Happy Friday Friends!
I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day on this beautiful warm, humid day on the Texas Gulf Coast.
This past month, and particularly these last couple of weeks, have been incredible for me. Have you ever been so blessed, so overwhelmed that there are literally no words to describe the deep, abiding peace in your soul and and the indescribable gratitude that you feel? This is where I find myself as I sit here writing this Happy Friday. There is a warmth in my heart, a peace in my spirit and I just feel so, so very grateful. Let me briefly outline for you what has brought me to this point, extend a couple of heartfelt thank you's and share a few things that are on my heart.
All of this started a couple of weeks ago with Father's Day. My Beautiful Bride and three Tender Warriors honored me far greater than I feel I deserve. Actually, truthfully, they do this every day, not just the one day a year we call Father's Day. The love, honor & respect they extend to me truly inspires me to be the best man, husband & Dad I can possibly be...every day. While I fail far more often than I would ever like to admit each day God brings new mercy & grace, I meet Him in my chair, study His gameplan (the Bible), I pour out my heart to Him (pray) and then I go out & do the very best I can.
Then came the "Surprise Party." You see, yesterday I turned 50-years old. My Sweet Girl arranged for a surprise birthday party for me last Friday night. The thing is I surprised everyone by leaving work a little early that day. Everyone was supposed to be coming to our house at 6:30 p.m. and I showed up about 4:30 p.m. Surprise! I feel I have to share this little nugget with you though; I absolutely adore my wife. We have grown up together, beginning our relationship when I was 17 and she was 16-years old. At this point I have seen her at her absolute best, and worst. I decided many years ago that this marriage, this family, was the hill I will die on. They don't have to love me or even like me, I will not quit fighting for them until the day God takes me home. Having stated this, when I walked in the door and surprised Kath & the boys when they were getting ready to surprise me for my birthday, she explained that the ladies at my office had called/texted her to tell her I was coming home early. They asked what they should do. She told them not to worry about it, it would be fine and we are just going to enjoy the moment. I will tell you, when she explained this to me I fell more in love with her...she had never looked more beautiful, her voice had never sounded more glorious - it was surreal.
That night we had so many friends come over...it was such a blessing. We talked, laughed, cried...oh yeah, and Dave & I totally dominated in Corn Hole! :) (That wasn't pure-hearted!) As I reflect on that night I can't help but wonder how my family & I got so blessed. To have so many wonderful people in our lives who love us, who are willing to do life with us...I am just so very grateful.
And then on Wednesday I went to work. My last day before vacation and the day before my birthday. Every morning when I get to work I say good morning to Jennifer and ask her how she is doing. She & her kids come up with different adjectives and we have fun each morning discussing how she is that day - my favorite is still "Staggering." I will then get a cup of coffee and then go walk around and talk to each of my colleagues, see how they and their families are doing, sometimes talking work stuff but mostly just taking a few minutes to recognize each other, to do life together. Well, on Wednesday things were different. When I got there Jenn was standing outside her office door and upon seeing me said, "I am staggering today!" I laughed and said I am glad to hear that. I then opened my office door and I found that the team I am blessed to be a part of at work had decided to bless me far greater than I could ever possibly deserve. They had taken post-it notes, wrote notes on them - some inspirational, some just absolutely hilarious, put the post-it notes all over my office (literally), they had placed black balloons on the floor and there was confetti all over my desk. I walked in, taking it all in. Then I turned around and found that all of those people that I walk around and see every morning had all come to see me on this morning. I don't think I have ever felt more loved by co-workers in my life than I did at that moment.
I feel I would be remiss if I didn't tell you a little bit more about my team. My Beautiful Bride and I refer to them as "The Ladies" and they sure are something special. I have the honor & privilege of serving them - encouraging, empowering & equipping them to become the best they are capable of becoming. We are like any other team or family - we get mad at each other sometimes, we argue, we laugh, we cry, we work our tails off however the thing I value & appreciate most is we never stop loving & fighting for each other. And what they have done for me over these past few days has absolutely blown me away... I don't deserve the love & kindness they have extended to my family & I however I am so very grateful for each one of them.
