Friday, December 19, 2014

Be There...

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having had a great day and an awesome week on this beautiful Friday evening! It was a beautiful, cool, rainy day on the Gulf!

There are two things on my heart this evening that I want to share with you.

1. On Wednesday morning one of the quotes I posted on Facebook was, "When you are available, opportunities to be of service to others present themselves" by Jon Gordon. I truly had no idea how God was preparing my heart.

I had a short meeting right at 8:15 a.m. As soon as I got to my office one of my colleagues said, "Kevin, can I ask a favor of you?" I immediately said, "yes, anything." She explained that one of our co-workers brothers had been in a very serious car accident, he had been airlifted to the hospital and she wanted me to please pray for the family. I said I would and went into my office and prayed. I then asked if she knew what hospital he had been airlifted to as we have a hospital where I work. She stated she didn't know what hospital he was sent to, that she would text our co-worker and find out and let me know. It took me about a minute and I decided I didn't care; I was going to go over to the Emergency Room regardless and, if I was wrong, the worst that had happened was I had a walk. Just as I was walking out the door my colleague confirmed that our co-worker was at our hospital waiting in the Emergency Room for her brother.

When I got to the Emergency Room our co-worker wasn't there as they had moved her to a private, family consultation room. I spoke to the receptionist, told her who I was, explained that my co-worker was in the private consultation room and I asked if she could please take me to go see her, explaining that I didn't want her to be alone. As long as I live I don't think I will ever forget the look on her face the moment I opened that door and walked in. There was this look of...peace, relief. She wasn't alone anymore. There is nothing special about me - I have worked here, we have known each other, less than 6 months. The point was someone cared, someone was there. I was just privileged, in this case, to be that someone. I gave her a big hug and we sat down and talked and talked and talked. We talked about family, we talked about life, we talked about her brother, we talked about his accident. We laughed. We spoke somberly. She very intentionally told me she didn't want to cry - I assured her it was o.k. to cry - because she said she wouldn't be able to stop. We spent nearly 2 hours together before I went back to my office.

Being there for someone doesn't have to be about some great big grand event. We so often associate these things with traumatic incidents however just as the pebble in the shoe causes greater problems on the journey than the bolder in the path, I would offer that it is the daily struggles, the daily grind, that wears on the heart, soul & spirit and impacts the life journey. You never know the impact of a simple smile, a kind word, the smallest act might have on the life of another. I promise you that each one of us every single day pass people who are hurting, suffering, struggling with something. You and I are aren't we? Why do we think they are any different? We get so caught up in our stuff that we forget that everyone has stuff. If we will just lift our eyes a little, if we will just notice the person there, say hi, offer a helping hand, open a door, it really doesn't matter, just be there. I promise you, you will be pouring powerful, life giving encouragement into the heart, soul & spirit of another. We may never know the impact of that small gesture, however I can assure you it has the potential to reverberate through eternity. Why don't we just do our part, be there, and let God do His?

2. This next part is for all the parents, especially Dads, out there. I talk to many of you about the honor, the responsibility, the challenges & the struggles of being a Dad. This was a good one...sure you will enjoy it and, consider yourselves warned!! (I hope it sounds as cryptic as intended) :)

It was time for Payton to come home for Christmas. It is 1,367.08 miles (yes, exactly!!!) from Spearfish, SD to League City, TX. The plan was I would fly up to Rapid City, Payton would pick me up at the airport and then he and I would take 2 days to drive home. That WAS the plan. Then Payton called me and said, "Dad, I have been thinking about it and there is no reason for you to fly up here. I can do this by myself." Gulp! Gulp!! Gulp!!! He was respectfully asking for permission...and I had no clue what to say in the moment. I told him I would think about it and get back to him. Holy Smokes!!!

I spoke to my Beautiful Bride about it and I prayed about it...a lot!! As much as I wanted to be able to say no, there was a peace in my spirit about him doing this by himself. Also, I always tell him I believe in him, now he was giving me an opportunity to prove it. Gulp! Even after coming to this conclusion I waited a couple of days to tell him...you know, in case God wanted to change His mind!!!

So the plan was set, he would make the drive by himself. Had the whole route charted out, hotels reserved...we are set. A storm blows through SD and NE so his departure is delayed from Tuesday until Wednesday. He doesn't like waiting a day however he honors his Dad...I hope I grow up to be the man he is becoming. I should mention that from the time we decided he would make this drive by himself until the actual day of departure was a little more than 3 weeks. You can bet everything you have, as well as everything you might ever have, that I prayed my teeth off every single day, multiple times during the day, when I got up to go to the bathroom at night - possibly too much information but it is true!!! So on Wednesday, yes the same Wednesday mentioned in the story above...think about that!!!, my boy set out by himself for a 1,367.08 mile journey by himself.

Day 1 was pretty uneventful and, as he texted me repeatedly...I am sure when getting gas & not driving!, he was a stud. Yesterday brought something a little bit different. The first text I received yesterday morning was "it snowed here last night." Gulp! My reply was, "No way!!! How much?" O.K., I have no idea how much it snowed, I have no idea what the roads look like, I have no basis for making a decision about what to do next. You got this, right Lord? My boy and I talk about being smart, if the roads are too bad don't go, I trust you and I love you. Oh Lord, guard my heart! He takes off. Right around 8:30 I get a call. "Dad, just had the scariest moment of my life. I was passing a semi, hit a bunch of snow, the car spun and I ended up in the median. I can't believe it, I didn't hit a sign or anything." Gulp! Thank you Lord for protecting him. Think! Think! The first thing I say is, "Don't tell your Mom about this until you get here." First thought that came to my mind!! I then tell him to be smart, I tell him staying behind semis when driving through snow is a good thing, just take your time, etc. I pray again...I did this several times during the day. About an hour after "the moment" I am going to a meeting. I decide to give him a call real quick to check in before my meeting. He doesn't answer. Oh Lord! I pray as I walk to the meeting. I give it all to God again. I ask Him to guard my heart. I decide to try calling one more time before my meeting starts. My boy cheerfully answers the phone, "What's up Bro?!" I tell him I had tried to call and he didn't answer. He says he knows, he was talking to his girlfriend. What?!?! Are you kidding me?!?! We go over protocol for the rest of the trip when Dad calls.

A little after 9:15 last night the front door flew open and my boy said, "What's up fam?!" My heart really did jump for joy. We all hugged, talked, hugged some more...it was an amazing feeling. We told Mom about "the moment"...it was a good decision to wait!

