Happy Friday Friends!
I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day prepares to dawn on the Texas Gulf Coast. I also sincerely hope you have all had a great week!
It happened! No, it didn't make national or even local news but, it happened! At approximately 6:22 p.m. last Saturday, September 22, 2018, Payton Haslam ran onto the field at TDECU Stadium at the University of Houston in full uniform to begin pregame warm-ups as a member of the Cougar football team! As if this were not a great enough blessing, something even more remarkable happened at approximately 10:05 p.m. CST - yes, I looked...you realize when something of true significance is happening! :) Payton lined up and ran down the field to cover a kick-off! It was his first play as a Division I college football player. More importantly, it was the completion of a dream he had relentlessly pursued since he was 2, maybe 3-years old.
For those of you who don't know, let me give you a quick breakdown. I have the privilege and honor of being Payton's Dad. Out of high school Payton had a football scholarship to a small college in South Dakota. He however had a dream of playing Division I college football and over his Thanksgiving break of his first year in South Dakota he informed my Beautiful Bride and I that he would be walking away from his scholarship to chase his dream. He fought and struggled for 2 years pursuing this dream. He went to walk-on tryouts and made the team! He has now worked his tail off for 2 years and then got this opportunity last Saturday night! A very quick breakdown that does not adequately capture the faith, strength & perseverance that this great man - yeah, that is what he is! :) - has demonstrated to get here but you get the point.
This morning I am going to share 3 observations about this journey but before I do, I am going to share a couple of, what I think, are hilarious moments from last Saturday night. I am a Dad and I had a couple of Dad moments! :)
The first one happened before the team ran out on the field to warm-up. I really wanted to catch a picture of the first time Payton actually ran onto the field. I walk around to the other side of the stadium, position myself by the tunnel...I am ready. I check my cell phone about 100 times to make sure the camera is ready. And then the players, all of them, come running out of the tunnel. When you have nearly 100 players running out of a tunnel, all dressed exactly the same, it is not easy to find your player! Sheer panic sets in! I am scanning frantically trying to find MY player! By the grace of God I find him about 3 steps before he actually steps on the field and I get the picture...a picture I will cherish the rest of my life and that for the rest of his will remind Payton that he once chased a crazy dream and caught it!
The second one happened right around 10:03 p.m. I figured if Payton were to get an opportunity to get on the field it would probably be on special teams and it would probably be on a kick-off. Every time the players ran out onto the field for a kick-off I would look intensely for my player. When it did happen, I pointed and started shouting, "He is going in! He is going in!" Now, you wanna talk about an awkward moment? This is not normal behavior when you are sitting in the family section, with the families of all the other players. Gehrig, my middle Tender Warrior say, "Dad! Shhhhh!" Maybe not appropriate but I really didn't care! :) And the sweet families sitting around us were all so kind & gracious, happy for Payton and his family.
So now that we have established once again that yes, I am a goof, I would like to share a few things I have learned/reflected on from this blessed journey.
1. When Payton first told Kath & I that he intended to leave his school in South Dakota I told him I thought he was making a mistake. He respectfully listened to me and my reasons why and then - thankfully! - he followed the calling of his heart. And though he didn't do what I thought he should do, I have loved him unconditionally and supported him fully every step of this journey. When things weren't looking real good I didn't throw out "I told you so's" or tell him that it looked like he made a mistake. While I fully realize I make a ton of mistakes as a Dad, one thing God had really impressed upon my heart is that my boys' journey's is not about me, it is about them. And, God has given me the honor & privilege of leading, guiding & directing them as they pursue the hopes, goals & dreams that God has placed in their hearts. It doesn't matter if I agreed or disagreed...what really mattered is what Payton believed in his heart! My role, a sacred one, is to be his champion in whatever endeavor(s) he chooses to pursue. How many families are broken, dreams go unpursued because the son or daughter is not pursuing what Mom and/or Dad wanted them to do? It is not about us Mom & Dad...it is about these precious gifts God has given us! And every kid, no matter the age, needs a champion! Please, love them unconditionally and support the hopes, goals & dreams tucked into their hearts!
