Closer Than You Think Marc Scott

Please listen/read all the way to the end.

Feature Focus
JESUS! He is our Feature Focus!

Look back on 2023 and ask yourself, “Where was God with me?”
As you enter 2024, remember this: You were God’s idea! And God never has bad ideas. Many times we want to tell people, “God put you on this earth for a reason.” Then, we want people to discover that reason, whether it is to raise a family or make a difference or have a successful career. Those could all be great things you do, and they could all be part of God’s desires for you.
But THE reason, the main purpose you have, is because He wanted to have you in His life. Period. He wanted you to exist to receive and know His love. He wanted to create you, adopt you, and love you. He chose you from the beginning of time.
Before you were born, He frontloaded all the grace you would ever need so that you would not have to spend one moment, one millisecond of this life, trying to figure out how you could earn His love or be enough. You already have it, and you already are!
Wow! Is this ever a message I need to hear over and over again?!
My last “Feature Focus” in this final Marc’s Minute newsletter is not a resource, topic, or ministry. It is simply Jesus. Put your focus on Him, to not only find out who God is but to understand who you really are.
Keep It Simple Strategy
If you are meeting with friends, in small groups, or just working on your own faith journey, then check out this week’s simple and reproducible practice tip that you can try anytime.
This one is going to be more of a principle to apply.

Publicize What We Are FOR
Multiple surveys have revealed the number one description that non-Christians use to describe the church is "anti-gay." "Judgmental" and "hypocritical" were also high on the list. I suspect this is concerning, even alarming, to others besides me. Why in the world would followers of Jesus want to be primarily known as anti-anything?!? Is this the best we can do? To come across to people like we are against them when our Guide, Jesus, is FOR all people, is crazy, right?!Too many times, churches will get labeled (often rightly so) because of what they are against rather than what they are for. Many people perceive Christianity only as a religion with a bunch of rules and "don'ts." Unfortunately, the Christian church in America has a reputation for being restrictive and oppressive. Often, churchgoers seem oblivious to how this attitude comes across to the rest of the world, or worse, they take pride in it.
I believe the Bible emphasizes the things that followers of Christ DO and ARE and HAVE, as well. The Christian faith is more accurately identified with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It is more correctly associated with experiencing freedom because of the truth and the Spirit, finding wholeness and peace in all avenues of life, and the renewal of the mind. These are all positive, life-giving aspects that Jesus makes possible for everybody. These should be the main points of our message to the world. Furthermore, the Christian faith is best evidenced by action - serving, helping, caring - that promotes social justice and righteousness.
Isn’t our foundational belief that the Kingdom of God brings an entirely new reality to the life of a Christ-follower? As the Bible teaches, the veil has been removed by Christ so that we can now reflect God's glory. Through Jesus, we enter into existence that sees life differently. God should be able to be seen in us, and we can see God more clearly in others. The last can now be first. The weak can now be strong. The poor can now be rich. The least can now be the greatest. Everything that devalues a person is turned on its head. The new life that Jesus makes possible is radical and unmistakable!
Simple churches, and individual Christians, may need to take time to reflect on the legacy they want to leave. Rather than wasting time causing divis

Feature Focus
How we define the commonly used word “church” affects so much about our approach to faith and God. It’s worth seeing if we are defining it in ways that help or hurt us.
In this issue, we feature a short article I posted in July 2022: “The Dictionary Got One Wrong”
If you do a quick online search for the definition of church, you will immediately find phrases like “a building for Christian worship” or “a religious organization or denomination.” This is so unfortunate because there is a much better way to understand church, especially from the original intention and meaning of this word.
This is no matter of mere semantics. What we believe influences how we act, and as long as our primary conception of church is as a place to bring people for services and events, we will have a misguided approach to Christian identity and practice.
Check out this quick read.

Keep It Simple Strategy
If you are meeting with friends, in small groups, or just working on your own faith journey, then check out this week’s simple and reproducible practice tip that you can try anytime. Remember, you can always find many more FREE materials at Grace In Motion.