Two lessons were learned:
1. I had no choice but to surrender it all to God. Once the decision was made to let him drive by himself there was nothing I could do for him. To surrender it all, to trust God...I grew a lot. I really can't tell you that I enjoyed it all. I can tell you that I had to intentionally pursue Him, to push the negativity out of my mind, to give my worries & fears to Him. Certain I had sought His counsel, He delivered. Thank you Lord.

2. My boy, the one who will one day have a wife to love, respect, honor & protect, who will have children, my grandchildren, to lead, to encourage, to protect, to help find their individual greatness, just found out he can do something that he didn't know if he could do. He faced his fears, his worries, he prayed and God protected him. He grew, another step in launching a Tender Warrior.

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.

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

Kev

Friday, December 12, 2014

A Lesson in Humility

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having had a great day on this beautiful Friday evening! Only 13 days until Christmas!

This week I got a great lesson in humility.

On Tuesday morning I posted the following on Facebook:
"Always remember that your greatness as a leader will not be determined by how much power you accumulate. It will be determined by how much you serve and sacrifice for others to help them become great. Great leaders don't succeed because they are great. They succeed because they bring out the greatness in others." - Jon Gordon, The Carpenter

That evening when I got on Facebook there was a notification that a dear, sweet friend, someone I value and cherish greatly, had posted a comment. I went to read it and it said:
"You!"

I was embarrassed. I didn't know what to say or do so I typed:
"You are far too kind Friend!"

That was it. Went on about my night and everything was fine...or so I thought. The next morning I swear it was like my daily workout partner, Jesus, was sitting on the treadmill waiting for me to get there! As soon as I uttered my first word in prayer that exchange was immediately on my heart and mind. It didn't feel right. I talked to God about, listed, talked some more, listened a whole lot more...you get the point!

Ultimately the lesson I learned, what convicted my Spirit greatly, was the fact that when I said "You are far too kind Friend!" I was essentially taking the credit for anything that has been done in me or through me. I might as well had said, "Yeah, ain't I something?!?!" My heart hurt. I was ashamed. I was embarrassed. I asked God to forgive me, and then I asked Him to forgive me again. I am sure had you been watching me on the treadmill the whole sight was pretty amusing. At one point I caught myself raising my arms to the side as I plead with God, "Please forgive me for this." And then He reminded me, once - ONCE! - I asked for forgiveness it was forgiven. Once! Dang these lessons/reminders keep coming at me fast and furious.

The act of true repentance requires an action. I can't say, "Lord, I am so sorry" and then keep doing the same thing...this would not be true repentance. Merriam-Webster online defines the verb repent "to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's life." The Lord and I spent the rest of my workout talking about how I was going to make this right and, how with His leading, guiding & direction, I would handle these types of things in the future.

You see, for me to say "you are far too kind" I was maximizing me and minimizing God. If I tried to do this -  my life - by myself she would have never made the comment because I would be following my own selfish wants, needs & desires. It is only through the work that God has done in me that even created the relationship with her in the first place where she would have it on her heart to say "You!" You see, it isn't about me, it is about God and the Holy Spirit being alive in me and allowing Him to touch other lives through me. Period! John 3:30 says, "He must increase but I must decrease." I love that verse. My family loves that verse. Often, when in the Haslam household, if you ask what time it is someone is going to reply with, "3:30." It is always time for Him to increase and us to decrease. Finally I truly got it. Finally I truly understood.

As God and I talked about it I knew I need to call my sweet friend and apologize. And from this point forward when someone compliments the work that the Lord is doing in me and through me I will simply say, "Thank you, Praise the Lord." I spoke with that friend on the phone. I asked her if she saw my reply. She said, "yes." I said, "I am sorry." She said, "o.k." It was funny. She didn't ask me why I was apologizing, she didn't say I don't need to apologize. She knew I needed to apologize, she knew what I said was wrong. I then stumbled...I was finding it hard. I caught myself and said, "I simply want to say thank you, Praise the Lord." She said, "you are welcome." She showed me great mercy & grace, she forgave me. I also thanked her for giving me Happy Friday...we both laughed.

I am very thankful for this lesson. I have thought a lot about it over the course of these last few days. Most of my life I have struggled with compliments. I think I know the origins and I know, with God leading me, I can let His light shine through me. Thank you Lord and praise be to You!

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

Kev

Friday, December 5, 2014

Keeping It Real...

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day on this beautiful Friday! It is 75 degrees today on the Gulf Coast...is it really almost Christmas?!?!

You know, the whole point to "What Will Your Influence Be...?" is to encourage all of us to be intentional, to be positive with all of the people we are blessed to influence by the lives we live. Today I want to encourage us to keep it real, not trying to be perfect or pretending that we are perfect, as we live our lives.

Earlier this week I was speaking with a new Mom at work. She is going through the things all new parents go through...lack of sleep, trying to figure out what different cry's mean, trying not to get frustrated as she now realizes that her life is not just about her any more, etc. At one point I said, "you are 100% normal, we all feel the same things." Suddenly her eyes softened, her countenance changed, like a weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. We talked for quite a while about how all of us have struggles, trials, how none of us have it figured out, etc.

This morning I was listening to the radio and they were talking about a new commercial Arby's has put out. Have you seen it or heard about this? Apparently in their agreement with Pepsi, Arby's is supposed to feature Pepsi in their commercials twice per year. Apparently there was a mistake and Arby's only featured Pepsi once. Their answer? They created a commercial where they state what is listed above...that they were supposed to feature Pepsi twice, they didn't, that they had messed up. No justifications, no spin. Simply admitted that they were wrong. The announcers were talking about how people are loving this commercial because it is "different" and "so rare." Different? Honesty, integrity...they are considered different, they are considered rare. Oh goodness Friends, what has happened?

So on this Friday I want to encourage all of us to simply keep it real. You don't have to be perfect and neither do I. In fact, it is through our brokenness, through our faults & failures that we are most often able to help others. When we hide our faults & failures we create a wall that makes it difficult, perhaps impossible, to speak into the lives of people who truly need us, who would benefit greatly from our stories, from the lives we have lived.

I have great empathy for those who have lost a job, especially coaches. I have been there. I had to tell my little boy we were moving from the only home he had ever known, the place he loved. I felt the panic, the worry, of how I am I going to take care of my family? And I have felt the peace that comes from God. I have seen the redeeming work He does and my family was always taken care of...always! See, I can get down in the mud with someone going through this struggle, let them lean on me for strength for a little while, because I know it will all work out - I have lived it...twice! However for them to know this I have to share my story, I have to make myself vulnerable, I have to keep it real.

You know, none of us was ever expected to be perfect. In fact, the whole reason Jesus Christ exists is because we are all so irretrievably broken that God had to send Jesus so we could eventually make it to Heaven. He knew, despite our very best efforts, we could never make it in our own strength, courage, knowledge or wisdom. It could only be done by grace through believing in, and accepting, the Lord Jesus Christ. So if this is true in matters of eternity, why in the world do we think we can or have to be perfect in our marriages? Families? Friendships? Work? Let's just keep it real...

