A Struggle

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope and trust that this post finds you all having a great day and an awesome week coming to a close for you! The week can seem really long after having had a long weekend the previous week can't it?!

I have had a struggle for quite a long time. You see, I have absolutely no problem praying for others - interceding on their behalf, asking God to bless them, coming alongside them in their prayer requests & petitions, etc. I do this quite regularly (my spirit convicts me to do so), I believe that God loves them, I believe that their lives have great meaning & purpose, that He is working on their behalf and that He will lead, guide and protect them. I truly believe these things to the deepest recesses of my heart.

My struggle has been praying for myself. While I have not problem praying for my wife, sons, family, friends and even strangers, when it comes to praying for me I struggle. If you were to tell me your goal/dream I would not pause for a moment in asking God to bless you richly, to bring people into your life to help you accomplish your goal/dream and I would have a very high expectation that you will in fact accomplish your goal/dream. When it comes to praying for my goals, my dreams, my hopes, etc. I have often found myself pausing, hesitating, not sure what to say. I have spoken with God about this and I have also shared it with several Godly men in my life.

Earlier this week, during my prayer time, God and I were again having this conversation...again. Then came this great moment of clarity..."what are your putting your faith, your hope in Kevin?" I have been told several times in my life that I can be too black & white on issues - it was made explicitly clear to me that this is a completely black & white issue. Are you putting your faith in God, in life, in hope, in biblical truth or are you putting your faith in the world, in death, in despair, in lies? Wow! This rocked my world. While I don't know that all my goals & dreams will come true I certainly have determined in my life that I will choose God, life, hope and I will strive to live each and every day by Godly, biblical truth, allowing my spirit to lead me at all times. Yes, this felt good in my heart, this made sense. I have a long way to go to grow to full maturity in this new found wisdom, I know that. I also know where my faith is anchored and I am trusting Him to work this out in me fully until the day He brings me home.

As I was thinking about this Happy Friday this week, as God spoke to my heart, I realized that this struggle that I have had is why I will often get tears in my eyes, my heart will get very heavy, when the song "The Voice of Truth" by Casting Crowns comes on the radio. This has happened to me for a long time, the song touches my heart deeply and my wife & sons know that this is a song that is to be played at my life celebration. Well, as I am sitting here typing this Happy Friday for you, while I am in the 3rd paragraph, shortly after typing "When it comes to praying for my goals," guess what comes on the radio sitting next to me? "The Voice of Truth." A quick smile crossed my face and then tears...a lot of tears. Face wrinkling, shoulder shaking tears. Yes, I do believe in God, I do believe He loves me, I do believe that my life has value & purpose and I do believe that He cares about my goals, dreams & hopes! This Friends I will fight for and choose every day.

Please let me know if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always be willing to help you any way I can.

Have a great day, have a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.

Kev

Giving Thanks

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day, that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day, perhaps a Happy Black Friday (yes, I believe there can be such a thing!) and that you are ready for a great, relaxing weekend.

Yesterday many of us celebrated Thanksgiving...a day set aside to intentionally give thanks for the blessings in our lives. Some of us struggle to come up with these blessings we are supposed to be celebrating as we are so caught up in situational/circumstantial stuff... if this happens we are happy but if that happens we are sad.

On Wednesday, the day before our celebration of blessings, I got two great reminders of how blessings, and our recognizing them, is not based on situations or circumstances, but rather the condition of our hearts.

• There was an article in the Arizona Republic on Wednesday morning. You see Wednesday was the 1 year anniversary of a horrific plane crash in Arizona - a crash that took the life of a mothers 9-year old daughter (Morgan), 8-year old son (Logan), her 6-year old son (Luke) as well as her ex-husband (Shawn) and two other men (Russel & Joseph). It was honestly hard for me to begin reading the article. I remember sitting on my couch a year ago, watching the "Breaking News" coverage of a plane crash into the side of the Superstition Mountains and feeling this sense of grief, knowing someones life - perhaps several lives - had been forever altered by whatever had just taken place on the side of that mountain. I really didn't want to read about the heartbreak, the struggle...hoping in the deep recesses of my heart that I would never have to experience such a thing. Thankfully, something made me read the article anyways.