2. I could not love Payton more or be more proud to be his Dad. No, he is not one of the "stars" on the team and most people outside our family and friends don't even know there is a guy on the UH football team named Payton Haslam. We all have roles to play on our teams and Payton plays his extremely well. Each day it is his job to run the offensive plays of the team we are going to play that week against our defense...every day he gets the opportunity to go against the very best defensive players we have. If he does his job well, the defense will be prepared. If he doesn't, they won't. It is a critically important role. Everyone wants to be the "star" however every single person in an organization is critically important and if each doesn't fulfill their role to the very best of their ability, the organization will not reach it's full potential. Oh, it might be good however there is a huge difference between being labeled "good" by societal standards and truly reaching your full potential.
And please never forget, what you do does not determine who you are! Your self-worth is not tied to the role you play. While we will all play different roles on different teams throughout our lives, the most critical part of who you are is the person you really are. For everyone the lights will eventually fade, you will have played your last game, the music will stop...what then? Then you will be left with the person you have become throughout your journey. I pray we will be more concerned about our character than our role on a given team for this is who we really are and it will determine the quality of lives we live!
3. Please, chase your lion. This is a phrase Payton and I say to each other every day - "#ChaseTheLion." We say it based on Mark Batterson's book, Chase The Lion: If Your Dream Doesn't Scare You, It's Too Small. To help you understand what I am talking about, here are a couple of excerpts about the book from Mark's website which you can find at markbatterson.com.
"Chase the Lion is more than a catch phrase; it's a radically different approach to life. It's only when we stop fearing failure hat we can fully seize opportunity by the mane."
"This is a wake-up call to stop living as if the purpose of this life was simply arrive safely at death. Our dreams should scare us. They should be so big that without God they would be impossible to achieve. Quit running away from what you're afraid of."
"These are the kind of dreams that will make you a bigger person and the world a better place."
I also want to share a quote from Arthur Ashe with you and then link his quote with Chase the Lion.
"Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome." - Arthur Ashe
You see, whether Payton made the team or stepped on to the field is really irrelevant. The first victory was achieved the moment he made the decision to chase his lion and then actually did it. There have been countless other victories as he has learned to walk by faith in spite of utter darkness (no visible proof that he was on the right path), to persevere through setbacks & disappointments, to be incredibly disciplined, to sacrifice greatly...and so many more. His growth as a man has truly been phenomenal and it all started with a decision to chase the lion. And be sure, this is not the last, nor smallest, lion Payton will chase. That is the way life works. However, now, Payton has the knowledge & experience of a lion chaser. He knows the benefit of faith, perseverance, discipline and sacrifice. When he hears the roar again he will boldly run towards the roar because he knows, with God's help, he can do it...whatever "it" is. This is my hope & prayer for you & I...that when we hear the roar, we will run to it! God blessed me with a great example, a testimony, and I have the honor & privilege of calling him my son. #ChaseTheLion
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. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
Friday, September 28, 2018
Friday, September 21, 2018
Character
Happy Friday Friends!
I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day as a beautiful new day begins to dawn on the Texas Gulf Coast!
Before starting I want to once again respectfully ask you to continue to pray for those impacted by Hurricane Florence. While news cycles change and what was so important to us 7 days ago falls from public consciousness, the lives that were/are impacted are still being impacted. After Hurricane Harvey a year ago I had a dear friend tell me that the toughest part was yet to come. She went on to explain that immediately following the storm optimism abounds as houses get gutted and progress towards recovery is being made. And then things slow down, painfully so. More than a year after Harvey there are people who are still not back in their homes, who are dealing with the affects, etc. Let's not let our prayer lives be like news cycles. Let's really do life with people, genuinely care about them and remember that while today might be "normal" to you and I, they are struggling, trying to adjust to their "new normal." Thank you.
I am going to begin this Happy Friday the way I usually end them; with a challenge for us. For one week I want to respectfully ask us to not look for or at the flaws in others but rather to focus exclusively on our own character development. What are the things that you and I need to start doing, stop doing and keep doing? Let's focus on becoming the best we are capable of becoming - with God's wisdom, discernment and yes, strength - so we can best serve others as He created us to do.
