Author: Stan Escott

ZIPP  n’ PAUSE

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An original story by Stan Escott for children with an active imagination, who can see themselves in the Reds and Greens of their lives.  God bless the readers and the dreamers.

Pause and Zipp were cousins. They loved each other.  They played together and had so much fun. Ah, but there was a difference, a BIG, BIG difference, more than the fact that Zipp liked RED things, and Pause liked GREEN.

Anyone could see that they were different when they would go to the park. Zipp was always running, as fast as he could. He would zoom here, and he would zoom there, and then he would come zooming back, and do it all over again! He was so fast, why many thought that Zipp could run as fast as the wind!

All the while, Pause would sit and rest and watch Zipp fly by, and would laugh and admire his friend’s zoomies, and wished he could run so fast. But Pause loved to come to the park for another reason. He enjoyed resties, just looking at the green of the garden and admire the flowers. Pause would look for bugs and worms and watch the birds that flew by. He was very observant and thoughtful, and believed that everything under the sun were gifts from God.

One day, when Zipp was zooming around, he was going so fast that he did not see the stone in the path! As he went zooming by he tripped! Oh, No, and went head over heels, and heels over head, until KERR-PLOP!  Poor Zipp landed beside Pause, who was resting beside the stream, watching the frogs frolic in the water.

Now Zipp was not hurt, but he needed to rest and drink the cool water which Pause gave him. While the friends sat resting together, watching the frogs at play. Pause told Zipp all about the garden, the flowers, the names of birds that were flying by, and pointed out cloud formations in the deep blue sky.

And Zipp learned a lot about watching and observing and resting, and he knew that he could always run fast, but now he knew he could rest and enjoy the garden, the bugs, the clouds in the sky, and even a wooly worm that slowly crawled by.

Pause knew that while he could always rest and watch for bugs and frogs and clouds, but he learned there were times when he, too, could zoom, almost as fast as Zipp, and he found it was lots of fun to do both, to zoom and restie.

And so Pause and Zipp learned together that each had talent and wonders to share. Now anyone could tell there were differences, but it was those differences that made each of them special.

What could you learn today about zooming fast or resting still, or just observing what you will?

A cloud, a flower, a bird on the wing, just about any ole thing?

After all, it’s there for you, made by God, it must be true.

The End

Stan Escott (3/1/26)

 

Follow Me

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Follow Me – A Parable: 

Reference: John 6:45-51, 58, 60, 66 and Matthew 4:18-20

We call ourselves Christians, but what does that mean? Wearing His symbol of a cross around our necks, is that a sign that we truly are following His commands? Or are we more causal about our faith; occasionally worshiping him on Sunday morning where we recite from rote memory the prayer, he has given us. Maybe we re-dedicate ourselves by reading the Apostles Creed. Do we listen or even stay awake during the sermon. Then what? When we leave the place of worship, are we His voice, His hands in the mission field?  Day after day, are we going on with Him, following Him?

“Follow me,” is what He said, and we may have answered, as Peter did, “Lord, I will follow you.” But that was before we discovered that the way could be lonely and dangerous and we could lose all trace of His footprints, left only with His voice saying, “Follow Me”. In our faith, we often fall short, as the disciples did.

The disciples had been with the Master from the beginning, when they first saw Him being baptized by John. From the moment that God said, “This is my beloved son, follow him,” they did just that. What a journey it had been! He taught, He healed, He was the source of miracles, and, while they didn’t always understand what was happening around them, they knew to keep following.

But now I stand on the portico overlooking the courtyard of Herod’s Palace, crowded with noisy men. There is Pilate, and, the convicted criminal, Barabbas, and beside him was my Master, although it was hard to recognize him, he had been so badly beaten. Surely the crowd down there in the Courtyard will turn him free, after all many of those gathered were ones who greeted him in triumph when he, entered Jerusalem, just five days ago. Surely, they’ll stand up. But I was wrong. The cry went up, to my shock and dismay, they shouted “Kill him! Kill him!” And another voice whispered, “Follow Me”.

I could not believe what was happening. They took my Master, stripped him, put a thorny crown on his head, and led him out of the Palace, out of Kishle Prison and onto the dirty street, beating him as he staggered along. The crowd followed shouting insults and throwing things at him.

