Happy Friday Friends!
I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day has dawned in the great state of Illinois! :)
Whew! What a last 36 hours it has been! In the last 36 hours the Haslam crew has taken 2 trips, driven more than 10 hours and been in the states of Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri and Illinois! I am sitting in the lobby of a hotel as I type this Happy Friday! We are just outside of St. Louis and are here to move Payton into his apartment so he is prepared to begin his graduate assistantship on Thursday! A wonderful, crazy, beautiful journey! :)
Last Saturday we went to see the new Lion King. I love that movie! There are so many great life lessons in it! There was one quick line - I don't remember it from the first Lion King - and it shook my spirit.
There is a scene where King Mufasa is speaking with his son, Simba, and teaching him what it means to be a king. Simba is excited about ruling over everyone and everything...sound familiar? And then King Mufasa says, "There's more to being a king than getting your way all the time." He goes on to say something like, "Everyone is worried about what they can get all the time, but kings give." I am sorry I cannot find the exact quote. As I stated, I don't recall it from the first Lion King and when I went looking for the script from this Lion King, I couldn't find it. Guess I need to go to the movie again!!! :) Regardless, you get the point.
That last part, about kings giving, really stuck with me. We clearly live in a get, as opposed to give, society. What would our world look like if we all focused more on what we can give instead of what we can get?
There are three things each one of us can give - time, talent & treasure. Of these three, what is the most valuable? Oh, how we love our money and our material possessions. Most believe this is the most valuable thing we possess - our money - and many are willing to beg, borrow, cheat and/or steal to get it! And yes, some are willing to sacrifice relationships and health to earn it. Please Friends, think about it. Think about the number of problems, challenges and issues that exist because of the begging, borrowing, cheating and stealing of money, of the countless broken lives littered along the trail of more money, more possessions, more stuff...it is mind blowing! And yet money is replaceable. But there is one thing, our time, which is irreplaceable. When we give of our time we are giving of our most precious resource because we will never get it back. With this, we would be wise to choose how we utilize our time, we need to be grateful when anyone gives us theirs and we need to honor one anothers.
I want to challenge each one of us to focus on what we can give as opposed to what we can get. The key to giving of anything is to give to what moves your heart. We all have different passions, just as we all have different amounts of time, different talents and different amounts of money. It is not about comparing the size of your gift to the size of anothers, it is about giving to what is most meaningful to you in whatever measure you feel you should give. Trust me on this one, your spirit will lead you! All you and I have to do is be willing to give, the rest will take care of itself.
So, whatever your time, talent or treasure, please use it this week to bless another in accordance with what stirs your soul. There is something you are passionate about...we are all passionate about something! Don't worry that you are not enough, that you don't have enough or that your gift will not make a difference. These are all lies perpetuated by the great deceiver who comes to kill, steal and destroy. You are more than enough, you have exactly what someone needs and a gift of any amount has the potential to make a significant difference in the life of another. Yes, you are that powerful!
I want to wrap this up by sharing a couple of scriptures and quotes with you.
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. - 2 Corinthians 9:7
A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. - Proverbs 11:25
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' - Acts 20:35
"There is no higher calling than service to your fellow man, and to do so through your own personal mastery of a craft is a gift enjoyed by few. Cultivate this gift, and give it away." - Chris Matakas
"It's not the depth of your intellect that will comfort you or transform your world. Only the richness of your heart and your generosity of spirit can do that." - Rasheed Ogunlaru
"Yes, of course we could all use some help. There isn't a person alive without a need. So don't ask the silly question, just figure out how you're going to help and do it!" - Richelle E. Goodrich
"I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver." - Maya Angelou
"Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege." - John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
"Your greatness is not what you have, but what you give." - Unknown
There is a scene in Lion King where King Mufasa and Simba are looking up at the stars. King Mufasa tells Simba that the great kings of the past are up there looking over us. I now know of two great kings, one very, very real and one not so much, who have told me that kings give. Both demonstrated it in unmeasurable ways. I pray we would have the wisdom, strength, courage and grace to follow them!
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
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Friday, July 19, 2019
Rats & Our Uniqueness
Happy Friday Friends!
