Legacy

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day on this beautiful Saturday morning! It is another stormy day on the Texas Gulf Coast but hey, it's game day! Guess I will just have to snuggle in with the family and watch football games all day...the sacrifices never end! :)

Earlier this week I was reading No More Excuses: Be the Man God Made You To Be by Tony Evans and I really thought this Happy Friday was going to be about legacy, or more specifically, the legacies we all leave. Then it wasn't, then it was, then it wasn't or...

My Beautiful Bride, my youngest Tender Warrior, Landry, and I went out to eat Wednesday night. We went to the sandwich shop where our oldest Tender Warrior, Payton, works and we were sitting outside enjoying a beautiful evening. As we were sitting there talking, a police officer pulled into the parking lot and started to park. Immediately I told Kath & Landry we should buy him dinner. It has really bothered my heart & spirit to see how law enforcement officers - all of them - have been vilified & become despised in our society. We live no more than 30 miles from where Deputy Sherriff Darren Goforth - 47-years old, married with 5 & 12-year old children - was murdered while he filled his patrol car with gasoline. Yes, the actions of a few, a very few, officers has been reprehensible. They have done bad, horrible things and those officers should be dealt with accordingly - we should all be held accountable for our actions. The vast majority however are selfless men & women who place their lives in harms way every single day in service to society. They see and do things every day that I could not, and would not, want to do. And I am so grateful that they are there, that should my wife, sons or I ever need them, they will come running to help us any way they can. This is my heart as I propose buying this officer dinner.

We develop a plan. Landry will walk up to him and ask, "will you please allow us to buy you dinner?" As we finalize our plan, the officer is finished parking and another patrol car pulls into the parking lot. We quickly determine we will buy him dinner as well. We walk up to the officer who very kindly greets us. Landry is nervous but asks the question. The officer smiles warmly and tells him "yes." The second officer walks up and Landry starts to stumble over his words. I tell him it is o.k., don't be nervous and to just ask the question. He looks the officer straight in the eyes and asks him if he will please allow us to buy him dinner. This officer says "yes" as well. The officers thank Kathy & I and we send Landry into the shop with our credit card and the two police officers. He is proud...you can see it in his walk, in the smile on his face. As Kathy & I sit outside we can see Landry & the officers through the window talking, smiling. I then look up and another police car is pulling into the parking lot! I joke with Kathy that there is a code and the officers inside are putting out a call on the radio that there is free dinner at this sandwich shop! We are laughing hysterically. We don't get up to say anything to this officer...we just let him walk in knowing that Landry has it from here. Landry stays with the 3 officers, buys them all dinner and then comes back outside to sit with Kath & I, to finish his dinner. Before we leave the officers thank us repeatedly. We thank them for all they do.

As we lay in bed that night talking Landry talks about how good that felt, to do something for these police officers. He would tell his Mom the next day on the way to school that his heart felt warm buying the officers dinner. As my Beautiful Bride and I talked about all of this later that night, I said, "we are a part of his story." You see, there are tons of times I have said to my boys, "I remember the time when I was a boy..." This will now be a part of Landry's story. He will never forget the night he bought 3 police officers dinner. He will one day share that story with his children.

I had another situation this week that didn't bring warm fuzzies but brought deep peace & contentment to my Spirit. I was asked to attest to & sign something that was not true. I could not do it, would not do it. The person asking me to do it became more forceful. I stayed calm but was more firm in my response that this is something I simply could not do. As it all unfolded, as a bunch of people were watching me, I was acutely aware that something greater than me, inside of me, would not allow me to do something that I simply knew, to the depths of my soul, was not right. I didn't do it and I walked away from the entire situation with a deep peace & contentment in my Spirit that affirmed my words & actions had been correct.

