Happy Friday Friends!
I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day on this glorious day from my Sweet Home Alabama! :)
So Friends, how are you going through this storm we are all facing? The coronavirus is impacting every single one of us, so how are you going through it? Are you dreading every day, watching countless news cycles or, are you approaching each day with optimism, filling your hours with activities that will make you a better person, helping you achieve your potential? Is having the kids home all day a burden or is it an opportunity to deepen your relationship with them? Here is the bottom line; we are all going to go through this...the thing each one of us has to determine is how.
I want to share a story. It is related to what we are talking about thought it is not a direct link. Just the same, I think you will enjoy the story and it will certainly help all of us with this storm as well as the next and the next and the next...
What I am going to share comes from a story written by Ray Reuter on August 13, 2015. The title of the article is Storms, Cows & Buffalo. You can read the entire article at unfetteredpotential.com.
"When a storm approaches, cows will move east, away from the storm. The storm is coming from the west, the cows see it, so they head east and run away from it. Makes sense - hard to argue with that logical behavior. However, eventually that storm will catch up to the cows. That's a problem...the fear and the avoidance of facing the storm causes cows to run. The cow hopes the storm goes away, and when it doesn't, the cow is surprised with that reality. Optimism, wishful thinking, running away, avoiding danger, looking away and pretending the storm is not there do not work.
In the case of the buffalo, they react the opposite. They head west, right into the storm. Directly heading into harm's way is counter-intuitive...and brilliant! By moving toward the storm the impact of the storm is dramatically reduced.
When something, bad, difficult, or fearful comes over the ridge, how do you respond? Do you respond like the cow, running away from the storm and hoping it chooses a different path, hoping it goes away? Or do you respond like a buffalo, going head-first into the storm with eyes wide open, knowing that facing challenges straight-on with courage and fortitude will ultimately lessen the significance and effects.
It is easy for us to justify and rationalize the logical cow behavior of running away from the tough and crazy. I challenge us to be a buffalo - facing the storms and fears we are avoiding, moving towards them with faith and confidence, knowing that beyond the storm the clouds fade away and the sunshine awaits."
Every single one of us wishes coronavirus would go away, that schools would be open, the restaurants would be open and that we could simply get together with our friends. This, however, is not our current reality. Coronavirus is real and it is infecting thousands. Because of this, we have all been asked to stay home if we can. No school, no restaurants, no gatherings with friends, no sports, etc. These are the facts. We don't control any of those things. We do however get to choose how we are going to go through this time?
In the years that follow, how will you and I look back at this time? Rest assured, none of us will ever forget it as long as we live. We are going to walk this path...but how?
You know, you and I can choose to make the most of what is a very difficult situation for all of us. We can choose to challenge ourselves mentally by reading books, writing, or listening to podcasts. We can choose to challenge ourselves physically by doing push-ups and sit-ups, or going for a walk. We can choose to challenge ourselves spiritually by reading the Bible, praying or listening to Christian music. We can choose to challenge ourselves as spouses/partners or parents by talking to our significant other, talking to our kids or just sitting out on the porch with our family members. And we can choose to encourage others by writing letters, calling the person we have long wanted to call but didn't have time or using our talents to make a gift for someone. The time you and I are at home is going to pass anyways...but how?
I am bound and determined to come through this storm better and stronger than I went into it. I have challenged my families - home and work - to do the same. Let's not run from this season of life like a cow...let's run into this season of life like a buffalo. It's not Pollyanna and rose colored glasses. It is facing the reality of our situation and choosing to make the most of it. Easy? Absolutely not! It is a daily choice. I can promise you, having chosen how I would go through several storms in my life, you will not regret the choice of pursuing your greatness, and encouraging, empowering and equipping others to do the same, will we go through this storm.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
Friday, March 27, 2020
Friday, March 20, 2020
Choices
Happy Friday Friends!
I hope and trust this post finds you having had a great day on this soggy Friday night in my Sweet Home Alabama!
This week I want to talk about choices. We all have them, and we all make them, every day. I am not here this evening to judge you, to ridicule you or to tell you that your choices, attitudes and/or behaviors are wrong. I am simply here to encourage you and to make us all aware that we are very powerful because we have the ability to choose...
The first choice I want to talk about is the things that we allow to be poured into our lives. Whether it is the things we read, listen to or see, they are shaping our thoughts which in turn directly impact our feelings and emotions which in turn impact our attitudes and behaviors.
