A Few Things to Ponder

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’s go!!! It is finally here!!! We have college football this weekend!!! Time to Raise the Roar!!!

 

This week I want to share a few things for you to think about. Two of them come from sermons at our church over the past couple of weeks, and the other comes from something I heard on Christian radio this week.

 

The first one I want to share is from 2 Corinthians 4:4. It says:

(New Living Translation)

“Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”

 

Please read and think about that scripture. No, I am not talking about the “Satan, who is the God of this world” part, though that certainly could be a Happy Friday. It is the “blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see…” If we know they are unable, not unwilling, would we maybe think about them, talk to them, and treat them differently? I know for me, it makes me think very differently about it all. And right now, my Spirit reminds me that we are called to love all people, not just those who share our beliefs.

 

The second thing I want to offer this morning came from our sermon this past Sunday. Pastor Steve Huskey talked about “functional unbelievers,” whom he defined as those who talk about it but don’t do it. He went on to say that we are functional unbelievers until we put our full faith in God. Makes sense, right? He used the analogy of a suspension bridge. The difference between a talker and a doer: the talker will sit there and tell you all about the bridge. The doer will actually put their full weight on the bridge. Still make sense? Still feeling comfortable? So let me ask you a question I have asked myself several times in the past week: Are you putting your full weight on Jesus? Are you fully trusting Him with your life? Are you fully trusting Him with your marriage? Are you fully trusting Him with your kids? Are you fully trusting Him with your career? Ok, ok, I will stop. I am getting restless too! Something for us all to think about. And I must share the quote from Pastor Craig Groeschel, “the things we worry about the most are the hints we trust God with the least.”

 

Finally, I want to encourage us all to be a light. I was listening to the radio, and the speaker asked, "Have you ever been in a completely dark room?" He went on to say he once was; someone lit a match, and he was amazed by how much that little light lit up the whole room. He said the same is true of you and me as we move about this world. Yes, it can be dark, very dark. We, however, are called to be a light. And a reminder that a dear friend shared with me several years ago: light only shines in the darkness. Think about it…

 

Please don’t hesitate 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 and a wonderful weekend. Please cherish your precious family, be kind, and stay well!

 

Kev

Always Have a Quarter in Your Pocket

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!

One week until the college football season is here! Let's go!!!

What a treat and blessing! Earlier this week, my Beautiful Bride, Kathy, walked up to me and said, "I have this week's Happy Friday." There was only one appropriate response: "Yes ma'am." You all are going to enjoy this great message and the wisdom within it.

Always Have a Quarter in Your Pocket

When my boys were little, I felt so overwhelmed at times, and most of the time my answer was “no.” Then one day I had a strong conviction. We were at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, and there stood this gigantic bubblegum machine. As my youngest stood there, with his tender, big blue eyes dancing, he looked up to me, and of course, asked for a quarter. I had none, and at times I just said, "You don’t need one." His sweet face dropped, his smile faded, and he moved on to the next thing. At that moment, getting a piece of bubble gum was everything to him. Just like the things that are everything to me when my eyes would dance at new shoes, new clothes, new jewelry, etc. This is when I made a vow to always have a quarter for the bubble gum machine for any of my three boys. Even to this day, he is grown now, whenever we see a bubble gum machine, he looks at me and smiles. It has just become a great memory for both of us.

 

It is so easy, as moms, for “no” to become our default response instead of a thoughtful one. We carry the responsibility. At times, we say “no” for good reason: to protect, to guide, to teach. Or “no,” not now. No, that’s not good for you. At times, no’s are necessary, but don’t let them become a habit. Our children need joy, laughter, and reassurance, and to be seen and cherished, not just discipline and structure.

 

Sometimes the important things, the small things in life, are sometimes the biggest things in life. As a mom of young children, I sometimes found it easier to say no, but I want to encourage you to choose connection over convenience. To this day, my youngest and I are connected all because of a simple coin, a quarter.

 

Guess what? The requests for bubble gum are gone; my house is quiet; no more car rides. I do not remember every rule I enforced, but I sure do remember the times we laughed together, the lunch dates, getting bubble gum, and all the smiles it brought to his face. I miss those days.

 

There is something small about a quarter. It's just loose change, but in the eyes of a child, that quarter can feel like a treasure. It can mean a moment of joy as you look into a bubble gum machine at a bright blue piece of gum.

 

At times, I wish I had paused more while raising my boys and asked, “Is this a moment that really needs a no or a chance to say yes?”

 

A quarter for a piece of bubble gum isn’t about too much sugar or saying you don’t need that. It's about being present in the moment of what's important in your child's life. It shows us to slow down. It's about recognizing that my boy's childhood was made up of tiny, spontaneous moments. These moments may be insignificant to us as parents, but they become the stories our children carry with them for a lifetime.

