The Best You Know How

By Scotty Van Craig

Hi folks. I'm just a country boy sharing my thoughts and feelings about God and life through some stories of mine. I am actually putting this all together as I reside at a homeless shelter. Let me tell you that if I can find joy and peace through God, anyone can. Reading my stories you will laugh, and you may very well cry. But, my hope and prayer is that you will always come away uplifted and inspired; as I have in writing them. I truly believe that God's hand is on this work, because I don't know how I could have written these wonderful stories otherwise. They are all true. It's funny how God leads us down the right paths, hard as they may be, in order to fulfill his will for our lives. I lost everything and was led here to complete my assignment for the Lord. And I am extremely grateful to God for it all. These are thirty-two stories of many more to come. You will be greatly entertained and enlightened as you go on this journey with me. A journey of finding your faith, God, and a greatly rewarding life starting simply by doing the best you know how. Let's have some fun together discovering God, his ways, and His desires for us. Whether you are a devout Christian or you are looking for meaning and purpose to your life; this devotional is for you. All my love friends, Scotty Van Craig.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Scotty Van Craig
• Release date: Aug 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370199051

Scotty Van Craig

I'm just a homeless guy doing God's work.

Book preview

Foreword

Hi folks! I'm really nobody special; just a country boy sharing my thoughts and feelings about life and God. All of my stories are true and I sincerely believe God directed my hand writing them. I am so blessed that the Good Lord gave me this work to do. As you read my stories, you will laugh and you may very well cry. But my hope and prayer is that they will greatly inspire you as they have me. It's funny how God leads us down the right paths to where we are supposed to be and doing what He intends for us to do. Why, I'm living in a homeless shelter right now, having lost everything trying to live life my way. But I have realized it is where God brought me to complete this work; His assignment for me. And I am so very grateful for it all. These are the first thirty two stories of many to come. Come along with me on this journey of discovering how to live, laugh, pray, have faith, and seek God by simply doing the best we know how. Let's just have a good time while seeking God's purpose for our lives.

All my love friends,

Scotty Van Craig

Cheaters

When I was around eight or nine years old my church was going to have a youth turtle race. Well living in the country, I went out into the woods and gathered up about a dozen turtles. I kept them in one of those round plastic kiddie pools. I spent a week finding the fastest one in the whole lot and let the others go free. Boy was this turtle fast! I mean lightning fast for a turtle. If you recall I have a habit of giving amusing or obvious names to my pets. So here we had Speedy. And I knew Speedy was going to win that race. Absolutely. Not a shred of doubt in my mind. After all, he literally was the fastest turtle on earth! So, the big day came. I got Speedy out of the pool, put him in a cardboard box and we and my family were off to the church.

Shortly after we arrived the other contestants [ about ten or twelve] and I gathered in the middle of an empty parking lot with our turtles in hand and formed a circle. I looked around at the competition and scoffed. They and their puny turtles didn't have a chance. And I bet none of them had gone to the lengths I had in finding the fastest turtle that ever lived! Ready. Set. We all bent over with hands on turtles ready to release them. Speedy was raring to go thrashing his legs as I held him in place. Go. I let go of Speedy and he took off like a racehorse out of the starting gate! He was easily outrunning the others by a long shot. I was so excited. It was in the bag. The roar of the crowd fueled my confidence that we were racing to victory. Speedy was way, way out front of the pack when the two kids on either side of me got down on their hands and knees and began yelling and slapping the concrete behind their turtles. Well, of course, their turtles wanted to get away from all of that and sped up.

They're cheating, I thought. Well, I wasn't going to cheat. It's not right. Speedy will still win. And fairly! Well, one of the cheaters turtles passed Speedy at the very last moment and crossed the finish line first! They won. All because they cheated. I was furious. And mind you now: I have had a very explosive bad temper ever since I was little. I picked Speedy up and slid him across the parking lot! I did make sure he was on his back so he wouldn't get hurt. But there he went spinning on his back and sliding all the way across the parking lot. I'd never seen him go so fast!

The next thing I remember is arguing with a lady who was sitting on the driver's side of a pickup truck. She had Speedy and was going to take him with her because of my turtle abuse! Give me back my turtle I kept yelling at her. After getting me to calm down and promising not to abuse Speedy in any way ever again she reluctantly returned him to me. I was broken, defeated, devastated by the loss of the race. But on the way home I was consumed by regret and remorse more so for what I had done to Speedy. I loved him so very much.

When we got home I took him to the back yard. The race was finished and I wasn't going to keep him, prisoner, as much as I hated to let him go. With tears in my eyes, I told him he was the fastest turtle on earth, that I loved him and was so very sorry for what I had done. I sat him down in the grass and he naturally sped off to freedom.

So just what is the moral of all this? Well, I didn't win but I didn't cheat either. Now I know they were just kids and didn't know any better but, a lot of people do cheat their way through life. To get promoted, to gain friends, to win any way they can. They cheat, cheat, cheat their way through their entire lives. Now I'm sure we've all cheated at something at some time in our lives, but honesty really is the best policy. I would rather be an honest loser than a winning cheater. God does not like cheating anyway. If we want to live Godly lives, we must live lives of integrity the very best we know how. So, pray to God to help you win the race of life honestly. Pray that you won't end up being one of the cheaters!

Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men

2 Corinthians 7:14 KJV

To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

Proverbs 21:3NIV

Fly

Well, so this is my last day posting at the Senior Care Center folks. As you may recall I sit in the enclosed entry which has a small area stretching from the outside door to the door leading inside. Now there is this pesky fly in here with me and I do not want this thing buzzing around me for the next nine hours!

Much to my delight, however, it keeps landing on