Happy Friday Friends!
I hope and trust this post finds you having a great day and an awesome week coming to a close for you. It has been absolutely beautiful in Arizona this week. After a cold snap a couple of weeks ago - hey, we got down to 28 degrees 4 nights in a row! - things have been better than "normal" with temperatures actually hitting 80 earlier this week. Come on, I know those of you in the Midwest and East are jealous!
For the last couple of weeks I have been wrestling with something. If we know what we should do or if we know what we shouldn't do why don't we do what we know we should do and why do we do what we know we shouldn't do? (It's o.k. if you want to read that one again; took me forever to type it and I had to re-read it to make sure I said what I wanted to say!). Kind of silly isn't it?
How many times have you read quotes, words of encouragement from people who we have achieved great things? We read things like, "pursue your dreams" or "you never fail until you fail to try" or "you miss 100% of the shots you don't take" and the list goes on and on. Truthfully, it is limitless. Try it; google quotes about purpose, pursuing your dreams, inspiration, etc. You will come up with more quotes than you will be able to read in a day. So why do we read these things, see these things and then have a conversation with ourselves that goes something like this; "oh, that is really good. Heck, that is so good I am going to share it with all of my friends on Facebook. Yeah, I am going to pursue my dreams. I am going to go for it. Yes, I will rise up every time I have a failing moment!"? By the end of the day we are trying to remember that great quote/thought, we vaguely recall that it had something to do with our goals, our dreams and doggone it, as we drift off to sleep we are bound and determined that we are really going to do it...tomorrow. Isn't it silly? Isn't it true?
What if we really decided that we would do the things we know we should do and if we didn't do the things we know we shouldn't do? How different would our lives be? How much joy would we have in our lives? How much stronger would we be, individually & collectively? I wouldn't propose that we attack each one of these things in a day, perhaps 1 a week...if your lists are anything like mine.
James 2: 14 - 26 has always been a favorite scripture of mine - it speaks to my heart.
"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that- and shudder. [That one always gets me...even the demons believe there is one God - and they shudder!]
You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. [I want to be called God's friend!]You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."
Faith AND deeds! I want that to be me. I hope that will be me and you. Each one of us will make several deed choices every day of our lives. I hope we choose to do what we know we should do and I hope we choose to not do the things we know we shouldn't do. One way or another, we are going to make a choice.
As I began typing this message I thought this last, short little question I wanted to ask all of us was a separate topic. I just realized that in fact they are directly related. My question for all of us, "What will your legacy be?" You see Friends, you and I are leaving a legacy for our families, for our friends, for our co-workers, for those we know very well and for those who we hardly know at all. What is that legacy? If we look at where we place our faith and the daily deeds of our lives, we can easily answer that question.
Please let me know 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 day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families and friends.
Kev
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
Who Is "Normal"?
Happy Friday Friends:
I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day and a great week coming to a close for you.
Do you like to watch American Idol? My Beautiful Bride and Tender Warriors do...me, not so much. Last night however I got home from running my 13-year old to football practice and then to baseball practice (Blessed! I get to do these things; not have to do these things!) and we all gathered on the living room floor, ate dinner and watched American Idol. I am really glad we did.
The last contestant of the night was a young man named Lazaro Arbos. Lazaro has a severe stutter. They did a small segment about him, about his life, before he sang. In the interview with him he said, "Speaking with a stutter is really hard, the things that normal people would think would be so easy become so hard for me." Later, as tears filled his eyes and you could literally see brokenness crease his face he said, "No one wanted to hang out with me at school and I had no friends to go out with so I would be home. Since I was small I have always wanted to sing." My heart broke, my eyes watered. We think that the little things we say and do don't matter...this is a 21-year old man recounting his youth and the brokenness is so, so real. All because he doesn't speak like I do.
As he began to sing - his voice is absolutely incredible! When he sings he does not stutter. I am reminded that we are all abled and we are all disabled...just in different areas! - my spirit was just screaming, "What is normal?!" What is normal to me may or may not be normal to you. If I gathered 1,000 people together who stutter Lazaro would be "normal", I doubt very seriously he would be rejected and I would be the abnormal one. I want to say that they would reject me however my heart tells me they would not. I have found that those whose disabilities are readily apparent are more loving and accepting of others. The rest of us spend all of our time trying to hide our disabilities, pretending as though they don't exist, labeling others and then choosing our friends accordingly.