I looked around seeking someway to make sense of what was happening. There on the far edge of the crowd stood Joseph and his friend Nicodemus. What are they doing here, looking alarmed and sad? Sad? They are Pharisees! Why would they be sad, they caused this! Here was Barabbas, the criminal freed by Pilate, standing next to me. I wonder if there is a reason for him being here or is he just curious. I wondered, should I even continue? And the voice said, “Follow Me”.

We followed the Master, staggering down the dirty street toward Damascus Gate. Jesus stumbled and fell. Another man was grabbed by a soldier and told “Carry His cross!” The man had no choice but to let go of the hands of his children, who cried out to their father. Without a thought, I reached, took their hands and told them their daddy would be back soon. Just stay with me, follow me, and, together, we climbed the hill to Calvary.

Now, it was much later in the afternoon, the children returned to their father, and my Master had died on the cross. I watched as the two Pharisees, the ones that were so sad, stepped up, took the body of my Master away, and placed it in a tomb. I could not understand all this. Just yesterday the Master told us to be at peace, and now all of this, and he is dead and buried and I am lost, but strangely at peace? How can that be? And the voice said, “Follow Me”.

Follow? Who? The one I followed is gone. I looked around for John, maybe he could help me, but he was nowhere to be found. He’d been sitting with Jesus’ mother and the other Mary, now all three were off somewhere, probably grieving. I still did not know where to go or what to do. And the voice said, “Follow Me”.

The parable continues:

It was the next morning when I sought out the hidden place, a safe room, a gathering of people who had been followers of Jesus. The room was filled with sad people; some were crying, some wailing, some simply praying. But there was Mary, the mother of my Master, amid grieving, angry, upset people, bringing a different message; smiling, reassuring, and saying something that I will never forget, “Remember who He is and what He told us, just days ago; Be at peace.” And in the remembering, I heard again the voice saying, “Follow Me”, and I knew I had found God’s Peace.

So, we, too, have tried our best to follow Him. But the way got rough. We ran into problems; people objecting to what the Master was teaching, even to the point of threatening his life, our lives. We kept our heads down, didn’t say anything, or if we did, we were polite and implied by our silence that “Oh, I’m not with him”, telling ourselves that we were ‘protecting’ Him. Protecting who?

We live in a violent time, a time where ego and wealth seem to be idols of choice, and where the worship of the Heavenly Father could bring wrath down upon your head. People have been beaten, as Jesus had been. People have been killed, as Jesus was. But people have also been resurrected into a new life because of it. And the voice is still saying, “Follow Me.”

Yes, sometimes the way of the Christian is difficult, and we are confronted with both opposition and difficulties that seem to hold us back. But the word from our Lord and Savior is simple, and we need to take it seriously. In a clear voice he tells us, Follow me.”

We, too often, grieve at length and get angry at the violence that is directed towards those who follow the Master, even unto death. And we cry out for blood when we should remember Jesus’ words, “Forgive them for they know not what they do,” and, in turn, celebrate the lives of those who showed the courage and faith to step up and say without hesitation “He is Lord and Savior, He is the creator God and I will only worship Him,” and because they did, I, too, will find the courage to heed the call to follow Him. May we have the strength of faith to do just that. Amen.

Stan Escott soli deo gloria. September 19, 2025

Prayer:

Precious Heavenly Father, we come before you with grateful hearts and the knowledge it is only through your graces that we follow you. Sometimes it has been hard, but you have carried us through. Sometimes we have not seen the way and you have opened our eyes and showed us that you are the way, the truth, and the life. And again, we thank you Lord for the graces that not only enriched our lives but have given us courage and direction. May we follow you always, Jesus, in your holy name. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In God We Trust

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In God We Trust:

Raymond E. Manchester was Dean of Men at Kent State University in Ohio from 1935 until 1951. In that capacity he wrote The Saturday Letters and sent them sent them out to the men students at the university. He wrote about anything that came to mind and there always was a clincher, a conclusion that reflected on the power of faith and trust.

Dean Manchester was a man who endorsed In God We Trust with his life. The following are selected excerpts from The Saturday Letters written on September 21 and 28, 1940, eighty-five years ago. At the time he was writing these Letters, our nation was watching with alarm at the happenings in Europe. In May of 1940, German troops invaded Belgium, the Netherlands and France, forcing an “armistice”, a surrender, leaving Great Britain as the only country fighting Nazi Germany. Into this environment, the good Dean wrote. The comments are mine.  Stan

REM — You young men had just turned 18 years and it’s time to think about your career. Of course, all these young men [this generation] are still bothered with a slight after-drag from childhood and still mildly fascinated by the promise of adventure in kiddish activities; but since we are living through tight times, they will have to measure up to an adult’s stature rather quickly. This necessity is not entirely evident because the heritage of freedom and liberty we have been heir to has been so unchallenged he has taken security for granted and has never feared for the continuation of the American Way of Life in the Western Hemisphere. That may be tested soon.