I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day as the glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! :)
This morning I want to share some thoughts & ideas with you. Some are from lines in a movie, some come from quotes and some come from thoughtful conversation. A key, the real key, is that while I can share the thought and/or idea, each one of us must choose what we will do with it. To see, hear, learn and to do nothing with it is to waste the gift of knowledge & wisdom. I pray we will not just see and hear but that we would do! :)
Last weekend my Beautiful Bride, oldest Tender Warrior and I watched Ratatouille. If you haven't seen this movie, or perhaps you haven't watched it in a while, I want to encourage you to watch it this weekend. Yes, it is an animation however it has many great messages within it.
One moment was very poignant to me. At the end of the movie, the dreaded food critic says the following:
"In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgement. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations, the new needs friends." - Anton Ego, Ratatouille
This brings to mind the quote by Theodore Roosevelt:
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt
I am going to share some thoughts however before doing so I want to share a conversation I had yesterday morning and a few quotes. While working out yesterday I was visiting with a colleague. We were talking about the challenges of working with some types of people and he made the statement, "Like the rest of us, he is unique." Please think about that short, 8 word sentence for a moment...Like. The. Rest. Of. Us. He. Is. Unique.
According to the Bible, which I believe, you and I are fearfully and wonderfully made. We were created on purpose for a purpose. We are perfectly equipped, lacking nothing. There are not any two of us walking the face of the earth who are exactly alike. Each one of us is unique - not better, not worse, just different. It is a beautiful thing! And yet, sadly, so many of us spend all of our time trying to be like everyone else when that is not what we were created to be. Sad, tragic, and so ironic. You & I are these beautiful, unique creations that spend far to much time trying to be like everyone else and then feeling unfulfilled because we are not seen for who we are. We have to be who we are before we can become all we were created to become - a "Duh" kind of statement however some of us need to hear that this morning!
I want to share several quotes about being unique. Yes, I am trying to encourage you to be YOU! :)
"The person who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The person who walks alone is likely to find himself in places no one has ever seen before." - Albert Einstein
"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken." - Oscar Wilde
"If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be." - Maya Angelou
"By being yourself you put something wonderful in the world that was not there before." - Edwin Elliott
"I've come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that's as unique as a fingerprint - and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you." - Oprah Winfrey
"You can make life very simple or very complicated. Some people try to be what others want them to be. Others try to be different just to stand out. In both cases, they are changing themselves to impress others. Neither of these paths has a heart. Be true to yourself. It's that simple." - Mike Stutman
"Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else." - Margaret Mead
"A human being is a single being. Unique and unrepeatable." - Eileen Caddy
"From the very beginning you are being told to compare yourself with others. This is the greatest disease; it is like a cancer that goes on destroying your very soul because each individual is unique, and comparison is not possible." - Osho
"As we grow as unique persons, we learn to respect the uniqueness of others." - Robert H. Schuller
So there are two challenges I would like to offer us on this glorious morning! :)
1. Please be YOU! Live the talents, gifts & abilities you have been given! Develop them fully, to the very best of your ability, with God's help! Please don't look left, right, back or down...Look up and follow the path before you! Please don't worry about what others say, think or do...you are not living their lives and they are not living yours. Please embrace the wonderful, beautiful YOU! I am telling you Sweet Friend, YOU have so much to offer and this world so desperately needs YOU!
You know who I want to be like? My chocolate lab, Lexus. Don't laugh, I am serious! :) She is not the least bit concerned about being anything other than a chocolate lab. Sadly sometimes, she doesn't care what anyone else says, thinks or does. :) She is just being the best chocolate lab she knows how to be. And her best quality? She loves unconditionally. In the 2+ years we have had her, I have seen her "mad" exactly 1 time...it was when our beagle was being mean to one of our family members and Lexus just wasn't going to have that - she was protecting us. Putting herself between what she perceived to be a threat and the one's she loves. Yes, I hope I grow up to be just like my dog! :) Being the best me I can be, loving everyone unconditionally and willing to put myself in harms way to protect those I love.
2. Please don't be the critic. As I have been typing this I can't help but think how many of our problems in society come back to being a critic. Think about it for a minute. We, as a society, are so busy criticizing others. What would this world look like if we weren't allowed to say anything about someone else? What if we all just worked on becoming the best we were capable of becoming? If our minutes, hours and days were spent developing our talents, gifts and abilities and we used those to serve others? This would be a completely different world.