As I have reflected on all of these events of the past couple of weeks I haven't been able to come up with words to adequately describe to you how blessed I feel or to adequately express my gratitude to all those who have blessed my life so richly. So I have decided to extend a couple of heartfelt thank you's.
1. Lord, thank you...for creating me, for sending Jesus to die for my sins that I may one day enter Heaven, for the talents, gifts & abilities you have given me, for the hopes, goals & dreams you placed in the deepest recesses of my heart, for ALWAYS being there for me, for leading my life, for the family you gave me to as a child, for Kathy & the family you created through us, for family & friends that are beyond anything I could have ever hoped for or imagined.
2. To my family & friends, thank you. I literally have tears in my eyes as I type this. I do not know how I got so blessed to have each one of you however I do recognize the blessing that is each one of you and I am so grateful. It is truly an honor & privilege to be doing life with you...
There is just a few more things I want to share with you before wrapping up this Happy Friday...I apologize for the length and I thank you for the mercy & grace.
First, I just want to say "Happy Birthday" and "I love you so much" to my Mom. You see, my Mom celebrated my birthday in Heaven yesterday however if she we still on this earth the first person I would have heard from yesterday would have been her. I would answer the phone and she would sing "Happy Birthday" to me. She would then say, "I know where you were 50 years ago today." We would then tell each other "Happy Birthday." I got to do this for 48 years. She was a truly amazing woman and I am so blessed to be her son. I miss her every day! As my Mom would always charge us, please, "Put a smile on your face, a bounce in your step & you make this a great day." Happy Birthday Mom...I love you!
Finally, I want to share 3 scriptures with you that are deeply personal to me, that I have leaned on heavily the first 50 years of my life. I thought perhaps they may speak to the hearts of some of you as well.
1. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." - Hebrews 12: 1 - 3
From the time I was a young boy this scripture spoke to my heart. It was really funny to me this afternoon when I thought about it...do you see "What Will Your Influence Be...?" in this scripture? I do. There was about a 25+ year gap between the first time this scripture spoke to my heart and "What Will Your Influence Be...?" was conceptualized.
2. "He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity." - Proverbs 2: 7
This verse means so much to me! I cling to the last part in particular..."He is a shield to those who walk in integrity." This is why things like honesty, integrity & being pure-hearted are foundational to me. While I will make mistakes and things will sometimes go wrong, when they are done in a pure-hearted manner, with integrity, God will lead, guide & protect...I have countless stories to testify to this fact.
3. "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." - Isaiah 41: 10
Such a sweet reminder...so powerful.
Please don't hesitate to contact me at any time if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful week, a safe & Happy 4th of July and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
Friday, June 30, 2017
Friday, June 23, 2017
A Friend Died
Happy Friday Friends!
I hope & trust this post finds you having a great day as a beautiful new opportunity begins to dawn! Hope, opportunity & promise await each one of us in this day...let's relentlessly pursue it with everything that is within us!
Before beginning I would like to respectfully ask for you prayers for those who have been affected by Tropical Storm Cindy. While we were fortunate to miss the brunt of this storm as it made landfall yesterday, I am very mindful that our neighbors in Louisiana were not so fortunate. Thank you.
Well, this is another message that will be vastly different than I thought it would be 24 hours ago. Everything changed when I received a phone call yesterday around 11:00 a.m. telling me that a friend had died.
Today there will be a lot of articles in newspapers and on the internet that start something like "Legendary Arizona State Football Coach Frank Kush died..." and the article will go on to tell you all about his incredible won-loss record, how he dominated the arch rival, how he is in the College Football Hall of Fame, etc. I was neither a good enough football player or coach to know that man. This morning I want to tell you about my friend I always called "Coach", the man who taught me a couple of great life lessons that I believe might bless your life as well.
