I Have Nothing to Add

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama!

 

This week, I simply want to share a book excerpt and two quotes.

 

I am rereading What God Does When Men Lead: The Power and Potential of Regular Guys, by Bill Peel. This book is phenomenal! I am going to share an excerpt from Chapter 12: Your Monday Morning Mission. Whether a man or woman, I am highly confident this excerpt will speak to you.

 

“Here’s the sum of what Paul is saying in Colossians 3 about our work. First, we can make any job secular or sacred by our attitude. Apart from something sinful, what we do can be done for God. What is important here is not so much what we do, but why we do it and for whom we do it. That means that we can actually take work that is traditionally considered sacred, God-honoring, and valuable to the Kingdom – prayer, evangelism, Bible study, serving the poor – and actually secularize it by our attitude. As I confessed earlier, I turned teaching God’s Word into secular work by tainting it with the desire to make a name for myself. A person can also turn prayer into a self-centered activity designed to manipulate God. Another person might share his faith to get a spiritual notch on his belt or because he feels personally superior to someone with another belief system. Someone else may serve the poor only because it looks good on his resume.

 

Actually, we should all go to work for the same reasons we go to church: to worship God, serve our fellow man, and fulfill our stewardship responsibilities. If we go to work for a different reason than our pastor does, one of us is going to work for the wrong reason.”

 

And now for the two quotes:

 

“Let the world be a better place because you are here. Let unborn generations to come bless God because you once lived and poured out your potentials to impact the world.” – Clement Ogedegbe

 

“Crying does not indicate that you are weak. Since birth, it has always been a sign that you are alive.” – Charlotte Bronte

 

I have nothing of value to add to any of these…the messages are quite clear!

 

Please feel free to contact me at any time if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

 

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious family, and please stay well!

 

Kev

Fly

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! Spring is almost here!

 

Before diving into this week’s Happy Friday, I want to respectfully ask you to pray for all of those who serve in the armed forces. Perspective changes things; as the Dad of two active-duty military personnel, I see things differently when someone dies in the line of duty. No, my family and I did not receive that news, but somebody's family did, and it breaks my heart. Please pray for those brave souls who protect our freedoms, and the families that love them.

 

Well, God made this week’s Happy Friday explicitly clear to me. I listen to several different messages a week and read a couple of different devotionals every day. I swear, Pastor Steve, Pastor Craig, Pastor Joel, Our Daily Bread, and Jesus Calling, all had a similar message at some point in time or another this week. I got it!

 

Before I start, please let me make this statement on the front end: if you are being mentally, physically, or sexually abused, please seek help immediately. As scary and terrifying as it might seem, please contact law enforcement and get the help you need. You matter, your life is unexplainably valuable, and this is not the life you were created to live. What I am about to share does not pertain to mental, physical, or sexual abuse.

 

How do you feel about challenges? You want some? For most of us, if we are being honest, the answer is “no.”

 

I want to kick this off by sharing a story I learned about this week when reading Our Daily Bread. It is titled The Struggle of the Butterfly, and the version I am sharing comes from spiritualgrowthevents.com. You can read it here https://spiritualgrowthevents.com/butterfly-struggle-spiritual-story/

 

The Struggle of the Butterfly

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through the little hole at the end.

 

Eventually, the butterfly stopped making progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. The man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily, but it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

 

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

 

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

 

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were nature’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

 

I believe it was Pastor Joel Osteen who pointed out that most of us, if given the choice, would like to be removed from our troubles. However, if we were just immediately removed, not only would we not have 1) to rely on God, 2) a testimony, but 3) we would not develop the strength that the storms of life are intended to develop in us so we can become all that we were created to become. In essence, we would become the butterfly that never could fly. Shifts the perspective, doesn’t it?

 

My Mom absolutely loved Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence, a 365 Daily Devotional by Sarah Young. For my Mom, she gave a copy to everyone…it was her ministry. Here is the message from March 5^th:

 

MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE PROBLEMS IN YOUR LIFE. Though many things feel random and wrong, remember that I am sovereign over everything. I can fit everything into a pattern for good, but only to the extent that you trust Me. Every problem can teach you something, transforming you little by little into the masterpiece I created you to be. The very same problem can become a stumbling block over which you fall, if you react with distrust and defiance. The choice is up to you, and you will choose many times each day whether to trust Me or defy Me.

