As someone who has spent most of his life in marketing and promotion, that mindset is pretty much wired into me. No matter what the task is, I naturally think in terms of reach, visibility, and how to get the message out.

My first big move was getting my building contractor’s license at just 19 years old. Back then I was landing work through HUD and some pretty creative marketing for a kid my age. And let’s be honest… I was 19. Who in the world was supposed to trust me? But God kept opening doors anyway.

Over the years I got involved with several nonprofits, helping with marketing and promotion wherever I could. One of the most meaningful experiences was watching Charlton Heston Academy go from the ideas of a few local townspeople to a real, functioning school. During that season I wasn’t just helping promote things — I ended up starting a local newspaper that I ran for about five years until God very clearly pulled me out of that chapter.

I can’t even count how many late nights I sat there for hours writing articles, laying out pages, and trying to make that paper come together week after week. At the time it just felt like work. Looking back now, I can see it was training. God was building skill sets I didn’t even realize He planned to use later.

Then later I had the privilege of serving as Bluegill Festival President for a few years. And if I’m being honest, I never really saw myself as a leader or a public speaker. That was outside my comfort zone. But that opportunity — and a strong, unified board at the time — pulled me forward and stretched me in ways I probably wouldn’t have chosen on my own.

Fast forward to today and I run Scotteez Apparel, which is built entirely around branding and promotion. So when I felt that overwhelming draw almost two years ago to leave Life Church and come down to Northern Light, I thought I had it all figured out. I was convinced God wanted me to use my marketing background to help fix a struggling church.

But as most of you have seen… that wasn’t His plan.

I’m not sitting in a marketing chair on a church board. I’m standing in the role of shepherd as pastor. And I’ll tell you straight — it is one of the greatest privileges of my life… even with the occasional hiccups that come with it.

I really did think at first that maybe I could help “fix” what had declined over the years. What I’ve learned instead is that I can’t fix anything. My job is to listen to what God wants and be faithful to it.

Now yes, I use every tool and every platform available to me. But here’s the difference — this isn’t marketing driving it. It’s urgency.

I wake up every morning with this weight and this fire to share the Word of God… to tell people about His grace, His forgiveness, His love… and the promise of eternity with Him. The videos, the memes, the posts, the blog articles, the live feeds — all of it is coming from that place.

It’s not strategy.

It’s burden.

And honestly, this is how our hearts should feel when we wake up.

If you don’t feel that pull, I would gently challenge you to get on your knees and cry out to Him. Ask Him to use you. Tell Him you’re His, you’re ready, and you’re willing.

Now that may not look anything like how He uses me — and that’s okay. God wired each of us differently on purpose.

Recently Jim Finlayson shared a book with me written by a police officer he once served with. This officer gave his life to Christ while still on the job, and the transformation was real. He went from being known as a cold, hardened cop to someone who actually felt deep empathy — even for the people he was arresting. Why? Because he finally understood that every single person in front of him needed Jesus just as much as he did.

From that point forward he knew his mission field hadn’t changed — his heart had.

He shared Christ right there through his work whenever he could. He shared the freedom found in Jesus and the security we have in Him no matter what life throws at us.

That right there is the heart behind everything we’re doing at Northern Light Church.

So when you see the posts… the videos… the memes… the live streams… I hope you don’t see advertisements. I’m certainly not sitting here expecting the 75,000 people who might see something in a month to all walk through our doors.

What I do pray is that they land in a solid, Bible-believing church somewhere.

Because I know this much — I’m planting seeds. When they grow, I may never see the harvest. But I will have done the part God asked me to do.

And I’ve become more convinced than ever what’s really creating momentum at Northern Light. God sends who He chooses… and yes, sometimes He removes who He chooses too.

There is only One in charge.

And it isn’t me.

God bless you. I hope to see you in church. And if you don’t yet know Christ — and just how secure your future can be in Him — I truly pray you’ll seek Him while your heart is being stirred.