Let's not be like the last line of the quote from Ratatouille above, "The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations, the new needs friends." No, instead lets be like the quote from Robert H. Schuller, "As we grow as unique persons, we learn to respect the uniqueness of others." Let's simply strive to be the best we are capable of becoming and encourage, empower and 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 family!
Kev
I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day as the glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! :)
This morning I want to share some thoughts & ideas with you. Some are from lines in a movie, some come from quotes and some come from thoughtful conversation. A key, the real key, is that while I can share the thought and/or idea, each one of us must choose what we will do with it. To see, hear, learn and to do nothing with it is to waste the gift of knowledge & wisdom. I pray we will not just see and hear but that we would do! :)
Last weekend my Beautiful Bride, oldest Tender Warrior and I watched Ratatouille. If you haven't seen this movie, or perhaps you haven't watched it in a while, I want to encourage you to watch it this weekend. Yes, it is an animation however it has many great messages within it.
One moment was very poignant to me. At the end of the movie, the dreaded food critic says the following:
"In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgement. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations, the new needs friends." - Anton Ego, Ratatouille
This brings to mind the quote by Theodore Roosevelt:
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt
I am going to share some thoughts however before doing so I want to share a conversation I had yesterday morning and a few quotes. While working out yesterday I was visiting with a colleague. We were talking about the challenges of working with some types of people and he made the statement, "Like the rest of us, he is unique." Please think about that short, 8 word sentence for a moment...Like. The. Rest. Of. Us. He. Is. Unique.
According to the Bible, which I believe, you and I are fearfully and wonderfully made. We were created on purpose for a purpose. We are perfectly equipped, lacking nothing. There are not any two of us walking the face of the earth who are exactly alike. Each one of us is unique - not better, not worse, just different. It is a beautiful thing! And yet, sadly, so many of us spend all of our time trying to be like everyone else when that is not what we were created to be. Sad, tragic, and so ironic. You & I are these beautiful, unique creations that spend far to much time trying to be like everyone else and then feeling unfulfilled because we are not seen for who we are. We have to be who we are before we can become all we were created to become - a "Duh" kind of statement however some of us need to hear that this morning!
I want to share several quotes about being unique. Yes, I am trying to encourage you to be YOU! :)
"The person who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The person who walks alone is likely to find himself in places no one has ever seen before." - Albert Einstein
"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken." - Oscar Wilde
"If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be." - Maya Angelou
"By being yourself you put something wonderful in the world that was not there before." - Edwin Elliott
"I've come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that's as unique as a fingerprint - and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you." - Oprah Winfrey
"You can make life very simple or very complicated. Some people try to be what others want them to be. Others try to be different just to stand out. In both cases, they are changing themselves to impress others. Neither of these paths has a heart. Be true to yourself. It's that simple." - Mike Stutman
"Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else." - Margaret Mead
"A human being is a single being. Unique and unrepeatable." - Eileen Caddy
"From the very beginning you are being told to compare yourself with others. This is the greatest disease; it is like a cancer that goes on destroying your very soul because each individual is unique, and comparison is not possible." - Osho
"As we grow as unique persons, we learn to respect the uniqueness of others." - Robert H. Schuller
So there are two challenges I would like to offer us on this glorious morning! :)
1. Please be YOU! Live the talents, gifts & abilities you have been given! Develop them fully, to the very best of your ability, with God's help! Please don't look left, right, back or down...Look up and follow the path before you! Please don't worry about what others say, think or do...you are not living their lives and they are not living yours. Please embrace the wonderful, beautiful YOU! I am telling you Sweet Friend, YOU have so much to offer and this world so desperately needs YOU!
You know who I want to be like? My chocolate lab, Lexus. Don't laugh, I am serious! :) She is not the least bit concerned about being anything other than a chocolate lab. Sadly sometimes, she doesn't care what anyone else says, thinks or does. :) She is just being the best chocolate lab she knows how to be. And her best quality? She loves unconditionally. In the 2+ years we have had her, I have seen her "mad" exactly 1 time...it was when our beagle was being mean to one of our family members and Lexus just wasn't going to have that - she was protecting us. Putting herself between what she perceived to be a threat and the one's she loves. Yes, I hope I grow up to be just like my dog! :) Being the best me I can be, loving everyone unconditionally and willing to put myself in harms way to protect those I love.
