Some Reminders...

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn on the Texas Gulf Coast! A new opportunity is here!!! :)

On Monday, while listening to the radio during my study time, the announcer stated that this Monday is referred to as "Blue Monday." He went on to say that the excitement of the Holidays has passed and this, the day we celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., is the last "holiday" for most of us for quite a while. With nothing to look forward to, many people become depressed.

Negativity surrounds us. It is not hard to find a fight or argument. In fact, if you are on any sort of social media or if you watch even a few minutes of TV, you will be invited into the fray. 

Ultimately, you and I get to choose - we will choose! - what we watch, what we listen to, what we do. It is easy to get lost. This is why there are road signs everywhere. If you don't know where you are going or how to get there, you will get lost without the signs, without the guideposts. This morning I simply want to go to the Book of Truth and share some road signs, some reminders...just in case you & I forgot! :)

And I want to challenge you, especially if you are a Christian and have spent a lot of time in the Bible or church; please read each word, let it soak in. Please do not skim and jump around. We tend to think we already know but there is great wisdom in the littlest word and we are told - you will find it below! :) - not to think we know it all. In preparing this for you, I fought the temptation to copy and paste. I read and typed every word...and my soul has been blessed by it!

"This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." - Psalm 118:24

"And so, dear brothers, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living sacrifice, holy - the kind he can accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you.

As God's messenger I give each of you God's warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you. Just as there are many parts to our bodies, so it is with Christ's body. We are all parts of it, and it takes every one of us to make it complete, for we each have different work to do. So we belong to each other, and each needs all the others.

God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, then prophesy whenever you can - as often as your faith is strong enough to receive a message from God. If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. If you are a preacher, see to it that your sermons are strong and helpful. If God has given you money, be generous in helping others with it. If God has given you administrative ability and put you in charge of the work of others, take the responsibility seriously. Those who offer comfort to the sorrowing should do so with Christian cheer.

Don't just pretend that you love others: really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of good. Love each other with brotherly affection and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.

Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and prayerful always. When God's children are in need, you be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night.

If someone mistreats you because you are a Christian, don't curse him; pray that God will bless him. When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow. Work happily together. Don't try to act big. Don't try to get into the good graces of important people, but enjoy the company of ordinary folks. And don't think you know it all!

Never pay back evil for evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honest clear through. Don't quarrel with anyone. Be at peace with everyone, just as much as possible.

Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God, for he has said that he will repay those who deserve it. Don't take the law into your own hands. Instead, feed your enemy if he is hungry. If he is thirsty give him something to drink and you will be "heaping coals of fire on his head." In other words, he will feel ashamed of himself for what he has done to you. Don't let evil get the upper hand, but conquer evil by doing good." - Romans 12: 1 - 21

"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

"My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor many in filthy clothes also comes in. If you show attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who you are exploiting? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong? If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, "You shall not commit adultery," also said, "You shall not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgement without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgement.

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if is is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." - James 2: 1 - 26

"I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out - plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for." - Jeremiah 29: 11

"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love, and self-control." - 2 Timothy 1: 7

I also wanted to share one thought with you this morning. It comes from "Jesus Calling." My Beautiful Bride read it to me yesterday morning and then, so thoughtfully, wrote it on a note card and had it sitting by my coffee pot this morning. I am indeed blessed beyond measure! :)

"Spiritual blessings come wrapped in trials!"

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 

Perspective Shifts

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn on the Texas Gulf Coast.

This week I read, or had read to me, a couple of things that were really profound to me, that shifted my perspective. Because you are my friends and I think these are amazing, I have to share them with you! :)

The first came when I was reading the book, Lead...for God's Sake! A Parable For Finding The Heart of Leadership by Todd G. Gongwer. I would highly recommend this book to all of you...it is amazing! Here comes perspective shift #1:

"Since I have decided to live for the purpose God created me for, from here on, my goal will be to have everything I do flow from the foundation I've established in him. I want God to be at the center of all my priorities. Did ya catch that? No more 'God first, family second, and school, work, or team third' - that's a bunch of crap, as far as I'm concerned. It never works. God's too big to be put in a 'priority' box. Instead, he needs to be at the center of all my priorities in life because he wants to be a part of everything I do. That means whether I'm working on taking care of myself mentally, physically, emotionally, or spiritually, God remains at the center."