How do YOU keep things simple?
I thought I would try turning the tables and asking readers and listeners if anyone had simple strategies of their own, especially for the holidays.
Just last weekend, our simple church group met in a home and took the passage in Matthew about Jesus’s birth and applied a simple and reproducible strategy. We identified 3-2-1.
3 interesting items
2 questions
1 main takeaway
We had tremendous conversation and it was as though we were realizing parts of the story for the first time. Each of us came up with different items and questions. There was some overlap, but each person’s unique perspective helped inform the group’s response and vice versa. It was biblical. It was communal. It was simple. It was reproducible. Anyone, anywhere, with any level of Bible knowledge could engage in the activity.
But what I am curious about today is what you have found that works well. What is a simple practice that you have done with family, children, friends, or on your own? Do you have any strategies or activities that help you during the holiday season, in particular?

Recommended Resource
If you have lost a loved one, then you know the holidays can be especially difficult. Now may be just the right time for you to take advantage of the available support.
“GriefShare is a network of thousands of grief recovery support groups meeting around the world. GriefShare is a program with direction and purpose. With GriefShare you will learn how to walk the journey of grief and be supported on the way. It is a place where grieving people find healing and hope.”
I have attended GriefShare sessions myself and I have written about that experience here. I also discovered that they have recently revamped their material with new research and insights. They feature experts in grief and recovery from all around. I just cannot say enough about the high quality of the GriefShare program.
Even if you don’t feel like you are ready to join a group, I want to highlight a specific event GriefShare offers called “Surviving the Holidays.” It is offered in person and online, and I have included a short 3-minute video with information about this program. For more information about events in your local area, go here.


What’s Up?
I have some big dreams for 2024 and I hope to share some of them soon. One thing I can share now is that I have created a customized coaching process that I plan to launch next year. It is a holistic approach that will help clients reflect on their lives from multiple angles, Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social.
Through the coaching cycle, I work with the client to develop a profile, identify priority areas, set goals, and overcome barriers with tools and resources for their particular needs. While it could be h

Feature Focus

I am so excited to share this interview with you all! Educators, parents, community members, pastors, youth pastors, and students should all tune in to this one. Before you return to work after Thanksgiving break, give a quick listen to this conversation with Lorie Goggin, Executive Director of Reset Mentoring in Williamson County, Texas, and take in some knowledge, inspiration, and practical resources. Be encouraged in the work you do with young people. All of our students are trying to figure out life in this complex world, and teenagers in the juvenile justice system are no different. They have hopes and dreams, too, but they also carry a lot of trauma and face significant challenges.
Please, please…I sincerely ask for your feedback…after watching or listening to this episode with Lorie.
GO TO THE INTERVIEW WITH LORIE GOGGIN
From their website:
Working exclusively with Williamson County Juvenile Services, Reset Mentoring is a non-profit organization that was created to help teens RESET their lives... Whatever that looks like for them! Over the past 10 years, we have found that one size fits all just doesn’t work. The teens we work with are as different as you and me. They have their God-given talents, dreams, and future and we have found that for them to succeed long-term we need to walk alongside them in their next best step.
Lorie’s bio:
Lorie is a mom to three grown children, Maggie, Mason and Sarah and a nana to her two sweet grandbabies who she absolutely adores, Frankie and Maxton! In addition to raising children of her own, Lorie is a published author and has worked with teens in both church and school settings. When she began volunteering inside the Williamson County Juvenile Justice Center in November of 2009, she never imagined that God would call her to begin a faith-based mentoring program to help youth at-risk in our community. However, over the last 14 years, she has used her degree in education plus her background in managing call centers and instructional design to help create programs and build teams to come around the youth once they have been released back into the community. Besides nana and mother, it has been her favorite role, and she hopes to continue building bridges and safety nets that will allow the teens that Reset Mentoring serves to continue to develop, learn and grow into their full potential.
Keep It Simple Strategy
If you are meeting with friends, in small groups, or just working on your own faith journey, then check out this week’s simple and reproducible practice tip that you can try anytime. Remember, you can always find many more FREE materials at Grace In Motion.