2. Please don't be the critic. As I have been typing this I can't help but think how many of our problems in society come back to being a critic. Think about it for a minute. We, as a society, are so busy criticizing others. What would this world look like if we weren't allowed to say anything about someone else? What if we all just worked on becoming the best we were capable of becoming? If our minutes, hours and days were spent developing our talents, gifts and abilities and we used those to serve others? This would be a completely different world.
Let's not be like the last line of the quote from Ratatouille above, "The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations, the new needs friends." No, instead lets be like the quote from Robert H. Schuller, "As we grow as unique persons, we learn to respect the uniqueness of others." Let's simply strive to be the best we are capable of becoming and encourage, empower and 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 family!
Kev
Friday, July 12, 2019
Keep Showing Up
Happy Friday Friends!
I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! This is sure to be a great day! :)
Before diving into this Happy Friday, I want to respectfully ask you to pray for those being impacted by Tropical Storm Barry. Thank you.
This morning I just want to visit with you for a few minutes. Please grab a cup of coffee or tea and lets visit for a few minutes. I want to encourage you with something that is on my heart.
We are all in different seasons life, we are at different points on our journeys. I am reminded of Ecclesiastes 3: 1 - 8 (International Children's Bible) which says,
There is a right time for everything.
Everything on earth has its special season.
There is a time to be born and a time to die.
There is a time to plant and a time to pull up plants.
There is a time to kill and a time to heal.
There is a time to destroy and a time to build.
There is a time to cry and a time to laugh.
There is a time to be sad and a time to dance.
There is a time to throw away stones and a time to gather them.
There is a time to hug and a time not to hug.
There is a time to look for something and a time to stop looking for it.
There is a time to keep things and a time to throw things away.
There is a time to tear apart and a time to sew together.
There is a time to be silent and a time to speak.
There is a time to love and a time to hate.
There is a time for war and a time for peace.
The point is, there is a time for everything. And with everything there are these great feelings and emotions that go with them. Even just typing those words, I could feel the different emotions associated with the different seasons of life.
What I want to encourage you with this morning, Sweet Friends, is no matter the season of life, keep showing up! Keep living the best life you are capable of living for that day, depending on God's provisions for that day. No question, some days are going to be better than others...we all experience "good" and "bad" days and seasons. They are inevitable in this fallen, broken world. Regardless of the situation or circumstance, we do have choices. We can choose to show up every day and give our very best to that day...and I pray we will!
There are two areas of life that I would like to briefly focus on this morning when it comes to showing up.
1. Relationships. I truly believe that the key to, well everything, is relationships. From our relationship with the Lord to the countless people that come into our lives, it is the breadth and depth of our relationships that determine the quality of the lives we live. Please Sweet Friends, keep showing up!
Somewhere along the line we, sadly, determined that it is o.k. to just discard people, that it is o.k. to just give up. Instead of fighting for our relationships, we give up when it gets tough, when it starts to get a little messy. I don't believe that is what we are called to do. And please, let me be clear, I am not talking about staying in abusive relationships. If someone is hurting you physically, mentally or spiritually, please seek help from one of the many groups/organizations that will help you get to a safe, healthy, place.
What I am talking about is the husband showing up every day and loving his family as he has been called to do. What I am talking about is the Dad showing up every day and loving, guiding and providing for his children as he has been called to do. What I am talking about is the friend showing up every day and helping a friend in need. I am talking about showing up every day, loving people where they are and being a stepping stone, not a stumbling block. I fully understand that it is not easy but it is a choice and every choice has consequences. I pray you & I will show up every day in every relationship we have the privilege of having and we give the very best that we have that day to it. Not always pretty. Not always easy. Always worth it!
2. Your talents/gifts/abilities. Please remember, what you do vocationally does not define who you are. Ideally, your job will simply be an opportunity for you to use the talents, gifts & abilities you have been given to walk out your purpose in life. Who you are and what you were created to do is so much greater than your job title!
Please, show up every day and invest your time & energy in the talents, gifts and abilities you have been given. You were created on purpose, for a great purpose, for which you are perfectly equipped, lacking nothing. Please don't let those talents, gifts and abilities lay dormant. Show up every day and work on them. They are gift to you from the Lord. It is now your responsibility to develop them to the best of your ability, with God's help, so they may be used to serve the world. This world needs what you have to offer but you gotta show up in order to deliver them.