Please Sweet Friends, carefully consider the things that you will allow to be poured into your life. Learn? Grow? Be educated? Understand the circumstance/situation? Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely and absolutely! However there is a point where we have all of the information and it is time to turn off the flow. And when it comes to someone else's thoughts - just like these! - or opinions, we would be wise to inventory how they are impacting our lives. If, after allowing whatever it is to be poured into our lives, the outcome is negative - thoughts, feelings, emotions, attitudes, behaviors, etc. - we would be wise to perhaps choose differently. Likewise, we would be wise to continue to pour things in that bring a positive result. Bottom line, you and I choose every day that things that we will allow to fill our well. And we know, what's in the well, always comes up in the bucket.
The second choice I want to encourage you to consider is your beliefs. It is none of my business so I will ask this question in rhetorical form; what do you believe? You see Sweet Friends, we can try to give the "right" answer or the "Sunday School" answer however we will always walk out what we actually believe. Let me share a couple of pieces of information with you - one from the spiritual world and one from the secular world.
Spiritual:
Billy Graham, in answering a question about what is more important, our beliefs or our behaviors responded in part (you can read this at billygraham.org):
"...because what we believe will influence how we live - no matter who we are. Let me explain.
Suppose, for example, you believed the only purpose of life was to have a good time. God wasn't important to you; you only cared about yourself and what was happening to you right now. Would this belief influence the way you lived? Of course.
The tragedy, however, is that eventually you'd find you were on a dead-end road. Not only would you never find lasting happiness, but one day you'd die and meet God - and then it would be too late. You'd discover your wrong beliefs betrayed you."
Secular:
The following excerpts are taken from 3 Ways Your Beliefs Can Shape Your Reality: You don't need quantum physics to understand the power of belief. It was written by Dr. Juliana Breines on August 30, 2015. You can find the article at psychologytoday.com.
"1. Your beliefs influence your behavior.
One of the most basic ways that beliefs can shape reality is through their influence on behavior.
2. Your beliefs influence other people's behavior.
Your beliefs can shape your reality not only be influencing your own behavior, but also by influencing other people's behavior, from close relationship partners to complete strangers.
3. Your beliefs may impact your health.
Research on the placebo effect also support the link between beliefs and health. Remarkably, the mere expectation that a treatment will be effective can sometimes make it so, even if that treatment is just a sugar pill."
Dr. Breines concludes her article with these two paragraphs:
"How can you harness the power of belief to improve your life? For one, you can engage in practices that change your habitual way of thinking, such as keeping a gratitude journal or learning mindfulness meditation. These practices can help you notice and appreciate the good in life and keep you from getting caught up in unconstructive, negative thoughts. Second, you can set clear intentions for how you want to approach each day and make an effort to align your behavior with those intentions. Even when things don't go your way, you'll know that you're moving in the right direction and using the leverage that you have.
And finally, you can recognize that while beliefs may be powerful, they are certainly not all-powerful, and life is full of suffering that we neither invite nor deserve. Recognizing the limitations in belief can make us more compassionate towards those who find themselves in unfortunate circumstances, including ourselves."
So, whether you want to look at the spiritual or secular, both line up with the idea that our beliefs determine our behaviors. We simply have to decide if the beliefs we hold true are leading to the quality of life we want to live. We will choose...
I also want to encourage us to think about our choices in 3 specific areas - Our thoughts, our words and our actions.
Our thoughts...
The battle is real. Our thoughts can run wild if we let them. You and I would be wise to choose which thoughts we will allow and which one's we will immediately dismiss. The decision is critically important as it will lead to the words we speak and the actions we take which will ultimately lead to the quality of the life we live.
Our words...
Again, we get to choose. We love to say things like, "I couldn't help what I said! [Fill in the blank] made me so [fill in the emotion] I just had to say it." No, sorry Friend, you did not have to say it. You chose to say it. Again, spiritual teaching and the secular world align that there is great power in the words we choose to speak. And this is a two-way go - 1) there are the words we speak to ourselves, and 2) there are words we speak to others. As Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit." Yes, you and I are that powerful. Whether words spoken to our own soul or to the precious soul of another, they contain within them the power of life or death. Please, choose wisely.
Our actions...
Nobody makes you or I do anything...we choose to do things. And we love to act and do whatever we want, we are just not so good at the consequences part. I would love, absolutely love, to eat prime rib, chips & salsa and wash it all down with a Shiner Bock every night. I can if I choose to do so however I am not free from the consequences how that will affect my health. Silly example but you get the point. So how are you and I doing on this one? Are our daily actions leading to the quality of life we want to live? If not, we can change it. It is a choice.
Friends, we live in unprecedented times right now. We are going through the first pandemic in the social media era. There is more information, and misinformation, out there than you and I could ever read in our lifetimes. And, as is the case with any other challenge/issue, you and I have to make choices. Over and over again it is the same thing. What do we allow to be poured in? What do we believe? What are we thinking? What words are we speaking? What actions are we taking? These are all choices that are 100% ours alone to make...we must own it! Let's bring all of these things into line with the lives we want to live.