Working in development, fundraising, I had the opportunity to get to know and work with Coach for more than 5 years. We would got to lunches, on road trips, etc. People always wanted to talk to Coach, to have their pictures taken with him and he always obliged. One of the lessons he taught me we talked about often and the other, well he simply lived that one out.
Lesson #1
This one is so profound to me. You see, Coach had accomplished everything I once thought I had wanted to accomplish. He had been an All-American football player, one of the captains of his team. He was wildly successful as a college football coach, eventually ending up in the College Football Hall of Fame. He coached in the NFL. However all this, in the end, did not matter to him. I remember clearly the day he said, "Kev, you know these people don't really love me. They just love the fact that I won a lot of football games (his voice fading)...and that doesn't mean anything." There was deep sadness in his eyes, the emotion in the moment was thick.
What you do (vocationally) is not who you are and it certainly does not define you. I have heard it from Coach and other giants - of athletics, academics, medicine, the military. Men & women who have achieved profound vocational success. Yet millions of people will wake up this morning chasing after something that will define them, that will validate them, that will exclaim to the world that they are a success! And at the end of the day, or life, it still will not define them.
I pray that each one of us will thoughtfully, very thoughtfully, consider the things we value, the things we chase and what legacy we will leave. There is nothing wrong with being successful vocationally and I would argue that we are each to chase the very best we are capable of in whatever it is we do. I simply hope we all realize that regardless of whether we achieve those successes or not our value is not determined by them.
Lesson #2
This one Coach walked out without ever saying a word. He was always genuinely happy to see me and always made time for me, no matter who he was sitting with or talking to, to talk to me, to make sure I was included in the conversation. I remember the only time I got to meet Mrs. Kush. I walked into a dinner and Coach & Mrs. Kush were sitting at their table. As soon as he saw me he started waving frantically for me to come over. I was shocked, looked around to try to find the person Coach was waving at. He then looked at me with that "Coach look" which let me know it was me. I sheepishly put my head down and walked over to their table. He introduced me to his wife and we had a very nice conversation. I am still dumbfounded by that moment...
As I would give families tours of the athletic facilities I would stop by Coach's office and he would always stop whatever he was doing and talk to the family, take pictures, etc. for as long as they wanted. Actually, it was us who usually left Coach, still wanting to talk, tell more stories.
Whenever I would come upon Coach at a football, basketball or baseball game it was as though we were long lost friends who hadn't seen each other in years, even if we had just gone to lunch together that day. He would insist that I sit right next to him and he would always introduce me to everybody he was visiting with at the time...I met some people 20, 30 times! :)
Coach never told me he liked me, enjoyed being with me, etc. He simply valued & appreciated me every day in the way he acted, in the things he did. And it wasn't just me, it was everyone he encountered.
How are you & I doing in this area? Do we truly value & appreciate the people we get the honor & privilege of doing life with every day? I know I fail far to often in this area however this day affords me the opportunity to once again try to get it right...and I plan to seize it! It takes zero talent or ability to genuinely care about others however the impact is so incredibly profound.
As I thought about Coach yesterday afternoon I thought I would title this "Happy Friday" something like "A Legend Died." Somehow that just did not seem right. Whether Coach was a legend or not I will leave up to others to decide. He was so much more valuable to me than what he did or accomplished vocationally. He was a friend who always made time for me, who valued & appreciated me and who taught me a couple of lesson I will not ever forget.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
I hope & trust this post finds you having a great day as a beautiful new opportunity begins to dawn! Hope, opportunity & promise await each one of us in this day...let's relentlessly pursue it with everything that is within us!
Before beginning I would like to respectfully ask for you prayers for those who have been affected by Tropical Storm Cindy. While we were fortunate to miss the brunt of this storm as it made landfall yesterday, I am very mindful that our neighbors in Louisiana were not so fortunate. Thank you.
Well, this is another message that will be vastly different than I thought it would be 24 hours ago. Everything changed when I received a phone call yesterday around 11:00 a.m. telling me that a friend had died.
