Preemptive Love Coalition

Today, I'm excited to have Scott Layton on my blog.

Earlier this year, my wife and I decided to make a move to Waco, TX. Although we love Kentucky, we knew that we wanted to take part in a new adventure together by moving somewhere that we hadn’t lived before. Through this move, Kelli got an awesome opportunity to be the Director of Operations for Baylor volleyball. While this was amazing, it left me scrambling as I wondered what I would now do for a job. Luckily the Lord provided for us, and I was put in touch with an organization called Preemptive Love Coalition (PLC).





PLC has rapidly expanded in the last year or two and was looking for a new accountant at the same time as I was looking for a job. Perfect timing! I’m sure many of you are like I was initially and have never heard of Preemptive Love Coalition. Well, over the next couple of paragraphs, I want to tell you what we are all about.

In short, Preemptive Love is a global movement of peacemakers changing the way we engage the world’s most polarizing conflicts by confronting fear with acts of love. This means that whether you are watching the events of blatant racism in Charlottesville, VA unfold on TV, or providing refugee aid to ISIS victims in Iraq, you love anyway and embrace conflict rather than run from it.

PLC also shows up. We want to be in the middle of coffee table conversations, conflict zones in Syria, and operating rooms providing lifesaving heart surgeries for Iraqi children. Wherever we are, we want to ask questions, risk failure, and be heard.

The final phase for PLC is getting out of the way. We want to provide food, water, and education for the oppressed, but we also want to bring peace, healing, and sustainable change to allow others to craft their own future. This means that when the time comes, we transition toward a mindset of relief to empowerment. We believe that local problems need local solutions.

This is just a brief breakdown of Preemptive Love’s mission. Our key areas of focus are heart surgeries for children, emergency relief, grants for small business owners, education, and peacemaking within the heart of war-torn Iraq and Syria.

Lastly, I want to state, as I am sure that you can clearly tell, that I am not a writer. Our team at PLC has some amazing writers producing incredible content that are official Preemptive Love Coalition material (this is not). I have only been with PLC for a short time, so if what is mentioned above intrigues you in the slightest, please check out our website at www.preemptivelove.org
or follow us on social media @preemptivelove and help wage peace with us.

Scott Layton

Shem Creek, South Carolina

The first time I knew of the existence of Shem Creek was when I saw a book written by Dorothea Benton Frank. The name intrigued me.

On Friday, I picked my brother and his wife up from the Charleston airport. Tim had come up with a few places we could eat. When he said one was in Shem Creek, I knew that's where we needed to go.

I called ahead for a reservation, and I went expecting a magical place. I wasn't disappointed. We were seated outside next to the rail with a great view of the creek.

Dinner was delicious, the company was great, and for entertainment we got to see kayaks, boats and dolphins.



If you are in the Charleston, South Carolina area, treat yourself to a fun time at Shem Creek.

Flag of the Week

Today I'd like to share a few quotes with you by Peter Marshall. I'm not sure how he'd do in the world today with all of our "political correctness." But many of the books and sermons he wrote were amazing.

"May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right."

"Give to us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for - because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything."

“A different world cannot be built by indifferent people.”

This next one made me laugh at first, and I briefly thought about the TV character Sheldon Cooper. But deep down, there's power in these words.

“Lord, where we are wrong, make us willing to change; where we are right, make us easy to live with.” I hope I'm always willing to change and grow for God's glory, and I hope I'm easy to live with whether I'm right or wrong.

Have a blessed week!

World Day Against Trafficking

My good friend, Janet Ferguson, touched on the tough topic of human trafficking in her novel, Tackling the Fields.

On July 30, Tackling the Fields is free on Amazon to bring awareness to the issue.

I know this is a tough issue to think about, and I asked Janet why she included it in her book. Here's her response:

"Every country in the world is affected by human trafficking, whether as a country of origin, transit, or destination for victims. Children make up almost a third of all human trafficking victims worldwide, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Global Report on Trafficking in Persons. Additionally, women and girls comprise 71 per cent of human trafficking victims, the report states."
I researched human trafficking for a small thread of my novel Tackling the Fields. I found out that trafficking is in our communities, and it's appalling.

​Though Tackling the Fields deals with tough issues, it is a clean story--a story of grace and healing, so don't be afraid to read it.

Don't forget, it's free on Amazon July 30th. https://www.amazon.com/Tackling-Fields-Southern-Hearts-Book-ebook/dp/B01GBITDQG/

Dog Days of Summer

I forgot how hot it can be living in the South. The best time to walk is early, and it doesn't take much to work up a sweat. But I find I don't mind so much. There's so much beauty around us, and I hate to complain about the heat.

I hope you're able to find time to slow down and maybe enjoy God's beauty during these hot days of summer.




I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest." Psalm 55:6

Castles in the Sand

I'm always delighted to spot a sandcastle as I walk along the beach. I know from experience they can take a lot of work. I also know they can be tons of fun.

The builder of this pyramid took the time to add steps.










Why do people build something that they know in a few hours the tide will wash away or some kid will stomp on and destroy?

Sometimes I think it's fun to put your creative juices to work with no long-term plan. Enjoy the moment of singing, writing or building a sandcastle.

Some people build with great detail, and others take the minimalist approach.




Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Whatever you do today, remember to work at it with all your heart whether it's existence is fleeting or eternal.

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July. I hope you all find time to celebrate our great country.

Thanks to all the service people and veterans who've kept us safe over the years. Thanks also to the cops and fire departments and EMTs who work to protect us.

I love living in America and feel blessed to be here.