And I want to speak for a second about Dr. Breines' last paragraph. Please be compassionate. Somewhere along the line it has almost became sport in America to laugh at and make fun of others. Please don't. We all have different beliefs, experiences, knowledge, etc. and this all impacts the way we respond during challenging times. Instead of ridiculing someone who is struggling, try to understand that perhaps they don't have your beliefs, your faith, your experience, etc. Instead of ridiculing, reassure. Instead of making fun of, encourage. None of us have all the answers and we all have things that we are afraid of and fear. Be the person you wish you had when you went through something that was overwhelming you.
I also want to share several quotes about choices.
"My your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears." - Nelson Mandela
"Life is all about making choices. Always do your best to make the right ones, and always do your best to learn from the wrong ones." - Anonymous
"Everything in your life is a reflection of a choice you have made. If you want a different result, make a different choice." - Anonymous
"I believe we are solely responsible for our choices, and we have to accept the consequences of every deed, word, and thought throughout our lifetime." - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
"Every test in our life makes us bitter or better, every problem comes to break us or make us. The choice is ours whether we become victim or victor." - Anonymous
"Choices are the hinges of destiny." - Edwin Markham
"You can let things define you, destroy you, or strengthen you. It's your choice." - Anonymous
"It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped." - Tony Robbins
"Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved." - William Jennings Bryan
"It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." - J.K. Rowling
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 and trust this post finds you having had a great day on this soggy Friday night in my Sweet Home Alabama!
This week I want to talk about choices. We all have them, and we all make them, every day. I am not here this evening to judge you, to ridicule you or to tell you that your choices, attitudes and/or behaviors are wrong. I am simply here to encourage you and to make us all aware that we are very powerful because we have the ability to choose...
The first choice I want to talk about is the things that we allow to be poured into our lives. Whether it is the things we read, listen to or see, they are shaping our thoughts which in turn directly impact our feelings and emotions which in turn impact our attitudes and behaviors.
Please Sweet Friends, carefully consider the things that you will allow to be poured into your life. Learn? Grow? Be educated? Understand the circumstance/situation? Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely and absolutely! However there is a point where we have all of the information and it is time to turn off the flow. And when it comes to someone else's thoughts - just like these! - or opinions, we would be wise to inventory how they are impacting our lives. If, after allowing whatever it is to be poured into our lives, the outcome is negative - thoughts, feelings, emotions, attitudes, behaviors, etc. - we would be wise to perhaps choose differently. Likewise, we would be wise to continue to pour things in that bring a positive result. Bottom line, you and I choose every day that things that we will allow to fill our well. And we know, what's in the well, always comes up in the bucket.
The second choice I want to encourage you to consider is your beliefs. It is none of my business so I will ask this question in rhetorical form; what do you believe? You see Sweet Friends, we can try to give the "right" answer or the "Sunday School" answer however we will always walk out what we actually believe. Let me share a couple of pieces of information with you - one from the spiritual world and one from the secular world.
Spiritual:
Billy Graham, in answering a question about what is more important, our beliefs or our behaviors responded in part (you can read this at billygraham.org):
"...because what we believe will influence how we live - no matter who we are. Let me explain.
Suppose, for example, you believed the only purpose of life was to have a good time. God wasn't important to you; you only cared about yourself and what was happening to you right now. Would this belief influence the way you lived? Of course.
The tragedy, however, is that eventually you'd find you were on a dead-end road. Not only would you never find lasting happiness, but one day you'd die and meet God - and then it would be too late. You'd discover your wrong beliefs betrayed you."
Secular:
The following excerpts are taken from 3 Ways Your Beliefs Can Shape Your Reality: You don't need quantum physics to understand the power of belief. It was written by Dr. Juliana Breines on August 30, 2015. You can find the article at psychologytoday.com.
"1. Your beliefs influence your behavior.
One of the most basic ways that beliefs can shape reality is through their influence on behavior.
2. Your beliefs influence other people's behavior.
Your beliefs can shape your reality not only be influencing your own behavior, but also by influencing other people's behavior, from close relationship partners to complete strangers.
3. Your beliefs may impact your health.
Research on the placebo effect also support the link between beliefs and health. Remarkably, the mere expectation that a treatment will be effective can sometimes make it so, even if that treatment is just a sugar pill."
Dr. Breines concludes her article with these two paragraphs:
"How can you harness the power of belief to improve your life? For one, you can engage in practices that change your habitual way of thinking, such as keeping a gratitude journal or learning mindfulness meditation. These practices can help you notice and appreciate the good in life and keep you from getting caught up in unconstructive, negative thoughts. Second, you can set clear intentions for how you want to approach each day and make an effort to align your behavior with those intentions. Even when things don't go your way, you'll know that you're moving in the right direction and using the leverage that you have.