 

The best way to befriend your problems is to thank Me for them. This simple act opens your mind to the possibility of benefits flowing from your difficulties. You can even give persistent problems nicknames, helping you to approach them with familiarity rather than with dread. The next step is to introduce them to Me, enabling Me to embrace them in My loving Presence. I will not necessarily remove your problems, but My wisdom is sufficient to bring good out of every one of them.

 

I told you it has been all week!

 

Look, I am not trying to minimize anyone’s problems or challenges; I totally get it. There have been many nights I have laid my head on the pillow at night, tears streaming down my face as I poured out my heart to God begging Him to take the problem or challenge away. Not once have I been magically taken out of a situation; however, time and time again, I have found the wisdom, strength, and courage to make it through the next day, and then the next one, and then the next one… As I sit here and reflect back over time, I see the wisdom, strength, and courage that were developed in the storms. Did I like them? Absolutely not! Did I grow from them? Take steps to become the man, husband, father, leader, and friend God created me to be because of them? Without question!!!

 

When I read my Bible, I am not told if I have troubles, but when I have troubles. Nothing that has, or will, happen to us is a surprise to God. And the beautiful part, He promises He will be with us in the storm.

 

I just want to encourage us all to shift our perspectives. While we don’t wish for problems, when they arrive, let’s hold onto the hand of Jesus with everything that is within us, and then let’s drain the potential for wisdom, strength, and courage out of it!

 

I want to close by sharing several scriptures that address problems, and they mean the world to me. I have memorized most of them and have repeated them 100s, perhaps 1,000s, of times. Perhaps you will find them helpful, too.

 

Isaiah 41:10 (New International Version)

10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

 

Deuteronomy 31:6 (New Living Translation)

6 So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

 

Romans 5:3-5 (New International Version)

3 Not only so, but we[a] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

 

Romans 8:28 (New International Version)

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.

 

John 16:33 (New International Version)

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

 

Please feel free to contact me at any time if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

 

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious family, and please stay well!

 

Kev

What Are You Soaking In?

Happy Friday, Friends:

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama!

 

Let me ask a question, Friends; what are you soaking in?

 

“The soul becomes dyed with the colour of its thoughts.” – Marcus Aurelius

 

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing, and perfect will.” – Romans 12:2

 

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” – Philippians 4:8

 

What are we soaking in, Friends?

 

I want to share two quick stories.

1.      Earlier this week I was listening to the radio. The host was talking about how some workers wanted to play a joke on one of their co-workers. When he got to work at 8:00 a.m. someone said, “How are you feeling today? You look a little off.” He stated that he felt great. A little later, another person came up to him and said, “Did you sleep good last night? You look tired.” He stated he had slept well. A little bit later on someone else came up to him and said, “Do you have a fever? It looks like you are sweating.” He said he felt a little hot. By 10:00 a.m., the person who showed up feeling rested and well had gone home sick.

2.     We were talking about this topic last Sunday at church. Pastor Steve showed a picture of white carnations in different colors of dye. It totally fascinated me so I looked into it. Within an hour of being in the dye, the carnation will begin to show the color it is soaking in on its pedals. Within 24 – 48 hours, the previously white carnation will be whatever color dye it has been soaking in. And this is interesting; if you Google it you will be told that the fresher (Kev’s interpretation – younger) the carnation is, the more it will absorb the color. The more wilted (Kev’s interpretation – older) the carnation is, the less it will absorb the color. I think there is another Happy Friday in that last part!!!

 

I won’t ask the question again but rather make a statement; it would be wise to thoughtfully consider what we are soaking in! What are the things we are reading, listening to, and thinking about consistently? Whether we like it or not, it is shaping us!

 

I am going to close with something that Jon Gordon shared on X yesterday.

“What if the experts are right? What if positive thinking really is delusional? Researchers have found that the people who convince themselves something was possible, even when it didn’t look likely, were often the ones who made it happen. Why? Because belief drives behavior. When you believe it’s possible you don’t give up. You push through adversity. You look for solutions instead of focusing on obstacles. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Most people aren’t held back by reality as much as they’re held back by doubt. So the real question is this: What could you accomplish if you chose to “delude” yourself into believing it was possible?”

 

Please feel free to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

 

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious family, and please stay well!

 

Kev