SE — I wonder who he’s speaking to; only those 85 years ago, or you and me? I wonder if our own experience in today’s world has placed us in a similar, very vulnerable position, as if we have stepped away from the grace of God and have gone off on our own with a cockiness and a reckless attitude that this will all work out in the end if we sit tight, keep our mouths shut, and do nothing that disturbs our comfortable position in life. Indiscriminate discrimination has been with us for a long time. In Jesus day it was a brewing hatred between Samaritan and Jew, based on nothing else than tales from ancient history and misunderstandings of what the Lord commanded. In God We Trust? I wonder…

REM — Perhaps the greatest task ahead for this younger generation is that of completing an analysis of this somewhat vague idea which is referred to as The American Way. This generation has been taught as far as factual information and technical skills are concerned, but it needs to experience an emotional Renaissance to fully appreciate differences and attitude. The point of view existing in the minds of citizens who believe in a totalitarian state is wholly different from that of citizens believing in a democratic state. The American way has always been a way of calm, absolute courage which is something quite different from hysterical fanaticism. Calmness and courage have been foundation stones upon which we can place dependence, and our Trust in God.

SE — Throughout history there are vivid examples of what happens in the absence of calmness, in the absence of courage, in the absence of trust in God. The outcomes are never good. We are like the disciples urging Jesus not to go to Jerusalem, who want Him to avoid trouble and not confront it, to debate right vs wrong rather than act on what we know to be right, once we lose that calmness and that courage and no longer trust in God, it is next to impossible to rebuild it. Who or what do we trust?

REM — The trouble with a tank it does not have brains enough to say, “Turn around, boys, were going back.” The trouble with the bomb is that it is lacking in any ability to learn sportsmanship. The trouble with the plane is that it hasn’t emotion enough in its soul to rare up on its tail and shout, “They shall not pass”. The trouble with us is that when we suddenly get the idea that we should prepare for defense, we build a tank, a bomb, and an airplane and say, “There, that’s done, now let’s go to the ball game.” We not only go to the ball game, but we say, “Preparedness! Huh! Nobody will hurt us. We’ve got a tank, a bomb, and an airplane. Who is afraid of the big bad wolf, anyway?”

SE — Complacency and silence are stumbling blocks. We build our own artificial confidence on that which we create, and put our trust in steel, explosives, and our ability to fly. Poor substitutes for confidence and commitment, rooted in our faith in God and trusting the power of democracy. Jesus was an equal opportunity offender; he offended the religious, the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the evil presence of the Rome. He spoke to those that rejected God and who wanted nothing to do with those in need. He confronted the wrongfooted political power of his day. Yet here we are, in the quiet of our living rooms, comfortable and keeping our collective heads down, when standing up and letting our voices be heard is ignored out of fear. I think we are like the disciples before the resurrection and before Pentecost; cowards to a man, but there is hope. In God we trust?

REM — Let’s put into our preparedness program some brain training, some common sense, and a whole fist full of emotion, let’s not only build a tank, a bomb, and an airplane, but build in ideas that get ourselves all steamed up over such matters as right and wrong, fair and foul, and the American theory that every person has a right to be free. Dictatorial governments are never right, never fair, and always enslaving.

SE — Dean Manchester may have written his “Letters” 85 years ago, but they seem to ring true to our present state of affairs. To my mind, the elements of democracy, knit together with In God We Trust is a watchword to joyful, peaceful, secure and calm living. It is so valuable that it is worth speaking out, worth dying for, worth a life of going and doing likewise with love for all, regardless of skin color, nationality, and leaning on artificial differences that make no sense. As our Savior has taught, love others as He has loved us, all inclusive, no lines drawn. Amen.

Stan Escott

9/18/25

 

Open Letter. Feb. 19, 2025

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An Open Letter To family and Friends:

I’m probably getting a reputation as a man of too many words, and for that I am sorry, but please, be strong, read to the end, to get the meaning of this letter.

