Christians, Courting, Dating, Forgiveness, Life, Love, Moving Forward

Give Her A Ring Or Move On!

J. Scott Samarco

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Give her a ring or move on. Bold huh? Not really. This is something I had to wrestle with. This is something I had to do. There is a Scripture in the Bible that says: “When I was a child, I thought as a child but when I became a man I put away childish things.”

Back Story:

I became an unashamed born-again Christian at the age of 17. Before the age of 17, I was a full-blown immature child. When it came to relationships with the opposite sex, I was no good. I struggled. Lying, manipulating, poor treatment and just doing whatever I wanted.

I didn’t grow up with great representations of how a young man should treat a lady. I learned how to treat women from the movies I watched, from my boys and what I thought in my head was right. So when God got a hold of me at 17, I knew there were many changes to be made. Starting with my view on love, relationships and women.  Continue reading “Give Her A Ring Or Move On!” →

Christianity, Life

Unmet Expectations

J. Scott Samarco

Originally posted as a guest post on Andrew Voigt’s blog

Unmet expectations are at the core of our frustrations. If you are anything like me, I’m sure you have a list of standards and expectations that you expect to live out and accomplish. What if I were to tell you that the standards and expectations you and I set for ourselves will never be lived up to?

A great question you and I can ask: What are some standards and expectations that I set for myself that I need to let go? (Consider writing each of them down in a journal).

The year was 2010. Two people that I deeply trusted hurt me. These two people were some of my closest friends. Not only did I share my life with them, but we all shared life experiences together. After selfish decisions, manipulation, lying, not holding on to friendship, and practicing good ethics, we all fell out. In other words, trust was broken, which left me broken. I remember saying to myself, “I don’t think I will ever be able to trust people again.”  Continue reading “Unmet Expectations” →

Life

Brotherhood

J. Scott Samarco

Growing up in the inner city of Ypsilanti, MI there was something about finding friends in the neighborhood. I can remember moving to a new neighborhood, getting on a bike, riding down the street anxious to see what kids were on my block. This is how I’ve found many of my friends that I call my brothers today.

Brotherhood, is a component of being in community. Brotherhood means to connect with other human beings and share in relations with one another. For me, brotherhood is something I cherish. During life’s most challenging moments I know for certain I can reach out to one of my boys and they would be there to support and encourage.  Continue reading “Brotherhood” →

Black America, Christianity, Life, Moving Forward

Erase the Stigma of Mental Illness

J. Scott Samarco

Majority of minorities/people of color have been taught since a young age to suppress feelings, to fight through, to not talk about struggles and trauma which has led to many turning to substances, drinking, sex, money, etc…

For many of us who grew up in the hood/lower economic areas we didn’t have resources nor the mindset to turn to professional help. There was a silent hush of you do not tell people your problems and let others know what was going on inside the home. Continue reading “Erase the Stigma of Mental Illness” →

Christianity

Desire the Greater Gifts!

J. Scott Samarco

I believe the gifts God has given us is exactly what we need. What happens when we look outward first at others is we begin to walk away from the full potential of our God given gifts.

Looking outward at the gifts of others will place you and I on an island of comparison. An island where we will begin to believe other’s gifts should be ours and the the gifts we’ve been given aren’t valuable. Continue reading “Desire the Greater Gifts!” →

Christianity

Growing a Multiethnic Ministry: Conversation with J. Scott Samarco

J. Scott Samarco

Hey everyone! I recently had the chance to write for Rooted Ministry. I hope you enjoy this conversation!

At Rooted, we’ve started asking ourselves an important question: How can we equip parents and other leaders of youth to help their teens foster authentic interracial relationships, as part of God’s design for his kingdom?

What follows is an interview between Rooted contributor, Sarah Nixon, and J. Scott Samarco, the TC Teens Director at Transformation Church in Indian Land, SC. Transformation Church was founded in 2010 with the gospel vision to be a multiethnic, multigenerational, mission-shaped community that loves God completely (Upward), themselves correctly (Inward), and their neighbors compassionately (Outward).

We had to find out more about this remarkable ministry! We’re thrilled to share their story with the Rooted Community today. Continue reading “Growing a Multiethnic Ministry: Conversation with J. Scott Samarco” →

#BetterThanYesterday, Life, Moving Forward

SOAR!

J. Scott Samarco

2017 was one of those years for me. Emotionally and physically I went through it. From getting sick early in March to battling with the sickness for the rest of the year put me on a rollercoaster ride I did not expect going into the year. I had aspirations that 2017 would be the year that I got back on track physically. Let’s just say that did not happen.

2017 was the year I learned a lot about myself. Through sickness, self-reflection, dealing with anxiety, making some poor decisions and going through counseling for a few months I was finally able to connect some dots and answer some questions I always had. For one, I am not as crazy as I thought I was! That’s a relief. 🙂

As a man and as an athlete, I was taught to fight through my emotions, not to feel, just tough it out and if you do feel it means you are soft. Years and years I suppressed my feelings. In tough pressure like moments, I would resort back to childlike behaviors and coping mechanisms that are quite frankly, not healthy. I never knew why I would resort back but I’ve learned this is what the brain does when it does not know new healthy ways to deal with problems.

Continue reading “SOAR!” →