Why do we do this? We label people as fat, skinny, smart, dumb, geek, jock...the list goes on and on. If we fit within one of the labels then everyone within that label is "normal" and everyone else is weird, scary, different or whatever other derogatory term we might come up with just because they aren't just like us. It strikes me; to some I am fat, to some I am skinny, to some I am smart, to some I am dumb, to some I am a geek, and to some I am a jock. It all depends on our physical attributes, talents, gifts, abilities, disabilities and where they rest along a continuum. So I ask you Friends, who is normal?
I realize that I am not going to write one little message and change the world... I get that. What I do want to respectfully ask is that we all stop and really think about this for a moment; What will our influence be in the lives of people who are different from us? Every single life we cross paths with today has value, has meaning, has purpose and yes, there are both abilities & disabilities within that precious spirit. What will your influence be? Will the person who we won't look at, much less speak to, some day stand there with tears in their eyes, a broken spirit because we are another one in a long list of people that wanted nothing to do with them because they were different than us? I pray not. I pray there would never be another story like Lazaro's. I pray that nobody would feel rejected because of their disability. I pray that you and I are not rejected because of ours.
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 day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families & friends.
Kev
I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day and a great week coming to a close for you.
Do you like to watch American Idol? My Beautiful Bride and Tender Warriors do...me, not so much. Last night however I got home from running my 13-year old to football practice and then to baseball practice (Blessed! I get to do these things; not have to do these things!) and we all gathered on the living room floor, ate dinner and watched American Idol. I am really glad we did.
The last contestant of the night was a young man named Lazaro Arbos. Lazaro has a severe stutter. They did a small segment about him, about his life, before he sang. In the interview with him he said, "Speaking with a stutter is really hard, the things that normal people would think would be so easy become so hard for me." Later, as tears filled his eyes and you could literally see brokenness crease his face he said, "No one wanted to hang out with me at school and I had no friends to go out with so I would be home. Since I was small I have always wanted to sing." My heart broke, my eyes watered. We think that the little things we say and do don't matter...this is a 21-year old man recounting his youth and the brokenness is so, so real. All because he doesn't speak like I do.
As he began to sing - his voice is absolutely incredible! When he sings he does not stutter. I am reminded that we are all abled and we are all disabled...just in different areas! - my spirit was just screaming, "What is normal?!" What is normal to me may or may not be normal to you. If I gathered 1,000 people together who stutter Lazaro would be "normal", I doubt very seriously he would be rejected and I would be the abnormal one. I want to say that they would reject me however my heart tells me they would not. I have found that those whose disabilities are readily apparent are more loving and accepting of others. The rest of us spend all of our time trying to hide our disabilities, pretending as though they don't exist, labeling others and then choosing our friends accordingly.
Why do we do this? We label people as fat, skinny, smart, dumb, geek, jock...the list goes on and on. If we fit within one of the labels then everyone within that label is "normal" and everyone else is weird, scary, different or whatever other derogatory term we might come up with just because they aren't just like us. It strikes me; to some I am fat, to some I am skinny, to some I am smart, to some I am dumb, to some I am a geek, and to some I am a jock. It all depends on our physical attributes, talents, gifts, abilities, disabilities and where they rest along a continuum. So I ask you Friends, who is normal?
I realize that I am not going to write one little message and change the world... I get that. What I do want to respectfully ask is that we all stop and really think about this for a moment; What will our influence be in the lives of people who are different from us? Every single life we cross paths with today has value, has meaning, has purpose and yes, there are both abilities & disabilities within that precious spirit. What will your influence be? Will the person who we won't look at, much less speak to, some day stand there with tears in their eyes, a broken spirit because we are another one in a long list of people that wanted nothing to do with them because they were different than us? I pray not. I pray there would never be another story like Lazaro's. I pray that nobody would feel rejected because of their disability. I pray that you and I are not rejected because of ours.
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 day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families & friends.
Kev
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Influence
Happy Friday Friends!
I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day, that you had a great week and that you are looking forward to a wonderful weekend with your family & friends!
This blog, quotes on Facebook & Twitter are all centered around two, what I believe to be, simple truths and one great desire. The truths are 1) all of our lives - the things we think, say, do - are influenced by the things we choose to listen to, read, believe, the people we allow to speak into our lives, etc. and, 2) all of our lives influence - to some degree - every single person that we come into contact with on any given day. The desire, the great burden of my heart, is to reach out and be an intentional, positive influence in any life that chooses to read my blog or the quotes on Facebook & Twitter. Instead of complaining about the negativity that comes at us completely unsolicited on a daily basis, it is my hearts desire to give anyone who wants the choice of reading something positive, something that - if they choose - can potentially transform their life and play one small part in helping them become the best they are capable of becoming, what they were created to become. I truly believe that if one life is helped, encouraged, empowered by this blog, by a quote then all of the work, effort, etc. is completely worth it.