And finally, you can recognize that while beliefs may be powerful, they are certainly not all-powerful, and life is full of suffering that we neither invite nor deserve. Recognizing the limitations in belief can make us more compassionate towards those who find themselves in unfortunate circumstances, including ourselves."
So, whether you want to look at the spiritual or secular, both line up with the idea that our beliefs determine our behaviors. We simply have to decide if the beliefs we hold true are leading to the quality of life we want to live. We will choose...
I also want to encourage us to think about our choices in 3 specific areas - Our thoughts, our words and our actions.
Our thoughts...
The battle is real. Our thoughts can run wild if we let them. You and I would be wise to choose which thoughts we will allow and which one's we will immediately dismiss. The decision is critically important as it will lead to the words we speak and the actions we take which will ultimately lead to the quality of the life we live.
Our words...
Again, we get to choose. We love to say things like, "I couldn't help what I said! [Fill in the blank] made me so [fill in the emotion] I just had to say it." No, sorry Friend, you did not have to say it. You chose to say it. Again, spiritual teaching and the secular world align that there is great power in the words we choose to speak. And this is a two-way go - 1) there are the words we speak to ourselves, and 2) there are words we speak to others. As Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit." Yes, you and I are that powerful. Whether words spoken to our own soul or to the precious soul of another, they contain within them the power of life or death. Please, choose wisely.
Our actions...
Nobody makes you or I do anything...we choose to do things. And we love to act and do whatever we want, we are just not so good at the consequences part. I would love, absolutely love, to eat prime rib, chips & salsa and wash it all down with a Shiner Bock every night. I can if I choose to do so however I am not free from the consequences how that will affect my health. Silly example but you get the point. So how are you and I doing on this one? Are our daily actions leading to the quality of life we want to live? If not, we can change it. It is a choice.
Friends, we live in unprecedented times right now. We are going through the first pandemic in the social media era. There is more information, and misinformation, out there than you and I could ever read in our lifetimes. And, as is the case with any other challenge/issue, you and I have to make choices. Over and over again it is the same thing. What do we allow to be poured in? What do we believe? What are we thinking? What words are we speaking? What actions are we taking? These are all choices that are 100% ours alone to make...we must own it! Let's bring all of these things into line with the lives we want to live.
And I want to speak for a second about Dr. Breines' last paragraph. Please be compassionate. Somewhere along the line it has almost became sport in America to laugh at and make fun of others. Please don't. We all have different beliefs, experiences, knowledge, etc. and this all impacts the way we respond during challenging times. Instead of ridiculing someone who is struggling, try to understand that perhaps they don't have your beliefs, your faith, your experience, etc. Instead of ridiculing, reassure. Instead of making fun of, encourage. None of us have all the answers and we all have things that we are afraid of and fear. Be the person you wish you had when you went through something that was overwhelming you.
I also want to share several quotes about choices.
"My your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears." - Nelson Mandela
"Life is all about making choices. Always do your best to make the right ones, and always do your best to learn from the wrong ones." - Anonymous
"Everything in your life is a reflection of a choice you have made. If you want a different result, make a different choice." - Anonymous
"I believe we are solely responsible for our choices, and we have to accept the consequences of every deed, word, and thought throughout our lifetime." - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
"Every test in our life makes us bitter or better, every problem comes to break us or make us. The choice is ours whether we become victim or victor." - Anonymous
"Choices are the hinges of destiny." - Edwin Markham
"You can let things define you, destroy you, or strengthen you. It's your choice." - Anonymous
"It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped." - Tony Robbins
"Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved." - William Jennings Bryan
"It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." - J.K. Rowling
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, March 14, 2020
What Is Leading You?
Happy Friday Friends!
I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins in my Sweet Home Alabama! :) Today is going to be a great day...I have never seen THIS one before!
At my church we are going through a bible study titled, "Freedom." Last week we went through our week four study titled, "Spiritual Order." Don't you just love it when you learn something and then it fly's right back at you - repeatedly!! - throughout the week?!?! The whole point of this study is that we are all made up of a spirit, a soul and a body. We have to choose - we will choose - which one we will allow to lead us. The way God designed us is that we would be led by the spirit...oh but how real the struggle is that the soul and body want to lead! I think most of us understand the body wanting to lead with our physical desires, cravings, etc. The soul, as described in our workbook, is made up of three parts: 1) The mind, which thinks and reasons; 2) The will, which makes choices; 3) The emotions, which believe, feel, and remember.
So first, let me tell on myself. Coming off of our Bible Study on Sunday night I am bound and determined to be Spirit led. So....