Look Friends, I know this is not easy. Life is hard. We get tired. Sometimes we just want to curl up in a little ball and lay on the couch or in bed and let the day pass by. Sometimes we want to run from people instead of to them. I totally get it. Please remember, feelings aren't facts. What I just listed were a whole bunch of feelings. We feel tired. We feel overwhelmed. We feel afraid. We think if we avoid or run from things then maybe the feelings will go away. The thing is, running away from people or callings never solves the problem. It simply creates new problems, some with eternal consequences. I simply want to encourage you this morning to keep showing up and giving the very best you have to offer in each day.
Finally, I want to share a quote that I have shared before. It is such a profound quote to me that it really became my life mantra the first time I read it.
"Nothing is easier than saying words, nothing is harder than living them day after day. What you decide today and commit to today, you must re-decide and recommit to tomorrow, and each day that stretches out before you." - Arthur Gordon
I pray that you & I will choose to show up every day, starting with this one!
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 week and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! This is sure to be a great day! :)
Before diving into this Happy Friday, I want to respectfully ask you to pray for those being impacted by Tropical Storm Barry. Thank you.
This morning I just want to visit with you for a few minutes. Please grab a cup of coffee or tea and lets visit for a few minutes. I want to encourage you with something that is on my heart.
We are all in different seasons life, we are at different points on our journeys. I am reminded of Ecclesiastes 3: 1 - 8 (International Children's Bible) which says,
There is a right time for everything.
Everything on earth has its special season.
There is a time to be born and a time to die.
There is a time to plant and a time to pull up plants.
There is a time to kill and a time to heal.
There is a time to destroy and a time to build.
There is a time to cry and a time to laugh.
There is a time to be sad and a time to dance.
There is a time to throw away stones and a time to gather them.
There is a time to hug and a time not to hug.
There is a time to look for something and a time to stop looking for it.
There is a time to keep things and a time to throw things away.
There is a time to tear apart and a time to sew together.
There is a time to be silent and a time to speak.
There is a time to love and a time to hate.
There is a time for war and a time for peace.
The point is, there is a time for everything. And with everything there are these great feelings and emotions that go with them. Even just typing those words, I could feel the different emotions associated with the different seasons of life.
What I want to encourage you with this morning, Sweet Friends, is no matter the season of life, keep showing up! Keep living the best life you are capable of living for that day, depending on God's provisions for that day. No question, some days are going to be better than others...we all experience "good" and "bad" days and seasons. They are inevitable in this fallen, broken world. Regardless of the situation or circumstance, we do have choices. We can choose to show up every day and give our very best to that day...and I pray we will!
There are two areas of life that I would like to briefly focus on this morning when it comes to showing up.
1. Relationships. I truly believe that the key to, well everything, is relationships. From our relationship with the Lord to the countless people that come into our lives, it is the breadth and depth of our relationships that determine the quality of the lives we live. Please Sweet Friends, keep showing up!
Somewhere along the line we, sadly, determined that it is o.k. to just discard people, that it is o.k. to just give up. Instead of fighting for our relationships, we give up when it gets tough, when it starts to get a little messy. I don't believe that is what we are called to do. And please, let me be clear, I am not talking about staying in abusive relationships. If someone is hurting you physically, mentally or spiritually, please seek help from one of the many groups/organizations that will help you get to a safe, healthy, place.
What I am talking about is the husband showing up every day and loving his family as he has been called to do. What I am talking about is the Dad showing up every day and loving, guiding and providing for his children as he has been called to do. What I am talking about is the friend showing up every day and helping a friend in need. I am talking about showing up every day, loving people where they are and being a stepping stone, not a stumbling block. I fully understand that it is not easy but it is a choice and every choice has consequences. I pray you & I will show up every day in every relationship we have the privilege of having and we give the very best that we have that day to it. Not always pretty. Not always easy. Always worth it!
2. Your talents/gifts/abilities. Please remember, what you do vocationally does not define who you are. Ideally, your job will simply be an opportunity for you to use the talents, gifts & abilities you have been given to walk out your purpose in life. Who you are and what you were created to do is so much greater than your job title!