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

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

Kev

Friday, November 14, 2014

Integrity & Leadership

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you having a great day as a beautiful new day dawns!

I didn't get a chance to write a Happy Friday last week. I got to go to South Dakota and see Payton for the first time in 3 months! I am so blessed! Late night dinner together on Thursday once I arrived, early breakfast on Friday...he didn't complain about either and, for the most part, ignored his cell phone. If I didn't know better I might think he has missed me too!!!

Seriously, it was a great trip. I am truly honored & blessed to be Payton's Dad. We spent hours talking and of course, watching college football. I got to watch him run out onto the field for the first time as a college football player, we took a picture on the field together after the game and then we hustled up to his dorm room to watch the 4th quarter of the Arizona State/Notre Dame football game. It's funny, it is the little moments, sitting together in a little dorm room watching a football game, that are cherished and stowed away in the heart.

I have a couple of thoughts for all of my friends with kids still at home:
1. It goes so fast...cherish it. Yes, yes, I know. The days can be long, the schedules are hectic and it can all be exhausting. In a flash the time is gone. I swear I can remember clearly the moment Payton was born. All of the sudden he is 3 years old and I am walking him to Kiddy College. How in the world is he now 13 years old and I am walking with him to his first high school football practice - close enough that he knows he is safe, far enough away that I don't embarrass him? Oh goodness, he is now 18 years old and I am giving him one last hug before I leave him at college. It is amazing how quickly the time has passed. Cherish every moment friends, they are fleeting.

2. No matter their age, they still need you. Yes, the relationship changes as they become men & women however they still need you. The hard part for us as parents is to figure out what that looks like. No, they don't need us the same as adults as they did at 3 or 5 or 13 but be sure, they still need us. It is up to us as parents to figure out the new code - instead of "Dad, I am scared, hold my hand" it becomes, "you can come with me if you want" - and to adjust according to their needs. It can be so hard. When I look at Payton I don't see the man, now as tall as me, whiskers on his chin, who can now lift more weight than me...I still see the little boy. But he is not a little boy any more. He is now a man, a man who I want to be strong enough to leave home, responsible enough to take care of himself and courageous enough to pursue his hopes, goals & dreams. The challenges come when we as parents try to impose our will, to treat these precious gifts as different than they are. The relationship has changed but the need for the parents love, guidance and support has not...its just different. And let me add, every bit as joyful, fulfilling and special. When our kids leave home to carve out their special place in this world it does not mark the end of the relationship, it is simply the beginning of an exciting new chapter.  

O.K., that is not at all what I was planning for this Happy Friday so I better get to the point. This week I came across a couple of definitions when I was on the website for Apogee Physicians that I want to share with you this morning. You can read it all at http://apogeephysicians.com/cultureOurPhilo.php. I want to share these definitions, as well as a few thoughts, with you this morning.

"Integrity is the courage to stand for what you know is right, the strength to turn words into action and the conviction to see it through."

There is a whole lot packed into this beautiful sentence!
  • Courage is defined as being afraid and doing something anyway. It is not the absence of fear. May we be courageous!
  • "What you know is right" - there is nothing sadder, or more difficult to deal with, than violating our own spirit. When we know we should or shouldn't do something and don't follow the leading of our spirit we have failed the greatest test of integrity. My hope for us all is that we will be led by the internal moral compass!
  • Words into actions..."Nothing is easier than saying words, nothing is harder than living them day after day. What you decide today and commit to today, you must redecide and recommit to tomorrow and each day that stretches out before you." - Arthur Gordon
  • "What you do speaks so loudly that I can't hear what you say!"
  • Conviction...everyone wants to "win", be successful, etc. Nobody sets out wanting to lose, to fail. How do we respond when the going gets tough, when the storms of life come? They are coming - it is not a matter of "if" but "when." Do we, will we, have the conviction to stick with it until the very end?
"Leadership is the will to give more of yourself than you receive in return. Putting the needs of others ahead of your own. An opportunity to accomplish, together with others, what would be impossible for any individual alone."

Wow! Now this is a great definition of leadership!
  • Giving more of yourself than you receive in return...Completely counter to what society would tell us. Am I, are you, willing to be a leader that willingly gives more than we will ever receive in return? What would our families, our places of work look like if we truly lived this out?
  • Are we strong enough to put the needs of others above our own? When is the last time we have intentionally submitted our needs, we aren't talking wants here...we are talking needs!, to the needs of others? Again, what would our lives, our world look like if we truly walked this out?
  • And it closes beautifully. Leadership - selfless leadership - gives us the opportunity to accomplish things that we never would have been able to accomplish on our own.
So much to digest here. I am going to have to tape them on my computer, to keep them before me every day, that I could walk out this type of integrity & leadership.

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 your precious families.

Kev

Friday, October 31, 2014

Do You Believe...

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as this beautiful new day, this new gift & opportunity, dawns!

This week I don't have some profound thought, some great revelation I want to share with you. No, this week I will ultimately end with a rhetorical question or two.

I want to start off by sharing two quick stories with you.

Story 1
A few months ago a man who is very dear to me was experiencing severe back pain. The pain was getting worse and worse. He went to urgent care and then ultimately ended up in the emergency room. When he finally got to a doctor we were told he was having a heart attack. He would immediately be transferred by ambulance from one hospital to another - one that specializes in cardiac care. He would be taken straight into surgery to clear the blockage. I immediately texted my prayer warriors - 4 men I immediately reach out to when prayer is needed - and asked them to pray for this man, for the doctors, for this situation. Everything went great. I thanked God.

A few weeks later the man was told their was another blockage in his heart. Everyone near him was up in arms about how the doctors could have missed this before. I prayed. I asked God for his healing, for knowledge & wisdom for the doctors. Another surgery was planned. I continued to pray. I asked others to pray for this man. The day of the surgery came, the doctors went in and...there was no blockage. I thanked God.

Story 2
On Monday Gehrig, my 15-year old Tender Warrior, took a shot to his knee during football practice. When I got home that night he told me about his injury, how it happened, how it felt, etc. I was concerned...it didn't look or sound good. My Beautiful Bride called a woman from her bible study whose husband is an Orthopedic Surgeon. Yes he saw kids, yes they take our insurance, definitely call the office first thing in the morning and they will get him in. I prayed. Gehrig went to the appointment and the doctor told us he thought he had torn his ACL. The doctor sent G to get an MRI to make sure. He got the MRI and we had an appointment scheduled for yesterday to get the results of the MRI. My wife and I prayed. We asked family and friends to pray. My mind went to next steps, how we would overcome this challenge, being brave for my boy though my own heart hurt, etc. I prayed his ACL wouldn't be torn, that the doctors would have knowledge & wisdom and, regardless of the outcome, I committed this all to Him.

