Greg Sko

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Greg Sko
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Greg Sko

A Second Glance

The bottoms of his pants were splashed with mud and it looked as if he had been walking for days. It was raining; he was cold and had already used up the last bit of change that he had been saving. The last thing in the world that the coffee shop owner wanted to do was to let this man inside after closing time, especially at that hour of the night on the wrong side of town.
        "Hey man, all I need is to warm up a bit and then I'll go." The homeless man said with his arms crossed and shivering.
    The owner had already locked the door to the coffee shop and was halfway to his car before hearing that small voice inside, "Just let him in for a minute, dinner can wait."
    The man sat only for a few minutes, but spoke quickly and indifferently about his family, friends and his job- all things that he had recently lost. The man was bitter and misplaced. He blamed everyone else for his desperate situation.
    Offering the man a cup of coffee, the shop owner was able to spend some time talking with him and challenged him to forgive the people in his life that he felt wronged him. He also simply shared the love of Christ and showed the man stories in the Bible where God was able to take lives of poverty and use them to do great things.
    Given a few dollars, the homeless man left the coffee shop that night unwilling to submit his life to God.
    Almost two years passed and the coffee shop owner was again shutting down for the night. A last minute phone call surprised him. But it was the caller on the other end that surprised him even more. The voice explained how the owner helped him on a rainy night a few years before and had openly shared Jesus. The once homeless man was now living for Christ and operated a street ministry in a different town. The ministry was called "A Second Glance."
   

I challenge you. Be consciously aware of those around you and be willing to give a second glance to someone you would normally ignore. During His ministry, Jesus Himself was skilled at "seeing the unseen." These were the moments that He cherished. These were the moments when He was able to effectively bring about change in another.

It is found in the moments when we hear that quiet voice asking us to act, asking us to turn around and help, that we can truly be used of God. Sometimes our testimony is the most powerful, when we simply bother to take a second glance.

 

written by Gregory Kayne, previously aired on WMBI "Honest to God Radio w/Josh Wiedman"

Moving in Fast Forward

When you pray for provision from God, it shouldn't surprise you when He provides. When you pray for protection against your enemies and God builds a interoperable force-field around your life, your car, your family and your house - why question the power that he possesses? And when you offer God complete control of your finances, your job, your ambitions and your relationships, why is it so hard to accept when God suddenly hits the fast-forward button?

That is what has been happening with me. I thought God had me where He wanted me, working in a full-time position that was dedicated to furthering the cause of the Kingdom of God. I was busy, busy, busy. I was completely and sacrificially overwhelmed with my duties. I had succumbed to believing that anything new that I created had to be for the benefit of my little ministerial world. God had different plans - but then He hit the "pause" button. When that happens it is usually jolting to the spiritual system.

Sometimes it takes a very long 2x4 with a strategically position knot to help get the message through my head. If I trust Him to provide for my needs, then why do I question the blessings that start coming my way? Now, He has completely orchestrated a mass exodus from my career situation to lead me into a life that is fully devoted to living for Him. "But Greg, I thought you were in ministry...isn't that for God?" You rightly ask the question. The answer lays within my heart of hearts, as much as any person that is in active career that involves ministry. The truth is that I've had to leave "ministry" to enter the service and friendship of the King and only do kingdom work.

Now, it feels like he is hitting the fast-forward button. He is in control and all I have to do is be walking close enough to Him that I don't start depending on myself and walk out in front of Him - there is nothing more painful than when God has to step on the backs of my feet and even make me trip because of my own ambition. Yes, things are moving. Messages are becoming clear. Books, songs, musicals and other creative endeavors are becoming fruitful because of only one thing - obedience. Obedience really is the best way to show that we believe. If we are not being obedient to His word, than we are not believing that provision, protection and a true path is possible through the Lord. Faith can move mountains but the lack of faith and downright unbelief can be our undoing if we are not careful.

Trust Him. Believe that His way is the ONLY way. Know that His Truth is the pathway to Life. If you can believe that He has the power to forgive, the power provide victory over any downfall, then and only then will He be able to write the next chapter of your story. As a writer, this means everything to me. So I'll go forward or maybe fast-forward and pray for the wisdom to know when "pause" is the most important button of all.

 

 

The Road Less Traveled

Well, this past week marks the beginning of the production process on my first novel. The characters take unexpected and challenging trips through mentally treacherous terrain and uncharted waters. Similarly, I am embarking on a new journey that will no doubt bring challenges for my family and me. So many questions arise: "Will I be able to handle it all?" "Will my family suffer while I pursue the promotion of a new book?" and most importantly, "Am I doing this for the right reasons?" Duplicitous motivation seems to be a never-ending antagonist for anyone diving into the murky waters of authoring - whether it be a book, song or anything else creative. I recently asked a friend "What motivates you?" I asked the question with a clear and poignant destination. But now I find myself asking the same question as I move throughout the e-mails and phones calls with my new publisher, and as I make plans with my family and schedule around my ministry obligations. "What is my motivation?" I'd like to think that I am doing this to further the gospel of Christ and promote His Kingdom. But in the mean time I am so busy creating a "brand" with some version of me attached to it. Are both goals possible?