The heart of this request is found in Matthew 7: 1 - 5
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
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? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."
There is also a great quote that says, "We move towards what we focus on." If we focus on finding the faults & failures in others guess what happens? Well, we find 'em because we all have a bunch of 'em! :) But eventually our attitude becomes negative as well. Why? Because we are focusing on the negative we move towards the negative. Likewise, if we focus on becoming the best we are capable of becoming, if we focus on the fact that we are fearfully & wonderfully made, created on purpose for a purpose, guess what we gravitate towards? Hopeful expectation that we are becoming all we are created to become. Remember last week? "What are you marinating your mind with?"
So what has me all fired up this morning? A football coach, of course! :) I am now reading The Mentor Leader: Secrets To Building People And Teams That Win Consistently by Tony Dungy. I am 77 pages into this book and I would highly recommend it to all of you!
Earlier this week I started a section titled Character. Don't know why it hit me so profoundly but it did. My quotes on Twitter & Facebook all week have been about character. I can't wait to get up each morning and read the next part. I am far more interested in becoming the man, husband & Dad God created me to be than looking for and trying to find faults in others. In fact, my Bible tells me I am not supposed to judge people but to simply love them - where they are, for who they are.
So now that I have thrown down my challenge I simply want to share some excerpts from Coach's book with you.
"Vision matters, but character matters more."
"In every setting, we know that the associations we keep tend to paint a picture of our character. And eventually those associations will begin to affect our character."
"Character is the foundation of which all leadership is built."
"...research conducted by the Leadership Research Institute has shown that in times of crisis, people gravitate toward the person of highest character, not necessarily the person who is "in charge" or even the person they believe to be the most competent. Rather, people will tend to build a relationship with and follow the person they view as the most trustworthy, who cares the most, and who is wiling to always do the right thing."
"To succeed in any endeavor, we have to know what we're doing and why we're doing it. That doesn't mean we have to have all the answers, but it does mean we must have a solid foundation of skill, ability, and knowledge."
"If the people in your organization can't rely on you - whether on the big things or the little things - how are they going to follow you? They may follow you for a little while, but it won't be with passion or full commitment. The reason is simple: When faced with uncertainty about a decision or a direction, they won't know whether the person making the decision or pointing them in that direction can be trusted. They may follow for a time, but only conditionally, haltingly, or with misgivings marking every step."
"If you have integrity, model it. If you have a problem with integrity, take care of it quickly before your reputation is established as one who is not to be trusted."
"...mentor leaders need to exhibit confidence. Not a false bravado, but an inner sense of security - the kind of confidence that doesn't need to be surrounded by yes-men or people trying to curry favor."
"From my perspective, a genuine sense of self-worth - the kind of confidence that can't be shaken by circumstances - is best obtained through a relationship with God."
"I am both humbled and empowered by the knowledge that Jesus Christ performed the ultimate act of sacrificial service for me. To know that God loves me that much is powerful."
"Mentor leaders are secure enough in who they are that they are able to invest themselves in helping others grow and develop to their full potential. Secure leaders are free to lift other up who will eventually replace them."
"But I don't need to be someone I'm not, nor should I expect others to be something different from who they are. We can all be effective with our own styles. Whatever gifts God has given us, we should make use of them.
Be real.
Be authentic.
Be sincere.
People will know when you're not.
And they will know when you are - and be drawn to that."
I also want to share a few of the quotes I have posted this week.
"Your actions and values define you." - Fennel Hudson
"Your words and actions must match to build your character. Any gap in those will put a dent in your credibility. Be a man [woman] of your words." - Mayur Ramgir
"Be a person of character people can count on." - Amber Hurdle
"I can tell you who I am, but I'd rather you watch who I am." - Craig D. Lounsbrough
"Leadership, at its core, is about character: specifically, a character attuned to its ethical responsibility to others." - Sophia A. Nelson
"And so it is with life; each step, each deed, each brief choice builds gradually, day by day, to shape both character and destiny." - Richelle E. Goodrich
"Selfless. Humility. Truthfulness. These are the three marks of an honorable man." - Suzy Kassem
As I have been typing all of this I have been very aware of how we not only like to judge others but ourselves, harshly. Please Friend, don't do that. Don't go down the path of harshness, focusing on your faults & failures, living in a world of regret. Redeem the situation...redeem YOU! Have you made mistakes? Absolutely, we all have! It is over? Well, consider you are reading this...NO!!! :) Simply ask yourself, "What do I need to start doing? What do I need to stop doing? What do I need to keep doing?" And then, to change your world, do those things! :)
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. 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 begins to dawn on the Texas Gulf Coast!