Here is the thing, the point I want us to catch; I did not go out to dinner one night or to work one day thinking this was going to be some big defining moment type day/event. You see, our legacies are in the little things we do each and every day. We - o.k., maybe just me! - sometimes look to great big events/times and think that "when this happens" or "when that happens" all this other stuff will happen. It is however in the mundane, day to day, as life is flying at us fast & furious, that these incredibly profound times and moments hit us. This is why I believe it is so critical for us to live fully present in each and every moment. You never know when something profound will happen, when a legacy will be launched that will reverberate for generations. So on this Saturday, as you are going to a game, doing yard work or just hanging out with family & friends, be aware, be present for the things you say & do ARE the legacy you are leaving.

I want to wrap this all up with an incredible poem titled "What Will Be Your Legacy?" by Haki Aitoro.

What Will Be Your Legacy?

 

"Do I wander through life aimlessly?
Wild, reckless, inconsiderate
Unmindful of the consequences of my behaviour
Do I run wild in a savage stupor?
Pugnacious, belligerent, impolite
Unconscious of the altitude of my ignorance
Unaware of the latitude of my negligence
Carefree
Leaving a trail of scarcity
Along a path of regret
Leaving years of psychological scars
In the repressed minds of distressed adults
In the misguided souls of troubled youths

Will I leave disillusioned children?
Angry and confused
Shameful and misguided
Lost and astray
Crying for direction
Weeping for guidance
Longing for unconditional love
Grieving for sound judgement
For I taught them not a lifetime of wisdom
For wisdom was not important
For I offered them not sound advice
For I never took life seriously
For I taught them not discipline
For I was reckless and immature
For I showed them naught but a drop of love
For my selfishness knew no bounds

Will I leave disappointed partners?
Bitter and frustrated
Troubled and wounded
Disturbed and injured
Wishing for sincerity
Longing for honesty
Praying for fidelity
Yearning for faithfulness
For I killed their trust
Due to my shamelessness
For I eradicated their hope
Due to my disrespect
For I damaged their faith
Due to my infidelity
For I destroyed their confidence
Due to my deception
For I killed their self development
Due to my ignorance

Will I leave appalled individuals?
Disgusted and revolted
Unconcerned and apathetic
Sarcastic and scornful
Mocking my ignorance
Sickened at my negligence
Horrified at my irresponsibility
Deriding my financial intelligence
Appalled at my selfishness
For I disrespected many good folk
In the name of humour
Mere mockery in fact
For I abused much kindness
In the name of friendship
Sheer exploitation to be precise
For I never listened to others
In the name of intelligence
Simply arrogance no doubt
For I spoke ill of people
In the name wisdom
Purely foolishness indeed
For I was impatient with the most enduring
In the name of progress
Clearly mental commotion
For I was unforgiving with the most compassionate
In the name of truth
Conceitedness in fact

Fatherhood was not my forte
For I struggled to maintain my youth
Relationship was not my aspiration
For I disliked commitment
Friendship was not my goal
For I detested disagreement
Education was not my focus
For I found it a bore
Investment was not my desire
For I cherished the consumer lifestyle
Responsibility was not my wish
For I cherished excitement and folic
Discipline was not my want
For I enjoyed ease
Devotion was not my focal point
For I choose carelessness

So what will you leave?
A story of inspiration through your achievements
A fable of love through your affection
An account of devotion through your loyalty
A description of success through your diligence
A portrayal of courage through your chosen path
A depiction of wisdom through your experiences
An illustration of happiness through your humour
An image of resilience through your adversity
A report of wealth through your acumen
A tale of nobility through your actions
A myth of grandeur through your life of contribution

Let us all be remembered
For the lives we touched
For the people helped
For the wisdom we shared
For the stories we told
For the laughter we initiated
For the love we gave
For the affection we showed
For the good role models we were
For the communities we inspired
For the youth we guided
For the hungry we feed
For the needy we assisted
For the success we created
For the risk we took
For the world we changed
Let us write down our stories
Let us tell our experiences
Let us record our tales
Let us share our struggles
For our children
For our grandchildren
For generations to see
For generations to hear
As a source of hope
As a source of wisdom
As a source of guidance
As an example of our legacy
So what will you leave?"

