Welcome And Scripture Of The Week

Chris Grainger 1:34

Welcome to the Lion Within Us, podcast serving Christian men who are hungry to be the leaders God intends you to be. I'm your host, Chris Granger. Let's jump in. All right, guys, your fun Friday member spotlight. But before we get to our awesome member, we got our scripture of the week. So the scripture this week is actually Matthew 25 in the verse 21. It says, His master replied, Well done, good and faithful servant. You've been the faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness. And guys, that whole verse, I unpacked it in the spiritual kickoff episode, is talking about the parable of the talents. You got the five, the two, and the one-talent guy, and how easy it is to get worked up and compare ourselves to what God has given us. But look, that five-talent guy and that two-talent guy, they weren't, they weren't fighting. They were just being obedient to what God gave them. So it really took some time to unpack that. So hopefully you're encouraged by that. And by the way, we do the spiritual kickoff Monday through Friday. Like right now, we're working through the book of John. So it's Monday through Friday and the line within us. It's a free way to join, guys. It also gives you access to our prayer request space so we can be praying for you. We just had our prayer meeting. We're doing this recording on a Monday. I literally just got out of our prayer call. I bet we had 40 prayer requests just on the on a half hour prayer call, guy. I'm telling you, it's God's doing a mighty thing right now, and it's all our way to serve you. And if you're in a continental US, you get a free gift. So, guys, the lionwithin.us, check it us, check us out there, and uh hopefully you'll be encouraged. So I'm I'm excited about this one. So for all of our member spotlights, I know all the guys. I've obviously I've met them, I've had relationships with them, but this is probably the one that I've had relationships with the longest because I knew him before I even knew the lion. Before the lion was even a lion, I knew this guy. So Scott, real. Scott, what is going on today, my brother?

Scott Reel 3:16

Hey man, good to talk to you, Chris.

Chris Grainger 3:18

Man, it's good to see you, dude. We go back a long time for sure. What was the year that you came to the church? Was it 2018?

Scott Reel 3:26

I think 2018 to 2023. So I was there about five years.

Chris Grainger 3:32

And we formed a pretty tight relationship, you know, from the from the get on it, and and you discipled and helped me disciple, you know, my my older girls. And I saw a whole lot of that to you. But before, you know, these member spotlights, they're they're all about you, brother. So I'd love just for you to share with the listeners just a little bit about your discipleship journey. How did you come

Meeting Scott And Why He Matters

Chris Grainger 3:52

to know Christ? What did that look like for you?

Scott Reel 3:55

So I grew up going to church pretty infrequently when I was a kid, and I don't remember having it be a real big part of my life. When I was about 14, is when I started to go to church, I would say weekly through some friends inviting me to their church. They had a really active youth ministry. They had a really enthusiastic youth pastor who was um very much about going out to visit people. And they had kind of a core group of some youth, I look back on it now, whose families were members of the church. And so he was able to kind of activate that group and get them inviting friends. So it was some friends in my neighborhood that lived, we lived in like the other side of the neighborhood from them, and they were the first ones to invite me to attend

Scott’s Journey To Real Faith

Scott Reel 4:46

church. And so that church ended up being um where I first began to hear the gospel and to read the Bible. I didn't act, so that was 14, and I didn't actually get saved till I was 20 in college, but I would say that I began to come to an intellectual faith in Christ during those high school years and would have described myself as a Christian by the end of high school just because of the things that I was learning at church and from reading the scripture. And I think the impact that a lot of men in that church made on my life. Uh the senior pastor was very impactful, especially once I was in college when I started really taking notes in the services and paying attention more in the big church services, that that had a big influence on me. I remember him teaching through the book of Genesis, and I still remember and understand things about Genesis today from the ministry of that man. His name was uh Keith Albert. He serves at another church in Florida now. But um, and then there was a deacon in the church that mentored me and a couple friends when I was in high school. They had every spring a small group discipleship. And so this man would one of the years, the first year we would go to his house once a week, we'd get dropped off or he'd pick us up. And uh, I think other years we may have met at the church, but I remember three years in a row, three springs, um, and seeing how he was with his family. He had four kids, he was a very committed believer. Um, so I think a lot of those, and then I went to a Christian college. So I went to a school called Palmiche Atlantic University. I had gone to public school all the way up through high school in South Florida, which is a very spiritually dark environment. Um, so it was not much Christian influence at the schools I went to, but the college was. I had professors who were believers who kind of modeled what that looked like in academics and in education. And then some of the chapel speak speakers I think were real impactful. And then when it got to my sophomore and my junior year, I actually got to hear Billy Graham speak. I went to two Billy Graham crusades while I was in college, one in Jacksonville and one in Tampa. I think the Tampa one was first, and that was near the very end, like when he was like that was his last couple of years doing crusades. So all of that I see it now as like all coming together. Yeah, yeah.

