Spark2Flame

I hope you don’t mind having a little fun. There are probably ways to tie this in to something spiritual or meaningful, but I just think it’s extremely hilarious and wanted to share it with you. Some of you may not have seen this side of me, but in my defense, it was bound to come up sooner or later. To put your mind at ease, I am looking into counseling.

I may have been pretty young when it was on TV, but the Arsenio Hall show contributed much to the history of entertainment. Maybe, “much” is a bit strong, but I did think of him and his segment about “things that make you go, hmmm?” when I encountered a most baffling, troubling sight.

On a recent lunch break, I was in downtown Juneau, which is an interesting place all on its own. As I walked out of the bank, I noticed the strangest thing. There was a man—in his late sixties to early seventies, I would guess—wearing what I have seen most guys his age usually wear with one major exception. In fact, until I noticed the anomaly, he reminded me a lot of my own grandpa.

• Ratty old baseball cap, check.
• Beat up jacket displaying ad for local radio
  station, double check.
• Blue-and-white striped overalls with a hole in the
  knee… uhh, wait a minute, is he wearing maroon leather pants?

1. Leather pants, of course—Wow, Mick Jagger can just continue life as normal
2. In-ear cell phone things—grandma has earned the right to annoy the heck out of me by talking loudly to seemingly no one in the grocery line, not you, Mr. Important Business Man
3. Those sweatpants with words on the rear—I can’t make a comment here
4. Speedos for non-professionals—while we’re at it, maybe we should add some private beaches

This one conclusively shows that He will always lead you and provide.

This one tells you that no matter what season, you have authority and victory to do what He’s called you to do.

So are you convinced yet? Then go do it!

I want to start a new feature where I tell about a song and the thoughts behind it while giving you the chords and a chance to hear it if you haven’t before. I hope in the future to have a decent way to record new songs so I can get those out there as well, but for now, we can start with the ones that are already recorded.

The first one for this new adventure is “Hunger for Your Heart.” If you didn’t read my blog post that mentions this song on Connecting to Impact, then click here to read it and maybe get a laugh or two. Misunderstandings aside, this song hits on some real issues for us though.


At its heart, the song is a just a cry for more of God. To the level we seek Him will determine to the level we find Him. There is a constant battle for our attention and passion, but only He is deserving and worthy. Frustrations, distractions, and busyness try to steal our worship, but we simply have to come back and examine our priorities. What can we say we need more than God? Our first response would probably be “nothing,” but we often live far from that truth. We chase after provision, comfort, peace, experiences, wisdom, and all sorts of things—not realizing that He is the source. As the writer of Ecclesiastes points out, all this is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

The chorus says

Bring the oil and the wine
I will not be satisfied ‘til I look upon Your lovely face
Bring the greatest treasure, still I will not back down until
I have met with You and I am changed

Pick up the book today or listen to the podcast now for a full review.

These are links to great resources that may help you practically and spiritually. If you have any suggestions for us or would like to possibly trade a link, contact us here.

Connecting to Impact
Another blog by Jason with great encouraging posts, challenges, and practical ways to express God's gift in you.
Breakthrough Church
The church where Jason pastors, a come-as-you-are church wanting to make an impact on Juneau, AK and around the world.
REI Ministries
The ministry of Paul and Anne Hollifield. They desire to help churches with seminars as diverse as worship, family, media, and children.
CCLI
Encouraging the spirit of worship by providing licenses for churches and ministries to use and copy the songs we love to worship with.
Cyberhymnal.org
4,900 Christian hymns and Gospel songs from many denominations: you’ll find lyrics, scores, MIDI files, pictures, history, and more.
Worshiptogether.com
Find articles, teachings, and free songs! Great worship music store with lots of wonderful extras.
Leadworship.com
A ministry of Paul Baloche serving to equip and encourage worshippers around the world by providing new songs, music resources, and spiritual encouragement.
Worshipleader.com
An extension of Worship Leader magazine, their goal is to transform communities through worship.
Worshipinstitute.com
A way for worshippers and leaders to connect in great and unexpected ways--check it out for music, info, articles, and more.
International Leadership Connections
Learn more about this network of churches and how God is orchestrating a worldwide penetration of the Gospel.
Family of Faith College
Information about this institution that is training laborers for the harvest fields of the world. They have purposed to be a light to the nations and to see God's kingdom advanced for His glory.