Wow! Mind blown...for me at least! :) As I read those words I couldn't help but think of the almost check list like life I have lived far too often. Read the Bible...check! Pray...check! Workout...check! Take care of the family...check! Work...check! Help a friend...check! Each one of these things were prioritized and placed in a nice little box. I think I always thought that if I started with the Bible and prayer, God would bleed over into the other areas as well. This isn't the way God created it to work however. Instead of all these nice, neat little boxes to check, what if God was at the center of it all? That, I believe, is how God designed us to live! We are to live with Him with us when we read the Bible, pray, workout, spend time with family, work, spend time with friends, etc....in everything! There is a warm feeling in my heart and soul as I think of living life this way! I can't change the way I have lived the previous 51 years however I can invite God into the center of everything starting right now, in this moment! This is how I plan to live my life...you too will choose! :)

Perspective shift #2 came on Wednesday, January 16th. How do I know the specific date? It came when my Beautiful Bride was reading the daily devotional to me while I ate breakfast from Jesus Calling, Enjoying Peace in His Presence by Sarah Young. I would be remiss if I didn't encourage you to read Jesus Calling. You see, Jesus Calling, was my precious Mom's ministry. She always had an extra Jesus Calling on hand and when she met someone new or encountered someone struggling with life, she would give it to them. In fact, the Jesus Calling I have right here was a gift to Kath from my Mom. Inside my Mom has written a message telling Kath how precious she is, how much my Mom loves her, and my Mom prays this devotional will bless her as much as it has blessed my Mom as they both grow closer to God. Powerful... And seeing the handwriting of my precious Mom who now gets to spend all her time with Jesus...well, it touches the heart! 

Perspective Shift #2:

"Rehearsing your troubles results in experiencing them many times, whereas you are meant to go through them only when they actually occur. Do not multiply your suffering in this way! Instead, come to Me, relax in My peace. I will strengthen you and prepare you for this day, transforming your fear in confident trust."

Wow! Wow! Wow! I had never thought of it that way, had you?! Rehearsing our troubles causes us to experience them many times when we were only actually supposed to experience them once, when they actually occur. All the days and nights thinking about the problem, struggle, challenge...playing it over and over again in the mind. Living through it time and time again. What a waste...and a horrible experience! While I know it won't be easy, I am going to strive to let it go, trust God and experience things only as they come, living fully in the present. May I please say it one more time? Wow!

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

Move Your Feet!

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day as a beautiful new opportunity begins to dawn on the Texas Gulf Coast.

This week I saw a beautiful video on Facebook. Amanda Riggan, a FedEx delivery person, recorded the video in what looks to be the back of her delivery truck. She tells a story of delivering a package to a woman. When she asks the woman how her Holidays were, the woman responds that they were not good as her husband has cancer. Amanda explains that she tried to change the subject because it was awkward. Ever been there? Amanda continues that after she drove away her heart was pounding and she kept thinking about that woman. Ever been there? Finally, Amanda says, after about another 20 stops, she goes back to the house. She rings the doorbell and when the woman answers the door with tears in her eyes, Amanda asks the woman if she can pray for her. Ever been THERE?

Then Amanda makes her point. She says a lot of people ask God to use them every day, as she does. "But when he is trying to use you, when you feel that tug on your heart strings, do you move your feet? Do you move?" She points out that we usually justify why we can't, noting she had about another 100 stops to go. And then this sweet woman offers a challenge; "When you feel the tug on your heart strings, do it!"

And then she offered some wisdom beyond her years. She stated, "When you pray, you better know what you are praying for?" She continues, if you are going to ask God to use you in someone's life, you better be ready to move when He calls you.