Chris Grainger 7:29

And what so you but you got you said you didn't get saved till you were 20. So did you had you start at college when you and then you got saved?

Scott Reel 7:36

Yes. So again, I would have said that I was a Christian when I started college. I wanted to go to a Christian college. So I had all of those pieces, right? Love for scripture, but I would say the heart change in my life where that born-again salvation experience was in my junior year of college, where God wore me down. A lot of pride in my life, a lot of anger, and uh a lot of self-righteousness, I guess, that had developed. It's I wouldn't I mean I still battle those things now, but I that was that junior year is when God kind of broke me down. Yeah. Right. Wow.

Chris Grainger 8:24

So I mean, 'cause that's an interesting that you you made a conscious decision to put yourself in that environment and then next thing you know, you know, he he got you. So I mean, how did you know that he was calling you to ministry?

Scott Reel 8:37

So it wasn't long after that that I began to feel a really strong desire to want to preach and teach the Bible. That's always been the thing that I'm most passionate about is I love to preach the word, I love to teach it. Um I feel a joy when I teach the Bible, when I get to preach it. I it's hard to explain um to somebody who's not got that inclination or gifting or however you want to say it, but there's a special kind of joy that you get from preaching the Bible and when you feel the Holy Spirit moving in you,

Called To Preach And Seminary Path

Scott Reel 9:19

and so I was sensing that even maybe before I was saved, just a desire to want to speak up and talk for God. And so it was not long after that. I graduated in 2002, and I think I left to come up to seminary in 2005. So I worked for about two and a half years in a Christian school teaching middle school like I do now, um, and then left to come to seminary up in Wake Forest.

Chris Grainger 9:51

Okay. So you that's right. So you so you did that after you got your bachelor's.

Scott Reel 9:56

Right. So I had finished college and then I came to the seminary and did a master of divinity, which is like it took me five years. It's a it's a lot. I don't know if like it's a 90, it was a 96 credit hour degree. So a lot of people may not realize if you hear somebody tell you they did a master of divinity, that's the hard one. Like that's the that's the one that that's the in my opinion, that's the legit, like that's the long w road that they'll they used to tell people like that's what you need to do. Now a lot of guys will and not not to put people down, but the others will do there are degrees that are less credits and that can be done faster. Gotcha. But mine was five years.

Chris Grainger 10:41

Five years. Wow, and you did that while you were teaching, right? Or no?

Scott Reel 10:46

Right. So my first year I worked part-time not teaching, uh, and then I got back into teaching. I want to say, let me think for a second. I guess I I worked two years out of teaching, and my last three years of seminary, I was back teaching again. Okay. And then I would do school like in the summer where I would do class uh intensive stuff like that, evening classes. Yeah.

Chris Grainger 11:15

I've never seen anybody teach the way you teach. If you guys listening, you if you could just see Scott with uh with the objects and the lessons. I mean, you have this special gifting, particularly for the kids, but I've heard so many adult full grown adults say as well, just the way you teach that. I mean, when did you realize that was your gift? And how do you come up with all the object lessons that you do with your what you're teaching?