The odyssey I describe probably began seven months ago, maybe later. There was a point in time for me when writing was natural, and it grew out of inspiration and imagination. Somewhere in that back-time I began to find it harder and harder to create, to write, without being fully aware of the why. During that span of time my weekly devotionals were affected; I think I wrote only one or two original Watchwords, the rest I filled in from the 900 or so I had previously written.

It wasn’t until my recent appointments with Dr. Robertson, discussing options for a heart procedure, when he said something that raised questions in my diminished mind. We had decided on the TAVR as the procedure, and he commented that the replacement of the aortic valve could resolve 80% of the problems I have been having with cognition, imagination, coughing, etc.  It was then that my friend Lin raised a question related to oxygen in the blood, and the role that the valve played in oxygenating blood.

Okay, that got me thinking about crazy stuff like ‘writer’s block’ caused by blood? Really? So, I did Google research, and you can, too. For me this was an epiphany. Check it out: A decrease of oxygen in the blood, caused by a defective valve, has a decreasing domino effect in the brain on such things as mood, mental acuity, even a sense of exhaustion. It seemed to hold the answer to why I bog down in the book I am writing. I had written some 35 good chapters, but I was having a devil of a time trying to form those into a plot, into a story, into a book. I just couldn’t seem to go on. No imagination, no creativity.

The decrease in oxygenated blood also has an impact on my tolerance for frustration, which seems to come on in flashes of anger without much cause and without reason, and certainly without thinking.

During the consultation with Dr. Robertson Beth raised the question of risk. There’s no question that anytime a procedure is done in the heart there is risk. Recently I’ve concluded that risk is interrelated with faith. It isn’t that we defy the risk, so much as knowing the risk, we move forward despite it, based on faith. I can find great confidence in the knowledge that God is in charge that he is a God of love. Therefore, in the practical sense, even with risk, I need not fear. It may sound like a mantra, but it is the foundation of what I believe.

Well, there you have it, a lot of words, I’m communicating my thoughts and belief. I hope you can take something meaningful out of it. Come March 5th the Lord will be standing beside me holding onto my right hand throughout, as some really talented guys will be fixing my heart using the TAVR procedure, and I, under ‘conscious sedation’, will not be afraid.  Such is the nature of my faith. God bless you all.

 

The 900th Watchword?

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The 900th Watchword?

If you were to go to this website and click on the tab watch word, you would find a treasure of devotionals that have been written over the past 4 1/2 years, through all the pandemic to the present time. Sometimes these were posted daily, more recently they have been going out to all those who would like them three times a week. Recently I’ve had cause to review the record of these watchwords only to find that recently I published my 900th Watchword, a devotional entitled “Happiness is a Bird”.

Wow, it’s hard to believe, 900 Watchwords. A marker event where it may be appropriate to remind ourselves of how we got started and what we have gone through, more than four years later still honoring our Lord with these devotionals and essays.

We don’t need to remind ourselves of the isolation of the pandemic, and all the stresses and difficulties that we experienced, only to point out that regardless of what is in front of us, our God has led us by His mighty hand and got us to the other side.

I looked at the first four Watchwords that we sent out just to see where we were and how we approached our need for encouragement, and what was on our minds. Early in the pandemic we were caught up in doing things right, isolating ourselves, separating ourselves from one another, and dealing with the question of to mask or not to mask.

We started with just 16 on our mailing list, and now that number is around 80 or so. The original group were the men from eight different congregations who for years had gathered in Bible study. Watchwords were actually an e-mail designed to encourage each of us to keep in contact with both ourselves and our Lord.

That first devotional was entitled “The Church is Dark” and contained this good thought as part of a commentary: “Here it is Sunday morning and I am at home, my church is dark, and maybe yours, too – but not our hearts for we learned long ago that church is within us, and Jesus is Lord…Even in adversity there are lessons to be learned. The strength that comes from overcoming difficulties with the faith that God is in charge and God loves us. What we were all going through with the virus was not a test, it’s was an opportunity for our ‘hearts to burn’ with the knowledge that He is with us (Luke 24:32). Peace.”

A good sentiment, indeed. In a Bulletin Board announcement from Dan and Gary, members of our group, was the reminder that the phone is perfectly safe to use, and this was followed up by their researching of COVID precautions. Underscoring the important of all of us contributing information and encouragement during this difficult time.

