Faith and perseverance at the Mayor's Prayer Breakfast

May 8—MOSES LAKE — "God's not done with you yet."

That was the theme of this year's Moses Lake Mayor's Prayer Breakfast Tuesday morning at Pillar Rock Grill in Moses Lake.

"God is continuing to work on me and sanctify me and change me," said Danny Stone, a Grant County commissioner and retired minister. "(He's) not done with us yet ... In Grant County, in the cities of this county, in the homes of this county, greater things are yet to come. And we need to walk forward in faith knowing that God's still at work. God still has great things to do in your life, in my life, in our community and in our county."

This year marks the 29th year the Kiwanis Club of Moses Lake has put on the prayer breakfast. About 180 people came to hear the speakers and pray for the Moses Lake community. Speakers included Moses Lake Mayor Dustin Swartz, State Rep. Tom Dent, State Sen. Judy Warnick, and several ministers from local churches.

Swartz spoke a little bit about Kiwanis and its precepts and purpose, then put the business of running and improving the city in spiritual terms.

"A man once wrote, 'I never just sit and do nothing while waiting for (God) to tell me what to do. Rather, I do whatever it is in front of me to be done, and I leave the results up to him. However, it turns out, that's God's will for me,'" he said.

For a person of faith, Swartz said, that's how human intelligence and abilities are to be used: Prioritizing doing what's right over concerns with what the consequences may be.

"On Nov. 21, 1944, my grandfather went out to do chores," Dent told the crowd. "When he didn't return, my grandmother sent my father to find him. And he found him dead in the barn, in what was ruled a suicide ... So this is my ask this morning to all of you: Watch your friends and your neighbors and your families and when you see a change in behavior, reach out, touch them, love them. I don't care if you like 'em; just love 'em. Because we can make a difference."

The keynote speaker was Stacey A. Scott, a basketball coach who had a brief professional career. About 12 years earlier, Scott had become close to Moses Lake Kiwanians Dr. James and Frances Irwin, who considered him another son, Frances Irwin said. He spoke openly about his journey through a rough childhood, two failed marriages and a couple of near-fatal accidents to find God waiting for him at every turn.

"Scripture says bad company trumps good morals," Scott said. "It crushed my morals. I was into some things I shouldn't have been into. I was around guys I shouldn't have been around, and having that association led me down a path that God didn't want me to go down."

Scott said his second marriage was very toxic and caused a lot of heartache with some seriously concerning behaviors in the relationship.

"But this is the deal, guys. It's my fault. I never should have allowed myself to be in yet another relationship that was based on me (and not on God)."

Rather than fall into another relationship, Scott said, he focused his efforts on establishing Never Alone Ministries, an online ministry aimed at helping people damaged by abusive or narcissistic relationships. A woman contacted the ministry who had also suffered through an abusive marriage, he said, and volunteered to help. The two slowly developed a friendship and then a relationship. Only when James Irwin passed away in 2020 did Scott learn that the woman who was helping him through his grief was a well-known Christian singer, Nicole C. Mullen. The two married that year.

About a year later, Scott was in a car accident that nearly cost him his life. He found out later, he said, that Nicole and her whole band had been praying for him in the wee hours of the morning the night before.

"So when people tell me that God is not real, prayer doesn't work, that doesn't sit well with me," Scott said. "At the end of the day, I look at this and say, God, you're still not done with me yet."

Joel Martin may be reached via email at [email protected].