About Me
Scott is a multi-instrumentalist who has been playing music and singing for the past 26 years in a number of different bands. He has played folk, rock, funk, jazz, bluegrass, you name it! His debut C.D. entitled "Pushing Through the Pavement" was a unique marriage of different musical styles and influences. Scott's unique brand of "Politico-Rock Message Music" tackled important issues lyrically while creating something very unique that was almost reminiscent of Van Morrison's Street Choir. The song "Don't blame me I only live here" made it up to position number 7 on a number of the rock charts and he got major airplay on 20 rock stations accross Canada and the disc was syndicated to all 30 CBC afternoon shows.
On February 19, 2006 Scott accepted JESUS as his personal saviour and started writing christian music
Scott has just completed recording a Christian Rock album entitled "Your love has set me free" which will be released and launched at the Met Saturday September 29, 2007.
Here is Scott's testimony given February 19, 2006 at the Metropolitan Bible Church in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
On November 3, 1989 I got into my pick up truck after drinking a case of beer and a bottle of scotch and decided to drive home, but I never made it. At the hospital, I almost died due to severe internal bleeding and had broken my back in several places, busted 4 ribs and fractured my cheek bone. 2 months later I was living with my parents again in the basement of their home. I was in a full back brace and could barely move. My wife had now left me and I had truly hit rock bottom. I decided at that moment that life was not worth living and made the decision to take my own life. It was at this point that I first heard the voice. This voice was like nothing I had ever experienced before and was both inside and outside of me. It was loud and gentle at the same time and there was no doubt in my mind that I was being spoken to by God. I was told that I had been saved and that this was my last chance and that if I did not stop what I was doing I would not be saved again. Well needless to say I was scared straight and from that point forward never used again. My life before this critical moment had been filled with drugs, alcohol, women and involvement with bikers. Even though I did not realize it at this time I was a survivor. I had in fact survived much more than this accident I had survived a lifetime of abuse that started at a very young age. The pain, the shame and the hurt remained buried.
I was never baptized. I was raised void of any religion or spirituality. My parents did not encourage nor discourage religion, but God was never spoken of in our home. Religion was viewed as something for weak individuals who lacked the inner strength to overcome lifes obstacles. Religion was viewed as source of war and conflict. My father grew up as a Muslim in Iraq and my mother had been with the high Church of England. They opted to raise us as humanitarians rather than pursue what they viewed as hypocrisy. I was happy with living as a humanitarian for a long time but I knew on some deep level that there was something missing.
For two years after my drunk driving accident I existed as a dry drunk. I didnt use anymore but also hadnt done any recovery work to find out why I had used in the first place. I decided to leave Ottawa and make a fresh start in Vancouver and it was during this drive across the country that I heard the voice for the second time. This time I was simply told to stop while I was driving at night so I did. I hit the brakes, got out of my truck and walked in to the middle of an old clear cut forest where I received a vision of native people who had been massacred. I walked back to my truck I drove myself to the west coast and began a search that connected me with some First Nations Elders. These Elders helped me a great deal through their traditional ceremonies. I participated in the Sweatlodge ceremonies twice a week and eventually they started to teach me their traditional ways. My journey with these people was very meaningful. They taught me to forgive others and above all the love God. I completed a full cycle of traditional ceremonies including several Sundances, Raindances and Visions Quests or Fasts. The Elders taught me how to run their ceremonies and entrusted me with a sacred bundle and pipe to carry for the people. Seven years ago when I decided to move my wife and daughter back to Ottawa these Elders came here and helped me start a spiritual community on the 200 acres of land my family owned. Elders came out on a regular basis and I was given a role parallel to that of a church minister caring for a community that saw close to 1000 people pass through its gates. So many people were now coming to know God and were being helped. I had earned the trust and support of some key Elders and I worked hard giving a full commitment to the red road of spirituality.
I wanted to be able to reach out to others so I started to take some religion courses in university. I sought to have a better understanding of how others understood God so I would know how to reach them. Christianity made perfect sense to me except for one thing, the trinity. I had viewed the Niccean Creed as a human fabrication and believed that people had misinterpreted Jesus as being the son God rather than a son of God. To worship a mere human would have been blasphemy in my eyes as I knew there was only one God. My lack of faith in human beings was a barrier to my understanding of the trinity but this question would continue to enter my thoughts.