Scott Reel 11:38

Because that's that's just been I'm always just at awe at how you do that, pull that together. Well, I think I don't I don't know that I had felt like I was necessarily gonna go into children's ministry. Um, I had kind of in my mind thought I would do youth ministry. And when I got into doing children's ministry, that was the job that I got hired to do, just children's ministry. And so I I put work into it. I, you know, I put a lot of time into um

Teaching Kids With Object Lessons

Scott Reel 12:10

studying the curriculum, reading good curriculum. And I guess maybe during COVID is when I began to think about, you know, because I'd have to make these videos. And so making these videos, you know, if you're gonna make a three or four minute video and you're gonna teach a lesson, you know, I don't want them just staring at me the whole time. Like right. So I would, I would, I would try to think through and break up the text and be like, okay, well, we've got these three parts to this passage. Can I get maybe one object that would illustrate each of those three main points and try to let the text sort of be the source to help me instead of importing, well, that's a cool object idea. I saw that on you know YouTube or something. I'm gonna bring that in and trying to naturally let it come out of whatever the passage is about. Right. And sometimes, too, his curriculum will have good ideas. So I try to always like there's a curriculum that I've used called the gospel story curriculum or Wednesday nights that has a parent devotion book that goes with it, and that curriculum is great as far as having ideas of different object lessons that you can use. Um I don't want to. But just trying to think of ways to illustrate ideas.

Chris Grainger 13:32

Well, you do a great job, and you and and one of the things that just when you first started it, it always convicted me. You just made it clear that yes, you were the the children's pastor, but it wasn't your role to be the you know, the the pastor of the spiritual leader of my home. And and we had conversations about that, and you equipped me and others with resources. One I'm still using, I just rinse and repeat it because it's so good. The old testament new and the new testament or something like that, you know.

Scott Reel 14:01

Old story new, long story new. Long story short, old story new. Yep.

Chris Grainger 14:05

So we're doing this one. We're doing the old testament one right now. We literally were in it this morning doing Exodus and Moses and kind of going back through it. But I mean, those resources, man, you just you put us a confidence in me that that I didn't even could think was a realm of a possibility. I just I'm I'm so appreciative of that, but and it it's missing because I I don't think many

Parents Cannot Outsource Discipleship

Chris Grainger 14:27

guys get pushed the way that you did. So I just want to say thank you for that, brother.

Scott Reel 14:30

That was awesome. Well, I I appreciate that. That's I'm not sure how I came to that conviction. I I think in working in Christian schools a long time and trying to do evangelistic ministry there, it became clear to me over time that the influence of the parents was the most important thing in the spiritual outcome. Even going to a Christian school, which I support, and my kids go to Christian school and I I teach there, but I know that I'm the one that's the most important factor for my kids, you know, my wife and I. And um, so I I still play that that chord, I still hit that note. Yeah. Um just a couple weeks ago, I had done a message for graduation Sunday because the church I'm at now is smaller, so I I have to work with kids and youth, and I oversee sort of both of those ministries. A lot of lay people serving, doing different things. And but um in the in that graduation message I did, I kind of challenged about I that it's the parents' role, you know, for the for their kids.

Chris Grainger 15:45

Yes.

Scott Reel 15:46

You can't can't outsource that.

Chris Grainger 15:48

You can't, man. I think that's we we've kind of got to the point where you know, we show up on Sunday or a Wednesday night and we point our finger like it's his job, and then we think like that's the rest of the week, we can just, you know, abdicate our responsibility. And it's like, wait a minute, you wouldn't just eat for two hours a week, would you? You know. So, you know, so I mean you just you really you did a really good job with just stirring me up in that and leaning that way. And I mean, I just uh I wish that we had more of that type of teaching inside of the church on a regular basis on on the the the church in as a whole, because we I see this as a gap with pastors I talk to all over. And it's just uh it's hard to to find guys that that lean in and push to this degree.

Scott Reel 16:27

Yeah. Well, I can say your your family that you guys have been a great encouragement to me also. Yeah. It's been it's the pleasure to watch your kids growing, and I know they are so much bigger every time I see them, but to hear you talking about things God's doing in their lives.

Chris Grainger 16:45

Yeah, and it's a true miracle. I hadn't strangled them. No, I'm just kidding. Just kidding. But it's uh it's we have these moments, but but no, man, I I really think that you you helped so much lay that foundation and and get us started. And and then speaking of the foundation, I mean, guys, this is this is getting behind the curtains of the line within us right now. So when I first had the idea, you were one of the first guys I came to, and I told you about it. I was like, Scott, I I think God has called me to this, and he started off by giving me a Bible, um, a Bible study. And I don't know if you remember, but it was you and I think uh brother Corey, and you were the two guys that that kind of proofread it for me and made sure that I wasn't completely lost my mind with the things I was talking about and saying. Do you remember getting that, man?