G, Kath and I went to the appointment yesterday. The doctor walked in and said, "Do you believe in the power of prayer?" He then went on to explain that the results of the MRI not only showed no tear of the ACL, nothing was torn. The MCL was strained, as were some surrounding muscles, however there was no need to reconstruct anything. The feeling was quite honestly surreal.

My Bride and I had talked after the first story I shared with you. I asked her, "Where does the power of prayer fit in if we are mad, angry and/or cynical?" You see, the man and his family were mad at the doctors. "How could they miss this? How could they make this type of mistake?" But what if they didn't make a mistake? What if there really was an obstruction but God touched his heart and removed it? Are we, in our thoughts & words, leaving room for the power of prayer?

Yesterday as I drove back to work from Gehrig's appointment I felt overwhelmed. I was thoroughly convinced his ACL was torn...the doctor said he was convinced it was torn as well. And yet, there is no tear. What I had hoped for, what I had prayed for had happened and I couldn't wrap my head around it. My spirit felt peace, all I could keep saying was "thank you Lord"...overwhelmed is the only adjective I can think of at this moment.

So my rhetorical questions for all of us this morning are:
Are we leaving the door open for God to answer prayers, to perform miracles in our lives? Are we walking by faith, casting all of our cares on Him, and trusting Him? Are we putting God in a box?

I wish I could tell you that in both cases I knew everything would go as I hoped, as I prayed. I wish I could tell you that there was no worry, that my heart was never heavy. I can't tell you that because it wouldn't be true. The only thing I can honestly tell you is that I repeatedly went back to God and laid these things at His feet. Yes, I realize that the first time I took them to Him He picked them up and carried them. Going back over and over again wasn't for God, it was for me. It wasn't about Him not listening, caring, etc. It was about my weakness. My only strength is in Him and I know that.

I feel I must also touch on something else: what if these two situations hadn't gone the way I hoped, the way I prayed? The truth is Friends, I have many, many more examples in my life of the times things didn't go the way I hoped, the way I prayed. And yet I look back and in every single case God carried and delivered me, He carried and delivered my family. It wasn't always what I wanted, or what I thought I wanted, however He has always been faithful to care for my heart, for our needs...even if it didn't look the way I hoped or wanted it to look. I don't want to give the idea that "hey, pray and God will do what you say." This is not what I have found to be true in my life. What I have found however is that He will give me knowledge, wisdom & strength to make it through - through, not around - any situation and He will give peace & rest when I earnestly seek Him through the storms.

The choices about what we will believe - and therefore what we will say and do - are ours alone to make. My hope & prayer this morning is that we will believe, that we will find the faith, to leave the door open for God to answer prayers and that we will not place Him in a box.

Please let 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 your precious families.

Kevin

Friday, October 24, 2014

Tidbits

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope this post finds you all having had a great week and a great day on this beautiful Friday evening.

This week I was in Oregon all week, leaving early Monday morning and returning this afternoon. I want to share several different things with you this evening - some reflections from the road, a quote or two I came across and a few excerpts from a book I read.

Reflections From the Road
1. I had the chance to meet and visit with a remarkable elderly woman this week. She shared stories of her upbringing, stories of heartache & adversities overcome, stories of great successes and yes, stories of great failures. There was a very poignant moment, we both felt it. Her eyes misty, her heart laid open as she shared her greatest disappointments & hurts in life... She tried to apologize. She tried to make sense of it all. She was still trying to capture the right words to express it all and yet there were no words that could explain a life lived fully. I told her she didn't have to explain anything; that we are all on a life journey; that we all have things in our lives we regret, that we wish we had done differently; that all of us have great successes & failures; that some, perhaps most, try so hard to hide our faults & failures that we never really live; that her story is a beautiful story and that I was honored she shared it with me. Her face softened. She seemed to be at peace with it all. While I can never remove the hurts & pains of her heart, I did validate her as a person and I let her know that her life mattered. Isn't that really what we all want in the end - to have our thoughts & feelings validated? To know that our lives, that we, matter? I am thankful God gave me the opportunity to say these things to that sweet woman. I left that meeting with my heart feeling full.

2. Have you ever been to Oregon? Oh my gosh, I saw some of the most beautiful things God has created! If you ever get a chance, I would strongly advise a drive along Highway 138 through the Umpqua National Forest or on Highway 58 past Crescent Lake, Odell Lake & Hill Creek Lake. Yes, I drove both in the same day...a 9 hour road warrior that day! I saw the most beautiful trees, some appearing as thought they are on fire as their leaves change color with winter closing in, that day. I saw clouds kissing the tops of majestic pine trees and I also saw clouds lazily snuggling into the midsection of others. It was truly awe inspiring. I make a note to self that I have to bring my Beautiful Bride and three Tender Warriors here...they have to see this place. I thank God for creating it and for slowing me down enough to recognize and appreciate it.

3. I met with several different people throughout the course of this week. Every one of them people that society would tell you have been wildly successful. They have performed, or are currently performing, at the very heights of their professions. You know what strikes me so profoundly however? At least 95% of what they want to talk about, what they want to share, is not about the things they have accomplished, the money they have made. No, every single one of them wanted to talk about the people in their lives - their spouses - some deceased, their children, the people they worked with, the friends they made. It is a valuable lesson that I learn from teachers who have reached the heights of their professions, who are in the final laps of a race run well and I soak it all in. There are so many lessons to be learned here and I am thankful for these teachers.

4. While I enjoyed the beauty of Oregon, while I am thankful for and blessed by every person I met, nothing is quiet like home. I start driving faster as I click down to 7, 6, 5 miles to home. As soon as I park I fumble with everything as I hurriedly try to get into the house. I see my Precious Girl, give her a hug and my heart feels good, so good. My Littlest Tender Warrior runs up and gives me the greatest hug, the combination of a sweet little boy and the ruggedness of a young man, both reflecting his age of 9. We go get a bite to eat - I find myself smiling at My Girl for no reason; my little boy will touch my arm and say, "I am so glad you are home" 5 or 6 times during our meal. Yes, there is no doubt I am where I belong.

Quotes
There are two quotes I came across this week that I want to share with you. They struck me as profound, I am still pondering them.