Today there will be a lot of articles in newspapers and on the internet that start something like "Legendary Arizona State Football Coach Frank Kush died..." and the article will go on to tell you all about his incredible won-loss record, how he dominated the arch rival, how he is in the College Football Hall of Fame, etc. I was neither a good enough football player or coach to know that man. This morning I want to tell you about my friend I always called "Coach", the man who taught me a couple of great life lessons that I believe might bless your life as well.
Working in development, fundraising, I had the opportunity to get to know and work with Coach for more than 5 years. We would got to lunches, on road trips, etc. People always wanted to talk to Coach, to have their pictures taken with him and he always obliged. One of the lessons he taught me we talked about often and the other, well he simply lived that one out.
Lesson #1
This one is so profound to me. You see, Coach had accomplished everything I once thought I had wanted to accomplish. He had been an All-American football player, one of the captains of his team. He was wildly successful as a college football coach, eventually ending up in the College Football Hall of Fame. He coached in the NFL. However all this, in the end, did not matter to him. I remember clearly the day he said, "Kev, you know these people don't really love me. They just love the fact that I won a lot of football games (his voice fading)...and that doesn't mean anything." There was deep sadness in his eyes, the emotion in the moment was thick.
What you do (vocationally) is not who you are and it certainly does not define you. I have heard it from Coach and other giants - of athletics, academics, medicine, the military. Men & women who have achieved profound vocational success. Yet millions of people will wake up this morning chasing after something that will define them, that will validate them, that will exclaim to the world that they are a success! And at the end of the day, or life, it still will not define them.
I pray that each one of us will thoughtfully, very thoughtfully, consider the things we value, the things we chase and what legacy we will leave. There is nothing wrong with being successful vocationally and I would argue that we are each to chase the very best we are capable of in whatever it is we do. I simply hope we all realize that regardless of whether we achieve those successes or not our value is not determined by them.
Lesson #2
This one Coach walked out without ever saying a word. He was always genuinely happy to see me and always made time for me, no matter who he was sitting with or talking to, to talk to me, to make sure I was included in the conversation. I remember the only time I got to meet Mrs. Kush. I walked into a dinner and Coach & Mrs. Kush were sitting at their table. As soon as he saw me he started waving frantically for me to come over. I was shocked, looked around to try to find the person Coach was waving at. He then looked at me with that "Coach look" which let me know it was me. I sheepishly put my head down and walked over to their table. He introduced me to his wife and we had a very nice conversation. I am still dumbfounded by that moment...
As I would give families tours of the athletic facilities I would stop by Coach's office and he would always stop whatever he was doing and talk to the family, take pictures, etc. for as long as they wanted. Actually, it was us who usually left Coach, still wanting to talk, tell more stories.
Whenever I would come upon Coach at a football, basketball or baseball game it was as though we were long lost friends who hadn't seen each other in years, even if we had just gone to lunch together that day. He would insist that I sit right next to him and he would always introduce me to everybody he was visiting with at the time...I met some people 20, 30 times! :)
Coach never told me he liked me, enjoyed being with me, etc. He simply valued & appreciated me every day in the way he acted, in the things he did. And it wasn't just me, it was everyone he encountered.
How are you & I doing in this area? Do we truly value & appreciate the people we get the honor & privilege of doing life with every day? I know I fail far to often in this area however this day affords me the opportunity to once again try to get it right...and I plan to seize it! It takes zero talent or ability to genuinely care about others however the impact is so incredibly profound.
As I thought about Coach yesterday afternoon I thought I would title this "Happy Friday" something like "A Legend Died." Somehow that just did not seem right. Whether Coach was a legend or not I will leave up to others to decide. He was so much more valuable to me than what he did or accomplished vocationally. He was a friend who always made time for me, who valued & appreciated me and who taught me a couple of lesson I will not ever forget.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
Friday, June 16, 2017
Blackberry Moments
Happy Friday Friends!