Scott Reel 17:29

Yeah, I it was I feel like I proofed it in around December, which when you're a teacher, December and May are like, and and when you also work for a church. It's the worst times. I remember I I think there was like a day or a day and a half that I just cocooned and I proofed that. Yeah. Like I because that's the way I am, is I have to have you're probably that way. Like I gotta have a block of time when I can sit with something. And just I do remember

Early Lion Days And Proofreading

Scott Reel 17:58

reading that document and trying to be really thorough, yeah, giving feedback. I have a little bit of background in journalism. I worked for a newspaper, some in college. Okay, and uh so I have a little proofreading background with it, but uh I enjoyed reading that. It was cool to see from that beginning Bible study you wrote to all the things that you're doing now.

Chris Grainger 18:24

Yeah, I mean, it's the foundation of the book now, you know, and and the pillars for the lion, everything just kind of all goes back to that that OG plan that you oversaw and proofread. And it gave me confidence going out as as just a guy that you know I was putting something good out in the world and and God has blessed it. So, man, I just again it's it's been such a blessing for me that you were able to help walk. And then since then, I think one of the I think I know one of the chapters in there, several of the chapters, are directly I call you out, and one of them is prayer partners. And you know, you and I we we try to do it every week. Usually one of us will go a week or two, we'll we'll mess up, we'll forget, or things come up, life happens. But we've been pretty diligent with that for what, probably four or five years now of praying together on a regular basis, man. And I don't know about you, but I just think that's a that's something that is it's a little bit of a rarity these days.

Scott Reel 19:19

For me, it's especially a blessing. I know you would say for you, but when you're a pastor, can't you can't tell people in your church what's going on. Like you have to protect yourself, even if you're just you know a s a next gen pastor, whatever, children's pastor, like it's hard. And if you and even other pastors on your staff, like that's you know, job performance. Like you you, you

The Power Of Prayer Partners

Scott Reel 19:51

know, you you're you just can't be open with people. Uh so having a friend who's a deacon, who's been a deacon who's been you've been helping in children's ministry with me, serving all those ways, like like you kind of know the thing, the the battles and things. You've probably got to learn, unfortunately, some of the bad parts of inner workings of church ministry and church leadership hearing stories from me. And I'm by no means perfect. I know I've been the the guilty one in things with stuff, but it's helpful to have somebody to talk to, and I'm still thankful for that. Somebody to pray with. That's been a huge blessing for me.

Chris Grainger 20:42

Yes, sir. Me too, man. It's been it's been great. And guys, it's a whole nother reason why you you can't put that off. You got to get those prayer partners. And you know, we started, you know, when we started Alion 2, Scott, one thing that we did, I didn't know how it was going to turn out, and but we did the uh retreats, and we started doing them once we did it once a year, then we did them twice a year. But you've been a faithful brother. I mean, you showed up, first of all, you're a founder. You're one of the founders of the Lions. You've been supporting us since the beginning. I don't want to acknowledge. I got my coin. Got your coin, got the founder coin. And then, but these retreats, you know, you've been there, and sometimes you come, then some, and then it's you and your son, because now they're pretty much all the kids are involved. Maybe just speak to the guy out there on what the retreat, you know, kind of how it looked like to start with and how it's how it's evolved to where it's at now, and what it's meant to you personally.

Scott Reel 21:31

Well, I can remember going to a retreat over at the camp Car Lake, uh, where we had used to we used to do retreats there when I was the children's pastor. We'd