Measuring Success - Sending Capacity
Church reformer, Reggie McNeal, has talked about the need to change metrics for success when considering our faith and church paradigms. One key shift I want to focus on today is Seating Capacity vs. Sending Capacity. This admonition isn’t so much a specific action to take but a strategic mindset to hold.
Conventional church structures are largely measured with one question: How many people are coming? In other words, seating capacity is a priority. The aim is to fill seats, or pews, and use that metric to determine effectiveness. If a church can say it is "drawing a crowd" and has the numbers to back it up, then it is viewed as successful by many standards. Over my time in pastoral ministry, I attended more than enough conferences, retreats, and seminars to know this is true. Church growth models and methods have become an industry unto themselves in our part of the world. Making a congregation larger, by whatever means necessary, has become the prime directive of many church leaders. I have been personally entrenched in this mindset before.
To change the scorecard to what I believe is a much healthier metric, we attempt to measure our effectiveness by our sending capacity instead of our seating capacity. Now, rather than counting how many people are comin

I am so excited to share this interview with my audience. Get ready to be inspired, challenged, and encouraged. This is a great follow-up to our series on “Finding Your Voice” with young adults.
In this episode, we hear from Lorie Goggin, Executive Director of Resent Mentoring in Williamson County. Reset Mentoring works with youth in the juvenile justice system in central Texas.
From their website:
Working exclusively with Williamson County Juvenile Services, Reset Mentoring is a non-profit organization that was created to help teens RESET their lives... Whatever that looks like for them! Over the past 10 years, we have found that one size fits all just doesn’t work. The teens we work with are as different as you and me. They have their God-given talents, dreams, and future and we have found that for them to succeed long-term we need to walk alongside them in their next best step.
Lorie’s bio:
Lorie is a mom to three grown children, Maggie, Mason and Sarah and a nana to her two sweet grandbabies who she absolutely adores, Frankie and Maxton! In addition to raising children of her own, Lorie is a published author and has worked with teens in both church and school settings. When she began volunteering inside the Williamson County Juvenile Justice Center in November of 2009, she never imagined that God would call her to begin a faith-based mentoring program to help youth at-risk in our community. However, over the last 14 years, she has used her degree in education plus her background in managing call centers and instructional design to help create programs and build teams to come around the youth once they have been released back into the community. Besides nana and mother, it has been her favorite role, and she hopes to continue building bridges and safety nets that will allow the teens that Reset Mentoring serves to continue to develop, learn and grow into their full potential.

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Feature Focus
In issue #6 of this Marc’s Minutes newsletter, I featured part 1 of the article entitled, It Is Good to Question. I encourage you to go back and read or listen to that if you haven’t already.
Today, I share Part 2. As I have said before, “Unquestioned answers are often more dangerous than unanswered questions.”
Curiosity. Questioning. Reflection. These are essentials to spiritual and personal growth.


Here is an excerpt from part 2 of “It is Good To Question”:
Whether Jesus was interacting with religious authorities, His own disciples, disabled individuals, government officials, men or women, He could meet them where they were and take them somewhere else at the same time with just a question. His questions were differentiated to apply to their unique situation because of who they were, and His questions also demonstrated a supernatural capacity to lift them above their circumstances because of who He was. … Jesus was exceptional at asking the right questions in the right ways.
The full post is actually short, but it contains a very practical way to use the questions of Jesus in your own devotional or prayer time. I did this over a period of several months and it was great.
Check out the article here.

Keep It Simple Strategy
If you are meeting with friends, in small groups, or just working on your own faith journey, then check out this week’s simple and reproducible practice tip that you can try anytime. Remember, you can always find many more FREE materials at Grace In Motion.
EVERY MEMBER FUNCTIONING (Participatory Model)
Today we look at another principle behind the strategies for simple church meetings or gatherings.
In the movie Patch Adams, the main character (played by the late Robin Williams), declares his belief that every person is both a doctor and a patient. Likewise, we believe every person is a teacher and a learner. Based on the "priesthood of believers" philosophy presented in the New Testament, it is appropriate to expect each follower of Christ to be both giving and receiving ministry. The goal is to focus on a participatory model that involves and engages everyone (all ages included) as much as possible.
This may differ significantly from some people's perception of "church" if it has been shaped by an experience of an identified clergy (pastor, priest, worship leader, etc.) preaching to a mostly passive audience during a church service. While that can be effective and very beneficial at times, in my opinion, it should not be the norm as all parts of the "body" are needed to contribute for healthy growth and true service to occur.
There are no spectators. (Keep in mind that levels of participation will naturally vary for any number of factors just like they would in any family activities. The point here is not that every person is equally active in every meeting at all times, but that the structure itself is not meant for a hierarchical system where one person leading the group is the norm.)