Haki Aitoro

 

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

Sacrifice

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day as this Saturday morning dawns! Additionally, I hope you have had a great week.

It is warm and very muggy on the Texas Gulf Coast this morning. We are supposed to be getting a lot of rain from Hurricane Patricia which made landfall as a Category 5 Hurricane in Mexico last night. Early reports are promising and the storm is rapidly weakening however I respectfully ask for your thoughts & prayers for all those touched by this storm, as well as the convergence of multiple other storms which is bringing severe rain to many areas of Texas.

Sacrifice.

Merriam-Webster defines sacrifice as the act of giving up something that you want to keep especially in order to get or do something else or to help someone.

Merriam-Webster defines self-sacrifice as the act of giving up something that you want to have or keep in order to help someone else.

How are you at sacrifice, or self-sacrifice? I mean really? I know for me it can be a struggle. I think the struggle for any of us falls somewhere along a continuum...we find where we are comfortable and what we are willing to sacrifice, or not, accordingly. You want me to give someone this drink? OK, I will sacrifice that. You want me to change my behavior? Uh... You want me to selflessly give to someone else, purely for their benefit, knowing that I will get nothing in return and they may be rude or nasty to me?!?! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!

I have many, many blessings in my life. Four of the greatest blessings are my Beautiful Bride, Kathy and my Tender Warriors, Payton, Gehrig & Landry. God has used, and continues to use, each one of them in my life to help me grow to become the Godly man, husband, father, friend & leader He created me to become. There are times, many times, where He speaks to me through them - their words & actions. This morning I want to share an example of sacrifice & self-sacrifice from Landry, the one I like to call The Little Preacher.

Landry is 10-years old. This mean he has 2 speeds - full throttle and complete rest. If he is awake he is on the go - learning, exploring & growing. If you don't have track shoes on you have no chance of keeping up with this dude! And when it comes time to shut it down at night he is completely out. Sleep is critically important to him - it is how he grows, and most importantly to him, it is how his battery gets recharged so he can go full-speed ahead again tomorrow. So imagine my....what is the right word? Intrigue? Interest? Not surprise, for deep, thoughtful things the Little Preacher says and does no longer surprise me - he IS the Little Preacher!...when about a month ago he asked his Mom to wake him up 30 minutes earlier than he had to get up the next morning. He was quickly peppered with questions; "Did you forget to do your homework?", "Do you have to study for a test?", "Oh no, are you building something?!" He looked at Mom & me and said, "No, I want to get up early so I can be with Dad & Gehrig before they leave in the morning." You see, with our schedules the Little Preacher doesn't really have to get up until after Gehrig & I have already left for the day. Something in his sweet spirit told him this was no good. So for the past month Landry has gotten up 30 minutes early and he immediately comes down to my bathroom as I get ready for work and we talk. We talk about our day, things we hope for and dream of accomplishing, etc. We then move to the kitchen table for breakfast where we visit with Mom & Gehrig. All of this is made possible because a 10-year old Little Preacher, listening to his own spirit, has decided to sacrifice 30 minutes of sleep a night simply so he can spend some time with his Dad & Brother. It is a perfect picture of sacrifice.

While awed by this Little Preachers willingness to sacrifice, what leaves me speechless - I truly cannot think of an adequate adjective to describe it! - is his level of self-sacrifice. You know, the giving up of something you want part. It kills me the level of self-sacrifice, perhaps self or spirit-control, he has. I have watched this boy want to do something so badly that tears welled up in his eyes when I told him he could not however he honored his Dad and did what his Dad told him instead of what he wanted to do. I have darn near had arguments with him over the food we are going to get when we are sharing because he won't get what he wants to get...he insists on getting what I want, or what he thinks I want. If only I had self-sacrifice like him! My Heavenly Father asks me to do tons of things I don't want to do and sadly, way too often, I do what I want instead of what I feel in my Spirit God has told me to do. I can't sit here and recall a single time when I have tears welling up in my eyes because I am doing what God wants me to do instead of doing what I want to do, but doing what God wants. The picture of Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane comes to mind. I thank you and praise you Lord that Landry is much more like Jesus than like his Dad. The perfect picture of self-sacrifice.