 

Our Father in Heaven has the heart of a good, patient Father. He delights in giving His children good gifts. Not out of obligation, but out of love. As parents, we need to strive to reflect that same heart.

 

We get so busy raising our children, making sure homework is done, baths are taken, etc. I did this. God reminds me every day that love is often found in the small things, and the most meaningful lessons are wrapped in the simplest moments. Or a wrapped piece of bubble gum. A simple yes might just be the best yes, you can give to your child.

 

So, to wrap this up, always have a quarter ready. Not just in your pocket but in your heart. This taught me to have more patience, to have more grace, to take more time to know what's important to my child. Did I always get this right? Absolutely not. Choose the memory, not the no. It might just change your world.

 

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths that you take, but the moments that take your breath away.” – Maya Angelou

 

“It's not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln

Please don't hesitate 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 and a wonderful weekend. Please cherish your precious family, be kind, and stay well!

Kev

A Few Reminders

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 day is going to be special; I can just feel it!

 

Only 2 more weeks until the college football season is here! Let’s go!!!

 

This week I simply want to share a few reminders. Nothing I will share will be new to you, nor do I think it will be overly thought-provoking. Appropriate and ironic; it is the little things, done with consistency, that lead to big things. And the most important word in the previous sentence was “done,” and the second most important word was “consistency.” Again, ironically, we like to focus on outcomes rather than the process that leads to them.

 

Reminder #1

I was reading something earlier this week that said a leader's first responsibility is to lead themselves. We know that. Here, however, is the question: what are you doing daily to lead yourself? What are the things you are listening to, reading, and watching? Who are the people you are allowing to speak into your life? And the really key question: is it producing the fruit that you want to produce? Bottom line: it is not mine or anyone else’s job to lead you to make sure that you become all that you are created to become. That responsibility, Friend, lies squarely on your shoulders. The same is true for each one of us.

 

Reminder #2

I was listening to a Jon Gordon podcast, and his guest was Chris Hodges, the founder of Church of the Highlands and current chancellor of Highlands College. During the interview, Chris said something like, “All of us are leaving a legacy, whether it is good or bad.” If you think about it, that is a true statement. Pick any person and think of them. What did you think? That is their legacy. So, and you knew this was coming, what legacy are you leaving? At home? At work? With your friends? At church? Some day when you are gone, what will you be remembered for? I remember Aeneas Williams' Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech several years ago, and his key point was, “begin with the end in mind.” I encourage us today, Friends, to think about what we want that end to be and then consistently do (those two words again!) the things that will lead to the legacy we want to leave.

 

Reminder #3

I had a situation this week that reminded me of Trey Smith's quote: “If your presence doesn't make an impact, your absence won't make a difference.” We aren’t here to be consumers or observers; we are here to be difference makers! Our lives have value, meaning, and a purpose. Let’s live each and every day as though that statement is true – to the depths of my soul I believe it is!!!

 

Finally, I want to share the lyrics to the song The Long Way by Natalie Layne. For the last few weeks, every time I hear this song, it is like it is the prayer of my Spirit. Hits me hard in a profoundly positive way. I thought you all might enjoy it. I would also encourage you to Google it and listen to it.

 

I'm the kind of heart that likes to know right where I'm going

I would take the highway over dirt roads any day

I would rather speed things up than learn to trust the process

Tell me yes or tell me no, just don't tell me to wait

 

But You see more than I can see

You've got good plans for me

So I'm surrendering

 

Take me down the long way if that's where I'm meant to be

Take me down the back roads, God, You know what's best for me

You're with me every moment, even the ones I wouldn't choose

Take me down the long way if the long way leads to You

 

I have seen Your faithfulness in every mile so far

All that I have needed, You've provided from the start

Your voice is always gentle and Your love is evergreen

Leading me to a kindness that I never would have seen

 

So take me down the long way if that's where I'm meant to be

Take me down the back roads, God, You know what's best for me

You're with me every moment, even the ones I wouldn't choose

Take me down the long way if the long way leads to You

If the long way leads to You

 

You see more than I can see

You've got good plans for me

They're better than I dreamed

So I'm Yours and I believe

 

You'll take me down the long way if that's where I'm meant to be

You'll take me down the back roads, God, You know what's best for me

You're with me every moment, even the ones I wouldn't choose

Take me down the long way if the long way leads to You

Take me down the long way if the long way leads to You

If the long way leads to You

 

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 and a wonderful weekend. Please cherish your precious family, be kind, and please stay well!

 

Kev