This week I want to drill down on what I consider to be the "2nd Truth" - all of our lives influence, to some degree, every single person that we come into contact with on any given day. I have often asked the question, "someone is influencing your spouse, your children, your friends, your co-workers. Is it you?" The answer to that question is yes...a resounding yes. Whether you are fully present, fully absent or somewhere in between, everything you and I say or don't say, do or don't do, is influencing our spouses, our children, our friends, our co-workers, any and every person we cross paths with. Does that cause you to pause for a moment? I believe it should cause us all to pause for a moment, to recognize the significance of our lives, the influence our lives have on other lives and to thoughtfully consider what that influence will be.
For the better part of the last month I have been reading Joyce Meyer's book "Change Your Words Change Your Life: Understanding the Power of Every Word You Speak" and I can tell you it has had a profound affect on me. It - along with asking the Lord to convict my spirit when I don't speak words that are pleasing to Him - have really made me aware of the words I am speaking as well as recognizing the impact of words...even little, mindless, thoughtless words. By the way, the little quip, the thoughtless comments are often the one's that do the greatest damage. What are the words we are speaking to our wives, our husbands, our significant others? Do they breathe life into their lives? Into our relationships?Do they give them hope? Do they encourage them? Are the words based on truth or on our pride? Are we fighting for our marriages, our relationships or are we fighting our marriages, our relationships? What is our influence? Do the words I speak to my Beautiful Bride lift her up? Do they encourage her? Do they come into agreement with what God says and who God says she is? My heart is truly heavy as I think about how different this world might be if we really just slowed down, really thought about the words we speak to our spouses/significant others.
And how about the words we speak to our precious children? How many goals, dreams, hopes have been broken by a careless word from a tired, broken, weary parent? Children are such a great blessing! When they are young they wake up every day excited for the adventures that are ahead of them that day. They don't necessarily know what they are going to do that day but they are excited for it. It's new, it's fresh, it holds great hope, opportunity and promise. And then, as time goes on, this wears away for many of them. Slowly. Sadly. Maybe you are sitting there reading this thinking, "that's not my kid. My kid is not excited for each day." I humbly, respectfully say to you, "what is your influence?" If these precious gifts, who take all of their cues from us as parents, are not excited about life, if they are not pursuing goals, if they do not have dreams, if they are negative, angry and frustrated...what are your words? Do your words encourage them in their goals - not yours or mine, theirs?! Do you encourage them to pursue their dreams? Are the words you speak negative, angry and frustrated or are they positive, joyful and hopeful?
What about our actions? I can say the right things however is there integrity between what I say and what I actually do? I can tell my Beautiful Bride I love her, I value her, I cherish her and I adore her but are my actions matching my words. Love sacrifices. Value & cherish protects. Adore honors. Are these my actions - sacrificing, protecting & honoring? I pray they are and I pray that God will lead me every day, that He will lead my family through me every day so these are in fact my actions. I know in my own power and strength I am puny...in Him I am strong. What about you Friends? What are your actions towards your spouses/significant others?
How about our actions with our kids? We can tell them to pursue their goals and dreams... are we showing them by pursuing ours? We can tell them that they are special, unique and that there life has purpose? Do our actions support these words? Are we there for them? Sometimes to say or do nothing...just to be there? Are we making time for what is important to them? Over and over again kids tell us that what they want is to be with us. That's it! There is no grand expectation of some event...they just want us and they want us to be present, fully.
Bottom line; your life is influencing other lives...every single one you touch every day. Please thoughtfully consider your influence beginning first with the most important people in your life - whether you realize it yet or not - your spouse/significant other and children.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your precious families. I will always be willing to help you any way I can.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day, that you had a great week and that you are looking forward to a wonderful weekend with your family & friends!
This blog, quotes on Facebook & Twitter are all centered around two, what I believe to be, simple truths and one great desire. The truths are 1) all of our lives - the things we think, say, do - are influenced by the things we choose to listen to, read, believe, the people we allow to speak into our lives, etc. and, 2) all of our lives influence - to some degree - every single person that we come into contact with on any given day. The desire, the great burden of my heart, is to reach out and be an intentional, positive influence in any life that chooses to read my blog or the quotes on Facebook & Twitter. Instead of complaining about the negativity that comes at us completely unsolicited on a daily basis, it is my hearts desire to give anyone who wants the choice of reading something positive, something that - if they choose - can potentially transform their life and play one small part in helping them become the best they are capable of becoming, what they were created to become. I truly believe that if one life is helped, encouraged, empowered by this blog, by a quote then all of the work, effort, etc. is completely worth it.