I suspect that there is a road less traveled within this new map of possibilities. I suspect that God's word is that one-track road within its own map filled with directions guiding me away from pitfalls and heartache. I suppose that the shear reason that I "suspect" and I don't outright "know" this for myself today is why I write - and move toward knowing. So, today this entry is a prayer - a prayer for myself and for anyone who struggles with their own motivation. What I do know to be true is that God knows the heart and our true motivation is clear to Him. I pray that an enemy more devious than any literary antagonist could ever be, will not be allowed the power to bring me down before I even get started. This is the prayer that I share with you today. This is a prayer that maybe you and I can repeat as we take steps together down a road less traveled.

Many blessings.

There is nothing more dangerous in life and literature than a tainted view

"Hello old friends. There's really nothing new to say. But the old, old story bears repeating And the plain old truth grows dearer every day. When you find something worth believing Well, that's a joy that nothin' could take away." These are simple but profound lyrics from a profoundly simple man. Rich Mullins captured so many incredible truths within his many songs, and found a way to turn the truth inside out, revealing the marrow inside. I believe God allowed him the gift of tongues - but maybe not in a charismatic sense. Rich had the ability to reveal truth in a way that the sun burns off mist and morning dew to reveal a flowering hillside. Truth that quietly whispers its presence while constantly demanding respect as it grows stronger in our hearts. I'm an artist and a writer. But how easy would it be for me to begin down paths that could lead me to write and create with a basis of newly acquired knowledge of man's wisdom? How long would it take for me to depend on my own interesting view of the world, mix it with the books I read and the songs I listen to and begin to suffer in my own tainted interpretation of life and meaning? This would be so easy - to be a tortured soul; a starving teller of non-absolutes. But would this really be a display of something new under the sun? In a new book that I'm finishing, Chris Malone, a brilliant media producer, suffers from this state of being. His tainted view of life estranged him from his family, isolated him from real life and forces him into false needs and desires. His was a life perpetually accosted with the vagueness of all the gray areas of existence and the dependency on himself above all else. Blame was his game. Everyone else was at fault. His shot glass was mostly empty while his video camera lens was coated with oil and grime. What was worse was that he could not see his own decline, as he flirted with the dangers of addiction and self destruction. Bitterness and resentment ruled his thoughts and through his thoughts the enemy ruled him. Why? Because Chris decided to ignore the old truth that was presented to him. But finally he learns that throughout every raging thought and torrent of life, God is the one constant, unmovable, unflappable and ever present stronghold. He cannot leave us if we have accepted His Spirit. What a change of lenses! What a needed cleaning of a terribly tainted view! This is why "the old, old story bears repeating". This is why our breath is not misspent in efforts to spread the good news of a loving Christ whose story ends with a whole new beginning for mankind. Outside of scriptures, Rich may have said it best: "So old friends you must forget what you had to forgive. And let love be stronger than the feelings. That rage and run beneath the bridge. Knowin' morning follows evening. Makes each new day come as a gift" We'll share again soon. Greg

Just a baby blogger

Baby Blogger Sometimes growth steps are not easy to take. I have never been good at making journal entries at any given point in my vast 37 years. So, the documentation of my life is limited to random journals with gaps that can span years. That is until about 5 years ago when I started writing my first book; a autobiographical novel called "Mystics & Mobsters". I like to say that the book is my life - with a twist. Many twists actually. Any similarities of the characters to real people were purely on purpose. But not all stories are necessarily or completely true. So...the growth steps began 5 years ago with a blogger book to make up for lost time. This was great! A purging process that left me much healthier and happier with my life at the present. But what about a daily entry - or monthly for that matter? I tired last year to start blogging but it didn't take. If I can steal from the cinematic masterpiece "What About Bob?" I know I need to take baby steps. The giant-sized leaps experienced in writing a book accomplished some good but it's not like people have it on the book shelves at home. I need to take another crack at this blog thing and see where it takes me. I'll try blogging on various topics because, obviously, I like to write. But my goal will be to establish a relationship with you the reader, as much as with myself (who stands to benefit the most?) I do - I'm sure. But that's OK. Will you come with me on this journey? I can share with you if you'd like to peek into my life. Some new projects are around the corner that you may find interesting. A new book that is just now going to press after over 2 years of development will hopefully be released at the beginning of 2010! The working title is "The Tentacle Prophecy" and will satisfy those into the techno-thriller book world. New music will be coming to be sure. For those that have demanded a new instrumental project - thank you for your patience - It's coming! There is much more to say - but I need you. I need you to hold me to task. I need you to call me out when my words are confusing or ill-timed. But most of all, I need you to go with me on this journey to remind me that writing is not only about the purging, but the sharing. I want to share with you - my new friends -  a life that is in the making by a God that made everything. I'll promise to keep in touch. But like that friend that signs your high school year book with the same promise, I may not follow through unless you do the same. In the mean time, I'll be taking baby steps towards true blogging freedom! God bless - we'll talk again soon.