorrow will be a special day.  We are taking the teams from Washington, North Carolina, and Ohio to Dunn’s River Falls where visitor’s can make the 600 feet climb from the base of the falls, hand-in-hand like a human daisy chain!  We are definitely ready for a break!  Can’t wait to jump from a waterfall into the tropical ocean!!!  Keep you posted!

It’s day 5 in Jamaica and I have managed to find my way into an Internet room here where we are ministering at The Salvation Army.  We have been spending our time working with students here at the school for the blind, loving on the orphans, reading scripture and singing with the elderly, and doing tons of miscellaneous work projects here on campus.  It is incredibly HOT as well as humid.  Of course NO.  I think our bodies are finally getting somewhat acclimated-sort of.   

God has really been moving here.  One of the blind students was telling us how his hearing is not that great, which is pretty rough considering that is one of the primary ways a blind person gets around.  I asked if he knew of Jesus and His love for him.  He said that he knew a lot about Jesus and has seen his miracles, but was not sure that he was a believer.  After talking with him about God’s love for us.  I asked him if he would be willing for me to pray with him.  He was happy to receive prayer.  We claimed the word of God over his life asking the Lord for his healing power on the young man’s life.  When we said Amen, he was able to hear much better.  The next day, he came up to me and said that when he yawned that morning, his ears were clearer than they had ever been!  What a miracle.  If that wasn’t enough, the young man asked Jesus to be his Lord and Savior that evening, excited to be a part of the family of God.  WOW!  What privilege to be a part of what God is doing!   

Well, I have been enjoying my time home this month. It has been incredible to spend time with my wife, family and friends. Thanks to all those who have been coming out to the couple of local shows I have been playing. Acoustic Jeremiah was so much fun! I was humbled and honored by the support of all the friends and family that could make it out. Jill Phillips and Andy Gullahorn were not only amazing musicians, but incredible people as well. It was a pleasure getting to open their set. I’ll be playing at Acoustic Jeremiah again sometime after July. Check the appearances page on my site for updates!!

Guatemala was amazing! Thanks to every one of you who prayed for us and supported us while we were gone. The day before we left, my song went to number 1 on the charts. It’s been in the top 10 rotation for several months now on Shock FM. Receiving the airplay has “played” an important role in the ministry platform I have been given to minister to students in even greater ways. We had over 2,000 students attend our concert and worship event. Bands Jenny Allem and Katharsis, were both amazing opening acts. They represented Jesus well as we rocked it out celebrating our Lord. Although there were many areas that turned out a little different than origianly planned (as usual in GUA), we were able to do a ton of ministry in the surrounding villages of Lake Atitlan. We spent time in Solola, Panahachel, Panaba, and Santiago.

One of the highlights of the trip was ministering in the village of Santiago. This was my 4th time meeting needs in the village. We were able to help some of the families that we had previously built relationships with perform a VBS type event with the surviving children of the mud slides. We spoke “Spanglish,” our guide translated into real Spanish, and the teachers translated into Sutukil, the native Mayan language. Watching the kids faces light up as we sang songs and told stories was priceless. We also spent some time prayer walking around the village. Keep in mind, it is not “norman” for “GRINGOS” to be walking around the village. Most natives do not take too kindly to it. There is always an element of danger and fear for our lives. The first door is always the most difficult. Our guide reluctantly knocked on the makeshift door with a spray painted number. A young 16 year old girl barely poked her head into the daylight. We let her know we were there representing Jesus and wanted to know if we could pray with her about anything. It was almost humorous watching the sweat pour down our guides face, and not just because it was HOT. The young girl proceeded to tell us about how she would be getting married soon and wished for prayer for her marriage. We also prayed for her mother who was sick. We made our way around to several huts. People began coming out to see what the tall Americans were doing in their territory. We gave out gifts and continued to pray. As each time past, our guide and crew grew increasingly more bold. God was moving one again. Shortly into the process, our guide pulled me to the side. As tears rolled down his face, he asked if I would pray for his son. At that exact hour, his “girlfriend” was in court trying to get full custody of his baby boy. We prayed together and asked with confidence God’s plan and provision. We then made our way to a house where an older lady was waiting outside her door for us. She invited us into her hut. I must admit we were all pretty nervous. She asked us to pray for her husband who was an alcoholic and had been gone for days without anyone knowing where he was. We stood in her home amazed at the opportunity begging our God for deliverance. She was greatful. We were blessed. To view pictures of our trip to GUA, you can visit my facebook page and my friend Jessica’s link.

Over the next couple of months I will be ministering in Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Kentucky, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Chicago, and various other locations. Please pray for guidance, humility, anointing, provision, good health and peace on me and my family as I carry out the call. Thank you SO much for all your prayers, love, and support!!

Scott England
-Musicianary

I just wanted to write a quick blog for all 2 of you guys that read this! : ) My wife and I will be headed out of the country on Friday back to Guatemala. This will be my 4th trip to minister to an incredible country. It’s Riann’s first time on an overseas mission trip! I am so excited for her to see where God has been using our finances, time, and talents. Of course, she has seen many pictures. They pale in comparison to the real deal! The band and ministry team from Iowa will be coming in April 3 to prepare for our outreach concert on the 4th. The churches, schools, and organizations are bringing in over 3,000 students throughout the Guatemala City area for the event. Radio promos, flyer’s, and other advertisements have all gone out. We will be spending the remainder of the week ministering in orphanages and small villages around the outskirts of GUA. I’ll keep you posted here on the blog while we are there. Please pray for us as we are on this two week journey. We greatly appreciate it!