Can you relate to any of this Friends? Maybe you can relate more to the Little Preacher than to me...I hope so. If however you are more like me, I want to offer you hope & encouragement. As adults we grow, experience life, see things and we then begin to think we have the answers, or have to have the answers. This is what the world tells us. We then try to act in our own power and, as a result, become completely powerless. You see, I will never be strong enough in my own knowledge, wisdom, strength or courage to sacrifice or self-sacrifice as God calls me to do. It is only through the Holy Spirit living in & through me that I will be able to do these things. This is our hope, our encouragement...God living in us in the form of the Holy Spirit. We can have this power, and the ability to sacrifice/self-sacrifice, however it will only be fully attained through complete surrender to Him.  

How about that part in the definition of sacrifice that said, "in order to get or do something," how does it apply? Well, every choice has a consequence. Regret or peace. Which do you have? Which do you want? I can tell you from personal experience, the times I have listened to my Spirits conviction led to great peace and that times I didn't have led to great regret. I prefer peace. Do you want to be a person that truly values & cherishes others? That lifts other people up? That helps your spouse, children, friends & co-workers become the best they are capable of becoming? According to thesaurus.com, the Antonyms of sacrifice are continue, deny, disallow, fight, gain, keep, refuse, reject, win, withhold, hold. Without sacrifice we will not be able to become the best we are capable of becoming or encourage, empower or equip others to become the best they can become.

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.

Kev

Compare

Happy Friday Evening Friends!

It is an absolutely gorgeous evening here on the Texas Gulf Coast. As I am typing this Happy Friday I am sitting out on the back porch, amazed by the beauty of this night. Blessed beyond measure...

Compare. Merriam-Webster.com says this about "compare":

• to say that (something) is similar to something else
• to look at (two or more things) closely in order to see what is similar or different about them or in order to decide which one is better
• to be as good or as bad as something else: to be on the same level or in the same category as something else

The word "compare" in and of itself, like most everything else including money, is not bad. It is how we choose to apply it, the emphasis we place on it and the value that we then attach to the comparison that makes it either good or bad. Please pause for a moment and think Friends; how many problems do we have in society today that can be traced to the root of comparison? Most? All?

Why does the husband leave his wife for another woman? Someone is better at (fill in the blank). Comparison. Why does the wife become disenchanted because her husband is not like (fill in the name)'s husband? Comparison. Dad hangs out at the bar or golf course instead of going home with his wife & kids because that is what the young, single dudes are doing and they are having all the fun. Comparison. Mom works a ton of overtime instead of going home because the boss is working late. Comparison. Ads on TV challenging us to look like someone or something else. Comparison. Why aren't my kids like someone else's kids? Comparison. How come I have these talents, gifts & abilities and not those like (fill in the name)? Comparison. I don't make as much money as (fill in the name). Comparison. My house doesn't look like/isn't as big as/ have as big of a yard as (fill in the name). Comparison. Comparison. Comparison. The list could go on and on.

You know the person I should be comparing myself to? The person I was yesterday. I need to focus on being better than that person...and a lot of times I get my butt kicked in that area! Nothing positive is going to come out of comparing any part of my life to someone else's...nothing! We all have strengths & weakness, good & bad qualities, successes & failures, blessings & curses. Why is it so hard for us to accept who we were created to be and to strive daily to become the very best that we are capable of becoming? Why do we have to compare and then a) try to tear the other person or group of people down in an effort, conscious or not, to make ourselves appear better than we are or b) chase after what we think we want instead of what we have at the expense of our families, countless dollars and sadly, our very own souls? It is sad, it is a game nobody wins and the cost - on all fronts - is immeasurable.