"Titles mean nothing. The one with a servant's heart is the leader." - Unknown
 
"Only the weak are cruel. Gentleness can only be expected from the strong." - Unknown

Excerpts
Finally, I want to share a few excerpts from the book The Leadership Challenge by James Kouzes and Barry Posner with you. They come from Chapter 12, Leadership Is Everyone's Business.

  • Leadership is about relationships, about credibility, and about what you do. And everything you will ever do is based on one audacious assumption: that you matter.
  • People are watching you, regardless of whether you know it or not. And you are having an impact on them, regardless of whether you intend to or not.
  • You are accountable for the leadership you demonstrate. And because you are the most important leader to those closest to you, you have to decide how good a leader you want to be.
  • It's what you do with what you have before you die that makes the difference.
  • Although leadership can be learned, not everyone wants to learn it, and not all those who learn about leadership master it. Why? Because becoming the very best requires having a strong desire to excel, a strong belief that new skills and abilities can be learned, and a willing devotion to deliberate practice and continuous learning. No matter how good you are, you have to always want to be better. The truth is that the best leaders are the best learners.
  • Exemplary leaders know that "you can't do it alone," and they act accordingly. They lack the pride and pretense displayed by many leaders who succeed in the short term but leave behind a weak organization that fails to remain viable after their departure. Instead, with self-effacing humor, deep listening to those around them, and generous and sincere credit to others, humble leaders realize higher and higher levels of performance.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you. I will always help you any way I can.

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

Kev

Friday, October 17, 2014

Leading by Example

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.

Earlier this week I read an article titled 10 things that we hate about bad 'leaders' by Naomi Simson. In the article she had a part subtitled What to do to lead by example. I wanted to share these things with you, as well as a few thoughts about each.

What to do to lead by example.

"1. Do what you say you are going to do - always."
Please note that always is measurable. Either you do it or you don't. If we don't do something one time - regardless of the reason or dare I say, excuse - we have not met the standard of always.

I am going to share a story that illustrates this point perfectly. A little more than 15 years ago I was the Head Football Coach at Wayne State College and my Beautiful Bride was pregnant with what would be our second Tender Warrior. I woke up at about 2:15 a.m. on Friday, October 8th and Kath was sitting out on the couch. She told me contractions had started. We were going to have our baby at a hospital about 45 minutes from where we lived. Plans were in place for everything - who would come watch Payton, who would handle what responsibilities with the football team at our game on Saturday, etc. Before we left the house I gave Payton - 3 years old at the time - a hug and told him I would call him later that day. We went to the hospital...and waited...and waited...and waited. It was a blur of doctors in and out. Talking to family, friends, coaches. Finally, a little after 3:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 9th God blessed us with Gehrig. Somewhere around 5:00 a.m. Kath told me I should go to the game. After arguing the point, unsuccessfully from my point, I got in the car, drove back to Wayne, hoped in the car with our Sports Information Director and rode the 6 hours to our game in Minnesota. I slept most of the way. We got to the stadium right as the team bus was arriving, we played the game, I hoped on the bus with the team, once we got back to Wayne I hoped in my car, drove right back to the hospital, went to the nursery and got my precious baby and held him on my chest. I then fell asleep on the floor of My Brides hospital room knowing that I was truly a man blessed beyond measure.

Now in all that, did you catch what I did not do? Yeah, I did not call Payton. He is now 18-years old, a freshman in college and he still remembers that I did not call him like I told him I would. Do I have excuses, reasons whey I didn't call? Sure, plenty of them. The reality at the end of the day however is I told I little boy that I would do something and I didn't. I didn't honor always...and it matters.

"2. Acknowledge authentically what you don't know."
Why do we think we have to know everything? We all know that nobody knows everything and yet when it comes to us we feel like we have to know everything. How silly is this? It is o.k. to not know everything and it actually builds trust to acknowledge when we don't. To pure-heartedly state that we don't know something, that we are open to the knowledge, wisdom & guidance of others builds trust, helps the team - be it a corporate or family team - perform at a higher level and it helps us learn & grow as leaders.

"3. Be accountable and take responsibility."
These two words can make us feel so uneasy. It is really interesting how leaders are great at telling us we are going to be held accountable to some matrix or job expectation. When we talk about the accountability or responsibility of the leaders however you find very few who want to stand and say, "yes, I am accountable, I am responsible" unless of course the outcome is wildly successful. The reality as a leader of anything is you are accountable and responsible first and foremost to those you are privileged to lead, and then for the outcomes. You can try to avoid your accountability and responsibility if you want however please know that you are crippling your influence as a leader .

"4. Listen deeply and wait for people to finish when they are speaking."
We all want to know that our thoughts, our ideas and our feelings matter. The way we communicate this most effectively is truly listening to others. Have you ever talked to someone who is fiddling with their cell phone or looking at their computer screen? How important did you feel? Did you feel like you mattered or that they cared what you had to say? No, I didn't either. Let us really seek to understand what others are trying to communicate, to hear their thoughts, ideas & feelings fully before we feel the need to share ours.

"5. Be present always in the company of others."
 In one of his books John C. Maxwell talks about putting a 10 on everyone's head - treating everyone as if they are the most important person in the world. If we are going to be great leaders we need to be fully present at all times regardless of the situation we are in. If you have 4 meetings back to back to back to back, be fully present in each of those meetings and watch how your leadership, your influence, changes with each of those groups individually. Look at it this way, every interaction you have with someone is the most important interaction to them. They don't care about how many meetings you have had, your pressing deadlines or concerns, they only care about that time with you, the agenda for that time. And know this, they will never forget how you made them feel.

"6. Know that all people are equal and have a contribution to make."
Every life has value, meaning & purpose. Your title does not define you and others titles do not define them. The only area in which leaders and followers are not equal is in the areas of accountability & responsibility; the leaders are the one's to be held accountable & responsible - for the health, growth & productivity of their people, for the outcomes of the team. Blur the lines of titles, listen to the thoughts, ideas & feelings of others and watch your leadership flourish.

"7. Create an environment where everyone can contribute."
This is what leaders do - we create the environments, the cultures in which our teams, our families, will function. It is our responsibility to make sure it is an environment were everyone feels valued, where everyone can contribute. If we don't find our environments facilitating this, we need to look at our words and our actions. It is on us.

"8. Always talk as a team, act as a coach."
You have heard the expression before; "there is no I in team." As the leaders this starts with us. Our thoughts, words & actions - one follows the other in the order listed - need to be in terms of team. "We" and "us" need to replace "I", "Me" and "them." It is our responsibility as leaders to coach our teams - to generally care about them - individually and as a whole, to teach them and to pour into them selflessly.