I hope & trust this post finds you having a great day as a beautiful new day begins to dawn!
Yesterday morning I was listening to Focus on the Family. The hosts were interviewing sportscaster Ernie Johnson Jr. Now, if you don't know who Ernie Johnson Jr. is, please do yourself a favor; Google his name and then go watch the ESPN segment Ernie Johnson: My Story. You will smile, you will cry, you will be inspired. A truly remarkable man, and as I found out yesterday, raised by a truly remarkable father.
During the interview Ernie shared a story that was profound to him and, as he told it, profound to me as well. I want to share this story with you this morning.
When Ernie was a little boy he was playing Little League Baseball. One day the start of his game was delayed. You see, two boys on the team had gone beyond the outfield fence to get a ball that had gone over the fence. Everyone was waiting and the boys did not come back. When someone went to look for the boys they found them sitting there, eating blackberry's. Apparently, as they had gone to fetch the ball, they came upon a blackberry bush. Distracted by this sweet fruit they completely forgot about the baseball, the game and simply sat and enjoyed the blackberry's.
Ernie talked about how much his Dad loved that story and what a profound impact it had on his life personally. I got it. Ernie went on to say that he believes God gives us "Blackberry Moments", those moments of sweetness along this life journey where we can stop, if we will, and just enjoy the sweetness of the moment.
This is my hope, prayer and challenge for each one of us today; that we would have eyes & hearts to see the "Blackberry Moments" and the strength & courage to stop chasing whatever ball we are chasing, to sit down and simply live, fully present, in the moment enjoying those sweet gifts from God. They might be a moments with our spouses/partners, children, friends or it could be a complete stranger. One thing I am fairly certain of, they will not be moments when we are expecting them...we are busy chasing balls after all! Please remember the example we are following; two little boys who had a baseball game to play - doesn't get a whole lot more important than that! :) At this moment I am reminded of Matthew 18: 2 - 3; He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Not completely in context, I get that. We however would be wise to follow their example.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
I hope & trust this post finds you having a great day as a beautiful new day begins to dawn!
Yesterday morning I was listening to Focus on the Family. The hosts were interviewing sportscaster Ernie Johnson Jr. Now, if you don't know who Ernie Johnson Jr. is, please do yourself a favor; Google his name and then go watch the ESPN segment Ernie Johnson: My Story. You will smile, you will cry, you will be inspired. A truly remarkable man, and as I found out yesterday, raised by a truly remarkable father.
During the interview Ernie shared a story that was profound to him and, as he told it, profound to me as well. I want to share this story with you this morning.
When Ernie was a little boy he was playing Little League Baseball. One day the start of his game was delayed. You see, two boys on the team had gone beyond the outfield fence to get a ball that had gone over the fence. Everyone was waiting and the boys did not come back. When someone went to look for the boys they found them sitting there, eating blackberry's. Apparently, as they had gone to fetch the ball, they came upon a blackberry bush. Distracted by this sweet fruit they completely forgot about the baseball, the game and simply sat and enjoyed the blackberry's.
Ernie talked about how much his Dad loved that story and what a profound impact it had on his life personally. I got it. Ernie went on to say that he believes God gives us "Blackberry Moments", those moments of sweetness along this life journey where we can stop, if we will, and just enjoy the sweetness of the moment.
This is my hope, prayer and challenge for each one of us today; that we would have eyes & hearts to see the "Blackberry Moments" and the strength & courage to stop chasing whatever ball we are chasing, to sit down and simply live, fully present, in the moment enjoying those sweet gifts from God. They might be a moments with our spouses/partners, children, friends or it could be a complete stranger. One thing I am fairly certain of, they will not be moments when we are expecting them...we are busy chasing balls after all! Please remember the example we are following; two little boys who had a baseball game to play - doesn't get a whole lot more important than that! :) At this moment I am reminded of Matthew 18: 2 - 3; He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Not completely in context, I get that. We however would be wise to follow their example.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
Friday, June 9, 2017
There Are No 'Just a's..."