- Monday I have "one of those" days! My emotions are kicking my rear end and I come home. My Beautiful Bride sees me and says, "How is your Spirit?" I tell her, "My Spirit is fine. My emotions on the other hand...not so much!"
- Wednesday I am having a conversation with a gentleman and I am frustrated. I am joking with him but I know that my joking is not pure-hearted. While I am not being mean, rude or offensive, I become painfully aware that I am once again allowing my emotions to lead.
- Thursday I am praying about a situation. I pray that I will be Spirit-led. I beg God to help me. I see the person at the center of the situation. I don't say anything negative, rude or flippant. The Spirit won! (Had to include a victory!) :)
- And the times I allow the body to lead?! EVERY! SINGLE! TIME! Chips & salsa are placed before me!!! Horrible tools of Satan!!! :)
This morning I want to share several excerpts, and perhaps a few notes I took, from our Bible Study workbook titled, "Freedom." It was written and prepared by Highlands Small Groups. The information I will be sharing comes from Week Four: Spiritual Order.
"Did you know that you are a spiritual being having a temporary physical experience on earth rather than a physical being having a temporary spiritual experience? God's plan is that our spirits become the strongest part of our three-part design and be the "command center" of who we are and what we do."
"Now that we are one with Christ, we have the ability to understand spiritual truth and discern right from wrong. We can adjust our lives to hear the voice of God. It is much like tuning a dial to pick up a radio station. Sometimes there may be static in the airwaves (distraction, confusion, fear, etc.) but if we continue to seek the Lord and His way of doing things, our spirit will rise above the static , and we will be able to tune in to the broadcast of truth."
"Our bodies have appetites, both good and bad. The Bible says to be careful of any sin that leads to our flesh getting anything it wants. Often people want to know how far they can sin and still enjoy the benefits of God's blessing. The snare with sin is that it never satisfies."
"A filter for sinful actions should be: How will this action affect those around me?"
"What we give the most attention to will become the most influential. Our spirit can take the lead only if we feed it more than our soul and body."
"The world around us constantly feeds our souls through things we see and hear. And our bodies, if starved, make it known that they're hungry. If we withhold gratification from our souls and our bodies, they get loud. Our spirit, on the other hand, when not fed, gets quiet. We have to be intentional to feed our spirit."
"God convicts; He does not condemn."
"We face decisions every single day, and the choices we make dictate the lives we lead."
And a few of the notes I took:
- Who is in charge of your life?
- You teach what you know. You reproduce what you are.
- Find disciplines and put them in place.
- It is not just about what you are feeding. It is also about what you are denying.
- Do you elevate the thought Satan has placed in your mind OR do you elevate the truth of God?
-What can we do to be more intentional?
Friends, I am not here to tell you what to do, how to live or what to think. Heck, I have a hard enough time keeping up with myself! :) I am here to simply testify to what I have found in my life and to make you aware that you have a choice and that you are, in fact, choosing every day. I will close this section with a scripture that both instructs and inspires me:
"So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
The acts of the flesh are obvious; sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5: 16 - 23
I want to share two other little things from this week:
- I heard a quote earlier this week that said, "Don't let a blind man stepping on your toes offend you." That is a spirit-led truth! :) We are so quick to judge, to become offended, etc. Others don't believe what I believe, know what I know, have what I have, have the perspectives I have, etc. Essentially, we don't see the same things and in this, we are all blind. Let's stop being offended, genuinely value and respect one another, learn from one another and, above all else, show love, mercy and grace to one another!
- And I guess this one is a rhetorical question/thought. This morning I was listening to a podcast with Inky Johnson. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Inky, he is a former football player at the University of Tennessee. He aspired, and had the potential, to play in the NFL. He got injured, paralyzing his arm, ending his dream. When asked by Jon Gordon, the podcast host, if he could go back and change what happened would he, he responded no. He went on to say that sometimes the things we go through are not for us but for others. My mind immediately raised back to John O'Leary. As a little boy, John suffered 3rd degree burns over 90% of his body. He should have died but did not. In his book, On Fire, he recounts a story where he is asked if he could, would he go back and change what happened. He said no. He said even though he could go back, change things and thus not have to face all the pain that he has endured, and continues to endure, he would also have to give up all of the blessings that have come from and through the pain. The power of the human spirit, the choice to choose one thought over another, truly inspires me.
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 and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins in my Sweet Home Alabama! :) Today is going to be a great day...I have never seen THIS one before!