Please, show up every day and invest your time & energy in the talents, gifts and abilities you have been given. You were created on purpose, for a great purpose, for which you are perfectly equipped, lacking nothing. Please don't let those talents, gifts and abilities lay dormant. Show up every day and work on them. They are gift to you from the Lord. It is now your responsibility to develop them to the best of your ability, with God's help, so they may be used to serve the world. This world needs what you have to offer but you gotta show up in order to deliver them.
Look Friends, I know this is not easy. Life is hard. We get tired. Sometimes we just want to curl up in a little ball and lay on the couch or in bed and let the day pass by. Sometimes we want to run from people instead of to them. I totally get it. Please remember, feelings aren't facts. What I just listed were a whole bunch of feelings. We feel tired. We feel overwhelmed. We feel afraid. We think if we avoid or run from things then maybe the feelings will go away. The thing is, running away from people or callings never solves the problem. It simply creates new problems, some with eternal consequences. I simply want to encourage you this morning to keep showing up and giving the very best you have to offer in each day.
Finally, I want to share a quote that I have shared before. It is such a profound quote to me that it really became my life mantra the first time I read it.
"Nothing is easier than saying words, nothing is harder than living them day after day. What you decide today and commit to today, you must re-decide and recommit to tomorrow, and each day that stretches out before you." - Arthur Gordon
I pray that you & I will choose to show up every day, starting with this one!
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 week and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
Sunday, July 7, 2019
The Moment
Happy Friday Friends!
I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great Sunday from my Sweet Home Alabama!
As a dear, sweet, friend of mine would say, "Merciful Fathers!" It's Sunday afternoon and I am just now getting around to writing this Happy Friday. As you will see in just a moment - pun not intended! :) - I am getting it done at just the right moment! (O.K., I meant to do that one!) :)
What an amazing week it has been! I am so very blessed, truly beyond measure! After getting off work last Friday, my family and I went to Birmingham where we picked up Uncle Phil at the airport and went to a Birmingham Barons baseball game. I love minor league baseball! :) We stayed the night in Birmingham and then on Saturday - my birthday! :) - we drove down to Destin for a week long vacation. It was so amazing! We got to spend quality time with friends who have become family and we got to make several new friends! I drove a boat out to Crab Island and back without running into another boat...my goal!! :) Landry put on an amazing fireworks show on the 4th, we played more games of cornhole than I can count, we rode kayaks and paddle boards...I am telling you, it was simply awesome! :)
On about Wednesday, I started thinking about Happy Friday. During my prayer time, I asked God what this weeks Happy Friday was to be about. This conviction came over me to just live in the moment. On Thursday, I asked God again. Again, I felt this conviction to just live in the moment. On Friday, when I asked once more, I again felt a conviction to live in the moment. Late last night, as I was drifting off to sleep, I had a great idea...I should write this Happy Friday about living in the moment! I have no idea where that great idea came from!!! :)
How often do we spend time wishing for a different time, place or opportunity? Have you ever said, "When [fill in the blank with whatever your "when" is] then I will be happy/go on vacation/live in the moment"? Yeah, me too! Instead of turning this into a chewing myself out session or regretting what I have/have not done, I am simply going to make a commitment right here, right now; for the next 365 days, I am going to commit every day to live fully present in each and every moment. I am going to write it down - July 7, 2019. I am going to circle back - God willing - on July 7, 2020 and report on the previous 365 days of my life. I am certain they will have honored God, my family and I will be fulfilled! And I want to invite you, my Sweet Friends, to join my in doing the same!
To encourage, empower & equip you & I on this 365 day journey, I want to share some quotes about living in the moment.
"Forever is composed of nows." - Emily Dickinson
"What day is it?" asked Pooh.
"It's today," squeaked Piglet.