The raw emotion and message of this sweet Spirit is on point. Do we answer the call when we feel the tug on our heart strings? Do we move our feet? When we feel the conviction to help someone, do we do it? When we feel the conviction to call someone and offer a word of encouragement, do we do it? When we feel the conviction to pray for someone, do we do it? Yesterdays are gone, we can do nothing about them. This day, this opportunity, is here. Let's move our feet!

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

Faith

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope & trust this post finds you having a great day as a beautiful new opportunity begins to dawn on the Texas Gulf Coast! :)

This morning I want to encourage you to pick one word that will inspire you to be your best this year. It is an intentional narrowing of your focus. Jon Gordon, who wrote a book about this concept with Dan Britton and Jimmy Page titled "One Word that Will Change Your Life," explains it this way:

"It's a fun practice and much more effective than New Year's resolutions. In our busy stress-filled world with tons of distractions, the research shows that 9 out of 10 people will fail with their resolutions. But one word sticks. No goals. No resolutions. Just one word that gives you meaning, mission, passion and purpose. One word that represents the essence of who we want to be.

You may not have any idea what your word is going to be this New Year. That's okay. I still don't have my word for 2016 yet. Give it some time. Dan and Jimmy say that instead of randomly picking a word they allow the word to choose them after reflection, prayer and listening to their heart. Your word will come."
[His reference to 2016 does not mean he is 3 years late! :) It simply dates when the article was written.]

And then he offers the helpful hints:

"To help you get started ask a few questions. What do you want to focus on this year? Or what's in the way? What do you need more or less of? What needs to change?"

So, what's YOUR one word? I want to encourage you to have one Friend. Reflect, pray, listen to your heart and then, once you have picked your word or your word has picked you, intentionally walk out the word, study it, pray about it and let it transform your life.

O.K., you can shut this down now and be done if you would like. This weeks Happy Friday challenge has been thrown down! :) For the rest of you, I am going to be completely transparent and share my one word...it is also a moment of accountability for me! :)

The word that picked me this year is "Faith." I am not talking about the noun - Merriam-Webster defines this as "belief and trust in and loyalty to God" - I am talking about the verb. To actually walk out, each and every moment of each and every day, my faith. I feel a conviction to have my life, every facet of it, reflect my belief and trust in God. I believe this will show up in my thoughts, my words, my actions - regardless of where or who I am with. Regardless of the situation or circumstances. Faith...

So, as I am 4 days into my year of Faith, I have been studying, reflecting and praying about what I have learned. Here are some things about Faith that I have studied and shared on Facebook and Twitter.

"What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead." - Hebrews 11:1

"Let your life reflect the faith you have in God. Fear nothing and pray about everything. Be strong, trust God's word, and trust the process." - Germany Kent

"To learn strong faith is to endure great trials. I have learned my faith by standing firm amid severe testings." - George Mueller

"Faith is not believing in my own unshakable belief. Faith is believing an unshakable God when everything in me trembles and quakes." - Beth Moore

"Faith can move mountains. So why are you stumbling on a little rock?" - Jonathan Nettles

"Faith give you an inner strength and a sense of balance and perspective in life." - Gregory Peck

"Faith is not so much something we believe; faith is something we live." - Joseph B. Wirthlin

You get the point. Please know, your one word is not something you have to proclaim from the rooftops and you don't have to share it in a blog, on Facebook, on Twitter or anywhere else. I only did this to encourage you and to give you ideas, to empower you, to walk this out. Ultimately, this is simply something between you and God.

And I also feel convicted to share that I truly believe that the only way I will actually walk out Faith is by the strength and wisdom of the Holy Spirit. I know Kevin Haslam is to weak to do this on his own...I think that is why the Beth Moore quote above speaks so powerfully to me. Please don't be overwhelmed by your word...let it lead, guide and transform you. So Sweet Friend, what is your one word?

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