At my church we are going through a bible study titled, "Freedom." Last week we went through our week four study titled, "Spiritual Order." Don't you just love it when you learn something and then it fly's right back at you - repeatedly!! - throughout the week?!?! The whole point of this study is that we are all made up of a spirit, a soul and a body. We have to choose - we will choose - which one we will allow to lead us. The way God designed us is that we would be led by the spirit...oh but how real the struggle is that the soul and body want to lead! I think most of us understand the body wanting to lead with our physical desires, cravings, etc. The soul, as described in our workbook, is made up of three parts: 1) The mind, which thinks and reasons; 2) The will, which makes choices; 3) The emotions, which believe, feel, and remember.
So first, let me tell on myself. Coming off of our Bible Study on Sunday night I am bound and determined to be Spirit led. So....
- Monday I have "one of those" days! My emotions are kicking my rear end and I come home. My Beautiful Bride sees me and says, "How is your Spirit?" I tell her, "My Spirit is fine. My emotions on the other hand...not so much!"
- Wednesday I am having a conversation with a gentleman and I am frustrated. I am joking with him but I know that my joking is not pure-hearted. While I am not being mean, rude or offensive, I become painfully aware that I am once again allowing my emotions to lead.
- Thursday I am praying about a situation. I pray that I will be Spirit-led. I beg God to help me. I see the person at the center of the situation. I don't say anything negative, rude or flippant. The Spirit won! (Had to include a victory!) :)
- And the times I allow the body to lead?! EVERY! SINGLE! TIME! Chips & salsa are placed before me!!! Horrible tools of Satan!!! :)
This morning I want to share several excerpts, and perhaps a few notes I took, from our Bible Study workbook titled, "Freedom." It was written and prepared by Highlands Small Groups. The information I will be sharing comes from Week Four: Spiritual Order.
"Did you know that you are a spiritual being having a temporary physical experience on earth rather than a physical being having a temporary spiritual experience? God's plan is that our spirits become the strongest part of our three-part design and be the "command center" of who we are and what we do."
"Now that we are one with Christ, we have the ability to understand spiritual truth and discern right from wrong. We can adjust our lives to hear the voice of God. It is much like tuning a dial to pick up a radio station. Sometimes there may be static in the airwaves (distraction, confusion, fear, etc.) but if we continue to seek the Lord and His way of doing things, our spirit will rise above the static , and we will be able to tune in to the broadcast of truth."
"Our bodies have appetites, both good and bad. The Bible says to be careful of any sin that leads to our flesh getting anything it wants. Often people want to know how far they can sin and still enjoy the benefits of God's blessing. The snare with sin is that it never satisfies."
"A filter for sinful actions should be: How will this action affect those around me?"
"What we give the most attention to will become the most influential. Our spirit can take the lead only if we feed it more than our soul and body."
"The world around us constantly feeds our souls through things we see and hear. And our bodies, if starved, make it known that they're hungry. If we withhold gratification from our souls and our bodies, they get loud. Our spirit, on the other hand, when not fed, gets quiet. We have to be intentional to feed our spirit."
"God convicts; He does not condemn."
"We face decisions every single day, and the choices we make dictate the lives we lead."
And a few of the notes I took:
- Who is in charge of your life?
- You teach what you know. You reproduce what you are.
- Find disciplines and put them in place.
- It is not just about what you are feeding. It is also about what you are denying.
- Do you elevate the thought Satan has placed in your mind OR do you elevate the truth of God?
-What can we do to be more intentional?
Friends, I am not here to tell you what to do, how to live or what to think. Heck, I have a hard enough time keeping up with myself! :) I am here to simply testify to what I have found in my life and to make you aware that you have a choice and that you are, in fact, choosing every day. I will close this section with a scripture that both instructs and inspires me:
"So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
The acts of the flesh are obvious; sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5: 16 - 23
I want to share two other little things from this week:
- I heard a quote earlier this week that said, "Don't let a blind man stepping on your toes offend you." That is a spirit-led truth! :) We are so quick to judge, to become offended, etc. Others don't believe what I believe, know what I know, have what I have, have the perspectives I have, etc. Essentially, we don't see the same things and in this, we are all blind. Let's stop being offended, genuinely value and respect one another, learn from one another and, above all else, show love, mercy and grace to one another!
- And I guess this one is a rhetorical question/thought. This morning I was listening to a podcast with Inky Johnson. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Inky, he is a former football player at the University of Tennessee. He aspired, and had the potential, to play in the NFL. He got injured, paralyzing his arm, ending his dream. When asked by Jon Gordon, the podcast host, if he could go back and change what happened would he, he responded no. He went on to say that sometimes the things we go through are not for us but for others. My mind immediately raised back to John O'Leary. As a little boy, John suffered 3rd degree burns over 90% of his body. He should have died but did not. In his book, On Fire, he recounts a story where he is asked if he could, would he go back and change what happened. He said no. He said even though he could go back, change things and thus not have to face all the pain that he has endured, and continues to endure, he would also have to give up all of the blessings that have come from and through the pain. The power of the human spirit, the choice to choose one thought over another, truly inspires me.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families! :)
Kev
Friday, March 6, 2020
Life Is A Journey
Happy Friday Friends!