"9. Have a deep sense of appreciation - and thank people regularly."
No matter who you are, you cannot do it alone. Recognize the work, the efforts of others. Recognize the simple and the complex. Be genuinely grateful for the service of others. This one starts one step before thoughts, it starts in the heart. Appreciation, genuine appreciation for others, starts at the heart level. It then goes to the thoughts, the words and the actions. Look around you Friend, there is an awful lot to appreciate. Communicate those things.

"10. Lead by example, do the work, persist, and encourage others."
In a nut-shell, be all that you want and expect your team to be. You want your son or daughter to respect others? Then you respect others. You want your team to work hard? Then you work hard. You want others to keep going when things are tough? Then you keep going when things are challenging. You want to be encouraged? Then encourage others.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you. 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, October 10, 2014

Your Life Has Value, Meaning & Purpose

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you having a great day as this beautiful new day dawns! Today is a fresh, new day...untouched, full of hope, opportunity, promise! Let's intentionally choose, first in our hearts & minds, then in our actions, that this is going to be a great day! If we do we will in fact make it so!

This morning I want to share a couple of quotes I came across the week and elaborate on them a little bit. I want to start off with one that speaks about us serving others. Perhaps I want to start there because I believe in a servant leadership model or perhaps it is semi-conscious reminder that true leadership is about serving, not being served. In any event, it is my blog so I get to start where I want! :)

"Whoever you are, wherever you might be, there are talents to be uncovered in people around you. If you want to bring out the best in someone, you must look for the best that is in them." - Donna Sollenberger
 
Right off the bat..."whoever you are, wherever you might be..." Everyone in and around you has talents, gifts & abilities. Please stop and think about that for a moment. There is not one single person who does not have a talent, a gift or an ability to do something special. Oh, it might not look like you or yours but it is there. Just as you and I have been created on purpose for a purpose, so has the person next to you as well as the person you will walk past and drive by today - even the annoying one's that cut you off! :) How different would our day be from the start if we simply recognized that EVERYONE has talents, gifts & abilities and we treated them as though we truly recognized that they do? The really neat thing about how God works... The talents, gifts & abilities of those around us are often different from our own. This then leaves us with two choices: 1. We can embrace their unique (at least to us) talents, gifts & abilities and allow them to complete us and us them or, 2. We can look at it as a reason why we are not like them, a reason to avoid them and avoid doing life with them and, in the process, leave both of us incomplete.
 
The second part, perhaps the key to it all, "you must look for the best that is in them." In reality our natural tendency seems to be the opposite - we look for the worst in them. We look for differences, not to complete but rather to laugh at, make fun of, to talk about. How did we get to this place? Why do we tend to do this? I think perhaps it has more to do with our own faults, failures & shortcomings than it could ever have to do with the other person...heck, in some cases we don't even know them yet and in even more cases, while we have met the person and perhaps even work with them every day, we don't really know them.
 
The reality is we find what we are looking for. If we are looking for talents, gifts and abilities we will certainly find them. Likewise if we are looking for weaknesses, faults and failures we will certainly find those as well. We are all human - we are fearfully and wonderfully made, created on purpose, for a purpose, lacking nothing and we are all flawed, broken, trudging through this life. It really then comes back to what our heart will be. Will we have a heart to look for and find the greatness that is in a person or will we have a heart to find their faults and failures...pointing out their shortcomings to them? I would propose that it is really about our heart. If we have a heart to encourage, empower  and equip them to become the best they can become we will look for the talents, gifts & abilities. If we have a heart to build ourselves up, to be served, to conquer this world at all costs we will look for the faults and failures. Regardless, you and I will find what we look for and what we look for will determine the types of interactions, and ultimately relationship, we have with that person.
 
"Follow your dream wherever it takes you. Be faithful to yourself." - Unknown
 
I truly believe that every single life has value, meaning and purpose. Why? Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." How about that? "For we are God's handiwork.." Change it and put your name in there... [your name] is God's handiwork. Oh my! Happy Friday!! See, you are God's handiwork and don't miss the end either... "to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." God, the One who created Heaven and earth, who directs the oceans & winds prepared in advance work for you to do. You see, you are lacking nothing to do the good works because He prepared it for you. Oh how powerfully it speaks to the heart of the one who allows it!
 
A problem, a really, really big problem is many of us have listened to what the world would tell us instead of what the God who created tells us. We have passions within our hearts & spirits and because someone mocks us, because someone tells us we are not good enough, we don't pursue them. We suppress them, they get buried under scars and we find ourselves no longer knowing our passions, unable to detect our purpose. We are lost and it is all because we chose to listen, to take to heart, the words & actions of flawed, broken, perhaps hurting, people instead of the God who created us on purpose, for a purpose, lacking nothing. To see this is truly gut wrenching. A couple of weeks ago at work I had lunch with a woman. She is married though she has not seen her husband in nearly 3 years. She told stories of how though her husband only worked 30 minutes from home she and the kids would go weeks without seeing him...literally. She talked about the loneliness, the heartache. I asked her, "What are you passionate about? What do you feel is your purpose in this life?" She stared blankly at me.  I said, "Your life has great meaning and purpose. Their are hopes, goals & dreams in your heart that were placed there when you were a little girl. What are those?" She stared at me for a moment, eyes glistening as tears started to form and she said, "I do not know." Alive but not living. A heart, a purpose muted by years of hurt & pain. Please don't let this world or anyone in it define you, to tell you what your purpose is or should be...or that the passion you have is useless. Please remember the words that were spoken about you in Ephesians 2: 10.
 
I have to touch briefly on the part of the quote that punched me right in the gut - "be faithful to yourself." Have you ever done something that you didn't feel good about but you did it because everyone else was doing it and you didn't want to be different? Yeah, me too. Remember that yucky feeling in your heart & stomach afterward? That is because you were not faithful to yourself. Let us be faithful to ourselves...pleasing our hearts & spirits. No, I don't mean selfish pleasures & indulgences. Keeping it real, if it really comes from the heart & spirit it won't lead you or me to those things. It is only the hardened heart, the darkened spirit, that would do that. I am talking about the work you were created for, the work God has prepared for you to do. This presents itself to us in our passions...the things we love to do and have an aptitude to do well. Hello?!?! God created you on purpose, for a purpose, lacking nothing. Of course you are passionate about it and good at it...God set it all up. Be faithful to those things, pursue the peace that comes in your spirit only when you do. Please don't be so busy trying to please this world and the people in it that you are unfaithful to yourself, that you violate your own spirit.
 
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you. 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, October 3, 2014

Coming Face-to-Face

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you having a great day and that an awesome week is coming to a close for you!