Here are some great books that will challenge, inspire, and encourage you to live lives of sold-out worship and surrender. Click on any of them to get more info, and pick them up today!

Here are some great picks for music and every time you purchase a Jason Scott Music item, you directly support the ministry of Spark2Flame.

We would love to hear from you!

• Do you have a question or comment about the blog?
• Have something you want to hear talked about on the Burn Frequency podcast?
• Do you want to find out about hosting an event in your area?

Fill out the form below and we'll get in touch soon.

Spark2Flame has a mission: we are in existence to help churches. We are passionate about worship, the deep things of God, equipping the Church, and using technology in such a way that it builds community and furthers the gospel.

Through practical application and meaningful impartation, we will obey the heart of the Father to train, equip, and release His servants into the anointing that He has prepared for the church in this hour.

Those associated with Spark2Flame are committed to seeing the body of Christ reach to new heights in regard to worship and leading God's people in this area. We would love to have an event in your area and that can be accomplished several ways in different settings. We always try to work hand in hand with a church in the area so that arrangements can be made in an efficient manner.

• We can be a part of a retreat where worshippers gather for the express purpose of immersing ourselves in practical instruction and spiritual impartation.
• If that doesn't work for your situation or needs, then we can do a conference with similar structure, but at a church or meeting hall. In this situation, people can either have arranged accommodations or stay in their homes. The emphasis would still be on practical instruction coupled with spiritual impartation.
• We could also do personal meetings with your worship team. This would be exclusive to your local church and we would spend all of our time together specifically addressing your questions and needs and imparting vision to you. This can be an all day event or several days. That would be determined by a meeting with a representative of your church.

In all that we do, the vision remains to equip the saints to reach beyond their current capabilities and grab hold of what God is pouring out in these days. We want to see the spark of hunger become a roaring fire that consumes entire churches, cities, and regions with God's heart and praise.

History
Jason Scott (Stasyszen) began this whole thing in a seeking process. He saw how the practical and spiritual side of worship are often not seen as compatible and wanted to share what he felt God was speaking to the Church.

We have now held many retreats, several conference, maintain this blog, and put together the Burn Frequency podcast all in an effort to see that spark of passion turn into a great fire of practical understanding and spiritual insight.

Spark2Flame is based on 2 Timothy 1:6, "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands."

A lot of people have that spark of hunger in their worship or pursuit, but they don’t know how to get to the next level.

It is our hope that whether you visit this blog, listen to our podcast, or a few days in a retreat or conference setting to immerse ourselves in worship, you gain practical application of spiritual principles so that we get changed and in turn, whole cities, regions, and nations can be affected by the power of God that He wants to pour out upon His people.

That's not to much to ask!

I was having a conversation this morning with my friend, Jeff Simmonds, a pastor in Arizona. He mentioned what I have heard many times but need constant reminders of, talent and willingness are no substitution for character. Without having to think very hard, you can probably come up with 10 church leaders, personally or nationally, who were talented, charismatic, and did amazing things—but they were exalted beyond what their character could handle. Add to that the friends and church members who burn out or flake out and you could classify it as an epidemic. yes, character is often ignored but greatly important.