I started to encounter Christians very regularly especially at my daughters school where I volunteered to provide music circles for children. My wife and daughter had been attending church and even at work there were Christians near me. These Christian were not beating me into submission with the bible and were always kind. Two families in particular the Forans and the Stewarts really began to touch my heart so I asked them where they went to church and they told me it was The Met. We were invited to have supper with both families one Saturday night and I attended my first service the next day. I could feel Gods presence and was effected on a very deep level. After the service was over I was invited me to join them for lunch and I accepted the invitation. We prayed together in the restaurant before eating just as we did the pervious night before supper and I was struck by the deep commitment of these people. I left the restaurant and decided to pray and ask God one specific question, Who is Jesus? and that is when I heard the voice again and it said HE IS MY SON! Talk about confusion, How could I continue to lead people on the path of native spirituality now? I had based my entire life on the voice in the past and how could I reject it now? How could I reject the truth about Jesus and the Trinity?
Through the love and support of my wife and daughter, my Christian friends and Pastor Reed I am here today. I have in fact given back the bundle that I have carried on the path of Native Spirituality and have told the community that I can no longer be a ceremonial leader to them as I have found out the truth about Jesus. With love I have tried to explain that I had misunderstood something very critical about God, that there were not many roads to God but rather many roads to Jesus and through finding Jesus we find God.
Needless to say this has been a very difficult and emotional time for me as I have encountered mostly confusion from people who are now taking another look at their own beliefs. Some have been supportive, some have been angry and some just sad. This past week has been a living hell. The devil has tried to convince me that God was never speaking to me in the past and is not speaking to me now. He has told me that I am fool who has lead fools and is now about to join other fools in the church. He has tried to scare me, bully me and wear me down but my faith in God is strong. I am humbled by Gods patience and willingness to not give up on me and today I wish to thank all of you who have prayed for me over this past week and past years. I ask this congregation for your support. I have a deep love for God and my only wish has been to serve him and do the right thing. I ask to be forgiven of all my sins. I accept Jesus Christ as my personal savior and wish to be baptized so I can begin a new life as Christian. My heart is open and I am willing to learn.
(Interview done by Pastor Rick Reed Sunday January 7, 2007 during both morning services at the Met) Q: Scott, your salvation story is quite dramatic but what you have done with your life since is equally exciting. Please tell us what God has been growing in you since you became a Christian?
Well Pastor Rick as you know I was given a 6 month period of time to get grounded in my new path and so I attended the Healthy Homes adult classes every Sunday with my wife while my daughter was in Sunday School and then we would sit with the Stewarts and the Forans up in the nose bleed seats for the second service. After the 6 months was done I joined the Childrens’ ministry and served in VBS, Kids in C and presently lead the Childrens’ worship in our Sunday school program for grades 1 to 6. I help the men with ushering most weeks during the second service and have joined one of Lyle’s small mens’ groups. The Lord has been blessing me with music and I am presently recording a CD with musicians from our Church.
I feel as if I have always been @ the Met and that I have always been a Christian. I love the people here and take great joy in giving to support this Church in every way I can. My wife and daughter are here with me and were also baptized this past year so we are now all flying in the same direction. There is not one day that passes that I do not thank God for saving me, the least of the least and the worst of the worst. Immediately after I was baptized I could no longer curse or use foul language, God took that away from me immediately.
I have gone into so many issues with the men in our mens’ group and for a man who had so much distrust for other men I have now been blessed with so many good men in my life. I have received so much from serving the children as so much of my childhood was unhappy that these kids allow me to experience childhood joy vicariously through them. They give me much more than I could ever give them and I believe that God is healing me on so many different levels and preparing me to serve him on a much deeper level.
For me it is not enough to simply attend Church on a Sunday Jesus has shown me that we need to be focused on God every day. We need to stand up for Christ and not be afraid to speak up and out for Jesus as he has done so much for us. I see the world in a different way now and am not sitting around passively waiting for Jesus to return, I am doing as much as I can as there is so little time and we are truly at war and I find it interesting that God brought me to the Met when the Ephesians series was starting. I really believe that we need more men to get involved in both the small groups and in the children’s ministry as the two are interconnected. God wants us to work on our issues and to further guide these little ones as they are our future and will in fact bring many to Christ if we demonstrate through our actions that we love and value them as Jesus demonstrated in Mathew 10: 13-16. Pastor Rick I just want to thank you and the other Pastors for taking so much time for me, your prayers, love and support has been key to my salvation. I also wanted to thank this Church for welcoming me and my family. “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord†Joshua 24:15
Sincerely your brother in Christ, Scott