Prayer needs:
-Safety in travel
-Safety in and throughout while ministering
-Favor with government
-Salivations, follow up, and discipleship
-Financial favor
-Good health
-Unity within our groups

My ministry link to GUA pics and updates!: www.scottengland.com/cwm.htm

I met Noel Parker this weekend while leading worship at a Disciple Now in Texas. He shares his story of how he has found hope for the future in the midst of battling muscular dystrophy. His outlook on life has been an inspiration to all who has been around him and heard him tell of his love for Jesus. It blessed me to hear him speak of how music played a key role in his decision to seek out a relationship with Christ. Here is the link to his video testimony we recorded this weekend! Be blessed and thankful!

ScottEngland.com- http://scottengland.com/Video/NoelParker.mpg

YouTube- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_pmu7WtOwQ

Tags: christian music, disease, faith, hope, muscular dystrophy, music, Scott England, teen, Testimony, worship, youth group

Those that know me know that I would rather talk or listen to someone else speak their mind than write. It’s SO much more personal! Anyway, every now and then I would like to post some of the questions and answers from some of my emails. This was one of the questions I received over the last couple of weeks. I thought I would put my anwer in a blog and let you guys put your two cents in.

-Well, I have finally sat down, logged into MySpace, and hit the REPLY button. : ) Okay, here is my feeble attempt to answer a question that has been running around my head as well as the UNIVERSE for some time now.

Let me begin by saying that I think “religion” is just another self-help scheme that will only provide temporary fulfillment to an unending need. There are a TON of “religious” people in the world. Religion is no NEW, fresh, trend or popular concept. There are many religions that date back before and after Christianity. We could go into detail over all the historical facts and fallacies of each, but let’s focus on the main one in question. Here is what the dictionary says about religion:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/religion

When speaking of Christianity, history, historians, scholars, artifacts, etc. have proven the Bible to be a historically accurate, factual book. Jesus was a REAL person who was where the Bible says he was, did what it says he did, walked where it said he walked, etc. Other religions state Jesus as a “good man.” How can he be a “good man” if he really is not the son of God, which he claimed? “Good men” are not liars. “Good men” are not crazy, lunatics “pretending” to heal people and doing all the radical things Jesus did. Based on the Biblical, historically factual, description of Jesus, we can conclude that he is one of three things. A Liar, a Lunatic, or (as he claimed)LORD . In regards to the Bible, we are talking about a compilation of writings that have been comprised over thousands of years by MANY different authors, inspired by God himself) Either it’s real in its entirety or it is not true at all. There is no real in between. Again, we can spend months digging up case, by case, point by point, proving the validity of the Bible from a factual historical point.

Christianity is the only “religion” (I despise this word) where you don’t “work” your way into eternal security. Every other religion IS about what you DO to achieve eternal life, some to become your own god. We can never work hard enough, do enough, or be “good enough.” Christianity is the ONLY religion where we are drawn, called, beckoned, offered, an opportunity by the ONE God of the universe to KNOW him. AND not only to achieve life after death, but to live life more abundantly here on Earth. Jesus paved the way so that though we do not “measure up,” we are made perfect by his sacrificial death AND resurrection on the cross. NO other religion serves a God that is STILL ALIVE and ACTIVE TODAY! When was the last time you saw or heard of someone getting healed or healing someone in the name of Buddha? How about Mohammad, Joseph Smith? When was the last time you heard someone in serious, legitimate trouble and cry out for another god for help and then that god (little g) stepped in and met them there? We are CREATED with the innate desire to know THE CREATOR. The ONE true God. We will continue to search our whole lives looking for that “thing” to fulfill us. Jesus is the only answer to that equation. He WILL be there in our time of need. He will be there when things are going great.

Earlier I stated that I despised the word religion. It is not a set of religious, ritualistic, BORING rules and boxes to check. I know there are many Christians out there that are so caught up in being legalistic, that it almost becomes a “works-based” way of life. The Creator of the universe, the galaxies, the ONE who slung the stars in the sky, gave them names, created the planets, Earth in it’s perfect form to provide oxygen and our necessities for survival, the ONE who tells our hearts to beat, our lungs to breathe. THAT GOD wants to KNOW US! HE draws US to HIM! When we encounter THAT-HIM, and see HIM, and know HIM, we desire to be LIKE HIM. We have somehow begun focusing on behavior modification rather than the core of heart transformation! GOD will transform our hearts! The behavior will come in line as we know Him! I don’t need to “check off” whether I have talked to God today. He IS with me ALL day. I see Him in the trees, the clouds, his creations, the sky, life on Earth just to name a few. He speaks to me in in His still, small voice, through the Bible, and He guides me through the day. Many times, I don’t listen and well and miss it. He is STILL there to redirect me. I ask him for direction. I talk to him about my problems. He listens. He speaks.

I believe and know Christianity is the “one true religion” because I have experienced all of the above. Jesus, and his works, are STILL alive today. He is alive in his people. God IS here. He is calling out to each of us to KNOW Him. I am knowing Him more every day. You can too.

Tags: , Christ, Christian, Christianity, God, history, Jesus, relationship, religion, salvation, truth, universe