I know I used to envy people like Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Darrell Evans, etc. because they were living what I know God has for me. I hope that doesn’t sound arrogant, but I have lots of prophetic words and personal promises that my music will go all over the world. I would wonder how they got where they are and how I could get there too. The problem was whenever I tried to “make it” there was a lot of frustration in the work and little results. It’s humbling to realize though that you are right where God wants you and you can be thankful that you are not promoted before your time. That’s not just for musicians and singers, but there seems to be a lot of inflated egos and self-importance that creeps in easily with us. Why? Because you have gift people are seeing on a regular basis. Pride is always waiting to pounce and take you down.

I got to spend a little time with Darrell Evans on a worship cruise once and his testimony is quite amazing. He left Bible college to jump into music ministry, getting thrown into the Christian celebrity spotlight because of his great talent and heart for God. By his own admission—his character couldn’t keep up and he developed a terrible gambling problem and his marriage didn’t survive. Through a healing process, he is back doing what he is called to do and blessed with a new family, but he had to learn some very hard lessons along the way. We may all think, “Ahh, I can handle it. If there’s promotion, it must be God, right?” It may be God, but we had better continually humble ourselves and realize who it is that put us there and why. Otherwise, we run the risk of a huge fall.

It’s not just people with national or international ministries. We are all susceptible to pride and the consequences are just as real even if the whole Christian world doesn’t know about it. We affect our families, our church, our friends and coworkers—we have influence and the ability to turn people to or away from Jesus.

I remember once in the middle of a worship service years ago, I was so captivated by the presence of God. Yet in the midst of this great time, the enemy whispers in my ear, “this is too good for this little church. This kind of release needs to be for thousands.” I learned then that those tests can come at any time! I honestly admit I listened maybe a little too long, then thankfully came back to acknowledge God’s faithfulness and Lordship in my life. If we’re not careful, those things will build up and build up into resentment and arrogance. We begin to agree with pride instead of His word. Ultimately, without repentance, we will render ourselves useless and ineffective in whatever God called us to do.

So how about you? What character issues are you (still) dealing with? Are you like me wanting God’s word fulfilled but trying too hard in your own strength? You don’t have to get too personal, but write about what God’s showing you in the comments or how you are going to start asking God about this.

I keep pondering today about the nature of creativity. If you polled a group of people, I am certain that some would say they were highly creative, some would say they were not creative at all, and some would inevitably say they fall in the middle. How do you determine such a thing? Is it up to our own interpretation? Do the people around us determine this for us?

In some ways, the answer to those last two questions is “yes” and “yes.” We can be freed or limit ourselves by our own defining of our abilities, skills, and creativity while we can also feel the same by what others have told us all our lives. Like it or not, words are important and carry weight and impact. As for the first question of determining creativity, I believe you have to look at our source.

Creativity has been treated like just another personality trait where it is ranked right alongside "optimistic" or "outgoing." Oh, he's just a creative person, you might hear someone say (which consequently can carry positive and negative connotations). While personalities are subject to growth and change, some characteristics may never fully change, which is why I feel creativity should be in a different category.

As Christians, I do not believe we have the option of being creative or not. The Christian in even its earliest use and meaning was to be a “little Christ.” Jesus was not a go-with-the-flow kind of person. He was a reformer. He was a radical. He was passionate and compassionate. People’s lives changed as they came in contact with Him. Why should it be any different for us?

We are all made in the image of God, the Creator, and we are creative simply due to this fact. Everything about God is infinite—His power, love, wisdom, presence, and even creativity. To say we are not creative denies our Creator. It’s sort of like a horse telling his horse parents that he is an oak tree. It doesn’t make any sense! The full potential of life, purpose, and creativity is unlocked by seeking Him and responding to His word.

Some seem to be more open to creativity than others, but as Christians we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). The mind is truly a fascinating thing. It is home not only to logic and facts but to creativity and interpretation. I think it is amazing that when our eyes look at anything, the information comes in upside down. All day long our brains are constantly interpreting everything we see on the basis of available facts and experience. That’s why our eyes play tricks on us and optical illusions will throw us off. If that is true in the physical sense, how true is it in the spiritual! Without the mind of Christ, we will interpret these things wrongly. Without the Holy Spirit guiding us, we walk down the well-worn human path of complacency and conventionality.