Why The Men’s Retreat Works

Scott Reel 21:44

do family retreats. It's a beautiful location. I mean, it was a neat place. Um, but we've enjoyed coming to the farm. My son, he looks forward to that trip. I think we've gone three years in a row. Yeah. Oh, yeah. And he looks forward to that trip every year. Again, like I work a lot. I work, you know, I have two jobs. My wife works full-time. We have two kids in school that have they have homework, you know. I mean, we're busy. So for John and I, that's a camping trip. Yeah. And it's a camping trip. Like if he and I just went camping, or if just the four of us went, he wouldn't have these other kids to play with. Right. You know, so having these other kids that he can play with there, me having other guys that I can talk to uh and meet, you know, it's inspirational to meet Christian guys from other parts of the country. And just having a place where you can unplug, where you can be out in a in a you know, field camping in a tent at night. Uh, and I know it's so much work for you, but from the recipient perspective, right? Like I'm somebody that used to have to organize and lead those retreats. So I know the amount of work that goes into getting your food and your meal planning and your reservations. Like, there's a whole all those headaches. So for me to be able to just participate, to just be able to go and relax, not worry about logistics of things, just show up. Um man, I think that's that I would encourage anybody to take advantage of that and to um I mean to to give towards it, you know. If you can Can afford to pay your way and to help pay for somebody else to go. There's guys that there are a lot of guys that they're in a good place where they've been blessed financially, right? And they can afford to give, you know, or churches to support what you're doing there. Um, I think I think it's a real important thing. I mean, uh, I saw a lot of guys there this last time was obviously the biggest that I've that the retreat's been. But a lot of guys, everybody there, I mean, people were just having a good time. And who knows how important that was for some of those guys. I mean, you never know what's going on with people. There were guys there that had been going through like recent divorce or separation or just things where problems with their kids or with grown kids, family. I mean, um, where that's a place where they can meet some other guys, you know, make some friends to talk to. That's right.

Chris Grainger 24:34

No, I really appreciate you saying that. Because yeah, the the work involved getting ready for an event like that. I I told I told my wife, I was like, I think I need to take a retreat after a retreat. You know, because it's just go to somebody else's retreat. Yeah, man, because it's a lot that goes into it, but it's cool to see, you know, how and how people responding. And also this year, I mean, you're a Florida guy, and that's outside of North Carolina, Florida was the most represented state. It was pretty cool to see the Florida representation. So I felt you you were feeling right at home with those guys.

Scott Reel 25:07

Yeah, that was pretty wild there.

Chris Grainger 25:10

Yeah, no, it was awesome, man. So I mean, you know, guys have been just doing a great thing and and and moving, and we got all these different opportunities at the lion, but the retreats are really great and and just always I look forward to them and always fun to see you and and your son out there as well, Scott Man. So thank you so much for for showing up every year.

Scott Reel 25:30

Hey, we'll be there. And and uh usually I I like to come to the one. I know this last fall with your injury, you guys weren't able to do it, but that that one is different, but I do enjoy that other one also.

Chris Grainger 25:42

Yeah, we actually got more guys asking now because of just what God's doing for us to do something on the West Coast. So I'm trying to I'm trying to figure that out. So that's gonna be interesting. Uh like California? Well, uh, Utah actually. So I got a buddy. I'm going out to speak. By the time this comes out, the speaking will have already been done. So I'm going out to Utah and we're gonna scope out a place in Utah that that can facilitate something like this. So we'll see. Uh I don't know. I don't know what God's up to, but we'll uh we'll lean into it and have some fun. But every spring, guys, we already have the date set for 2027 for the reclaiming your wild men's retreat. So go check out their website, it's all stuff set up. It's always the last weekend in April. So uh that's that's good stuff there. And Scott, for the guys that are listening, you know, maybe they're on the fence for about checking the line out or coming to the retreat, you know, based off what you know, man, what would you say to that guy who just hasn't taken a step yet with us?

Scott Reel 26:36

Well, I would definitely go on the retreat. I mean, I would I would sign up, go, you have a son or two sons, bring your sons for the one that's in the spring. Um, you totally worth it. Uh, if you can't, if it's a financial issue, there's probably other guys that could help, you know, let to let you know, Chris. And uh as far as some of the other things, I mean, I've uh I've heard really good things. Some of the guys were telling me about the um uh the and I'm so sorry for not remembering the name of it, but the one where the guys are in small groups of about eight or so.