Happy Friday Friends!
I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day as a beautiful new day - new hope! new opportunity! new promise! - begins to dawn! I absolutely love this time of day... We have a chance right now, here in this moment, to decide the attitude, the effort, the influence we will bring to this day!
This morning I am going to share about something that gets me pretty fired up. I am not sure who said what or what happened to trigger it, I only remember that it happened within this past week.
This week I want to talk about "Just a..." You know, people who say, "I am just a [fill in the blank]." Some of the things we hear are, "I am just a [some lower level position within an organization]" or "I am just a Mom/Dad". There are no "Just a's"!!! If you are in a position - any position or station in life! - you are in this position/station because God has given you the honor, privilege & responsibility of serving others through it during this season of life. You are valuable! You are equipped! You will influence others - for good or bad! Please Precious Friends, don't belittle or downplay your significance! You are fearfully and wonderfully made! Created on purpose for a purpose! You lack nothing! You are not "Just a...", you were intentionally created on purpose by the very God of the universe who created you in His own image...please let that sink in for a moment!
I think this problem - make no mistake, it is a HUGE problem - is/was created by a world that so desperately wants to define people, label them as important or unimportant. Well here is a news flash for ya...everybody is important! Please don't believe the lies of this world...believe the truth of the Bible! I don't care your role, title or station...you go on and be the best you that you can be today and trust that God will use you in powerful ways for great purposes!
And please, don't you dare be the one that labels another as "Just a..." You & I do not have the right to judge another person, their journey or where God has them at this point in their lives. Most times when folks belittle others it is because they are trying to validate themselves, to make themselves bigger and in the process prove how small they really are. We must not be amongst those who tear others down Friends! You might be thinking, "Well that is the way the world works Kev" Here is news flash #2...the world is broken! You & I might not be able to change the whole world but we can certainly change the world in our homes, in our workplaces, in our circle of friends!
Sorry I am not very passionate about this... :) You are not "Just a..." and neither is anyone else. I pray that each one of us will boldly & confidently live our purpose and encourage, empower & equip others to do the same!
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families!
Kev
I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day as a beautiful new day - new hope! new opportunity! new promise! - begins to dawn! I absolutely love this time of day... We have a chance right now, here in this moment, to decide the attitude, the effort, the influence we will bring to this day!
This morning I am going to share about something that gets me pretty fired up. I am not sure who said what or what happened to trigger it, I only remember that it happened within this past week.
This week I want to talk about "Just a..." You know, people who say, "I am just a [fill in the blank]." Some of the things we hear are, "I am just a [some lower level position within an organization]" or "I am just a Mom/Dad". There are no "Just a's"!!! If you are in a position - any position or station in life! - you are in this position/station because God has given you the honor, privilege & responsibility of serving others through it during this season of life. You are valuable! You are equipped! You will influence others - for good or bad! Please Precious Friends, don't belittle or downplay your significance! You are fearfully and wonderfully made! Created on purpose for a purpose! You lack nothing! You are not "Just a...", you were intentionally created on purpose by the very God of the universe who created you in His own image...please let that sink in for a moment!
I think this problem - make no mistake, it is a HUGE problem - is/was created by a world that so desperately wants to define people, label them as important or unimportant. Well here is a news flash for ya...everybody is important! Please don't believe the lies of this world...believe the truth of the Bible! I don't care your role, title or station...you go on and be the best you that you can be today and trust that God will use you in powerful ways for great purposes!
And please, don't you dare be the one that labels another as "Just a..." You & I do not have the right to judge another person, their journey or where God has them at this point in their lives. Most times when folks belittle others it is because they are trying to validate themselves, to make themselves bigger and in the process prove how small they really are. We must not be amongst those who tear others down Friends! You might be thinking, "Well that is the way the world works Kev" Here is news flash #2...the world is broken! You & I might not be able to change the whole world but we can certainly change the world in our homes, in our workplaces, in our circle of friends!