This morning, during my daily reading, I came across a couple of things I want to share with you.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, 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: 4 - 8

I have spent the better part of 20 minutes trying to share my thoughts about this scripture with you. It is not coming together, I can't say it the way I feel it. So here is what I am going to respectfully ask; please read it, re-read it and possibly re-read it again. Let it speak deep into your heart & soul. Get past the first two sentences...they can be hard for all of us to understand based on our current season of life. Please give this scripture your undivided attention and let the Lord lead your heart, mind & spirit.

I also want to share a quote with you. I found it this morning after reading the above scripture:

"If we understood the power of our thoughts, we would guard them more closely. If we understood the awesome power of words, we would prefer silence to almost anything negative. In our thoughts and words we create our own weaknesses and our own strengths. Our limitations and joys begin in our hearts. We can always replace negative with positive." - Betty Eadie
 
Finally, I want to share an excerpt from The Leadership Challenge: How To Make Extraordinary Things Happen In Organizations by James Kouzes and Barry Posner.
 
"When people recall their personal-best leadership experiences, they always think about some kind of challenge. Why? Because personal and business hardships have a way of making people come fact-to-face with who they really are and what they're capable of becoming."
 
My hope & prayer for each one of us is that we will come face-to-face with who we really are and that we will become all that we are capable of becoming. There is great instruction above in how we can get there.
 
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you. I will always help you any way I can.
 
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families!
 
Kev 

Friday, September 26, 2014

Faith

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you having a great day on this beautiful Friday morning!

I think I may have written a message similar to this one a couple of years ago. I am not sure however I am certain of the lesson I learned, the conviction in my spirit to share it with you and so here I am! :)

A couple of days ago I was in Seattle and I had a morning appointment. I typed the address into Google Maps and I was off. Initially the directions started off exactly as I expected. Then suddenly the little voice in my ear piece was telling me to go a direction I didn't think was right. At first I thought I will just keep going the direction I thought was right and I would let Google Maps "redirect." Not like I haven't screwed up before and heard, "redirecting."

All at once the 405 was coming to a complete standstill. There was just enough time for me to listen to the little voice in my ear telling me to exit so I did...with great anxiety! Thoughts raced through my head - "this can't be right"; "I am going to be late"; "where am I going?" Nothing about the instructions in my ear looked or felt right. It was raining, there was fog/clouds, visibility was very, very low and now the little voice in my ear was taking me to parts of Seattle I had never been. Everything I knew told me this was wrong and yet there was something inside of me that told me to listen to Google Maps on this one. I felt like I was going the completely wrong direction, the road was twisting and turning, there was a lot of traffic...the doubts, the worries, persisted. There were also points through the drive where the rain lightened, the fog/clouds lifted and I could clearly see big, majestic pine trees...I recognized & appreciated their beauty - at these moments, the moments when I just enjoyed the journey, the doubts & worries dissipated. Soon enough though the little voices in my head came at me again - "this can't be right!"; "this is going to be all wrong and then you are going to have to call the elderly gentleman who is driving an hour and a half from the other direction to meet you to tell him you are going to be late...if you can make it at all!"; "you are going to look like a fool on this one!"

About 40 - 45 minutes into it everything finally made sense. While I didn't know how exactly I had gotten to where I was I now knew I was on the right path...I saw a familiar sign leading to a familiar road. Not only did I make it to my appointment, I was 10 minutes early.

About half way through my drive I became acutely aware of the symbolism between this drive, my faith in Google Maps, and our personal life journey's - our faith in God, or the lack thereof. I thought about how we cannot see where we are going, things don't make sense to us, how there is worry and fear in letting go of what we think we know and trusting someone or something who might see what we cannot see, know what we cannot know. At that point I knew this was going to be this weeks Happy Friday - I just didn't know if it was going to be a statement about faith or some rant about how stupid Google Maps really is! :)

The truth is Friends, we all do have faith...even those who claim not to be people of faith. The real question is what are we putting our faith in, where will we place our faith? I will stay with driving and instructions to illustrate the point. I have a friend, I love him dearly, who thinks MapQuest, Google Maps, etc. are the dumbest things ever. He swears they don't work. He will get the instructions, start to follow them, be certain that where the directions are telling him to go are wrong, do his own thing and then end up lost. He then says, "see, these things don't work!" He places his faith in his knowledge, his wisdom, his understanding and he ends up lost. The fact is, just like me on my drive in Seattle, he has no idea how to get where he wants to go.

Does all of this sound familiar to you at all? Sadly, the consequences of doing this with our lives are far greater than being lost on a road or being late to an appointment. Actually, when we do this with our lives we get lost on the road of life and may miss - there is no late on this one! - the greatest appointment of all. So the question this morning is where are you going to place your faith? Are you going to place it in yourself - your knowledge, your wisdom, your understanding? Are you going to place it in the world - other people's knowledge, wisdom & understanding? Are you going to place it in the all knowing God, the creator of everything, the One who created you on purpose for a purpose? Let's just be clear on one thing - it is not a question of faith. It is strictly a question - a question we must answer each and every day by the way...hopefully early in the day! :) - of where we will place our faith.

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.

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

Kev

Friday, September 19, 2014

Watering

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you having a great day on this beautiful, soggy on the Gulf Coast, Friday morning!

Earlier this week I was listening to the radio and someone said, "what you water grows; what you don't withers and dies." Man, it hit me like a 2 x 4 upside my head! Now, this is something I already know - it is something you already know - however hearing it jolted me. What I water grows; what I don't withers and dies...

There are so many different directions we could go with this from here. This statement truly touches on everything in our lives. I want to drill down on a few and then touch briefly on a few others.

1. Faith
What or where are you putting your faith? What is your water source? Are you pursuing God, His word, what He says about you? Are you watering your faith, your hope, your belief? What are the things you are reading, listening to and saying to yourself? These are your water sources. Are you watering your faith, your hope, your belief? I can't tell you what you should put your faith in, where you should place your faith, your hope, your belief. I can only be your friendly reminder that what you water grows; what you don't withers and dies. If you water your faith, your hopes and your beliefs you will grow in your faith, your hopes and your beliefs.

2. Marriage
This is weird; marriage is something that has to be said here and at the same time it is something that doesn't have to be said here. With the divorce rates being where they are, with the broken hearts and spirits of so many, it is quite clear that a whole lot of folks haven't been watering their marriages. Isn't it interesting, in all relationships really, how we have the answers for what everyone else should be doing, how they should be living...well, what are we watering? If I want my relationship with my Beautiful Bride to grow I have to pour into her, serve her, address her wants, needs, cares & concerns...I have to water the relationship. The very nature of watering is the emptying of one into another. It is not about me! It is about serving my Bride, giving her what she needs - water - to grow to become all she has been called and created to become. It is about giving our relationship the water it needs. It is so, so...dumb that we expect to empty our bucket of water in other places and yet expect that we are going to come home to happy, blissful marriages. This hits hard - at least to me! - in this context; what you don't water withers and dies. If I don't water the relationship with My Girl it will wither and die.