Look, I don't know who you are, what you do, where you live, how much money you make...I don't know anything about you. What I do know is that my Bible, which I choose to believe, says these things:

• Psalm 139:14, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;"
• Ephesians 2:10, "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
• Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
• Exodus 20:17, "Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbors."
• Matthew 7:3, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"

So let me say this to you, yes you, the one reading this right now; according to the Bible, YOU are fearfully and wonderfully made. YOU, yes you Friend, are God's handiwork. YOU were created in Christ Jesus to do good work, which God prepared in advance for YOU to do - which means you lack nothing. God has a plan for YOUR life. Plans to prosper YOU. Plans to give YOU a hope and a future. DO NOT covet - yearn to possess or have - anything that belongs to your neighbor. And finally, why in the heck do YOU look at something your brother or sister is doing when YOU have your own stuff to clean up?!?!

Comparing ourselves to others is a dead end road Friends. Let's not do it! Let's compare ourselves to one person...ourselves. Let's be better people, spouses, partners, parents, friends, leaders, workers...and whatever other roles we have than we were yesterday. Instead of comparing what we did or didn't do to what our spouses did or didn't do let us be the one that steps up and makes it right. Instead of being jealous of someone at work and picking them apart lets simply strive to be the very best worker we can be. Instead of comparing our life to others lets find the beauty and blessings in the things we have, in the life we live. Peace & contentment do not come from the outside...these are things that are born on the inside. Your life is far to valuable & precious to waste it striving to be someone that you were never created to be. You have so much value to add to this world however it will only happen if you are the best you that you can be.

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

Road Trip

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day on this beautiful Fall Sunday!

Last Saturday, October 3rd, I had a remarkable, so very blessed, experience. My 19-year old & 15-year old (at the time...he turned 16 on Friday!) Tender Warriors, Payton & Gehrig, and I took a road trip to Baton Rouge, LA to watch one of Payton's high school teammates play for Eastern Michigan against LSU in Death Valley. What a day!

The plan was we would leave around Noon. Well, the 48-year old kid was fired up and ready to go much earlier. I had already watched the start of Game Day on ESPN and by the time Payton & Gehrig woke up, I was ready to go. By around 9:30 a.m. we were off!

Excitement filled the car and our conversations as we began the first part of our trip. We talked about football, what Tiger Stadium was going to be like, what we were going to do, etc. We saw a car with Arizona license plates and the sticker from the same church we went to in a small town about 40 mils south of Phoenix. We all got excited and looked at the people in the car as we drove by...like we would know them or something! We didn't know them but they were wearing purple LSU shirts, no doubt headed to the same place we are going!

The trip was strange in that there was no arguing, picking on, etc. that has punctuated so many other trips. It was just 3 dudes enjoying each other, talking about life, excitedly looking forward to seeing an old friend and a football game in one of college footballs grand stadiums.

On this trip I learned that Payton is not really fond of bridges. This became hilarious when we came to the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge which is 18.2 miles long, the second-longest bridge in the US and fourteenth-longest in the world by total length. Payton's concerns quickly gave way to the wonders of the swamps below us. To 3 people who have spent the majority of their lives in Arizona, this was unreal.

I don't think I will ever forget seeing Tiger Stadium the first time, or the excitement that filled the car, as we reached the top of the last bridge heading into Baton Rouge. It was beautiful.

We drove straight to the hotel where Eastern Michigan was staying. We got to spend about 30 minutes with Payton's former high school teammate. We talked about school, life in Michigan, his family, etc. It was so good to see and spend some time with him.