Before starting I want to once again respectfully ask you to continue to pray for those impacted by Hurricane Florence. While news cycles change and what was so important to us 7 days ago falls from public consciousness, the lives that were/are impacted are still being impacted. After Hurricane Harvey a year ago I had a dear friend tell me that the toughest part was yet to come. She went on to explain that immediately following the storm optimism abounds as houses get gutted and progress towards recovery is being made. And then things slow down, painfully so. More than a year after Harvey there are people who are still not back in their homes, who are dealing with the affects, etc. Let's not let our prayer lives be like news cycles. Let's really do life with people, genuinely care about them and remember that while today might be "normal" to you and I, they are struggling, trying to adjust to their "new normal." Thank you.
I am going to begin this Happy Friday the way I usually end them; with a challenge for us. For one week I want to respectfully ask us to not look for or at the flaws in others but rather to focus exclusively on our own character development. What are the things that you and I need to start doing, stop doing and keep doing? Let's focus on becoming the best we are capable of becoming - with God's wisdom, discernment and yes, strength - so we can best serve others as He created us to do.
The heart of this request is found in Matthew 7: 1 - 5
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
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? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."
There is also a great quote that says, "We move towards what we focus on." If we focus on finding the faults & failures in others guess what happens? Well, we find 'em because we all have a bunch of 'em! :) But eventually our attitude becomes negative as well. Why? Because we are focusing on the negative we move towards the negative. Likewise, if we focus on becoming the best we are capable of becoming, if we focus on the fact that we are fearfully & wonderfully made, created on purpose for a purpose, guess what we gravitate towards? Hopeful expectation that we are becoming all we are created to become. Remember last week? "What are you marinating your mind with?"
So what has me all fired up this morning? A football coach, of course! :) I am now reading The Mentor Leader: Secrets To Building People And Teams That Win Consistently by Tony Dungy. I am 77 pages into this book and I would highly recommend it to all of you!
Earlier this week I started a section titled Character. Don't know why it hit me so profoundly but it did. My quotes on Twitter & Facebook all week have been about character. I can't wait to get up each morning and read the next part. I am far more interested in becoming the man, husband & Dad God created me to be than looking for and trying to find faults in others. In fact, my Bible tells me I am not supposed to judge people but to simply love them - where they are, for who they are.
So now that I have thrown down my challenge I simply want to share some excerpts from Coach's book with you.
"Vision matters, but character matters more."
"In every setting, we know that the associations we keep tend to paint a picture of our character. And eventually those associations will begin to affect our character."
"Character is the foundation of which all leadership is built."
"...research conducted by the Leadership Research Institute has shown that in times of crisis, people gravitate toward the person of highest character, not necessarily the person who is "in charge" or even the person they believe to be the most competent. Rather, people will tend to build a relationship with and follow the person they view as the most trustworthy, who cares the most, and who is wiling to always do the right thing."
"To succeed in any endeavor, we have to know what we're doing and why we're doing it. That doesn't mean we have to have all the answers, but it does mean we must have a solid foundation of skill, ability, and knowledge."
"If the people in your organization can't rely on you - whether on the big things or the little things - how are they going to follow you? They may follow you for a little while, but it won't be with passion or full commitment. The reason is simple: When faced with uncertainty about a decision or a direction, they won't know whether the person making the decision or pointing them in that direction can be trusted. They may follow for a time, but only conditionally, haltingly, or with misgivings marking every step."
"If you have integrity, model it. If you have a problem with integrity, take care of it quickly before your reputation is established as one who is not to be trusted."