3. Kids
Oh the sweet joy of being a Dad! It really is true that you find parts in your heart that you didn't know existed until you have children. The feeling when you walk in the door, you hear a little voice so excitedly scream "Daddy!" and run into your arms - throwing their whole little selves at you - and wrapping you in a soft, squishy hug...unbelievable! Whether you were a success or failure during the day, what you did, where you were...none of it matters. You are my Dad, you are home and I love you...completely unconditional. We need to water these precious little spirits, these precious little souls! There are two things here; 1. our relationship with our kids and 2. the lives that God has entrusted to our leadership, guidance and protection (reread that one and see if it doesn't send chills down your spine!).

- Our relationship - Just as with our spouses, the relationship with our kids has to be watered or it will wither and die. It is sad, interesting, funny - I don't know the right adjective - to hear people talk about how they spent all their time at work, or doing something else, and in the next sentence they will bemoan the fact that they don't have a relationship with their children or they will wonder aloud how come their children have turned out how they have turned out. It really isn't complicated at all; if you want a relationship with your kids, water the relationship with your kids. Again, it is about emptying, not trying to get your bucket filled by them. They want you, they want to be with you and in all honesty, they need you. Sadly, if you fail to water the relationship long enough, they will go find other places to get watered.

- The lives entrusted to us by God - Our kids are not here to serve us. Just like you and me their precious little lives have value, meaning & purpose. It is our honor & privilege as parents to help them find their value, meaning & purpose and to grow to become all that God created them to become. Are we watering that - their value, their meaning & their purpose? Are we encouraging them, empowering them and equipping them to become the best they are capable of becoming? I know I am being redundant however it has to be said; it is about emptying, not filling...it is about them, not you or me! It is their life, their value, their meaning, their purpose! What you water grows, what you don't withers and dies.

This whole thought, idea is really very powerful. While I have highlighted a few things that are critically important to me, I also wanted to touch on a couple of others - the whole concept is really limitless.
  • Goals & Dreams - will you pursue them or will you allow them to wither and die?
  • Fears - are you going to feed them or will you allow them to wither and die?
  • Differences - what are you going to water - the thoughts and ideas of the differences or the love & respect of another soul striving to do the best they can in this world?
I am pretty sure you get the point. I am not trying to get you to look through rose colored glasses - life is hard, there are a lot of pressures, worries, stresses, brokenness, hurt & pain. No doubt about it. It is true however that what you water - in your heart, mind & spirit as well as in all the people & relationships that you have in your life - grow and what you don't will eventually wither and die. My goal this morning is to simply raise our awareness about this truth. It is up to each of us to determine what we will grow and what we will allow to wither and die.

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 your precious families.

Kev

Friday, September 12, 2014

Hope

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as this beautiful Friday morning dawns! Additionally, I hope this has been a great week for you.

It's funny; most weeks I know exactly what I am going to write in Happy Friday. This week is different...I know exactly what I am going to write about however I honestly don't start this knowing exactly where it is going to go or how it is going to end. I simply know what I am supposed to write about. Yesterday afternoon, as I was thinking about this Happy Friday, I started trying to come up with other things I could write about and there was almost an immediate conviction of my spirit that said, "no, this is what you are supposed to write about." I honestly didn't give it another thought...I knew. This usually means someone, somewhere needs to hear - perhaps be reminded of - whatever it is that will be shared. My intention is not to be some great teacher but rather to share some thoughts and most importantly, hopefully spark some reflection within your own heart, mind & spirit.

"Hope"...a very simple, four letter word. The word "hope" has been on my mind a lot lately. I don't really know why however I recognize the peace that comes over my heart, mind & spirit when I read or hear the word "hope". It is interesting. Perhaps it is God reminding me to never give up on it.

Dictionary.com defines "hope" as the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. I don't know about you but I was surprised when I read the definition. I think the part that hit me the most is that it is a feeling. The things we feel are emotions and emotions can be controlled. This then means that hope is a choice. You and I Friend can choose hope - we can choose to feel that what we want can be had, that events will turn out for the best. We might not be where we want to be - mentally, physically, spiritually, in a season of life - however we can choose to feel that things will turn out for the best, that perhaps we will get to where we want to be. Feelings are emotions which we control; how we feel dictates how we act; actions lead to our destiny. Can't I then argue Friends that the choices we make with hope in fact order our steps to the lives we will live and the legacy we will create? Please think about it...

During halftime of Gehrig's football game last night I started looking up a few things on hope - got love smart phones and my iPhone 5 works just fine thank you! :) I want to share a few excerpts from an article on hope I found at bible.org.

In Scripture, according to the Hebrew and Greek words translated by the word "hope" and according to the biblical usage, hope is an indication of certainty. "Hope" in Scripture means "a strong and confident expectation."

In summary, hope is the confident expectation, the sure certainty that what God has promised in the Word is true has occurred, and or will in accordance with God's sure word.

In the Bible, hope is never a static or passive thing. It is dynamic, active, directive and life sustaining. This is everywhere obvious as we read the Word. Take a concordance, look up the word "hope" and you will find reference after reference pointing out the active results of hope in the lives of those who truly have a biblical hope and live accordingly.

IT HAS RESULTS
(1) It changes how we see ourselves.
(2) It changes what we value.
(3) It affects what we do with our lives - our talents, time, treasures.

IT HAS REWARDS AND BLESSINGS
(1) It gives us joy and peace.
(2) It gives us protection.
(3) It gives us strength, courage, boldness.
(4) It gives us endurance, comfort, confidence in the face of death.

Please remember, these are just a few excerpts that I quickly pulled out this morning. I would strongly encourage you to go to bible.org and read the full article about "hope." Whether you do or not, please think about it...

I also want to share a few quotes with you:
 
"Take hope from the hear of man and you make him a beast of prey." - Ouida
 
"Never deprive someone of hope - it may be all they have." - Unknown
 
"When you say a situation or a person is hopeless, you're slamming the door in the face of God." - Charles L. Allen

Friends, I don't know who you are or where you are - spiritually, mentally, physically, in this season of life. I do know that there is a lot of brokenness, hurt, sorrow in this world. My prayer and yes, hope for you is that hope will rise up from the depths of your soul. That today, perhaps for the first time, you will choose to live a life of hope. That your thoughts, words, attitudes and actions will be one's of confident expectation, that you will know that you will in fact become all that you have fearfully & wonderfully been created to become. That no matter the struggles, trials & tribulations you will confidently expect victory. This is my hope for you today!

Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you. 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