"My favorite day," said Pooh." - A.A. Milne
"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"You must live in the moment, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this." - Henry David Thoreau
"I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which I shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it." - Groucho Marx
"Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life." - Eckhart Tolle
"The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it." - Thomas S. Monson
"We spend precious hours fearing the inevitable. It would be wise to use that time adoring our families, cherishing our friends and living our lives." - Maya Angelou
"Life is here today and we must think of what we can do today for today was the vision of yesterday and the true foundation of tomorrow." - Ernest Agyemang Yeboah
"Happiness is achieved when you stop waiting for your life to begin and start making the most of the moment you are in." - Germany Kent
"The best way to teach a child is to live an exemplary life." - Lailah Gifty Akita
"Wherever you are, be there. If you can be fully present now, you'll know what it means to live." - Steve Goodier
"We can block our blessing with one thought, one decision. Sometimes your blessing may require certain actions on your behalf. You asked for the job? Now, you must get dressed and go to the interview and prove yourself worthy of the position. When you move, you activate your faith. And, suddenly everything falls into place. Faith without works is dead." - Amaka Imani Nkosazana
"Every day is a new adventure so embrace it fully with your whole heart and soul." - Crystal Tyler
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, an amazing week and please cherish your precious families!
Kev
I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great Sunday from my Sweet Home Alabama!
As a dear, sweet, friend of mine would say, "Merciful Fathers!" It's Sunday afternoon and I am just now getting around to writing this Happy Friday. As you will see in just a moment - pun not intended! :) - I am getting it done at just the right moment! (O.K., I meant to do that one!) :)
What an amazing week it has been! I am so very blessed, truly beyond measure! After getting off work last Friday, my family and I went to Birmingham where we picked up Uncle Phil at the airport and went to a Birmingham Barons baseball game. I love minor league baseball! :) We stayed the night in Birmingham and then on Saturday - my birthday! :) - we drove down to Destin for a week long vacation. It was so amazing! We got to spend quality time with friends who have become family and we got to make several new friends! I drove a boat out to Crab Island and back without running into another boat...my goal!! :) Landry put on an amazing fireworks show on the 4th, we played more games of cornhole than I can count, we rode kayaks and paddle boards...I am telling you, it was simply awesome! :)
On about Wednesday, I started thinking about Happy Friday. During my prayer time, I asked God what this weeks Happy Friday was to be about. This conviction came over me to just live in the moment. On Thursday, I asked God again. Again, I felt this conviction to just live in the moment. On Friday, when I asked once more, I again felt a conviction to live in the moment. Late last night, as I was drifting off to sleep, I had a great idea...I should write this Happy Friday about living in the moment! I have no idea where that great idea came from!!! :)
How often do we spend time wishing for a different time, place or opportunity? Have you ever said, "When [fill in the blank with whatever your "when" is] then I will be happy/go on vacation/live in the moment"? Yeah, me too! Instead of turning this into a chewing myself out session or regretting what I have/have not done, I am simply going to make a commitment right here, right now; for the next 365 days, I am going to commit every day to live fully present in each and every moment. I am going to write it down - July 7, 2019. I am going to circle back - God willing - on July 7, 2020 and report on the previous 365 days of my life. I am certain they will have honored God, my family and I will be fulfilled! And I want to invite you, my Sweet Friends, to join my in doing the same!
To encourage, empower & equip you & I on this 365 day journey, I want to share some quotes about living in the moment.
"Forever is composed of nows." - Emily Dickinson
"What day is it?" asked Pooh.
"It's today," squeaked Piglet.
"My favorite day," said Pooh." - A.A. Milne
"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"You must live in the moment, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this." - Henry David Thoreau
"I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which I shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it." - Groucho Marx
"Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life." - Eckhart Tolle
"The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it." - Thomas S. Monson
"We spend precious hours fearing the inevitable. It would be wise to use that time adoring our families, cherishing our friends and living our lives." - Maya Angelou
"Life is here today and we must think of what we can do today for today was the vision of yesterday and the true foundation of tomorrow." - Ernest Agyemang Yeboah
"Happiness is achieved when you stop waiting for your life to begin and start making the most of the moment you are in." - Germany Kent
"The best way to teach a child is to live an exemplary life." - Lailah Gifty Akita
"Wherever you are, be there. If you can be fully present now, you'll know what it means to live." - Steve Goodier
"We can block our blessing with one thought, one decision. Sometimes your blessing may require certain actions on your behalf. You asked for the job? Now, you must get dressed and go to the interview and prove yourself worthy of the position. When you move, you activate your faith. And, suddenly everything falls into place. Faith without works is dead." - Amaka Imani Nkosazana
"Every day is a new adventure so embrace it fully with your whole heart and soul." - Crystal Tyler
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, an amazing week and please cherish your precious families!
Kev
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