Recommended Resource
Instead of sharing a resource in this issue, I just want to take a moment to thank our Veterans. Serving in the military is a sacrifice that I have not personally made. I am grateful and appreciative of those who have demonstrated that level of discipline and bravery to serve our country in this capacity.
I frankly wish we were in fewer military conflicts around the world, but that in no way diminishes my respect and admiration for the men and women serving our nation through the armed forces. To my friends and relatives who are Veterans, thank you!
Regardless of the political and social challenges we face, I am still very proud to be an American! Our freedom is precious. Happy Veterans Day!

What’s Up?
PRAYERS FOR EVERYDAY LIFE
I share one of my “Prayers for Everyday Life” in the audio recording of this issue. This one is called “The DMV.”

Superhero Support
You can use your superpowers to serve and bless others while supporting the work of CTYT. The

Feature Focus
Here is PART TWO of my conversation with Lindsay. She helps me understand another perspective on how young adults are finding their voice, how they have been affected by the school system and church along their journey, and what they believe about God’s voice.
Please send me your feedback on Substack or any of our media platforms and let me know what you think of these interviews.
If you missed part 1, you can find it at the link below.
You can also go to YouTube and watch the entire interview in one episode.
Much appreciation and gratitude to Lindsay for participating in this interview!

Keep It Simple Strategy
If you are meeting with friends, in small groups, or just working on your own faith journey, then check out this week’s simple and reproducible practice tip that you can try anytime. Remember, you can always find many more FREE materials at Grace In Motion.
The D.N.A. of the Church
Today, we are doing something a little different. Instead of sharing a specific strategy, I want to share a principle that is the foundation for many of the strategies we do share here. The credit for this concept goes to Neil Cole who originally fleshed it out about 20 years ago in his book, Organic Church, which is really one of the best and most basic introductions to church being done simply.
The idea is that the church, meaning the body of Christ, as Jesus developed and explained it, is made up of essential “DNA.” These three elements are present in any genuine faith community, and you don’t need other components added on to make it “real church.”
* DIVINE TRUTH: It is important and necessary for people to interact with the Word (Jesus) and word (Bible) directly themselves. Additional curriculum or resources may be beneficial supplements at times, but should never replace direct engagement with the "curriculum" already divinely provided.
* NURTURING RELATIONSHIPS: Face-to-face fellowship where everyone has an opportunity to interact and participate is important so that all members of the group can build up, learn from, and minister to one another.
* APOSTOLIC (ACTIVE) MISSION: Our identity as the church comes from the fact that we are empowered and sent by God to bring a specific message to the world around us. The purpose of any true church does not end with how they treat the people in their group but also includes how they are representing God to those outside of the group.
If you read or hear these aspects and think to yourself, Wait a minute! I have these already with my family or friends. These don’t require me to “go to church.”, then you get it! Services and structures that we have made may be supplemental at times to our faith, but they are not necessary to produce it like this DNA.

Recommended Resource
One of the hot-button issues that gets a strong reaction from most people is DEI, or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. A major component of DEI initiatives is often an effort to promote anti-racism. Some people hear these words and are immediately triggered (another word we like to use a lot these days), but there is a way to engage in civil, honest, productive dialogue around these issues. Believe it or not! The key is finding the right people who are willing to listen to diverse voices and perspectives, and who also have the platform to influence many others.
One of those people is Chloe Valdary, and my recommended resource is her Theory of Enchantment. If this is a topic of interest for you, or if you are skeptical of programs that address this topic, I suggest checking out some of her work. I have a thorough write-up about the Theory of Enchantment and Chloe’s approach here.
What I will briefly share here is that I have been exposed to a variety of DEI programs and equity initiatives over the past few years, which I outline here, and Ms. Valdary’s work is unique in this field. The philosophy, if you will, behind the Theory of Enchantment is based on three principles.
Principle 1: R