          This was not an article of great grief though the mother, Karen Perry, stated, "Grief is not
          something that goes away, it's something that stays with you but it basically transforms -
          in the way that I view what's happened, in terms of acceptance, in terms of viewing life
          from a different perspective. I see a bigger picture than before, that there's a higher
          purpose than just our everyday going to work, going to school, paying our bills. Our
          everyday grind." No, this was an article of strength, perseverance and mostly gratitude.
          Listen to these strong, powerful words - great words of wisdom - spoken by Karen
          exactly 1 year after losing her three precious children; "Life can be very painful at times
          but there's a lot of beauty to be seen if we open our eyes to it and if we pay attention to
          what's going on around us. And if we're grateful for what we have...I have a lot of things to
          be thankful for. I really do. I'm thankful that I'm here. I'm thankful that my kids didn't suffer
          when they died. I'm thankful that my daughter doesn't have seizures anymore [Morgan
          had severe epilepsy and suffered five brain surgeries that left her legally blind and
          disabled]. I'm thankful that so many good things came out of such a tragedy. She
          continued, "I can see the beauty around me and I can enjoy the time that I have and at
          least enjoy the memories that I have of my kids. I feel very grateful that I had them at all."

          A heart of great gratitude, having experienced loss far greater than anything I have ever
          experienced or can comprehend. Yes, I believe this is the heart of truly giving thanks.

• On Wednesday night my 13-year old had a club ball baseball game. My Beautiful Bride and I were talking to the Mom of another player on the team. This Mom is a pretty special lady. About 5 years ago she was in an accident on an ATV that left her paralyzed from about mid-chest down. We talked about all kinds of things that night - the moment she realized she couldn't get up and walk (anger), the moment the doctor told her she would never walk again (great, great sorrow), the daily battle she wages to get up out of that chair and walk, etc. Somehow, somewhere during all of this she told my Bride and I about a blog she has written detailing her journey. I quickly pulled up the blog on my IPhone and we all began looking at the pictures. And then there was this picture - she is standing - beautiful & radiant - hugging her husband. You see, if she stands up and is wearing her braces, she can hold onto her husband and remain standing. She said, "That is my favorite picture. I am so thankful for the times I can stand and hug him." If you have a lump in your throat right now it's o.k.; I did then and I do now. Again, I was blessed to see a heart of true gratitude.

I am amazed by these two remarkable women. I pray that I will have a heart of gratitude even a fraction of theirs...and I don't mean that in a defeated or "whoa is me" way. They inspire me, they challenge me to get out of my self-centered thinking - what I want thinking - and to truly see the countless blessings that I do have. Frederick Koenig said it well, "We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have."

Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your families. I will always be willing to help you any way I can.

Have a great evening, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.

Kev

Four Powerful Thoughts

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day and a successful week coming to a close for each one of you.

This week Friends I want to share four powerful thoughts/ideas with you, taken from John C. Maxwell's latest book "The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth: Live them and Reach Your Potential":

1. "The right motions outwardly with wrong motives inwardly will not bring lasting progress. right outward talking with wrong inward thinking will not bring lasting success. Expressions of care on the outside with a heart of hatred or contempt on the inside will not bring lasting peace. Continual growth and lasting success are the result of aligning the inside and the outside of our lives."
2. "When we fail to make the right character choices within us, we give away ownership of ourselves. We belong to others - to whatever gains control of us. And that puts us in a bad place. How can you ever reach your potential and become the person you can be if others are making your choices for you?"
3. "Pastor and radio broadcaster Tony Evans says, "If you want a better world, composed of better nations, inhabited by better states, filled with better counties, made up of better cities, comprised of better neighborhoods, illuminated by better churches, populated by better families, then you'll have to start by becoming a better person."
4. "If we desire to grow and reach out potential, we must pay more attention to our character than to our success. We must recognize that personal growth means more than expanding your minds and adding to our skills. It means increasing our capacity as human beings. It means maintaining core integrity, even when it hurts. It means being who we should be, not just being where we want to be. It means maturing our souls."

Wow! These are so powerful. They hit me when I read them, re-read them, re-re-read them and typed them. I trust that they will speak to your heart, that you will gain wisdom from them and I pray that we will all move forward in our lives accordingly.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you or your families. I will always be willing to help you any way I can.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, a Happy Thanksgiving and please cherish your precious families.

Kev

Who Do You Spend Time With?

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great night! I also hope that you had a great week and you are ready for a wonderful weekend with you family and friends as we celebrate those who have served our country.

This week I want to share a few quick excerpts from John C. Maxwell's book, "The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth: Live Them and Reach Your Potential." The excerpts are taken from Chapter 6 which is titled, "The Law of Environment: Growth Thrives in Conducive Surroundings," and the section titled, "3. Change Who You Spend Your Time With."