How To Take The Next Step

Scott Reel 27:19

The mastermind. Yep. Yeah, the mastermind. And so that was good for me to learn about it. Like when you go on the retreat, you can find out from other guys who engage in some of the other ministry aspects, you can learn, you know, things. Um, so I would say, yeah, to do it. And I've I I'm glad to support the ministry. And obviously, for me, I'm I do a lot of teaching, I do a lot of Bible study for my work. Um, but I do enjoy like when you put the plans out on the Bible app. Yeah. Uh those are really easy to to to pick up and engage with in the mornings before work. Um, it's fun to be able to listen to uh podcasts when you're driving, you know. Uh so so many people spend so much time in the car. Like we have a th, I mean, we have like a 30-minute commute to school where I work and where my kids go. So that ride in the morning can be a great time to listen to stuff. And it's something that your kids could listen to, you know, in the in the background. They may be doing their own thing, but you know, they can they can hear. I remember I used to listen to um at times when I've taught through New Testament things, I would listen to like the MacArthur sermons, you know, like the you know, he's great, yeah, you know, tea really explaining Bible passages. But Violet would be, she'd be hearing stuff in the back and she'd bring stuff up. And she's done that, I'm sure, before when I've played uh, you know, a lion podcast where she's heard it. Yeah, you know, they hear things, you know. They do, bro. They'll ask you questions about stuff. So, I mean, you can't lose anything. There's nothing to lose as far as for trying it out. It's one weekend, um, and it's it's worth it. Yeah.

Chris Grainger 29:19

Well, brother, it's been I've enjoyed this one, Scott. I knew I was, and I mean, just thank you for sharing about your testimony and for being a supporter and a brother and one of my Matt carriers. And I just uh it's just it's just been you've been a blessing to me ever since you come into my life, brother. And I just want to say, you know, I love you and thank you so much for what you do for the lion, bud. Thanks, Chris, man. Same here. So look, before you finish up, Scott, before we before you let you go, so the book of the week is uh I don't know if you ever heard of Meg Meeker, but she wrote a book called Strong Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters. I highly recommend it, guys. Check it out. Scott Scott's got a daughter, just like I got three several daughters, so so check that out. But I do since Scott's a dad, I'm a dad, I got a couple of dad jokes I'm gonna run by you, Scott. Okay, okay. All right. So what do you call a well-balanced horse?

Scott Reel 30:05

Do you know what they call a well-balanced horse? I I don't. A stable. Okay. Yeah, because they're in a stable. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. There you go. All right. So they didn't get didn't get a bunch out of Scott on that one. All right, so so what do you call an angry carrot? Uh I feel like it's gonna have something to do with red beat. Like, I don't know. I I give up a steamed veggie.

Book Pick Dad Jokes And Weekly Question

Scott Reel 30:36

Oh, okay.

Chris Grainger 30:38

Yeah, that's good. That's good. There you go. So you're you're gonna go with number two, then I guess. Yeah, I think so. I think so. All right, all right. So there you go, guys. Number one, number two. Well, what do you call a well-balanced horse, and that's a stable? And then what do you call an angry care? That's a steamed veggie. So we put these dad jokes every week, guys, in the line within us. You get to vote. Then the cool part is you get to pick on the guys who vote wrong. So Scott's obviously told you which the winning vote is this week. So go check that out. It's a part of the of the fun. So, Scott, man, this has been so much fun. The question of the week is what are you chasing more instead of stewarding what God's already provided? Kind of going back to that that the parable of the talents, guys. We thanked about that. But other than that, Scott, man, anything else you want to share today, buddy?

Scott Reel 31:20

Uh, no, I I've enjoyed the time talking to you. Um, appreciate uh your ministry. I pray God's blessing for you guys, and uh glad to help anytime.

Chris Grainger 31:32

Amen, brother. Thank you so much. Well, guys, thanks so much for listening. Share this stuff out with others for sure. Give us a rating and review on the podcast and thelionwithin.us, the stuff Scott just talked about, the retreat, the mastermind, all that stuff there can be found at the websites. Guys, have a great weekend. Get after it. We'll see you next week. Keep unleashing the lion within. If you're like me, you don't need another book just sitting around collecting dust. What I enjoy is something to help guide me when my feet hit the ground in the mornings. And that is why we put together Unleashing the Lion Within. It has honest stories, scripture you can apply, and simple steps to help you lead at home, at work, and everywhere in between. So if you've been feeling stuck or scattered lately, you may find this resource encouraging. Read a few pages. Take one step and watch what God does with your obedience.

Share Review And Weekend Sendoff

Chris Grainger 32:29

Hey, and if reading's tough for you right now, no problem. The book is also available in audible version. So you can listen on the go. So if this sounds interesting, check out the lionwithin.us slash book or search for unleashing the lion within directly on Amazon. So there's no pressure

Book Resource And Where To Find It

Chris Grainger 32:49

here, just a resource that many guys are finding helpful. So grab the format that fits and take your next step.