"...mentor leaders need to exhibit confidence. Not a false bravado, but an inner sense of security - the kind of confidence that doesn't need to be surrounded by yes-men or people trying to curry favor."
"From my perspective, a genuine sense of self-worth - the kind of confidence that can't be shaken by circumstances - is best obtained through a relationship with God."
"I am both humbled and empowered by the knowledge that Jesus Christ performed the ultimate act of sacrificial service for me. To know that God loves me that much is powerful."
"Mentor leaders are secure enough in who they are that they are able to invest themselves in helping others grow and develop to their full potential. Secure leaders are free to lift other up who will eventually replace them."
"But I don't need to be someone I'm not, nor should I expect others to be something different from who they are. We can all be effective with our own styles. Whatever gifts God has given us, we should make use of them.
Be real.
Be authentic.
Be sincere.
People will know when you're not.
And they will know when you are - and be drawn to that."
I also want to share a few of the quotes I have posted this week.
"Your actions and values define you." - Fennel Hudson
"Your words and actions must match to build your character. Any gap in those will put a dent in your credibility. Be a man [woman] of your words." - Mayur Ramgir
"Be a person of character people can count on." - Amber Hurdle
"I can tell you who I am, but I'd rather you watch who I am." - Craig D. Lounsbrough
"Leadership, at its core, is about character: specifically, a character attuned to its ethical responsibility to others." - Sophia A. Nelson
"And so it is with life; each step, each deed, each brief choice builds gradually, day by day, to shape both character and destiny." - Richelle E. Goodrich
"Selfless. Humility. Truthfulness. These are the three marks of an honorable man." - Suzy Kassem
As I have been typing all of this I have been very aware of how we not only like to judge others but ourselves, harshly. Please Friend, don't do that. Don't go down the path of harshness, focusing on your faults & failures, living in a world of regret. Redeem the situation...redeem YOU! Have you made mistakes? Absolutely, we all have! It is over? Well, consider you are reading this...NO!!! :) Simply ask yourself, "What do I need to start doing? What do I need to stop doing? What do I need to keep doing?" And then, to change your world, do those things! :)
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. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families!
Kev
Friday, September 14, 2018
Thinking Our Way to Peace
Happy Friday Friends!
I hope & trust this post finds you having a great day on this rainy Friday on the Texas Gulf Coast.
Before diving into this Happy Friday I want to ask you to please say a prayer for the people being impacted by Hurricane Florence at this very moment. The storm, fear, anxiety and danger are real...but our God is greater! Thank you.
This morning I want to share some excerpts from a sermon I watched last Sunday. My Beautiful Bride and I absolutely loved our church in Arizona, Sun Valley Community Church, and we will often watch the sermons on-line. The church has been going through a sermon series titled, "PEACE." While I am going to share excerpts from this past Sunday's sermon, you can find this specific sermon, and all the sermons from the series, at www.sunvalleycc.com. Scroll down to "Current Series", click "See Archive" and you can watch a whole bunch of great sermons.
Last Sunday it was the Teaching Pastor, Robert Watson, who spoke. I will share several of the excerpts and some thoughts of my own.
The entire series has been based around Philippians 4: 4 - 9 which says,
"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 every situation, 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 minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, 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. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."
While the other sermons had focused on the 1st paragraph above, the sermon last Sunday focused on the 2nd...the things we think about.
The first thing to note, and if you don't remember anything else, please remember this; peace is not situational - it doesn't depend on our circumstances - it is relational. Having the deep, abiding peace that goes beyond all understanding depends on our relationship with God and the people in our lives. I pray we will always remember and live this!
So now let me share some excerpts, things I made note of as Robert spoke:
"So much of the Christian peace comes down to the mind, what we think about."
"Rejoice always, no matter what is going on."
Dang, that is so hard to do! 100% honesty? I literally had a hard time even typing that here...seriously!!!
"Battle plan for the mind:
- Rejoice through anything.
- Be anxious about nothing.
- Pray about everything.
- Give thanks for something."
And then Robert noted, "And the peace of God will guard your hearts & minds."