• "According to research by social psychologist Dr. David McCleland of Harvard, the people with who you habitually associate are called your "reference group," and these people determine as much as 95 percent of your success or failure in life."
• "Enquist has espoused the 33 Percent Rule. She says you can divide people in school, on your team, at work, or anywhere else into the bottom, middle, and top thirds, and they always have the same characteristics: The bottom third suck the life out of you because nothing is ever good enough for them. They take energy and motivation out of an environment. The middle third are happy and positive when things are going well, but down in times of adversity. Circumstances dictate their attitude. The top third maintains a positive attitude even in tough times. They are leaders, influencers, and game-changers."

          According to Maxwell, Sue Enquist "has been called the John Wooden of women's
          softball. She played fro UCLA from 1975 to 1978, returned in 1980 as an assistant
          coach, and then served as head coach from 1989 to 2006. As player and coach, she
          helped win a total of eleven NCAA softball titles. She retired with a career coaching
          record of 887-175-1 - an .835 winning percentage that puts her among the top five
          NCAA coaches of all time."

• "What kinds of 'larger" people should we spend our time with? People with integrity. People who are positive. People who are ahead of us professionally. People who lift us up instead of knocking us down. People who take the high road, never the low. And above all, people who are growing. they should be like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau whose question for each other whenever they met was, 'What have you learned since we last met?'"
• "The most significant factor in any person's environment is the people. If you change nothing else in your life for the better than that, you will have increased your chances of success tenfold. So think long and hard about who you're spending the most time with, for wherever they are headed, so are you."

Some great thoughts to consider Friends. Please let me know if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always be willing to help you any way I can.

Have a great night, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your family and friends. And to those who have served our country, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Kev

A Few Reminders

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day and a wonderful week coming to a close for you.

There are a few things that are really on my heart this beautiful Friday morning.
1. There are a lot of folks who are really struggling out there. I really could argue that all of us are dealing with something. I know folks who have issues in their marriages, with their kids, in their jobs, with themselves...and so do you. I want to pause for a moment and remind us all of the words in Galatians 6:9 - "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (NIV) Please let these words - sweet, sweet words of promise, hope and truth - speak to the depths of your heart, of your soul. I don't know who you are, where you are or what battles/struggles you may be facing. I do know that we all have them, I do know the weight of stress, worry, fear, regret can be debilitating and I just want to encourage you with everything that is within me to not give. Keep you hopes & dreams alive, do whatever it is you do to the very best of your ability and listen to your heart as it guides you in what is right and what is wrong. There may be dark clouds in your life right now in this moment however the sunshine is coming. Please keep doing good Friends and never give up. Your life has so much value, meaning & purpose! Claim this truth, speak it to your heart and faithfully walk it out every day!

2. I want to remind us all that our lives are influencing other lives. Period. Not if, not when, they are. My hope for all of us this morning is that we will all be acutely aware of the great influence we have each and every day. While we all do have battles/struggles we are fighting, so does everyone else. You have no idea how much a kind word, thought or gesture on your behalf can literally alter the trajectory of another life forever. If you have a thought, idea, something you want to do for another I want to encourage you to do it. You have no idea the impact it could have in another life. You see Friends, your life is a gift to this world. Who you are, where you have been, the battles/struggles you have fought, where you are in this moment...they are all things that can be used to pour into the lives of another. You are special, you are unique and someone - more than likely many someones - need you. Please be aware of your influence, the opportunities for great, great good that you have and choose very carefully what your influence will be.

3. So I am getting ready to head out of town on a business trip. My little 7-year old Preacher and I were talking as I was taking a shower. He says, "I am going to miss you Daddy." I tell him I am going to miss him too. He says, "I am going to miss you more than you miss me." Oh no he didn't... it is on! I tell him I am going to miss him more than he misses me and then, in all my great wisdom as a Dad, sure I am going to win the point, I say, "besides, you have it better than me. You have Mom and your brothers and I am going to be all by myself in a hotel room." Sweet, sweet victory! Dad wins! Dad's everywhere can celebrate, it is one for us! Woo Hoo! All of the sudden I hear the sweet voice of the Little Preacher as he says, "You are not alone Daddy, you always have God with you." Silence...More silence...Whose kid is this anyways?!?! And Friends, the Little Preacher is right. You and I always have God with us. No matter the miles, the storms, the battles, the struggles, the hurts, the pains, the regrets, no matter...He is with us, He loves us, He cares for and about us, He is there for us always, if only we will reach to Him.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always be willing to help you any way I can.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish those precious families.

Kev