Sorry I am not very passionate about this... :) You are not "Just a..." and neither is anyone else. I pray that each one of us will boldly & confidently live our purpose and encourage, empower & equip others to do the same!
"It is much more valuable to look for the strength in others. You can gain nothing by criticizing their imperfections." - Daisaku Ikeda
"We are all valuable. Humanity needs our individual services." - Lailah Gifty Akita
"People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway." - Kent M. Keith
"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." - Desmond Tutu
"It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit, but that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result." - Mahatma Gandhi
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families!
Kev
Friday, June 2, 2017
Hope
Happy Friday Friends!
I hope & trust this post finds you all having had a great day and week! It's a beautiful, warm, muggy evening on the Texas Gulf Coast!
This week I want to share a few thoughts with you.
First...
Last week I attended a leadership training seminar. One component of the seminar was looking at 10's of possible values, values that each of us as individuals hold dear, and narrowing it down to our top 5. We each then laid our cards on the table - literally! - showing what we had selected as our top values. We then walked around the room looking at what one another had selected as our values. When we were done, one of my classmates said, "I want to ask Kevin a question." She then said, "You are the only one who listed 'hope' as one of your values. Will you explain why 'hope' is a value to you?"
Man I thought a lot about that this week. I kept thinking about an article I had read that talked about the enormous loss of American POW's during the Korean War utilizing only one tactic - removing hope. I found an excellent article that explains it. Please, take a few minutes to read it.
I hope & trust this post finds you all having had a great day and week! It's a beautiful, warm, muggy evening on the Texas Gulf Coast!
This week I want to share a few thoughts with you.
First...
Last week I attended a leadership training seminar. One component of the seminar was looking at 10's of possible values, values that each of us as individuals hold dear, and narrowing it down to our top 5. We each then laid our cards on the table - literally! - showing what we had selected as our top values. We then walked around the room looking at what one another had selected as our values. When we were done, one of my classmates said, "I want to ask Kevin a question." She then said, "You are the only one who listed 'hope' as one of your values. Will you explain why 'hope' is a value to you?"
Man I thought a lot about that this week. I kept thinking about an article I had read that talked about the enormous loss of American POW's during the Korean War utilizing only one tactic - removing hope. I found an excellent article that explains it. Please, take a few minutes to read it.
The Prison of Hopelessness
By Chaplain (Capt.) Tim Wilson, 302nd Airlift Wing / Published August 23, 2006
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFRC) -- The Korean War introduced an insidious new strain on prisoners of war. The death rate in the North Korean POW camps was an incredible 38 percent - the highest in U.S. military history. What makes this statistic so hard to fathom is that on the whole POW's were provided with adequate food, water and shelter and for the most part were not subjected to physical torture so prevalent in previous wars.
The extent of the problem was realized when it was discovered that the POW camps were often not surrounded by barbed wire or armed guards yet no one tried to escape. When arriving in Japan after release the Red Cross gave newly freed prisoners the opportunity to call home. Very few bothered. There was a marked lack of camaraderie among those released; few seemed to have built friendships. But what shocked the military the most were reports that it was not unusual for a soldier to wander into his hut, go into a corner alone, sit down, pull a blanket over his head and within days he would be dead.
What was so devastating to highly trained, combat harden soldiers. A study of 1,000 POWs was commissioned. Dr. William E. Mayer the lead psychiatrist uncovered a new malady in the hearts of Korean War prisoners of war - a syndrome of pervasive and extreme hopelessness. Mayer's defined it as "mirasmus" or a "lack of resistance, and acute passivity." Soldiers called it the plain old "give up-itis." How could hope be eradicated so completely for the souls of soldiers?
Four techniques were used to bring a person to the place where they despair of life. First, informing on others was encouraged. The North Koreans gave prisoners small rewards like cigarettes or sweets when they snitched on each other. The amazing thing was that neither the offender nor the reporting soldier was punished - the real intent was to shatter trust between comrades in arms.