A great battle plan! This really resonated with me...maybe you too! :)
"Take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ."
Robert explained that to Hebrews, meditation means "fill your mind, think about these things."
"To win the battle for peace of mind, we must think about what we think about.
- What are you marinating your mind with?
- What do you think about most in a given day?"
"There is no link between peoples circumstances and their happiness/joy/peace."
He then cited a Harvard/UC Berkley study that reported the 5 things found to cause joy:
"1. Meditation & prayer
2. Gratitude
3. Kindness towards others
4. Giving money away
5. Healthy relationships."
I promise you he really did say #4 and it has nothing to do with me being a development professional! :)
"We can choose how we think.
- We can change the way our mind works."
"God promises He will be there in every season.
- He doesn't promise answers or explanations. He does promise He will be with us and He will give us His peace if we trust Him."
There is some really good stuff here! The reality is however that you and I have to choose what we will believe, think & do. This will then determine where we end up...peace or anxiety, hope or fear. All I can tell you is this sermon really resonated with me and I decided I would apply it to my life this week. I wasn't going to let my thoughts just run wild all week. When thoughts that are not true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy came to my mind I pushed them back. I then thought about such things. I can testify, I felt a difference. And you want to talk about being...awed?! Wednesday night my Beautiful Bride said, "You know, you are really handling things well...I can tell a difference in you." A couple of things: 1. As a husband, her words of affirmation touched my heart in ways that are truly indescribable. 2. I hadn't said a word to her about really trying to walk out the sermon from last Sunday. I was just doing my thing and she gave me this completely unsolicited feedback. God is good!
During the sermon Robert gave a visual that I want to share with you verbally...hopefully it is as impactful to you reading about it as it was to me seeing it. He had one of those skulls you can order on-line. He took the top off and filled the whole skull with whipped cream and then put the top back on the skull. The question is, what are you filling your mind with? I pray we will all continually fill our minds with what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent & praiseworthy.
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.
And please continue to pray for all those impacted by Hurricane Florence. As a veteran of a hurricane I can tell you that they will continue to need our prayers for several days and weeks. This isn't a one day type thing...it is a journey to walk with all those impacted, people just like me & you.
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 on this rainy Friday on the Texas Gulf Coast.
Before diving into this Happy Friday I want to ask you to please say a prayer for the people being impacted by Hurricane Florence at this very moment. The storm, fear, anxiety and danger are real...but our God is greater! Thank you.
This morning I want to share some excerpts from a sermon I watched last Sunday. My Beautiful Bride and I absolutely loved our church in Arizona, Sun Valley Community Church, and we will often watch the sermons on-line. The church has been going through a sermon series titled, "PEACE." While I am going to share excerpts from this past Sunday's sermon, you can find this specific sermon, and all the sermons from the series, at www.sunvalleycc.com. Scroll down to "Current Series", click "See Archive" and you can watch a whole bunch of great sermons.
Last Sunday it was the Teaching Pastor, Robert Watson, who spoke. I will share several of the excerpts and some thoughts of my own.
The entire series has been based around Philippians 4: 4 - 9 which says,
"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 every situation, 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 minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, 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. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."
While the other sermons had focused on the 1st paragraph above, the sermon last Sunday focused on the 2nd...the things we think about.
The first thing to note, and if you don't remember anything else, please remember this; peace is not situational - it doesn't depend on our circumstances - it is relational. Having the deep, abiding peace that goes beyond all understanding depends on our relationship with God and the people in our lives. I pray we will always remember and live this!
So now let me share some excerpts, things I made note of as Robert spoke:
"So much of the Christian peace comes down to the mind, what we think about."
"Rejoice always, no matter what is going on."
Dang, that is so hard to do! 100% honesty? I literally had a hard time even typing that here...seriously!!!
"Battle plan for the mind:
- Rejoice through anything.
- Be anxious about nothing.
- Pray about everything.
- Give thanks for something."
And then Robert noted, "And the peace of God will guard your hearts & minds."
A great battle plan! This really resonated with me...maybe you too! :)
"Take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ."
Robert explained that to Hebrews, meditation means "fill your mind, think about these things."