I hope and trust this post finds you all having had a great day on this glorious Friday evening in my Sweet Home Alabama.
This week I want to talk about the journey of life. Their is not a blueprint, a "right" or "wrong" path. There is simply a path and it is up to each one of us to find our way.
I remember the first time as I Dad I really became aware of this. I love sports - always have. When my oldest Tender Warrior loved football, that was easy...I loved football too! And when my second Tender Warrior loved baseball, that was great...baseball was my first love! And then there was my third Tender Warrior - probably the best athlete of them all by the way. He could pretty much care less about playing catch - football or baseball, playing basketball or any other sport. And sitting their watching a football or basketball game with me? Forget about it! One day, as I was working in my home office, he was sitting by me watching the military channel on TV - they were talking about the capabilities of a new tank. And under his little boy breath I heard him whisper, "I hope I get to drive one of those some day." God used that moment to tell me, "His journey is not about you, it is about him." My Spirit convicted me. From that day forward I was determined to help my boys find their path, and encourage, empower and equip them in the pursuit of their goals and dreams as they developed their talents, gifts and abilities. And I have been blessed beyond measure as I have had the privilege of walking alongside them. :)
In the past couple of weeks I have had conversations with a couple of different people who mean the world to me. Each time it went something like, "My path doesn't look like everybody else's" and "What if I screw up?" Ever been there? Yeah, me too. Learning and growing is not always easy...
Before I share a couple of thoughts, I want to share a point I heard a Pastor make one time. I hope it helps someone...maybe YOU! :) He pointed out that we tend to think that life is like a balance beam and if we fall off, well, that's it...we have missed our calling, purpose, chance, etc. Thankfully, that is simply not true. As the great theologian Dabo Swinney once said, "God doesn't say, 'Oops!'" Nothing surprises God and as we know from Romans 8:28, God works all things together for the good of those who love Him. I also once heard something like, "You think you are going to screw up God's purpose for your life? You are not that powerful." Bottom line Friends, please relax and breathe. Yes, there will be wrong turns and failing moments...this is life after all. You don't need to be perfect and, in fact, you never will be. Please just get up every day, give your best to that day and trust God as you walk your path.
O.K., a couple of things:
1. I simply want to encourage you to pursue the hopes, goals and dreams that are in your heart...even if what was once a flaming inferno is now only a tiny ember. It was placed there for a reason. Please quit looking at what everyone else is doing, how you are "supposed" to do it, etc. No, I don't know exactly what your journey will look like - I will tell you however that it is very rarely a straight line from where you are today to where you are going. I am pretty sure you will have great successes and great failures as you walk your path - that's o.k., just keep walking. I can also tell you, reflecting on many mountain tops and valley's, that some of the greatest moments of your life - and the vast majority of the growth - will come during seasons of struggle, strain and adversity. Please just be brave enough to pursue you - the full potential of who you were created to become. It will be a beautiful, inspiring story and what this world needs more than anything else is people fully alive, pursuing the greatness that is within them.
2. This one is directed specifically at those who have the honor and privilege of a precious soul calling them "Mom" or "Dad" - please help your child find their path and encourage, empower and equip them as they walk it. Please don't make it about you or anyone else...this is their journey. I think one of the things we get real caught up in is how it is supposed to look or work. First question, "who said so?" Second question, "how do you know?" And I guess a third question, "Are you willing to stake your relationship with your child on it?" Whoa, right? Is it worth losing a relationship with your son or daughter because he or she didn't do what you thought they should do, the way you that they should do it, when you thought they should do it? There are millions of broken souls walking this earth who have chosen that path...I pray we aren't among them!
Something that has always amazed me is the human spirit. I stand in awe of people who have overcome incredible hardships, struggles, failures and pains and arrived at really beautiful places - and I am not talking about physical locations. I am talking about people who are leading exceptional lives, maximizing their potential and often using what they have learned, and their talents, gifts and abilities, to serve others. All journey's do not look the same and I can guarantee you, there is not one "right" way to get anywhere. Love your son or daughter and enjoy their journey with them...I promise you, it will bless you both!
I also wanted to share a couple of thought provoking quotes:
Please don't hesitate to contact me at any time 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 evening, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
I hope and trust this post finds you all having had a great day on this glorious Friday evening in my Sweet Home Alabama.
This week I want to talk about the journey of life. Their is not a blueprint, a "right" or "wrong" path. There is simply a path and it is up to each one of us to find our way.