Secondly, extreme self criticism was promoted. The captors formed small groups in which soldiers "confessed" not only all the bad things they had done but also all the good things they could have done but failed to do. This "confessing" was not for the sake of the North Koreans but to erode self respect and personal worth among the American soldiers.
The third major tactic was to break down loyalty to others, especially to leadership and our country. It was intended to destroy a spirit of teamwork and cooperation and replace it with isolation and excessive self interest. In one case, it was reported that 40 men stood by as three of their extremely ill fellow soldiers were thrown out the hut by a disgruntled fellow prisoner and left in the element to perish. When asked why they did nothing, they replied, "Because it wasn't their job."
The last devastating scheme was to withhold all positive emotional support while inundating soldiers with negative emotions. If a soldier received a supportive letter from home, the captors withheld it, however, any bad news - the death of a relative, or in one case a wife's Dear John letter were delivered immediately. This constant demoralization manufactured an overwhelming sense of disappointment with loved ones, their country and even their faith.
How can the specter of hopelessness be overcome while living in the shadow of despair? The apostle Paul wrote a letter to a church in dangerously close to functional collapse. They were self centered, sectarian and just down right mean to one other. It was a group rapidly moving from productivity to pandemonium. In the middle of this chaos, Saint Paul focuses on three essentials. He insightfully pens "There are three things that remain-faith, hope, and love... " (1 Corinthians 13:13) Three fundamentals: faith, a stead confidence in an all powerful God who comes through in tough times, hope, an unswerving mental commitment that the best is yet to come regardless of my present circumstances and love, an extravagant loyalty to the well being of those around me- my family, my friends and fellow workers. Don't voluntarily become confined to the sinister prison of hopelessness and isolation, reach out in "faith, hope and love" and the jail door of dark despair will open wide letting the warm sun of new found assurance warm your heart.
It is so fascinating to me...they literally died from a loss of hope. As I have thought about you and me this week, I think there are really 2 categories of us, with one sub-category.
1. There are those of us who put our hope in God.
1a. There are those of us who put our hope in things of this world.
2. Those who have no hope.
Those in the 1st categories have hope...so we have a fighting chance. One has a hope in something that fails & disappoints...the other is a hope in One who has already overcome the world and has kept every promise since the beginning of, well, everything since He created everything!
Those in the 2nd category, those without hope, are dying. They might be walking around living a life however, sadly, they are not alive.
I pray Friends that we will fight for hope every day of our lives.
Second...
Here's another one for you to ponder that I recently heard; would people know that you have been talking to Jesus by the way you speak & act? I am sorry, I don't know who said it however I found it very profound, very convicting.
I will take it one step further; who will people know that you have been talking to, spending time with by the way you speak & act? See Friends, it is impossible to get up close and personal with people and not be influenced in our behavior by them. This is a profound question you and I need to answer every day.
And Finally...
I had a profound moment with my middle Tender Warrior, Gehrig, last weekend. He, Landry & I had gone to a sporting goods store to buy some fishing gear for our fishing trip the next day. As Gehrig was driving us home, country music blaring, we are in the middle lane and cars are just flyin' by us on each side. I look over at the speedometer and Gehrig is going slower than the posted speed limit...and he could care less! I immediately think to how I drive - as fast as I can get away with, looking for the "fast lane," always in a hurry to get wherever I am going. And in that moment, I had a deep respect and admiration for G. He wasn't in a hurry, he could care less about which lane was the "fast lane"...he was just enjoying the time with his Dad, brother and some country music. I also realized in that moment that I have a lot to learn from him.
I pray that we will all have eyes - literal and those of the heart - to see things a little differently. That we would value & appreciate the differences that we all have. That we would be willing to learn something from everyone we are privileged to do life with, every day. Now I gotta hurry and get goin cause G is coming home from fishing soon and I gotta go get ready to study him! :)
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
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