"To win the battle for peace of mind, we must think about what we think about.
- What are you marinating your mind with?
- What do you think about most in a given day?"
"There is no link between peoples circumstances and their happiness/joy/peace."
He then cited a Harvard/UC Berkley study that reported the 5 things found to cause joy:
"1. Meditation & prayer
2. Gratitude
3. Kindness towards others
4. Giving money away
5. Healthy relationships."
I promise you he really did say #4 and it has nothing to do with me being a development professional! :)
"We can choose how we think.
- We can change the way our mind works."
"God promises He will be there in every season.
- He doesn't promise answers or explanations. He does promise He will be with us and He will give us His peace if we trust Him."
There is some really good stuff here! The reality is however that you and I have to choose what we will believe, think & do. This will then determine where we end up...peace or anxiety, hope or fear. All I can tell you is this sermon really resonated with me and I decided I would apply it to my life this week. I wasn't going to let my thoughts just run wild all week. When thoughts that are not true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy came to my mind I pushed them back. I then thought about such things. I can testify, I felt a difference. And you want to talk about being...awed?! Wednesday night my Beautiful Bride said, "You know, you are really handling things well...I can tell a difference in you." A couple of things: 1. As a husband, her words of affirmation touched my heart in ways that are truly indescribable. 2. I hadn't said a word to her about really trying to walk out the sermon from last Sunday. I was just doing my thing and she gave me this completely unsolicited feedback. God is good!
During the sermon Robert gave a visual that I want to share with you verbally...hopefully it is as impactful to you reading about it as it was to me seeing it. He had one of those skulls you can order on-line. He took the top off and filled the whole skull with whipped cream and then put the top back on the skull. The question is, what are you filling your mind with? I pray we will all continually fill our minds with what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent & praiseworthy.
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.
And please continue to pray for all those impacted by Hurricane Florence. As a veteran of a hurricane I can tell you that they will continue to need our prayers for several days and weeks. This isn't a one day type thing...it is a journey to walk with all those impacted, people just like me & you.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
Friday, September 7, 2018
What A Story!
Happy Friday Friends!
I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day on this absolutely gorgeous Friday afternoon on the Texas Gulf Coast!
This weeks Happy Friday is going to be super short. I want to respectfully ask you to go read this story: http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/24505521/the-jaw-dropping-story-nfl-coach-search-family
If the link doesn't work just Google "ESPN story about football coach searches for his family" or "The jaw-dropping story behind an NFL coach's search for his birth parents." It will pop up.
So why do I want you to read it? You mean other than the fact that I have literally said "Wow!!!" about 50,000,000 times since I first read it...and every time since?!?! Well, because it is a story about faith, hope, love, sacrifice and more. And I guess really, for me, it is God showing up and doing stuff, even when we don't realize it.
I also have a new quote that I absolutely love...as well as the man who said it. Though I have never had the privilege of meeting him, I hope I am half than man he is. Anyways, I am going to give you the quote though I am not going to attribute it to him here as you will read who said it in the article...and I don't want to ruin the story.
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 on this absolutely gorgeous Friday afternoon on the Texas Gulf Coast!
This weeks Happy Friday is going to be super short. I want to respectfully ask you to go read this story: http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/24505521/the-jaw-dropping-story-nfl-coach-search-family
If the link doesn't work just Google "ESPN story about football coach searches for his family" or "The jaw-dropping story behind an NFL coach's search for his birth parents." It will pop up.
So why do I want you to read it? You mean other than the fact that I have literally said "Wow!!!" about 50,000,000 times since I first read it...and every time since?!?! Well, because it is a story about faith, hope, love, sacrifice and more. And I guess really, for me, it is God showing up and doing stuff, even when we don't realize it.
I also have a new quote that I absolutely love...as well as the man who said it. Though I have never had the privilege of meeting him, I hope I am half than man he is. Anyways, I am going to give you the quote though I am not going to attribute it to him here as you will read who said it in the article...and I don't want to ruin the story.
"Being irresponsible is not neutral. When you're irresponsible, someone becomes responsible for what you've been irresponsible for."
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)