I remember the first time as I Dad I really became aware of this. I love sports - always have. When my oldest Tender Warrior loved football, that was easy...I loved football too! And when my second Tender Warrior loved baseball, that was great...baseball was my first love! And then there was my third Tender Warrior - probably the best athlete of them all by the way. He could pretty much care less about playing catch - football or baseball, playing basketball or any other sport. And sitting their watching a football or basketball game with me? Forget about it! One day, as I was working in my home office, he was sitting by me watching the military channel on TV - they were talking about the capabilities of a new tank. And under his little boy breath I heard him whisper, "I hope I get to drive one of those some day." God used that moment to tell me, "His journey is not about you, it is about him." My Spirit convicted me. From that day forward I was determined to help my boys find their path, and encourage, empower and equip them in the pursuit of their goals and dreams as they developed their talents, gifts and abilities. And I have been blessed beyond measure as I have had the privilege of walking alongside them. :)
In the past couple of weeks I have had conversations with a couple of different people who mean the world to me. Each time it went something like, "My path doesn't look like everybody else's" and "What if I screw up?" Ever been there? Yeah, me too. Learning and growing is not always easy...
Before I share a couple of thoughts, I want to share a point I heard a Pastor make one time. I hope it helps someone...maybe YOU! :) He pointed out that we tend to think that life is like a balance beam and if we fall off, well, that's it...we have missed our calling, purpose, chance, etc. Thankfully, that is simply not true. As the great theologian Dabo Swinney once said, "God doesn't say, 'Oops!'" Nothing surprises God and as we know from Romans 8:28, God works all things together for the good of those who love Him. I also once heard something like, "You think you are going to screw up God's purpose for your life? You are not that powerful." Bottom line Friends, please relax and breathe. Yes, there will be wrong turns and failing moments...this is life after all. You don't need to be perfect and, in fact, you never will be. Please just get up every day, give your best to that day and trust God as you walk your path.
O.K., a couple of things:
1. I simply want to encourage you to pursue the hopes, goals and dreams that are in your heart...even if what was once a flaming inferno is now only a tiny ember. It was placed there for a reason. Please quit looking at what everyone else is doing, how you are "supposed" to do it, etc. No, I don't know exactly what your journey will look like - I will tell you however that it is very rarely a straight line from where you are today to where you are going. I am pretty sure you will have great successes and great failures as you walk your path - that's o.k., just keep walking. I can also tell you, reflecting on many mountain tops and valley's, that some of the greatest moments of your life - and the vast majority of the growth - will come during seasons of struggle, strain and adversity. Please just be brave enough to pursue you - the full potential of who you were created to become. It will be a beautiful, inspiring story and what this world needs more than anything else is people fully alive, pursuing the greatness that is within them.
2. This one is directed specifically at those who have the honor and privilege of a precious soul calling them "Mom" or "Dad" - please help your child find their path and encourage, empower and equip them as they walk it. Please don't make it about you or anyone else...this is their journey. I think one of the things we get real caught up in is how it is supposed to look or work. First question, "who said so?" Second question, "how do you know?" And I guess a third question, "Are you willing to stake your relationship with your child on it?" Whoa, right? Is it worth losing a relationship with your son or daughter because he or she didn't do what you thought they should do, the way you that they should do it, when you thought they should do it? There are millions of broken souls walking this earth who have chosen that path...I pray we aren't among them!
Something that has always amazed me is the human spirit. I stand in awe of people who have overcome incredible hardships, struggles, failures and pains and arrived at really beautiful places - and I am not talking about physical locations. I am talking about people who are leading exceptional lives, maximizing their potential and often using what they have learned, and their talents, gifts and abilities, to serve others. All journey's do not look the same and I can guarantee you, there is not one "right" way to get anywhere. Love your son or daughter and enjoy their journey with them...I promise you, it will bless you both!
I also wanted to share a couple of thought provoking quotes:
What you learn in tough times can be used in many ways to bless your personal life journey. - Scott Gordon
Not everyone will understand your journey. That's okay. You're here to live your life, not to make everyone understand. - Unknown
"I believe that life is a journey, often difficult and sometimes incredibly cruel, but we are well equipped for it if only we tap into our talents and gifts and allow them to blossom. - Les Brown
Temporary setbacks create opportunities for fresh commitment and renewal. There are seasons of sunshine as well as rain. - T.D. Jakes
Life is a journey of either Fate or Destiny. Fate is the result of giving in to one's wounds and heartaches. Your Destiny unfolds when you rise above the challenges of your life and use them as Divine opportunities to move forward to unlock your higher potential. - Caroline Myss
Everyone is handed adversity in life. No one's journey is easy. It's how they handle it that makes people unique. - Kevin Conroy
Learn to trust the journey, even when you do not understand it. - Lolly Daskal
Please don't hesitate to contact me at any time 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 evening, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
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