The boys and I then headed over to LSU. What an absolutely beautiful campus! We found a place to park and then headed to find a place to eat. We found our way to the Student Center where they had a whole bunch of restaurants - not the Cajun food we had talked about eating all the way over but we were so hungry it didn't matter at the point. As we walked, people were tailgating everywhere. I quickly figured out, if there was not a sign on a piece of grass that read "No Tailgating" it was fair game. After getting something to eat we headed to the stadium. We walked around the stadium over to the team shop so Gehrig could buy some LSU gear. On the way we caught  the Tiger Walk, just as Coach Miles and the Tigers were arriving. We then headed over to the exhibit that held Mike, the Bengal Tiger that is LSU's mascot. After taking some pictures I turned around to find a rope had been lifted behind me with another one about 10' away on the other side of the sidewalk. We quickly hurried to the other side of the rope and then waited...for what we did not know however something was certainly about to happen here. Within 5 minutes the Tiger Marching Band came through...what an experience!

We then decided it was time to head into the stadium. After finding our seats Gehrig and I went and got an Alligator Po Boy & Jambalaya...some Cajun cooking after all! Having worked for so long in college athletics it was really neat to just sit in the stands with two of my boys and just take in pregame, to enjoy it all. The pregame warm ups, the band, hearing the crowd sing "Louisiana Saturday Night" and "Callin' Baton Rouge"...it was just awesome!

The game was much more competitive than I think any of us expected. LSU was only winning by 8 at halftime and pulled away late to win it 44 - 22. Eastern Michigan had represented themselves well, forcing LSU to play their starters late into the 4th quarter. It was also neat to be sitting among the families & friends of all the Eastern Michigan players. I was reminded once again that we all really are the same...we want our kids to know we love them, that we are there for them and that we are proud of them, no matter what.

After the game Payton wanted to wait and see his friend after he left the locker room. Have you ever had the experience when one of your kids is wanting to do the right thing and you are really wanting to do something else? You see, at this point it is 9:30/9:45 p.m. I am thinking, "if we get out of here right now we can be home by 2:00 a.m." Payton is thinking, "I know my buddy could use a hug and to see a familiar face one more time." I agree that we should go and wait. One by one the players come out, hug their Mom's, Dad's, Aunt's, Uncle's, etc. The last player out of the locker room, literally!, was Payton's buddy. He gave each of us a big ol hug and we talked about the game. We walked him to the bus, gave him another hug and told him how proud we are of him. We then headed to our car.

We began the trip back home a little after 11:00 p.m. Gehrig just laid down in the back seat and was asleep before we even got out of Baton Rouge. Payton told me he was going to stay awake the whole way and visit with me...this lasted about 40 minutes. He was out cold. About an hour into it I was hurting, bad. Neither one of the boys would wake up. Finally, I called my Beautiful Bride. She woke right up and talked to me for more than 2 1/2 hours as I drove home. At about 3:15 a.m. I pulled into our drive...an awesome day had come to an end.

Obviously there are a lot of special memories for me from this trip. There are two thoughts I want to share with you:

1. If you have the chance to get in the car and go somewhere with your kids, take it. Payton, Gehrig & I are never going to forget this day. We might all have different "favorite" parts however the point is we did it together. That is what we all cherish...that we were together.

2. Kathy has been there for me since I was 17-years old and she is still there for me today. Please don't think I was mean for calling her or that it was a grind for either one of us. That 2 1/2 hour phone conversation? We talked about our kids, the state of our family, our relationship, our hopes, goals & dreams, we told jokes - good & bad ones...we just totally enjoyed one another. I recognize how blessed I am to have such a remarkable woman on this life journey with me and I thank God every single day for her. If you are blessed to have someone on your life journey with you, please cherish them and the moments, all of the moments, with them. Not every great moment has to be something big and spectacular...sometimes it can just be one long phone call at the end of an unforgettable day.

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 week and please cherish your precious families.

Kev

What Are You Leaving?

Happy Friday Friends!

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

Oh my goodness! I was 0 for September in writing Happy Friday! The juggling of a changing work schedule, travel, school starting & kids sporting events have absolutely kicked my rear end! This morning it was like going to see an old friend. I woke up before the alarm, bright eyed and excited to write...and here I am! :)

It is funny, though I did not get to write Happy Friday for a month, the thought I have wanted to share with you has not changed. About a month ago I was listening to the radio and one of the people on the radio said, "don't focus on what you are going to leave people, focus on what you are going to leave in them." I have literally thought about that saying at least once a day, every day, for the past month.