This week I want to drill down on what I consider to be the "2nd Truth" - all of our lives influence, to some degree, every single person that we come into contact with on any given day. I have often asked the question, "someone is influencing your spouse, your children, your friends, your co-workers. Is it you?" The answer to that question is yes...a resounding yes. Whether you are fully present, fully absent or somewhere in between, everything you and I say or don't say, do or don't do, is influencing our spouses, our children, our friends, our co-workers, any and every person we cross paths with. Does that cause you to pause for a moment? I believe it should cause us all to pause for a moment, to recognize the significance of our lives, the influence our lives have on other lives and to thoughtfully consider what that influence will be.
For the better part of the last month I have been reading Joyce Meyer's book "Change Your Words Change Your Life: Understanding the Power of Every Word You Speak" and I can tell you it has had a profound affect on me. It - along with asking the Lord to convict my spirit when I don't speak words that are pleasing to Him - have really made me aware of the words I am speaking as well as recognizing the impact of words...even little, mindless, thoughtless words. By the way, the little quip, the thoughtless comments are often the one's that do the greatest damage. What are the words we are speaking to our wives, our husbands, our significant others? Do they breathe life into their lives? Into our relationships?Do they give them hope? Do they encourage them? Are the words based on truth or on our pride? Are we fighting for our marriages, our relationships or are we fighting our marriages, our relationships? What is our influence? Do the words I speak to my Beautiful Bride lift her up? Do they encourage her? Do they come into agreement with what God says and who God says she is? My heart is truly heavy as I think about how different this world might be if we really just slowed down, really thought about the words we speak to our spouses/significant others.
And how about the words we speak to our precious children? How many goals, dreams, hopes have been broken by a careless word from a tired, broken, weary parent? Children are such a great blessing! When they are young they wake up every day excited for the adventures that are ahead of them that day. They don't necessarily know what they are going to do that day but they are excited for it. It's new, it's fresh, it holds great hope, opportunity and promise. And then, as time goes on, this wears away for many of them. Slowly. Sadly. Maybe you are sitting there reading this thinking, "that's not my kid. My kid is not excited for each day." I humbly, respectfully say to you, "what is your influence?" If these precious gifts, who take all of their cues from us as parents, are not excited about life, if they are not pursuing goals, if they do not have dreams, if they are negative, angry and frustrated...what are your words? Do your words encourage them in their goals - not yours or mine, theirs?! Do you encourage them to pursue their dreams? Are the words you speak negative, angry and frustrated or are they positive, joyful and hopeful?
What about our actions? I can say the right things however is there integrity between what I say and what I actually do? I can tell my Beautiful Bride I love her, I value her, I cherish her and I adore her but are my actions matching my words. Love sacrifices. Value & cherish protects. Adore honors. Are these my actions - sacrificing, protecting & honoring? I pray they are and I pray that God will lead me every day, that He will lead my family through me every day so these are in fact my actions. I know in my own power and strength I am puny...in Him I am strong. What about you Friends? What are your actions towards your spouses/significant others?
How about our actions with our kids? We can tell them to pursue their goals and dreams... are we showing them by pursuing ours? We can tell them that they are special, unique and that there life has purpose? Do our actions support these words? Are we there for them? Sometimes to say or do nothing...just to be there? Are we making time for what is important to them? Over and over again kids tell us that what they want is to be with us. That's it! There is no grand expectation of some event...they just want us and they want us to be present, fully.
Bottom line; your life is influencing other lives...every single one you touch every day. Please thoughtfully consider your influence beginning first with the most important people in your life - whether you realize it yet or not - your spouse/significant other and children.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your precious families. I will always be willing to help you any way I can.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
Friday, January 4, 2013
Are We Listening?
Happy Friday Friends!
I hope this post finds you having a great day and that your new year is off to a great start!
I am going to try to keep this weeks Happy Friday short. I want to share two quick excerpts from Joyce Meyer's book, "Change Your Words Change Your Life: Understanding the Power of Every Word You Speak," I am going to encourage you to watch a brief video on You Tube and I am going to present a challenge to us all.
First the excerpts from Joyce's book - a highly recommended reading for everyone by the way!
"Sometimes we ask people how they are and they are honest and tell us, but we don't want to take time to truly hear their sad story, so we say something that means nothing to them, and then run off to our next thing in life. Have you ever told someone how you really were when he asked and seen him cringe - or say, "That's too bad," and change the subject as soon as possible? Have you ever been the person at the other end of the exchange?"