How do we remain hopeful, optimistic, and creative in our situations and circumstances? We keep our eyes on Him. If you’ve known me very long or heard me preach a couple of times, you probably know I love 2 Corinthians 4. I want to zero in on verses 16-18: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

I believe there are things we are waiting on God to do that He is watching and saying, “Get creative! See the unseen! I’ve given you the ability and every resource of mine is at your disposal. I can show you things you never even dreamed before.” Our creativity gets stifled anytime we have a sense of impending inevitability. That can happen in both good situations and bad. We rejoice in the promise God gives us, but then we make no effort or preparation to see it fulfilled. Trouble comes and we decide, “I guess that wasn’t God.” Instead in those times, we need to get tenacious and ask God for expanded creativity. We don't have because we don't ask. The same is true when we feel something bad is going to happen “no matter what.” This inevitability thinking will lead to things like broken relationships, apathy, depression, and other things.

Pablo Picasso said, “All human beings are born with the same creative potential. Most people squander theirs away on a million superfluous things. I expend mine on one thing and one thing only: my art.” Maybe you have been as guilty as I have, and you have sometimes squandered your creativity or put it on the shelf for selfish or simply meaningless things. Imagine if we aligned our lives completely with eternal values and His eternal Kingdom. It would surely change our outlook and perspective as well as the way we do everything, but eternity does not only have to do with what we have conventionally called ministry.

Picasso said he focused all his creative energy on his art. We need creativity in every area and on every level. Whether its pastoring a church, building a business, staying home with the kids, teaching in a high school, working in a retail store, writing songs, having people over for dinner, whatever—we need to ask God for creativity in expressing His heart and purposes wherever we happen to be. Instead of narrowing the focus of our creativity to just what we do, what if we really sought creativity to express who He has made us to be. Seek His Kingdom first and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you. His Kingdom is bigger than a church building or anything else; we are to express Kingdom creativity in every area and facet of our lives.

I cannot tell you how many times, God has given me creative solutions to deal with my children or marriage or even help figure out a solution to a computer problem. Some would say it was coincidence or luck, but I would rather give the glory to God and allow His thoughts to invade mine. Recently, I have been keeping a “random ideas” journal especially related to our church as that has much of my focus right now. I find that if I don’t record them somehow they get lost in the busyness of life. You can do that with anything—song ideas, business ideas, household organization—whatever God has put a passion in you to do. So go ahead and do it, get creative!

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve considered yourself creative in the past or not. If you’ve been trapped by those words then repent and step into grace for a new day.

So what do you think? Write something in the comments—maybe about an idea you’ve always wanted to try or just came to you or how you can use creativity in a situation in which you find yourself today. Or you can let me know how wrong you think I am! Either way, let’s start a conversation…

Welcome to everyone viewing this blog! I just thought I would give a little background. Burn Frequency is a web program that I started about 5 months ago because it's part of my calling to encourage and challenge the Body of Christ. These are exciting times we live in as well as dangerous, and we need the return of focus to Jesus and worshipping Him with our lives.

This is a different format than I have been doing up until now, but I'm hoping it's a little easier to maintain. I hope you listen and are blessed as you hear my heart and what I feel God is speaking to us. I will be adding different things at different times including articles, spontaneous worship, message podcasts, and more so stay tuned and sign up to subscribe. Be sure to pass it along to friends as well who may be strengthened by the message.

Lastly, if you are encouraged by what you hear then please pray about supporting us through the PayPal donation buton on the page. We are trying to obey God the best we can and trusting Him for provision- He has never let us down!

This month's podcast is up and I hope you are encouraged and challenged. Through the good and bad, God is faithful and He is leading us--be sure to leave a comment too after you listen!

Here's the link to stream and here's the link to download.

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Have a blessed and wonderful day!