Old houses have always fascinated me. When driving down the highway and seeing an old, run down, dilapidated house I can't help but think back to when it was new. Who were the people who lived there? It was once shiny, beautiful & new...what did it look like then? Were the people as excited to move into that house as my family and I have been to move into our homes? What memories did they share there? Was it bustling with activity? You can almost close your eyes - don't try this if you are driving! :) - and see little kids running around playing in the yard. But now? There is nothing. There is no activity. Nobody would go in there...unless you crawl, slither or walk very, very close to the ground.

In many ways we are like that house. We were once young, fresh & new. Everyone fawned over us, played with us and we were the epitome of activity. However like those old houses there will come a time when earthly life leaves us. What will be left then?

We spend a great deal of time trying to acquire stuff. We buy houses & cars. We buy clothes & jewelry & toys. We buy all of this "stuff" and all this "stuff" has a shelf life. I am sure I am not the only parent who has bought something for one of my kids because they really "needed" or "had to" have it only to find that within days, perhaps hours, they could care less about it. It's "stuff." It doesn't matter.

So let's shift for a moment and talk about the stuff that is on the inside, not on the outside.  After all, these are things that can never be taken...they will exist forever, as long as the living being that holds them is alive. Think about it Friends, literally every earthly possession can be taken, we can be stripped down until we are completely naked, what is left then? Let me pull out a few things...

• Faith - where or in what am I placing my faith? In the life I live more than in the words I speak. Am I teaching & showing this to my Beautiful Bride, Tender Warriors...every person I am privileged to come into contact with? There will come a time in every one of our lives when we will need faith, when nothing else will sustain us...what have I left in them? The house, the car, the "stuff" won't help them...they will have to have faith. Have I taught them? Shown them? Though I won't physically be there to help or show them will they know where to go, what to do?
• Hope - in who or what am I placing my hope? A person? My job? Our house? People leave, my job & house can be taken...where is hope being placed? Again, am I showing them where to place hope so joy can never be taken? What am I leaving in them?
• Love - am I demonstrating unconditional love for everyone? Isn't it ironic how we want to judge, classify & generalize people...until we need help. Then all of the sudden we want everyone to be kind, loving & helpful. What would this world look like if we were kind, loving & helpful all the time...not just when we wanted or needed something? Am I leaving this in the people I am privileged to do life with every day?
• Value - do I truly value other people and myself? Do I truly believe, and walk out, that every life has value, meaning & purpose? When I have gone to be with the Lord will my boys look at someone as a bum or will they know, despite the brokenness & pain, that every life - every life! - has value, meaning & purpose, regardless of whether or not the person is choosing to pursue it? Will they look for the good in others? Perhaps help others find the good within themselves that they didn't know, or forgot, exists? What am I leaving in them?
• Excellence - am I truly striving to become the best I am capable of becoming every day? Am I instilling in others the pursuit of personal excellence, which is not tied to a measurable outcome as it is too great to be measured? When Payton is pursuing his dream of playing college football and the road looks dark & bleak, when Landry is in the last day of Hell Week for Navy Seal training or when Gehrig is pitching in the World Series, it is the bottom of the 9th, bases are loaded, there are 2 outs and his team is up by 1 - I am coming alongside my Tender Warriors in their hopes, goals & dreams here - what have I placed in them for those moments? Have I taught them to go for it or to quit? Have I taught them to do their best and in this they will find victory? Have I taught them to fear failure or to pursue greatness? Have I taught them it is impossible or that with God all things are possible? Their hopes, goals & dreams are on the line...what have I left in them?

Houses, cars & "stuff" are nice. There is nothing inherently wrong with any of them. I guess the real issue is the value we place on them. I hope today Friends we will give serious thought and consideration to the things we will leave in those we are privileged to do life with as opposed to the things we will leave for them.

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 & please cherish your precious families.

Kev