Then, in another Watchword, we read this by Jesse Jordan: “Worship the creator, not the creation… At the end of the day what is your hope??  In three short months, just like he did with the plagues of Egypt, God has taken away everything we worship. God said, you want to worship athletes. I will shut down the stadiums. You want to worship musicians?  I will shut down civic centers. You want to worship the actors? I will shut down theaters. You want to worship money? I will shut down the economy and collapse the stock market. You don’t want to go to church and worship me? I will make it so you can’t go to church.

If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Maybe we don’t need a vaccine. Maybe what we need is to take this time of isolation from the distractions of the world and have a personal revival where we focus on the only thing in the world that really matters.  Jesus.”

That was a terrific statement. In the midst of it all, we learned to seek His face and to turn back to all that He means — Lord and Savior.

I think that’s enough of a walk down memory lane. The pandemic and all that it meant was not a happy time, but it was a time of self-evaluation, struggle, and we as individuals and we as a nation have not been the same since. If there is a single thought coming away from this posting it would be that God is still in charge and His love continues even when we step on that slippery slope when the little ‘c’ church, us, is dark. Thank you, Heavenly Father Amen.

 

 

How Do I Say This

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Paul to the Corinthians — For just preaching the Gospel isn’t any special credit to me—I couldn’t keep from preaching it if I wanted to. I would be utterly miserable. Woe unto me if I don’t. 17 If I were volunteering my services of my own free will, then the Lord would give me a special reward; but that is not the situation, for God has picked me out and given me this sacred trust, and I have no choice. 18 Under this circumstance, what is my pay? It is the special joy I get from preaching the Good News without expense to anyone, never demanding my rights. 19 And this has a real advantage: I am not bound to obey anyone just because he pays my salary; yet I have freely and happily become a servant of any and all so that I can win them to Christ. 1 Corinthians 9:16-19 Continue reading

So, Help Me, Fred! 

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 The little boy was good in church. He was quiet. He sometimes listened to what his daddy was saying from the pulpit. There were times when he nodded off or colored the book his mom brought for him. Recently, he heard something that was a little confusing to his three-year-old mind. He knew his name and the name of his older sister, and he was learning the name of Jesus, but what his daddy was saying made him wonder; so, he listened, and he remembered.  Continue reading

Captain

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I tagged along after my father that morning, being hopeful that maybe we would stop at the Olympia Candy kitchen and I could sample some of their wonderful candies. I followed him into the hardware store there on Lincoln Avenue,  I think it was called Hess Hardware or something like that. My daddy had to pick up some “this and that’s”, as he called them.

We paused for just a moment at the front of the store to admire this amazing bicycle that was for sale. It was a very special. It was a Schwinn with red frame and fenders, and sparkling reflectors and everything. It was beautiful. My daddy asked me if I liked that bike, and I said, “Oh boy, it certainly is a special bicycle.” Continue reading

Chloe: Just a Story, Part Fact, Part Fiction

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It had been a really rough week for my friend. He is a medical professional, but had been unhappy in his work for some time.  The sudden breakup had thrown him off stride, leaving him bewildered and with a deep sense of loneliness. The one that he thought of as his best friend, was gone. A bit depressed, he left his office and walked across the deserted parking lot to his car. It was late and dark. He heard the sound as he approached his car, the insistent cry of a baby animal. He looked around, but saw nothing. Continue reading

Facts! You Call Them Facts?

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Don’t Bother Me with Facts!

I get a bit frustrated with my friends when I try to argue a point that differs from their position.  This could be political, religious, or common sense matters that occur every day.  There have been times when “facts” are on my side, but it matter not, to them!  They seem to be telling me not to bother them with facts if those facts run contrary to their ideas. At times a stray thought enters my mind that my “facts” may simply be my ideas! I quickly dismiss that nonsense! Continue reading

Experiencing Nothing

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We were all part of a long-standing Bible study, a group of men from divergent congregations, bound by common commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord, and dedicated to “sampling” the monastic life in St. Gregory’s Abbey, a monastery within the Episcopal Church. We thought we knew what we were getting into, and, on one level, we did, but there is a big difference between studying about the monastic experience and actually living it, even for a short period. Continue reading

Second-Hand

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I have a favorite wine glass. It has a particular shape that appeals to me, and is a signature glass carrying carries two legends: “Stone Hill Winery” and “Vintage Restaurant”. I know exactly when I got this, nearly twenty years ago, and where I got this, and all the circumstances surrounding the purchase. Continue reading