She continued on later in the chapter, "Jesus stopped for people all the time. He had a schedule, a plan, and a purpose as we do, but He always had time for people, especially if they were hurting. He stopped for a blind man, a crippled man, the woman with the blood issue, the mother whose son had died, an army officer whose servant was sick, the father whose daughter was dying, little children, and anyone else who had a need. When Jesus met the man who was lying at the pool of Bethesda waiting for a miracle, He asked him how long he had been lying there crippled. I think He asked that question just to show care and compassion. He already knew that He could heal the man, but was interested enough to want to know more about him."
"Do you ever find yourself not asking people questions because you don't want to take the time to listen to their answer? I know that sounds terrible, but if we admit it, we probably all feel that way at times. We get so caught up in what we are doing that we miss opportunities to listen to and love others every day."
Anybody's spirit convicting them other than mine? The first time I read this earlier this week I had a "Whoa!" moment. I sat back in my chair, thought about it, re-read it, thought about it some more. Do I really listen? Do I really care?
I want to respectfully ask you to do me a favor. Please go to youtube.com. Search Brady Quinn press conference. Listen to the 54 second version. It is titled "Kansas City Chiefs QB Brady Quinn Talks about NFL Shooting." It is from the press conference after the game the week his teammate, Jovan Belcher, apparently murdered his girlfriend and then committed suicide. 54 seconds...please listen to it.
So my challenge to us - all inclusive. Let's work on really listening. Let's start with our spouses/significant others. Let's continue with our precious children. Let's listen to our family members. Let's listen to our friends. Let's listen to our co-workers. Let's listen to every single person whose lives we are blessed to cross paths with each and every day. We live in a hurting, broken world. There is so much pain, so much sorrow, so much regret, so much fear, so much worry, so much...You, me, each and every one of us have the opportunity every single day to be a blessing in someones life. Every...single...day! What will our influence be?!?!
Please let me know - I mean it from the bottom of my heart and I will listen - 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 day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families and friends.
Kev
I hope this post finds you having a great day and that your new year is off to a great start!
I am going to try to keep this weeks Happy Friday short. I want to share two quick excerpts from Joyce Meyer's book, "Change Your Words Change Your Life: Understanding the Power of Every Word You Speak," I am going to encourage you to watch a brief video on You Tube and I am going to present a challenge to us all.
First the excerpts from Joyce's book - a highly recommended reading for everyone by the way!
"Sometimes we ask people how they are and they are honest and tell us, but we don't want to take time to truly hear their sad story, so we say something that means nothing to them, and then run off to our next thing in life. Have you ever told someone how you really were when he asked and seen him cringe - or say, "That's too bad," and change the subject as soon as possible? Have you ever been the person at the other end of the exchange?"
She continued on later in the chapter, "Jesus stopped for people all the time. He had a schedule, a plan, and a purpose as we do, but He always had time for people, especially if they were hurting. He stopped for a blind man, a crippled man, the woman with the blood issue, the mother whose son had died, an army officer whose servant was sick, the father whose daughter was dying, little children, and anyone else who had a need. When Jesus met the man who was lying at the pool of Bethesda waiting for a miracle, He asked him how long he had been lying there crippled. I think He asked that question just to show care and compassion. He already knew that He could heal the man, but was interested enough to want to know more about him."
"Do you ever find yourself not asking people questions because you don't want to take the time to listen to their answer? I know that sounds terrible, but if we admit it, we probably all feel that way at times. We get so caught up in what we are doing that we miss opportunities to listen to and love others every day."
Anybody's spirit convicting them other than mine? The first time I read this earlier this week I had a "Whoa!" moment. I sat back in my chair, thought about it, re-read it, thought about it some more. Do I really listen? Do I really care?
I want to respectfully ask you to do me a favor. Please go to youtube.com. Search Brady Quinn press conference. Listen to the 54 second version. It is titled "Kansas City Chiefs QB Brady Quinn Talks about NFL Shooting." It is from the press conference after the game the week his teammate, Jovan Belcher, apparently murdered his girlfriend and then committed suicide. 54 seconds...please listen to it.
So my challenge to us - all inclusive. Let's work on really listening. Let's start with our spouses/significant others. Let's continue with our precious children. Let's listen to our family members. Let's listen to our friends. Let's listen to our co-workers. Let's listen to every single person whose lives we are blessed to cross paths with each and every day. We live in a hurting, broken world. There is so much pain, so much sorrow, so much regret, so much fear, so much worry, so much...You, me, each and every one of us have the opportunity every single day to be a blessing in someones life. Every...single...day! What will our influence be?!?!
Please let me know - I mean it from the bottom of my heart and I will listen - 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 day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families and friends.
Kev
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